The value of all property amounts to $465,216,545, an increase of almost $33,000,000 in one year. The income amounted the past year to $40,329,193 and the benefactions to $13,700,559. Of the total income $9,922,903 were received from States and municipalities. The chapter shows that in nine States and two Territories a general property tax is levied for the benefit of the institutions for higher education.

The total number of degrees conferred in 1903-4 was 18,174; A. B. degrees, 5,902 on men, 3,372 on women; B. S., 3,238 on men, 437 on women; A. M., 1,010 on men, 279 on women.

The movement inaugurated several years ago for the granting of but one degree (A. B.) for the completion of any course of liberal studies is still in progress. Seven institutions reported during the year the discontinuance of all degrees except A. B.

Of 301 Ph. D. degrees 272 were conferred on men and 29 on women; Harvard conferred 46, Yale 39, Johns Hopkins 31, Chicago 30, and Columbia 28. In addition, 5 honorary Ph. D. degrees were conferred by three institutions (three by Austin College).

Agricultural and mechanical colleges (See Chapter XXVI, p. 1545). The statistics contained in this chapter have been compiled from the annual reports required to be made by these institutions to the Secretary of the Interior under the act of Congress approved August 30, 1890, and show continued growth and expansion in all lines of work. The courses in agriculture are becoming more specialized, and new courses in engineering lines are being constantly established.

These institutions were established under the land-grant act of July 2, 1862, and the income-producing funds derived from the sale of the lands amount now to $11,737,316, only the income of which may be expended. Under the act of August 30, 1890, each State and Territory now receives annually $25,000 from the General Government for the benefit of these institutions. The total amount paid out under this act from its passage up to and including the installment for the year ended June 30, 1904, is $15,202,000. The reports of the treasurers for the year show that the funds received under the act of August 30, 1890, were expended as follows: For instruction in agriculture, 16.8 per cent; mechanic arts, 29.5 per cent; English language, 12.3 per cent; mathematical science, 11.8 per cent; natural and physical science, 23.4 per cent; economic science, 6.2 per cent.

A gratifying feature noted in the reports of the institutions is the largely increased aid granted them by the several States and Territories. This aid amounted for the year to $5,654,758, an increase of more than a million dollars over the amount for the preceding year. The total number of students in attendance was 53,161, of which

number 6,726 were enrolled in separate institutions for colored students.

The chapter gives the legislation enacted during the year in behalf of the institutions, changes in courses of study, descriptions of new buildings erected during the year, and a compilation showing the courses of study maintained by the several institutions.

Secondary schools (Chapter XXIX, pp. 1727–2055).—The statistics of the current year show a total of 8,836 schools engaged in secondary instruction. Of this number, 7,230 are public and 1,606 private institutions. The number of students enrolled in the former was 635,808, and in the latter 103,407. In addition to these numbers, which cover enrollment in the regularly constituted secondary schools alone, 16,999 pupils in public and 66,024 in private colleges and other institutions having preparatory departments received instruction in secondary branches during the year, making a grand total of 822,235. This latter sum represents about 1,010 to the 100,000 of estimated population. Of this number, 800 are in public and 210 in private institutions, an increase in the last fifteen years of 440 for the former and a decrease of 20 for the latter. A total of 87,724 graduates from public and private high schools is reported. This constitutes 11.87 per cent of the total enrollment, a ratio which has remained nearly uniform for the last fifteen years.

From a somewhat extensive canvass of the question in 1903 the conclusion was reached that the proportion of secondary students enrolled during the school year in the four classes of the high school course, public and private, is as follows: Forty-three per cent in the first year; 26 per cent in the second year; 18 per cent in the third year; 13 per cent in the fourth year; more than 11 per cent graduating.

Students receiving secondary instruction in public and private high schools and academies and in preparatory departments of colleges and other institutions.

The decline in the proportion of secondary students preparing for college in the last twelve years in both public and private high schools is worthy of comment. In 1892-93 the percentage of students preparing for college in public high schools was 14.60; in 1903-4 the

ED 1904 M-II

percentage was 9.54. The percentages corresponding to these in private high schools are 26.50 and 21.47.

City school systems (Chapter XXIV, pp. 1305-1415).-City school systems, on the whole, are among the most highly organized of all the agencies contributing to the education of the masses of our people. Their evolution from the simple village schools of earlier times to the complex systems of the present, embracing, in addition to those departments dealing directly with instruction, numerous departments having to do with organization, administration, and maintenance, whereby the systems as a whole may effectually subserve the purpose of their being, well merits careful study.

The tables given in this chapter contain the statistics of 1,212 incorporated places of a population of 4,000 and upward. The total enrollment in day schools in these places for the current year was 5,078,664, which number constitutes 31.2 per cent of the entire enrollment in the common schools of the nation. The value of school property as reported for the year was $423,253,680, and the total amount expended for all purposes was $129,836,203; these numbers represent 61.8 per cent and 47.5 per cent, respectively, of the corresponding items for the common schools of the nation. The figures of enrollment, as given above, relate to day schools alone. In the evening schools, maintained as organic parts of city systems of instruction, were enrolled the current year 270,692 pupils, requiring for their instruction 6,318 different teachers. Out of the 178 cities of the first class (population 8,000 and upward), which maintain evening schools, 127 are situated in the North Atlantic States, where industrial activities assume largely the form of manufacturing. An increase in the enrollment in evening schools in 1904 over the year 1903 of 18.1 per cent, and an increase in the number of cities maintaining evening schools from 158 to 178, are noted.

DISTRIBUTION OF PUPILS IN THE SEVERAL GRADES.

The chapter on city schools in the Report for 1898 (Chapter XLVII) contained a series of tables showing the enrollment in the several school grades in 24 representative cities. The tables below present practically the same data for the present year, but include a larger number of cities.

Enrollment by grades or year's work in elementary schools (58 cities of 8,000 and over).

Enrollment by grades or years, elementary and secondary (46 cities of 8,000 and over).

The summary below exhibits the present status of schools in cities of 8,000 inhabitants and upward as compared with their condition for 1902-3.

Summary of statistics of cities containing over 8,000 inhabitants, showing increase from pre

vious year.

Number of seats..

Value of school property..

Expenditure for salaries of supervisors and teach

ers.

Total expenditure.

Normal schools (Chapter XXVIII, pp. 1667–1725).-The statistics of the present year embodied in this chapter show in all the schools. devoted partially or wholly to the professional training of teachers an enrollment of 87,239. These students are distributed among the several classes of institutions as follows: In public normal schools, 59.2 per cent; in private normal schools, 13.7 per cent; in universities and colleges, 11.6 per cent; in public high schools, 8.6 per cent; in private high schools, 6.9 per cent. There were reported as engaged in this work 1,220 institutions. Of this number, 449 are public and 272 private high schools, 230 universities and colleges, 178 public and 91 private normal schools. These, in the main, constitute the sources of supply from which all classes of schools recruit their required quotas of teachers. The ratio of women students to the whole number of students is found to be 65.8 per cent, a figure somewhat less than the ratio which women teachers bear to

all teachers as determined on the basis of last year's statistics. This latter ratio, including universities and colleges, was 71.5 per cent.

The two summaries below present, respectively, the status of public and of private normal schools for 1889-90 and 1903-4, and public appropriations to public normal schools for each of the last fifteen years.

Public appropriations to public normal schools for fifteen years.

$1,312, 419

$900, 533

1,285,700

1,567, 082

409,916
394, 635

1898-99.

1,452, 914

816,826

1900-1.

3,068.485

1,996, 271

1,583, 399

709.217 906, 301

1,917,375
2,187,875

2, 426, 185

1.003, 933

3,927, 808

915, 443

Length of service of teachers.—Chapter XXIII (pp. 1227-1302) contains tables giving the results of an inquiry into the length of service of teachers in the common schools of 379 cities and towns of 8,000 inhabitants or over. These tables show the number of teachers having taught from one to forty years and over. It appears that 30.75 per cent of the total number of teachers have taught less than five years; 25.48 per cent have taught from 5 to 10 years; 17.31 per cent have taught from 10 to 15 years; 11.21 per cent have taught from 15 to 20 years; 6.68 per cent have taught from 20 to 25 years; 4.29 per cent have taught from 25 to 30 years; 2.44 per cent have taught from 30 to 35 years, the period which in continental Europe usually entitles to retirement at four-fifths of the last year's salary; 1.82 per cent have taught from 35 years to 40 years and over, a period which in Europe entitles to retirement at full salary. The number of teachers of long service, say 20 years and over, is over 15 per cent of the total number reported.

The average length of service, regardless of where performed, proves to be 14.7 years for men and 11.1 years for women. Cincinnati has the highest average-namely, 16.8 years for both sexes. Boston follows with 15.3 years, while St. Joseph, Mo., records the lowest average, to wit, 9.2 years.