Page:U.S. Department of the Interior Annual Report 1877.djvu/44

XLII The Commissioner states that the removal of the office, as required by law, to the building occupied by the Pension Office has proved greatly injurious to the work, the new quarters furnishing rooms neither sufficient in number nor appropriate in arrangement.

A great aid to the work of the office is its collection of educational appliances; this already has articles of great value illustrative of educational methods in other countries. There are no rooms provided for its arrangement or display, and no means for its care.

The Commissioner calls attention to the constitutional and traditional practice of the national government in aiding education, and believes the moment is opportune for the execution of a well devised system of supplemental aid, and that this aid will render effectual the local efforts of educators now so greatly embarrassed.

A comprehensive review of the statistics of education in our country in 1877 affords some evidence of improvement over the same in 1876.

In the public schools, with reduced expenditures for salaries and buildings, there has been an effort to improve the quality of instruction by making it consecutive and by bringing it more into harmony with the developments of the child's nature and the necessities of his future occupations. Natural science has been taught less from text-books and more from specimens and in the field. Industrial drawing, as an element of popular instruction, has made much progress.

In the colleges and professional schools there is an advance of the standard of admission, and in many schools a lengthening of the course. Women are being more generally provided with advantages for superior study, and for preparation for professions if they so desire.

The withdrawal of the articles exhibited by the several bureaus of the department in the government building at Philadelphia was delayed by executive order, with a view to anticipate Congressional action in reference to the establishment of a national museum. Congress, however, took no action, so that articles by further executive order have been returned to the care of the several offices by which they were exhibited, or have been stored for future exhibition.

It is believed that much has been done by the exhibition of this depart ment, and by the distribution of reports, and by the communication of information in other ways to inform our own citizens and persons resident in foreign countries respecting the patents of inventions, the public lands, the Indian tribes, the geology and geography of the Territories, the education of our country, and its progressive increase in territory, population, industry, and wealth.

From the Centennial Commission the following certificates of award have been already received:

“The Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C.,” for “Collection exhibit.”