1851 to 1876, twenty-five years, may be briefly summed up as follows: Readers: Swan's, Towne's, Sargent's, Willson's, McGuffey's. Average time of use, five years. Arithmetics: Thompson's, Colburn's, Robinson's; the last from 1865 to 1876. Average time of use, eight years. Grammars: Tower's, Weld's, Greene's, Kerl's, Brown's. Average time, five years. Geographies: Mitchell's, Cornell's, Guyot's, Clarke's, Monteith's. Average time, five years. Spellers: Towne's, Sargent's, Willson's. United States History: Parley's, Goodrich's, Lossing's, Anderson's, Swinton's. Average time, five years. 11. Co-Education.-Up to 1864, the boys and girls were educated together. When the Denman Grammar School building was completed, only girls were admitted; the Lincoln was made a boys' school, and the Rincon a girls' school. In 1868 the Union and the Washington were made boys' schools, and the Broadway a girls' school. The Boys' High and the Girls' High were formed from the Boys' and Girls' High School in 1864. With these exceptions all the other schools have always been attended by both sexes. 12. Teachers' Associations and Evening Normal Schools.-In 1853 the Principals formed a monthly association for the discussion of school questions. This continued until 1857, when a weekly Normal School was established by the Board of Education. Attendance was made compulsory. The school was held at first on Saturdays; afterwards, on Monday evenings. George W. Minns, John Swett, Ellis H. Holmes, and Thomas S. Myrick, were elected teachers. This school continued until 1862. The following is a list of the graduates of what is known as the "Minns Evening Normal School:" The "Minns Normal School" was succeeded for several years by monthly meetings of teachers under the direction of the Board of Education, but these died out in 1869. In 1872 the Board established another Evening Normal' School, which was continued two years, with the following corps of teachers: Principal, John Swett; Assistants, Joseph Leggett, Mrs. Mary W. Kincaid, and Theodore Bradley. Since 1873 there have been no teachers' meetings, associations, or normal schools. 13. Educational Hobbies.—In early times Colburn's Mental Arithmetic was a favorite hobby, and for many years afterward arithmetic was the leading branch of study to which more than half the school-time of pupils was devoted. In some cases, four hours out of the five were devoted to the favorite hobby of the oldtime schoolmaster. Of late years, about one-fourth of the time is given to this study. The epidemic of self-reporting prevailed from 1859 to 1862. "Map drawing" was fashionable from 1860 to 1871. In 1868-70 education consisted mainly of "oral instruction." In early times "exhibitions," "May festivals," and "dancing parties" were in fashion. "Calisthenics and gymnastics prevailed from 1856 to 1860. Percentages" were the rage "Written Examinations" and "Percentages from 1863 to 1875; they went out of style during the Centennial year. Phonography," in the higher grammar grades, was the hobby of 1872 and 1873, but was ridden to death in 1874. "Mark's Geometry," for the 3d and 4th grammar grades, was the experiment in 1869 and 1870; it failed in 1871. Cosmopolitan Schools" became the rage in 1872 and 1873; there was a reaction in 1874, when French and German were abolished during a revolutionary period of four months. The "restoration" soon followed by act of the Legislature. The twin hobbies, with Boards of Education from 1854 to 1864, were the annual examination of teachers and the annual elections. Indeed, "annual elections," like bull fights, were in vogue until 1870. 'Investigations" raged in 1872 and 1873, while the favorite hobby of the Board of 1874 and 1875 was "rules and regulations." 66 14. Merits and Defects.-The marked merits of the city schools are: 1. Convenient buildings. 2. Good discipline. 3. In general, hard-working teachers. 4. Good instruction in Music and Drawing. 5. The purely secular character of the schools. The marked defects are: 1. Too many pupils per teacher. 2. Too rigid classification. 3. Too much cramming of text-books. 4. Too many lessons for home study. 5. A complicated system of daily recitation records and monthly reports. 6. A lack of professionally trained teachers. 7. The lack of a City Normal School. 8. A lack of thorough inspection. 9. Short terms of office of Superintendent and School Directors. 15. Address of President Davis.-The address of the President of the Board, Andrew McF. Davis, Nov. 14, 1875, sets forth in detail some of the marked features of the city system. The following are extracts: It is fitting and proper that I should avail myself of this opportunity to say to this audience a few words concerning what this Board, whose term of office is so nearly closed, has done, and also relative to the graded system upon which the schools of the Department are organized. Under the customs which at present prevail, no report is made by the Board to the people. The only published report concerning the affairs of the Department which reaches the public is the report of the Superintendent. That officer being elected directly by the people, and being only in a measure responsible to the Board, and no report being submitted in published form by the Board, or its |