Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/44

 MAINE chief sources of revenue for school purposes are tax of one mill per dollar of valuation, tax of 80 cents per capita, and a tax of one half mill per dollar of the deposits of sa- vings banks. The cost of supporting the pubhc 778 being about '005 on the state valuation, $1 97 for each inhabitant, $5 49 for each per- son of school age, and $11 21 according to the average attendance. The school funds are ap- mong the several towns according to the number of persons between 4 and 21 years of age. The chief facts relating to the schools of the state are as follows : Number of persons between 4 and 21 years of age. 225,219 registered in summer schools. Arerge attendi regfetered in winter schools. 108,478 AYerSeduration of ^hook for'the year,'20 weeks and 2 days Number of school districts J}48 " houses 4,iya Estimated value of all school property $8,079,81 1 Male teachers in summer in wint.T 1.928 Female teachers in summer 4.8bG inwinter 2,367 Teachers, graduates of normal schools 294 Average wages of male teachers per month $36 17 - of female teachers per week *4 Oo Amount of school money voted $678.314 Excess above amount required by law $187,782 Amount raised per scholar $2 90 recei ved from state treasury during 1S74. $367,009 By a recent act of the legislature a system of five high schools throughout the state has been established, the state defraying one half the cost of instruction upon certain conditions. In 1*74 there were 355 terms of free high schools open, with 14,820 pupils enrolled. The amount paid by the state in aid of these was $39,969. Sixteen teachers' institutes were held in 1874, besides numerous educational conventions and associations. The normal schools are under the direction of seven trustees, five of whom are appointed by the governor, who, with the superintendent of common schools, is an ex member. The western state normal s-huol .-it Farminjiton was established in 1863, anl in L87ft-'4had 8 instructors and 63 students during tin- autumn and 86 during the spring V-idi'9 31 in the model school. The course mr-ipi.-* two years, and tuition is free to those ph-iL'ing themselves to teach in the pul .lie. schools of Maine for as long a period as they have been connected with the normal >chool. The eastern state normal school at Castine was opened in 1867, and in 1873-'4 had 8 instructors and 94 students in the autumn, 58 in the winter, and 130 in the spring term ; 170 <>f tlu- total were females, and 112 males. Tu- . but graduates are expected to be- come teachi-r^ in tin- public schools of the state. In 187 appropriated $17,500 for nor- mal schiHiU. The state college of agriculture ie m-"!i:inir arts at < )rono, has received the grant of public lands made by congress for the establishment and maintenance of such in- rior land affords excellent facilities for the experimental purposes of the institu- tion. Five courses of instruction are offered : in agriculture, civil engineering, mechanical en- gineering, chemistry, and an elective course. The studies of the several courses are essen- tially in common during the first two years. Prominence is given to military instruction, and the students are required to devote not exceed- in" three hours a day for five days in the week to manual labor, for which they receive com- pensation. This institution was opened in 1868, and in 1874 had 8 instructors and 121 students. It is provided with valuable apparatus and a library of 2,000 volumes. The most promi- nent educational institutions are Bowdoin col- lege in Brunswick (see BOWDOIN COLLEGE), Colby university (Baptist) at Waterville, and Bates college (Freewill Baptist) at Lewiston. Colby university was organized in 1820, and in 1874 had 7 instructors and 62 students; the library contains about 10,000 volumes ; 66 scholarships, each yielding from $36 to $60 per annum, have been founded for the ben- efit of students needing aid ; the university is open to students of both sexes. Bates college was organized in 1863 ; connected with it is a theological department, which was opened in 1870; the libraries of the institution com- prise 8,300 volumes; in 1874 there were 8 in- structors and 104 students, besides 18 students in the theological department. The theologi- cal seminary at Bangor (Congregational), estab- lished in 1820, is open to the Protestants of every denomination ; the course of instruction comprises three years ; in 1874 there were 4 professors, 40 students, 520 alumni, and a li- brary of 14,000 volumes. Instruction in med- icine is afforded by the medical department of Bowdoin college, which is known as the med- ical school of Maine, and by the Portland med- ical school. The Maine Wesleyan seminary, at Kent's Hill, and the Westbrook seminary (Uni- versalist), with a collegiate course for young ladies, at Deering, afford to students of both sex- es classical, scientific, normal, and other courses. In 1874 the former had 14 instructors and 389 pupils, of whom 176 were females, and a library of 25,000 volumes, besides valuable collections. The East Maine conference seminary and com- mercial college, pleasantly situated at Bucks- port, is also open to both sexes, and provides several courses of instruction ; in 1874 there were 6 instructors and 201 students, including 92 females. According to the census of 1870, there were in the state 3,334 libraries, contain- ing 984,510 volumes; of these, 1,872, with 450,963 volumes, were private, and 1,402, with 533,547 volumes^ were other than private, in- cluding the state library with 20,000 volumes, 58 town and city with 14,649. volumes, 19 law with 9,748, 25 school, college, &c., with 63,425, 1,079 Sabbath school with 277,742, 140 church with 39,910, and 136 circulating with 100,273. The principal libraries are the state library in Augusta, which in 1874 contained 28,000 vol- umes; Bowdoin college, 35,000- Portland in-
 * eh'ooN in 1*74 (current expenses) was $1,237,-
 * tituti..n- in - ttet, A farm of 370