Page:Statistics of the colored people of Philadelphia.djvu/4

 At a Stated Meeting of the Board of Education of the "Pennsylvania Society for promoting the Abolition of Slavery, &c.," held 12th mo. 8th, 1853, the Committee appointed to report a plan of collecting Statistics, &c., produced the following, which was accepted.

The Committee appointed to consider of, and report to the Board the best method of ascertaining the present state of education among the colored population of our city and disirictsdistricts [sic], in order that those who succeed us in this concern may at future periods, have some data from which they can form an estimate of the progress made by this class of our citizens in school learning, &c.

Recommend, That with the concurrence of the Society, our Visiting Agent be instructed to collect and arrange in tabular form the following and such other items of information as may be thought necessary to represent the present state of education among them, in addition to the duties heretofore assigned him, viz:—

The number over twenty years of age who can read and write and who understand the simple rules of arithmetic.

The number over twenty years of age who can read and write legibly,

who can read only,

Slave born,

born free in Slave States,

who cannot read or write,

of Libraries, date of organization, number of volumes, &c.,

of Literary Societies, date of organization, &c.,

of children attending schools, and whether Public or Private Schools.

of children over eight years old, not attending School.

Your Committee further recommend that the Agent be directed to ascertain the number employed as teachers, the number of artizans, the number who have learned trades, the number who work at their trades, and the number employed in the higher departments of labor, such as clerkships, &c. &c., so that our successors may also be enabled to note their progress in these respects.

Philadelphia, 12th mo. 8th, 1853.

In accordance with the recommendation of the Report, was appointed, in Fourth Month, 1854, to perform the service therein named; and at the stated meeting of the Board in First Month, 1856,  and  were appointed to assist the agent in its revision and publication. DILLWYN PARRISH, Chairman of the Board of Education.

, Secretary.