one, are empowered to manage all lands and funds belonging to the town or society for the benefit of schools.

Interest in the cause of education embraced the poor Indian. The earliest legislation in the colony respecting the subject is the following, found in the Connecticut code of 1650:

This court, judging it necessary that some means should be used to convey the light and knowledge of God and of His word to the Indians and natives among us, do order that one of the teaching elders of the churches in this jurisdiction, with the help of Thomas Stanton, shall be desired, twice at least in every year, to go amongst the neighboring Indians and endeavor to make known to them the counsels of the Lord, and thereby to draw and stir them up to direct and order all their ways and conversations according to the rule of His word; and Mr. Governor and Mr. Deputy, and the other magistrates are desired to take care to see the thing attended, and with their own presence, so far as may be convenient, encourage the same. In 1654 the court

being earnestly desirous to promote and further, what lies in them, a work of that nature, wherein the glory of God and the everlasting wellfare of those poor, lost, naked sons of Adam is so deeply concerned, do order, that Thomas Mynor, of Pequot, shall be wrote unto from this court and desired that he would forthwith send his son, John Mynor, to Hartford, where this court will provide for his maintenance and schooling, to the end he may be for the present assistant to such elders or others as this court shall appoint to interpret the things of God to them as he shall be directed, and in the mean time fit himself to be instrumental in that way, as God shall fit and incline him thereto for the future.

In 1727 all masters and mistresses of Indian children were ordered to teach them to read English, and also to instruct them in the principles of the Christian faith. Numerous voluntary efforts to educate and convert the savages are on record. The most notable of these was the effort inaugurated by Rev. Mr. Wheelock at Lebanon, in 1764, to educate native teachers and preachers. This school, removed to Hanover, N. H., 1770, became Dartmouth College.

Many other documents of a similar character could be transcribed. These, however, will amply suffice to show the extraordinary amount of educational activity that there was in the commonwealth within the period covered, at least so far as such activity can be measured by legislative records. However, a change for the worse came in with the second half of the eighteenth century.

Originally in Connecticut, as in the other New England States, the town and the parish or church society were coextensive. The town was the civil side and the church the ecclesiastical side of the same community. The town was incorporated and was the ultimate unit of political organization. But some of the towns were so large that, as the outer parts became occupied and population increased in numbers, many people found themselves at an inconvenient distance from the place of worship. To meet this emergency towns were sometimes divided, but more commonly new church societies or parishes, for religious purposes only, were established within the limits of the old incorporated towns. In a State where religion and education were so closely

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drawn together, the creation of new churches involved the establishment of new schools supported by the public funds. In 1766 towns and societies were authorized

To divide themselves into proper and necessary districts for keeping their schools, and to alter and regulate the same, from time to time, as they shall have occasion; which districts shall draw their equal proportion of all public monies belonging to such towns and societies according to the list of each respective district therein.

"By the practical operation of this act," says Dr. Barnard, "the school system of Connecticut, instead of embracing schools of different grades, was gradually narrowed down to a single district school, taught by one teacher in the summer and a different teacher in the winter, for children of all ages and in every variety of study residing within certain territorial limits."

In 1794 school districts were authorized, by a vote of two-thirds of all qualified voters, passed at a meeting called for that purpose, to lay a tax to build a schoolhouse, and to locate the same, and to choose a collector. An act passed in 1795 authorized "all the inhabitants living within the limits of the located societies, who by law have or may have a right to vote in town meetings," to meet in the month of October annually and organize themselves into societies conformably to law, "and transact any other business on the subject of schooling in general, and touching the moneys hereby appropriated to their use in particular according to law."

An act passed in 1798 substituted for the town-"the old recognized agency, through which the regularly settled and approved inhabitants first commenced the system of common schools and had for a century and a half maintained a teacher for a period in each year in no case less than six months, and in a majority of instances for eleven months"-a new corporate body, first provided for in 1795, and known after 1798 as a school society, "with territorial limits sometimes coextensive with a town, in some cases embracing part of a town, and in "For a time," says Dr. Barnard, other parts of two or more towns." "the effect of this change was not apparent, but coupled with a change in the mode of supporting schools, provided for about this time by public funds, and dispensing with the obligation of raising money by tax, the results were disastrous." Virtually it was the substitution of what is now known as the district system for the town system, or the township system, as would be said in the West. Each society appointed a suitable number of persons, not exceeding 9, to be overseers or visitors of schools, with power to examine and certificate teachers, and in general to manage the schools.

The Latin or Grammar schools now ceased to be obligatory, but every school society might, by a vote of two-thirds of the inhabitants present in any legally held meeting, establish a high school for the common benefit of all the inhabitants, "the object of which shall be to perfect the youth admitted therein in reading and penmanship, to

instruct them in the rudiments of English grammar, in composition, in arithmetic and geography, or, on particular desire, in the Latin and Greek languages, also in the first principles of religion and morality, and in general to form them for usefulness and happiness in the various relations of social life."

In 1799 the powers of the school districts were more clearly defined, and at the same time the school societies were given larger powers over them. The character of the school society is more closely indicated by the following code and regulations for the schools in Farmington, adopted in 1796. It now appears that the society was neither a town nor a parish, but an independent political unit existing for an educa tional purpose.

Voted the following regulations for schools in the first society of Farmington:

1. There shall be appointed in the meeting of the school society a suitable number, not exceeding nine, of discrete persons of competent skill in letters and science, to the overseers of all the schools in said society, during the pleasure of the society, and to exercise the powers and perform the duties hereinafter described, which overseers shall meet the first Monday of October, November, and December annually, and oftener if they think proper.

2. The district committee in the several school districts shall in no case contract with any person to keep a school within any such district without the consent and approbation of the overseers, or a major part of them, in a regular meeting of the said overseers first had or obtained.

3. The overseers will take care that no persons be employed as schoolmasters in the society except such as have a thorough acquaintance with the best mode of instructing children in spelling and reading the English language, in the principles of English grammar, and in a good handwriting, and who are persons of reputation and good moral character.

4. It is expected that the overseers will introduce into schools, besides Webster's Institute in all its parts, as great a variety of reading, both in prose and verse, as the circumstances of the people will admit; among these Dwight's Geography, by question and answer, for its cheapness and simplicity, would be highly proper as an easy introduction to that branch of science; and common newspapers would be of great use; also see that the Bible is statedly read by those forms who are capable of it, at least as the closing exercise in the afternoon, and with marks of reverence and respect as the word of God, and that the master of the respective schools close the whole at night with prayer.

5. It shall be the duty of the overseers, at least two of them together, to visit all the schools in the society quarterly or oftener, if they think proper, to take notice of the proficiency of the scholars, and to excite in them a laudable emulation; and they will from time to time give such general or special rules or directions, not inconsistent with these regulations, as they shall think proper, with regard to the mode of instructing and governing the schools, so as best to improve the children in letters, in morals, and in manners; and if they judge fit they may, at the expense of the society, distribute small premiums of trifling value to such as they shall find, by their own observations or by information of the masters, to excel in either of the aforesaid respects, or to enable the master himself to do it, as they shall think best; and the said overseers will, at their discretion, from time to time, appoint public exercises for such of the children in the several schools as may have made the best proficiency either in reading, spelling, speaking, rehearsing, composing, or such like exercises, either in the schools separately or in a general meeting, and confer on such as most deserve it some honorary mark of distinction.

6. In addition to the separate districts which are or may be made the society shall be one entire district, for the purpose of maintaining and supporting a school for the further instruction of those children and youth of both sexes who have passed through the ordinary course of learning in the common schools, to be kept near the center of the society, which school shall be under the superintendency and direction of the aforesaid overseers in the same manner as the common schools are. The object of the said school shall be to perfect the youth admitted therein in reading and in the grammar of the English tongue, and to instruct them in geography, arithmetic, composition, and speaking, or any of them; also in the whole course of instruction to impress their minds with a just sense of their duty to God, to their parents and instructors, to one another, and to society, and in general to prepare them to act well in the various relations of social life. The directions for reading the Bible and prayer in the common schools shall equally apply to this.

7. No youth shall be admitted as a pupil in the said school unless such youth is accurate in a good degree in spelling and reading the English tongue, and has acquired a good handwriting, and has attained to such maturity in years and understanding as to be able with profit to pursue the course of learning taught in said school, and upon examination before the major part of the said overseers shall be by them judged qualified for admission. And if a greater number of pupils shall be admitted than can well be accommodated or instructed, in the judgment of the overseers, in such case they shall limit the number who shall attend at a time, and direct all the pupils, in a certain order of rotation, by them appointed, to attend the school, so as all may have an equal benefit.

8. That the powers and duties of the overseers with respect to said school, relative to the appointment of the master, relative to the instruction and government thereof, relative to its visitation, encouragement, and public exercises, shall be the same as in respect to common schools.

9. The said school shall from time to time draw its share of all the public moneys appropriated to the use of schools within the society, to be made up out of the shares of the respective districts, according to the number of pupils in such school from such districts, when compared with the number of children, such districts computing from four to fourteen years of age.

Similar regulations were adopted in other towns.

Dr. Barnard takes leave of his subject in the following paragraph:

In closing this important period of our school history it may be well to repeat that up to 1798 the law enforced the keeping of school in towns or societies of more than 70 families for eleven months of the year, and in those of less than seventy, for at least one-half the year. It also enforced the keeping of a grammar school in the head town of the several counties. It imposed a tax, collectible with other public taxes, for the support of schools, and limited its benefits to such towns or societies as kept their schools according to law. There are no official documents respecting the condition of the schools themselves, but from the testimony of men who were educated in the common schools prior to 1800 it appears that the course of instruction was limited to spelling, reading, writing, and the elements of arithmetic, but that these studies were attended to by all the people of the State; so that it was rare to find a native of Connecticut "who could not read the Holy Word of God and the good laws of the State." These schools, such as they were, were the main reliance of the whole community for the above studies. There were but few private schools, except to fit young men for college, or carry them forward in the higher branches of an English education. The books used were few and imperfect, but uniform. The supervision of the schools by the selectmen was considered a part of their town office, and by the clergy as a regular part of their parochial duty.

Down to a half century ago Connecticut men boasted that theirs was the best educated commonwealth in the Union. Dr. Jedediah Morse wrote in 1797: "A thirst for learning prevails among all ranks of people in the State. More of the young men of Connecticut, in proportion to their numbers, receive a public education than in any of the States." And Dr. Horace Bushnell said in 1851: "The late Hon. James Hillhouse, when he was in Congress, ascertained that 47 of the members, or about one-fifth of the whole number in both Houses, were nativeborn sons of Connecticut. Mr. Calhoun assured one of our Representatives, when upon the floor of the House with him, that he had seen the time when the natives of Connecticut, together with the graduates of Yale College there collected, wanted only 5 of being a majority of that body." The present Commissioner of Education, himself a Connecticut born and educated man, has said: "Before 1837 Connecticut surpassed the other States in the education of its people."

IV. THE COMMON SCHOOL FUND OF CONNECTICUT.

1. Preliminary history, including an act establishing funds for the support of the ministry and schools of education, passed in 1793.-2. An act appropriating the moneys which shall arise on the sale of the Western lands belonging to this State, passed 1795.— 3. Subsequent history of the fund.

Connecticut was the first of the States to establish a permanent common school fund. This was done in 1795; New York did not take her first step in that direction until 1805, and Massachusetts not until 1834. The national land ordinance of 1785 had dedicated one thirtysixth part of the Western territory, then in possession of the Government, to common schools, and the contracts for lands made with the Ohio Company of Associates and Judge Symmes in 1787 confirmed the dedication so far as their sales were concerned; but this was the extreme point that the development of the national policy reached until 1802. Again the Connecticut fund became available for school purposes in 1799, while no Western State derived any immediate advantage from its school lands until some years after that time. These facts give to the history of the Connecticut fund a peculiar interest.

When Connecticut made her cession of Western lands to the General Government in May, 1786, she retained or reserved the territory bounded as follows: North by the international boundary; east by Pennsylvania; south by the forty-first parallel of north latitude; west by a line parallel to the western boundary of Pennsylvania and distant from it 120 miles. The disposition to be made of the territory reserved, known in history as the "Connecticut Western Reserve," "New Connecticut," and the "Western Reserve," embracing between 3,000,000

'American Gazetteer, article, Connecticut.

* Historical Estimate of Connecticut. (See Annual Report of the Board of Education, 1878, pp. 52, 53.)

3 Preface to Dr. Pickard's School Supervision.