Page:U.S. Department of the Interior Annual Report 1871.djvu/20

18 discharge of the duties with which the Bureau is charged. The details of the report will show the vast amount of work which the Commissioner has performed and I take pleasure in attesting the ability fidelity and energy with which he has administered the affairs of his office.

It has been the design of the Commissioner to establish and maintain an intimate and constant communication with the various educational centres of the country; to seek and to supply information to distribute documents and to pursue original investigations. In the course of official duties the Bureau of Education has received and sent out about 2,000 written communications has distributed about 12,000 printed documents and has received many valuable accessions to its library. This sort of interchange is constantly and steadily increasing and is already greater than the limited clerical force of the office can properly attend to thus leaving very little opportunity for original investigation in its many interesting directions.

Among the workings of the Bureau may be noted:

First. The inauguration of a system of direct exchange of documents and information with foreign ministers of public instruction.

Second. Visits by the Commissioner to the whole educational field in this country especially in the-South and on the Pacific Coast for the purpose of personally acquainting himself with prominent educators and the demands of the work to be done.

Third. A great variety of original investigation respecting 0rphanageg pauperism crime insanity &c., in their relations to education.

Fourth. The papers accompanying the report of the Commissioner comprise an abstract of State and city reports for the whole Union a résumé of the progress of education in Europe Asia and Africa a great number of statistical tables respecting public systems of States and cities colleges professional schools, and other institutions and original articles on various educational subjects by universally acknowledged authorities.

Attention is invited to the report of the Superintendent of Census. The enumeration of inhabitants at the Ninth Census as well as the collection of social and industrial statistics which under the American system is made a part of the census has been completed since the last annual report of the Department; and the compilation of the statistical tables usually published in that connection as well as of many others, which appear to be equally desirable has been well advanced. Appreciating the importance of giving the results of the census to the country at the earliest possible date, I have fully met the views of the Superintendent in respect to the amount of clerical force to be employed. Three fourths in bulk of the statistical tables which it is proposed to embody in the three volumes of the census authorized by resolution of Congress have already been sent to press somewhat over 1,000 pages being already in type The compilation of the remaining tables has been begun and