Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 24.djvu/231

 High School Legislation In Oregon 209 the effect of postponing the general organizing of high schools in two ways ; directly by keeping down the senti- ment in favor of them, and indirectly by encouraging the opening of private and denominational academies and colleges to meet the demand for education of a higher grade than that offered in the common schools. By 1874 when the first report of the state superintendent was published, there were fourteen colleges and academies in the state. 17 The colleges all conducted preparatory de- partments. In most of them this department had the bulk of the enrollment. By 1895 this number had increased to forty-seven. Though all of these except the State Uni- versity, the Agricultural College, and the State Normals, were independent institutions, they were generally re- garded as a part of the educational system. Each was given space in the biennial report of the state superin- tendent to enumerate its courses and to set forth its ad- vantages. The report of 1878 gives thirty-nine of its one hundred seventeen pages for this purpose. It is rather significant that this advertising of the private institu- tions at public expense stopped abruptly upon the in- duction of J. H. Ackerman into office as state superin- tendent in 1899, and that the first substantial high school legislation was enacted just two years after he became head of the Oregon school system. In spite of the lack of specific legislation to support them, many communities had made a small beginning before 1900 by offering some work beyond the eighth grade. The biennial report of the state superintendent for 1898 lists Astoria, Baker City, Portland, and The Dalles as having high schools, and Albany, Ashland and Salem as having "additional grades." 18 The presumption would be that the first four offered four full years. How- ever, this presumption does not seem to be entirely cor- 17 Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of Ore- gon. 1874. pp. 102-123. 18 Thirteenth Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruc- tion of Oregon. 1898. p. 154.