Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/673

 MISSISSIPPI 655 tional funds^ was state, $656,585 county, and $141.600 town, city, &c. The state held bonds and stocks to the amount of $966,674 as secu- rity for loans to railroads, &c. According to the treasurer's report, the receipts into the treasury during the year ending Dec. 81, 1873, including $174,670 70 on hand Jan. 1, but ex- cluding uncurrent and worthless funds in the treasury to the amount of $795,636 48, were $1,332,825, of which $366,122 74 were from state taxes, $34,833 38 from the tax on privi- leges, $116,345 86 from the penitentiary, $240,- 191 05 from the school funds, and $381,650 from the bonds (loans). The disbursements amounted to $1,244,475 89, of which $98,- 113 62 were for legislative expenses, $247,- 803 70 judiciary, $31,951 57 executive, $157,- 546 71 on account of the penitentiary, $66,- 561 93 public printing, $32,350 university of Mississippi, $88,145 lunatic asylum, $10,316 15 executive contingent fund, $72,849 46 interest on Chickasaw school fund, $3,153 76 geologi- cal survey, $6,887 50 institution for the blind, $17,100 deaf and dumb asylum, $38,500 Alcorn university, $3,450 state normal schools, $2,730 90 capitol repairs, $19,237 97 repairs on luna- tic asylum, $89,504 79 on account of common school fund, $100,000 in payment of state bonds, $10,204 40 for interest on state bonds, and $17,409 77 for interest on deposits of in- surance companies ; balance on hand Jan. 1, 1874, in current funds, $88,349 11. The state debt on that date amounted to $3,558,629 24, viz.: due school funds, $1,157,415 69; cer- tificates of debt, $294,150 ; auditor's warrants, $1,083,682 57; bonds, $634,650; interest on bonds, $73,436 ; interest on insurance deposits, $15,294 98. Of the bonds $100,000 were pay- able on Jan. 1, 1874, 1875, and 1876 ; $150,- 000 on Jan. 1, 1875 and 1876 ; and $34,650 on Jan. 1, 1877. This statement of the debt does not include bonds to the amount of $7,000,000, of which the principal and interest have re- mained unpaid since 1842. The state insti- tutions are the penitentiary, blind institute, institute for the deaf and dumb, and lunatic asylum, situated at Jackson. The penitentiary contains 200 cells, and is inadequate for the accommodation of the prisoners. The convicts are partly employed within the walls in man- ufactures, and partly leased to persons who employ them on public works in different parts of the state. The number on Nov. 30, 1872, was 212 ; received during the year, 227 ; re- maining Nov. 30, 1873, 288, of whom 35 were whites and 253 colored, 280 males and 8 fe- males; 121 were confined within the walls, 125 employed on railroads, and 42 on levees. The number of officers on July 23, 1874, was 21 ; of convicts, 320. In the blind institute, besides a literary training, the male pupils receive instruction in broom making, mattress making, and chair seating, and the females in domestic work. The number under instruc- tion in 1873 was 25 ; remaining at the close of the year, 21 ; number of officers and teachers, 563 VOL. XL 42 5. The number under instruction during the year in the institute for the deaf and dumb was 50, of whom 40 were mutes and 10 semi- mutes, 26 males and 24 females ; average at- tendance, 39 ; remaining at its close, 36 ; num- ber of officers and instructors, 5. Pupils un- able to pay for tuition are educated free. The building requires enlargement. The lunatic asylum on Dec, 1, 1872, had 231 inmates; re- ceived during the ensuing 13 months, 137 ; re- maining Dec. 31, 1873, 304, of whom 150 were males and 154 females ; number of officers, 4. The number received since the opening of the asylum was 1,008 (559 males and 449 females) ; discharged recovered, 258 ; discharged im- proved, 66 ; discharged stationary, 123 ; eloped, 53 ; died, 204. The building was enlarged in 1872, but is still overcrowded. The constitu- tion requires the establishment of a system of free public schools for all youth between the ages of 5 and 21 years, and an act was passed in 1871 to carry this provision into effect. The schools are under the general charge of the state superintendent of public education ; that officer, the secretary of state, and the at- torney general form the state board of educa- tion. There is a superintendent for each coun- ty, appointed by the board of education with the consent of the senate for two years. Each county and each incorporated city of more than 3,000 inhabitants forms a school district, and has a board of six school directors, those for the cities being elected by the qualified voters, and those for the school districts out- side of cities by the patrons of the schools. One or more free public schools, open to all of school age, are to be kept in each county for at least four months in each year. Teach- ers' institutes are to be held annually, under the general supervision of the state superin- tendent, for at least two weeks in each con- gressional district. According to the report of the state superintendent for the period from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, 1873, returns had been re- ceived from 54 counties, reporting 252,962 youth of school age, 1,940 public schools, and 465 private schools ; number of pupils enrolled in public schools, 78,066 ; teachers in same, 2,130; pupils enrolled in private schools (36 counties), 9,718. In 5 of the counties report- ing there were private but no public schools, and in 10 public schools were in operation, but no private ones. In 38 counties, having 53,- 463 pupils enrolled in public schools, the aver- age attendance was 46,240. The superinten- dent estimates the number of public schools in operation in the entire state during the period at 2,000, of which 300 were of the first, 700 of the second, and 1,000 of the third grade ; number of private schools, 500; pupils en- rolled in public schools, 80,000; in private schools, 12,000 ; average attendance in public schools, 50,500; number of teachers in pub- lic schools, 1,800; length of school term, 4 months; number of school houses, including buildings rented, 4,700 ; built during the year,