Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/322

 old contracts once in five years. This act enables many to attend school who have heretofore been deprived of that privilege and is proving popular, as over one-half of the counties had availed themselves of the benefits of the law at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. teachers employed in the public schools and the school year had been extended to eight months; 543,652 pupils were in attendance at 13,686 schoolhouses valued at $15,867,425.

An act of the Twenty-ninth General Assembly, making education compulsory “from the ages of seven to fourteen inclusive, for all children in proper physical condition,” places Iowa in rank with the most progressive of the States and fulfills the promise of her pioneer educators.

After tracing thus briefly the growth of the public school system in Iowa, we turn with interest to the institutions for higher education, the State University, State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts and the State Normal School. In addition to these there are a number of denominational colleges, each occupying a field peculiarly its own. Foremost among these stands Iowa College at Grinnell, a worthy representative of the Congregational Church and a college which has given to Iowa high rank in the educational world. The Methodists support five educational institutions of which Cornell College at Mt. Vernon is the best known. Coe College at Cedar Rapids is one of the foremost Presbyterian schools, while Penn College at Oskaloosa, the Friends regard as their special educational institution of the northwest. Des Moines College, among the Baptists, and Drake University, among the Christians, are regarded as among their leading colleges in this section. Griswold College at Davenport, Luther College at Ducorah and Western College at Toledo are representatives of the Episcopal, Lutheran and United Brethren denominations.