Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/310

 298 NEW HAMPSHIRE pervision of education is vested in the superin- tendent of public instruction, who is appointed by the governor and council for two years, and receives an annual salary of $1,200 and ex- penses. The several towns annually choose committees, who superintend the schools, ex- amine teachers, grant certificates, dismiss teach- ers and pupils when necessary, select text books, determine with the selectmen the lo- cation of school houses and change of dis- tricts, and make annual reports to the town and state. Prudential committees are annu- ally chosen by the districts, and have general charge of the school houses and the employ- ment of teachers. In 1872 the legislature passed a law making women eligible as mem- bers of the town and prudential committees. High schools may be established by vote of the town or by the union of contiguous dis- tricts. There is no general state revenue for the maintenance of common schools. Public schools are supported by local taxation of prop- erty, each town being required to raise for this purpose $3 50 for every dollar of its appor- tionment of the state tax. Towns or districts may vote additional sums for school purposes. There is also a literary fund for the maintenance of public schools, arising from a tax of one half of one per cent, on the capital stock of savings banks. Several towns and districts have per- manent local funds for the support of schools. The state provides for the registration of pu- pils, statistical returns, and annual teachers' institutes in each county. A compulsory edu- cational law was passed in June, 1871, requi- ring all children between 8 and 14 years of age to attend school at least 12 weeks every year, under penalty of $10 for the first and $20 for every subsequent violation of the statute. The progress of the state in respect to public schools during the last decade is as follows : PARTICULARS. 1863- '4. 1873-'4. 2,148 2,502 830- 20 4 to 21 Number of school districts kk of schools. . . . 2,328 2,487 " of graded schools Average length of schools in weeks. . . Legal school age 20-5 4 to 21 Total school population of the state . . . Number of pupils enrolled 83,401 52,826 8,440 759 $26 99 3,262 $15 05 $197,869 $17,879 $36,032 $10,489 $261,819 $280.379 $3 13 $916,894 69,178 47,275 2,593 482 $44 87 8,380 $24 90 $354,529 $85,590 $43,473 $9,272 $488,104 $606,846 $7 05 $2,208,025 Average daily attendance Number of pupils between 4 and 14 not attending any school Number of male teachers Average monthly wages Number of female teachers. Average monthly wages . . . Amount of school revenue raised by taxation as required by law Additional amount raised by town or district tax... Amount received from local funds, railroad tax, and literary fund Amount contributed by individuals. . . Total school fund . Total expenditures Average cost per pupil Estimated total value of school houses The state normal school was opened in 1871 at Plymouth, Graf ton co. Up to June, 1874, the legislature had appropriated $18,000 for perma- nent improvements, and annual appropriations have been made for current expenses. The institution depends upon these annual appro- priations and the proceeds from tuition ; the rate per pupil is about $25 a year. Besides a preparatory course, there are two courses of instruction of one year each. A certificate of graduation from the first entitles the holder to teach in the state three years, and of the sec- ond five years. In 1874 there were four in- structors in the normal department ; the num- ber of graduates from the opening of the school was 102. In 1873 the institutions for sec- ondary instruction were reported as 27" high schools, 17 academies, 5 seminaries for females, and 4 institutes ; 37 of these reported an aggre- gate attendance of 3,685 pupils, including 1,915 females, and 96 teachers, of whom 55 were fe- males. There are three schools devoted chiefly to preparing boys for college, the most noted of which, Phillips academy at Exeter, is de- scribed in the article on that town. The oth- er two, St. Paul's school in Concord and Kim- ball union academy at Meriden, have extended facilities for instruction and a large attendance. The only college in the state is Dartmouth at Hanover, which besides the college proper com- prises the Chandler scientific school, the Thayer school of civil engineering, the medical school, and the New Hampshire college of agriculture and mechanic arts. (See DARTMOUTH COLLEGE.) The leading institutions for the superior in- struction of females are Adams female academy at East Derry, Robinson female seminary at Exeter (see EXETER), Tilden seminary at West Lebanon, the New Hampshire conference semi- nary and female college at Tilton, and the New Hampton literary institution at New Hampton. According to the census of 1870, there were 1,526 libraries in the state, having 704,269 vol- umes. Of these 856, with 379,876 volumes, were private, and 670, with 324,393 volumes, other than private, including the state library in Concord, with 13,500 volumes ; 32 town and city, 44,744; 21 school and college, 30,800 ; 538 Sabbath school, 164,570 ; 38 church, 7,425 ; 4 of historical, literary, and scientific societies, 18,510; and 29 circulating, 47,217. The lar- gest library in the state is that of Dartmouth college, which had 46,000 volumes in 1874. The other chief libraries are the Manchester city library, 20,000 volumes; New Hampshire historical society, Concord, 7,500 ; Concord city library, 6,400 ; and the Portsmouth Athe- naeum, 12,000. The whole number of news- papers and periodicals in 1870 was 51, having an aggregate circulation of 173,919, and issu- ing annually 7,237,588 copies. There were 7 daily, with a circulation of 6,100; 37 weekly, 75,819 ; and 1 semi-monthly, 67,000. In 1874 the whole number reported was 60, including 9 daily, 44 weekly, 6 monthly, and 1 quarterly. The total number of religious organizations in 1870 was 633, having 624 edifices with 210,090 sittings and property valued at $3,303,780. The leading denominations were as follows :