Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/508

 494 NORTH CAROLINA eluding land valued at $76.959,193 ; town prop- erty, $16,652,131; horses, mules, cattle, &c., $18,214,692; farming utensils, money on hand or deposit, solvent credits, &c., $31,897,797. The North Carolina institution for the deaf and dumb and the blind, in Raleigh, receives an annual appropriation from the state of about $40,000. There is an excellent department for colored persons. In 1874 there were 13 in- structors, 138 deaf and dumb pupils, including 50 colored, and 77 blind, of whom 14 were col- ored. The state insane asylum in Raleigh was opened in 1856, and to Nov. 1, 1874, had re- ceived 1,087 patients, of whom 247 remained in the asylum at that date. Of those discharg- ed, 275 were cured, 103 improved, 172 unim- proved, and 290 died. In 1874 the state con- tained upward of 600 insane not in any asylum. The capacity of the asylum (245 inmates) is greatly inadequate to the needs of the state. The state penitentiary is also in Raleigh, and contained on Nov. 1, 1874, 445 convicts. They are employed in making brick, clothes, and shoes, but the institution is not self-sustaining. A fund for the support of common schools was provided for by the legislature in 1825 ; in 1836 $1,433,757 was received as a deposit from the general government, and in 1840 the com- mon school system went into operation. In the latter year the general assembly provided for the apportionment of the income of the common school fund, the principal of which amounted to about $2,000,000, among the sever- al counties according to the white population. The public schools were suspended in 1865 through loss of school funds, and remained closed till about 1870. The constitution of 1 868 requires the general assembly to provide for a uniform system of free public schools for all children between 6 and 21 years of age. Each county must be divided into districts in which one or more public schools shall be maintained at least four months in every year ; and if the county commissioners fail to comply with this provision, they shall be liable to indictment. The general assembly is empowered to enact that every child of sufficient mental and phys- ical ability shall attend the public schools, during the period between the ages of 6 and 18 years, not less than 16 months, unless educa- ted by other means. The constitution provides for a permanent school fund, and appropriates 75 per cent, of the entire state and county capi- tation tax to the maintenance of free public schools. Their general supervision is vested in a state superintendent of public instruction, who is elected by the people for four years. County commissioners have control of the pub- lic schools in the county, and a school commit- tee of three is elected biennially in each town- ship. The state board of education comprises the governor as president, the superintendent of public instruction as secretary, the secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, and attorney gen- eral. The permanent school fund in 1874 was $2,190,564. The entire revenue for school purposes amounts to about $300,000 a year. Whenever this is insufficient to maintain the public schools four months a year in each dis- trict in any county, provision is made for the levy of a county tax with the approval of the voters of the county. Substantial aid is also derived from the Peabody educational fund. No distinction is made between white and colored children in the apportionment of school funds, but separate schools are provided. Du- ring the year ending June 30, 1873, there were in the state 348,603 children between the ages of 6 and 21 years, of whom 114,852 were col- ored. Of the whole number, 146,737, including 40,428 colored, attended the public schools an average of 2 months. The daily average was : white, 70,872 ; colored, 26,958; total, 97,830. There were 2,565 public schools for white and 746 for colored children. According to the census of 1870, the whole number of persons between the ages of 5 and 18 years was 359,930, of whom 135,845 were colored. The number attending school was 65,3,01, of whom 11,419 were colored. The number of schools of all classes was 2,161, having 1,739 male and 953 female teachers, and 32,664 male and 32,294 female pupils. The total income for the year ending June 1, 1870 r was $635,892, being $9,160 from endowment, $232,104 from taxation and public funds, and $394,628 from other sources, including tuition. North Caro- lina has no state normal schools ; but the Ellen- dale teachers' institute at Ellendale Springs, and the Williston academy and normal school in Wilmington, afford professional instruction to teachers. The university of North Carolina, chartered in 1789, is at Chapel Hill, 28 m. W. of Raleigh, where it has valuable property and a library containing about 25,000 volumes. Its alumni number upward of 1,700. Since 1871 the institution has been suspended for financial reasons. In 1873 a constitutional amendment was adopted providing for its re- organization. Trinity college, at Trinity, about 100 m. W. of Raleigh, is under the control of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, but is not sectarian. The system of instruction com- prises 13 courses, viz. : Latin, Greek, mathe- matics, English literature, natural science, men- tal and moral philosophy, modern languages, theology, engineering and architecture, ana- lytical chemistry, and law. Theology or law may be studied exclusively ; of the other courses the student may take any three. In 1873-'4 there were 6 instructors and 122 stu- dents, of whom 71 were pursuing academic, 18 theological, 16 law, 23 scientific, and 18 pre- paratory studies. The library contained 9,000 volumes. Davidson college (Presbyterian), at Davidson, Mecklenburg co., 23 m. N. of Char- lotte, was organized in 1837, and in 1873-'4 had 7 instructors and 117 students. There is a classical course of four and a scientific course of three years, besides an eclectic course. The institution has a library of 7,000 volumes, and valuable cabinets and apparatus. North Caro-