ticles of apparatus, and succeeded in securing their introduction into many schools. In August, 1829, the American Institute held its first annual meeting. Its annual sessions continue four or five days; during which eight or ten lectures are given, upon subjects pertaining to the cause of education, by gentlemen from various parts of the country. There are often present at these meetings several hundred school teachers. County conventions began to be held in Massachusetts, about the time the Institute was formed, for the purpose of an interchange of opinions upon the great subject that was beginning to agitate the public mind. These movements were not confined to the Bay state, but extended over all New England. It was foreseen that the frequent discussion of this impor tant topic would result in legislative action. In April, 1837, the legislature of Massachusetts constituted a Board of Education, consisting of the Governor and Lieut. Governor for the time being, and eight other gentlemen appointed by the Executive of the commonwealth. The term of their office is eight years, with a proviso that one vacancy, and consequently one new appointment shall be made annually. They have authority to appoint a secretary, who devotes his whole time to the business of the Board, and is paid by the state. The services of the members are gratuitous; their expenses being paid by the state. The duties of the Board are: 1. To prepare and lay before the legislature in a printed form, on or before the 2d Wednesday in January, annually, an abstract of the school returns received from the towns by the secretary of the commonwealth. 2. To make a detailed report to the legislature of all their doings, with such observations as their experience and reflection may suggest upon the condition and efficiency of our system of popular education, and the most practicable means of extending and improving it." 66. In consequence of the organization of the Board, conventions have been held in each county in the state for four successive years. The Secretary of the Board attends all these conventions, and delivers at each an address. A part of the time is spent, on these occasions, in discussing plans of improvement, and in eliciting information from the friends of education in the county. At the close of the year, the Secretary makes a report to the Board, which is by them laid before the legislature and published. Four of these reports have already been issued from the press; and scattered in every town in the state. In the report of 1837, the following topics are discussed at some length: 1. The condition of school houses; 2. The manner in which school committees discharge their duties; 3. The interest felt by the community in the education of all the children; 4. The competency of teachers. The report of 1838 speaks of improvements that are beginning to be made, and dwells at considerable length upon reading and spelling. The report of 1839 is principally occupied with a statement of facts respecting libraries of every kind in the state, and the means that the young have for improving their minds by reading. The report of 1840 may be considered a treatise upon the condition and wants of the schools. Besides this the Secretary has compiled three volumes of school returns. The volume for 1838-9 is an 8vo, of 340 pages, and that for 1839-40 contains 480 pages. The school committee of each town is required by law to present a detailed report of the schools under their charge to the town; which is to be read in open town-meeting, and a copy of the same transmitted to the Secretary of State. In these reports the committees mention existing defects, improvements that have been made, successful modes of teaching, and propose further improvements. Out of this mass of documents, containing the collected wisdom of 1500 committee-men, the Secretary of the Board selects the most valuable matter, and the legislature spreads it over the whole commonwealth. The last volume is one of great interest, and richly worth to the state all the money that has been paid from the public treasury in consequence of the organization of the Board. It is a repository of information that cannot fail of doing much good. Its benign influence will be felt in other states, and it will add another stone to the monument, that commemorates the illustrious deeds of this ancient commonwealth. In June, 1838, the legislature of Connecticut constituted a similar Board, with power to appoint a secretary. Its plan of operation is very similar to that of Massachusetts; its published documents are much less voluminous, but valuable and creditable to the character and zeal of the Secretary. A Common School Journal is published semi-monthly in each of these states, edited by the Secretaries. By these much light is thrown upon the public mind, and an interest in the cause of education kept alive. The other New England states are waiting the success of the experiments making in Massachusetts and Connecticut. If these shall be satisfactory,—and there is no doubt they will be, if suffered to go on, they will adopt a similar plan for the improvement of their schools. The organization of a Board of Education was not a sudden, nor unheard of measure. In 1812, Dr. Dwight said: "One thing that is necessary to render our common school system complete is the institution of a Board of Commissioners, one in each county, whose business it shall be to examine into the state of the schools in their respective circuits, and who should meet semi-annually to receive the reports of the town committees, and compare them with the results of their own inspection and make a general report to the legislature.' Almost the precise plan recommended by Dr. Dwight in 1812 was adopted by the legislature of Massachusetts in 1837, and by that of Ĉonnecticut in 1838. The same plan has been substantially recommended by other friends of Education, at sundry times during the last fifteen years.t In the winter of 1838, a gentleman in Boston, through the Secretary of the Board, proposed to give $10,000 to be expended by the Board in an experiment upon normal schools, pro vided the state would add to it an equal sum. The proposal was accepted by the legislature, and $20,000 were intrusted to the Board to try the experiment of normal schools, or teachers' seminaries. The Board accordingly undertook the solution of a difficult problem, feeling that momentous consequences depended upon its being conducted in the best manner possible. I shall not have occasion to speak of the nature and importance of these schools, for it has been well done in an article in a preceding No. of the Repository.‡ A normal school was commenced at Lexington,-where the first British blood was shed in the war of the Revolution,-in July, 1839; and in September of the same year, another was opened at Barre. In September, 1840, a third was opened at Bridgewater. The Board say that the experiment thus far is satisfactory. There can be no doubt, I think, of the general utility of these schools. But the great question yet to be deci, ded is, whether the people in this country are sufficiently awake * Dwight's Travels, Vol. IV. p. 297. + Literary and Theolog. Rev. Vol. II. p. 332. to the importance of this class of seminaries to be willing to endow and sustain them. The legislatures probably are not; individuals, therefore, must do the work. The question may be asked by some, whether all the people in these states, in which these improvements are making, cordially approve of these educational movements? It would be very strange if they were. Men are always opposed to innovation, and especially, if it costs any thing. More opposition has been experienced in Massachusetts than in Connecticut, for the simple reason, that the latter state follows after, and, profiting by the example of her sister, avoids those points that excite the most opposition. There have risen up in the Bay state three distinct classes of opponents. The opposition of one class is based on the expensiveness of the Board of Education. The whole expense, including the salary of the Secretary and extra printing, amounts to less than $2,000 annually. There is one town in the state that pays $1,000 to a man for superintending the schools within its limits. Who will say that it is extravagant for a state to pay $2,000 for overseeing the education of 180,000 children, at an expense of three-fourths of a million dollars? The second class of opponents are those who are fearful that it is a plan for subverting the religious sentiments of the rising generation, and for turning them away from the old paths. It has been my privilege to be somewhat conversant with the opinions and views of those men who have taken the lead in this movement, and I am fully persuaded that they honestly desire to improve the schools, and to furnish to all the children greater facilities than they now have for acquiring a useful education. I do not believe they will attempt to subvert the religious faith of the people, nor do I believe they can do it if they would. The third class of opponents comes from the book-selling interest. This brings me to a new topic, which requires some explanation. Previous to the organization of the Massachusetts Board of Education, the legislature passed a law authorizing each school district to raise money for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a common school library and apparatus for the use of the children of the district; with a proviso, that no greater sum than $30 shall be expended the first year, nor more than ten in any subsequent year. The Board considered the law an important one; they say: "To what avail are our youths taught to read if no facilities exist for obtaining books? The keys of knowledge are useless to him who has no access to the volumes to be unlocked." They supposed some difficulty would be experienced by most districts in making a suitable selection for a library. It was foreseen that the publishers of books might get up their school libraries, and vie with each other in their efforts to furnish the schools, and that many useless, and perhaps pernicious books might fall into the hands of the children. The Board, therefore, felt themselves called upon to do what they could to facilitate the execution of that law. They accordingly made proposals to several publishers to ascertain on what terms they would furnish books of a given size, and executed in a given style. It was thought desirable to have the books well made and cheap. An arrangement was made with a publishing house in Boston, which pledged itself to manufacture the books, in the style prescribed, in sufficient quantities to supply the schools; provided that each book in the library should have the approval of each member of the Board on its first page.It may be thought by many readers of the Repository, that this detail is needless. I enter into these particulars, that it may be seen that the publishers of books have no reason to find fault; for if the books are once introduced into the schools, a taste for reading will be cultivated, and booksellers generally will be benefited by an increased demand for books. Why then should publishers look with an envious eye upon the firm that furnishes the school libraries? The state does not pay them a single dollar; nor have they any pledge of pecuniary aid from any quarter. They prepare the books at a great expense, to be remunerated by the small profits arising from the sale of books; I say small profits, for the prices of the volumes are fixed, by contract with the Board, at as low a rate as it was supposed they could be afforded. The library when complete is to embrace "two series of 50 volumes each; the one to be an 18mo, averaging from 250 to 280 pages per volume; the other in 12mo, each volume containing from 350 to 400 pages." About 40 volumes are already published. Among them are found the Life of Columbus, by W. Irving; Paley's Natural Theology, in 2 volumes, with selections from Lord Brougham and Sir Charles Bell, illustrated with numerous cuts; Lives of Individuals celebrated in American History, selected from Sparks' American Biography, 3 volumes; and Sacred Philosophy of the Seasons in 4 volumes, by Rev. Henry Duncan, D. D. It is unnecessary to name them |