Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/414

 400 PHILADELPHIA the educational home for boys, in Greenway avenue near 49th street ; St. John's male or- phan asylum, in "Westminster avenue near 49th street ; the industrial home for blind women, in 39th and Locust streets; the Franklin refor- matory home for inebriates, in Locust street ; the Magdalen society, in 21st street near Race ; St. Joseph's female orphan asylum, in Spruce street ; the Penn widows' asylum, in Belgrade street near Otis ; the colored orphans' shelter, in West Philadelphia ; the home for aged and infirm colored persons, in Belmont and Girard avenues ; and the house of the Good Shepherd (for the reformation of unfortunate females), in 22d street near Walnut. The eastern peni- tentiary, a state institution, completed in 1829, embraces an entire square, fronting on Fair- mount avenue between 22d and 23d streets. It is the only prison in the country conduct- ed on the separate system. It has a library of more than 8,000 volumes. (See PENNSYL- VANIA, and PRISONS.) The county prison, first occupied in 1835, is on the Passayunk road be- low Reed street, and consists of a massive centre building, with wings flanked by heavy octangular towers, beyond which are walls ter- minating in bastions. It is in the Tudor style of English Gothic; the walls are of Quincy granite. With the exception of the women's department, it is overcrowded.. The house of correction, recently erected at Holmesburg on the Delaware, at a cost of more than $1,000,- 000, is intended for the confinement of pau- pers able to work and of persons convicted of misdemeanors. It is of brown stone, and has accommodations for 1,500 inmates. The house of refuge, opposite Girard college, was incor- Girard College. porated in 1826, for " the employment of the idle, instruction of the ignorant, and reforma- tion of the depraved." It has separate apart- ments for boys and girls. The number of in- mates on Sept. 30, 1874, was 597. The public schools are under the charge of a board of public education, consisting of 31 members, one from each ward, with a subordinate board of directors for each ward. The following are the statistics for 1874: Number of schools (2 high, 60 grammar, 29 con- solidated, 121 secondary, and 212 primary) 424 Average number of months taught 10 Number of male teachers 78 of female teachers 1,698 Number of pupils registered 133,734 " belonging to the schools at the close of the year 92,036 Average attendance 79,565 Amount paid for salaries of teachers $991,475 89 " " for lots, houses, additions, and re- pairs $497,639 04 Books, stationery, fuel, and contingencies . . . $527,269 43 Total amount expended for school purposes $2,010,378 36 Valuation of school property $4,837,886 00 The high schools are the central high school for boys and the girls' normal school. The former affords instruction in Latin, German, and the higher English branches, and confers degrees. The latter is designed especially to prepare teachers for the public schools. The number of instructors in the high school in 1874 was 17; pupils at beginning of year, 570 ; admitted during year, 300 ; left, 259 ; remain- ing at close, 611; average attendance, 614. The number of instructors in the normal school was 13; pupils at beginning of year, 537; ad- mitted during year, 250 ; left, 182 ; remaining at close, 605 ; average attendance, 582. There are also evening schools during the autumn and winter months for those unable or too old to attend the day schools. The number in 1874 was 41, with 215 teachers and 16,681 pupils. The system of public schools of Phila- delphia was established on a free basis in 1818. It is supported by a city tax. The school houses are large, well built edifices, distribu- ted so as to give access to them by the entire population. Textbooks are furnished by the city. The Girard col- lege for orphans was founded by. Stephen Girard. The grounds are about 2 m. N. W. of Independence hall, bordering N. E. on Ridge avenue, and arc surrounded by a higl stone wall ; they em- brace upward of acres. The main build- ing, completed in 1847, is a splendid specimen of Corinthian architecture, of white marble. The roof commands a wide view of the city. In a room in the building, known as Girard's room, are preserved the books and personal effects of the founder. (See GIEAED, STE-