retained in the profession by the actual or prospective rewards.

Much chivalrous sentimentalism has been exercised in annunciating and sustaining the proposition that a woman' should receive the same compensation as a man for the same work. But neither sentiment nor yet positive statutes (unless in consonance with the fundamental principles at work in society) can control the inevitable laws of trade. The salaries for the men are now, all over the Union, too low to retain the services of experienced teachers, except the few who are indispensable as principals of large schools.

The women come in and underbid the men and drive them off, and the numbers pressing into the ranks are so great, and the competition of woman against woman is growing so sharp, that soon only the inferior ones will be found in service.

This disastrous state of affairs must be provided against. It will not do to allow that profession which is of the most value to the people to be so organized and conducted that its control will inevitably fall into the hands of the least competent. We must have the inestimable advantage of experienced teachers; we must have men and women in about the proportion in which nature has introduced them into the world, i. e., in about equal numbers, and we must have them contented.

A system of instruction given entirely by one sex will be one-sided, narrow, distorted, and inefficient. The characteristics peculiar to each sex must have opportunity to be observed, and the ideas peculiar to each sex must have play in a system of education, if it is to be sound, healthy and homogeneous.

TEACHERS' INSTITUTES.

I have diligently attended upon every Teachers' Institute which has been held since I came into office whenever it has been practicable. Sometimes it has happened that they were held in different counties at the same date, or so nearly at the same date as to render it impossible to attend more than one. Seeing the teachers assembled in council, hearing their views of education as to principles as well as to details, their interchanges of experience, their descriptions of the condition of their schools, their complaints of infelicities and friction in the working of the educational machinery, their claims of success and approbation of matters as they existed, have gone far towards giving me a good idea of the condition of the public instruction in the different counties. This has been supplemented by personal visitation to schools actually at work wherever it has been practicable.

There has beon some dissatisfaction expressed with Teachers' Institutes, and this even proceeded so far as the introduction of a bill at the last session of the Legislature to repeal that provision of the Political Code which establishes them. In my judgment this dissatisfaction is not well grounded. I am willing, however, to admit that all the good has not been derived from them which might reasonably have been expected. This was largely owing to defective organization. The entire time, nearly, has been generally given to essays, theoretical exposition of the theory of instruction, and listening to the didactic utterances of conducors. All these things are valuable in themselves, but should not be permitted to engross the whole time; otherwise they

exclude from participation nine-tenths of the teachers. At least half the time should be given to model teaching on different subjects by the best teachers in the particular subjects present. Then the teachers will see the machinery of education in actual operation, and they will learn more thoroughly and rapidly than in any other way. Many institutes have been organized and conducted after this manner during the past year, and with signal success.

Such institutes are temporary Normal Schools, and can not fail to result in the very great professional improvement of the teachers; and whatever improves the teachers immediately inures to the benefit of the chidren and of the State.

To abandon Teachers' Institutes would be a step backward and a long step downward. It is precisely in those States which have most cherished and most profited by their public schools that Teachers' Institutes are regarded as indispensable to the system of public education.

So far from crippling this valuable feature of the common schools, I trust that the Legislature will amend the law so that no institute shall be held for a time shorter than five days, and permitting the County Superintendents of schools, in their discretion, to hold them for ten days.

This extension of time, accompanied by a good organization, wherein more shall be done and less said, more of practice and less of theory, more seen and less merely listened to, cannot fail to redound to the great advantage of the State. The Teachers' Institutes shonld not afford merely a theater for the display of the accomplishments of one or a small number of individuals; on the contrary, they should enable every teacher, and compel every teacher, to take an active part, and thus result in the mutual and decided improvement

all the members.

The attendance of teachers is generally satisfactory; but a few are wanting in professional spirit and zeal, and do not attend. The County Superintendent should be required to withhold the pay of those teachers who absent themselves from the institutes, not less than one week's nor more than. four weeks' salary.

INSUFFICIENCY OF APPROPRIATIONS.

Under this head I beg leave to call the attention of the Legislature to the fact that the appropriation for the traveling expenses of the Superintendent of Public Instruction have, for several years past, been only one thousand dollars a year. This sum is totally inadequate to the proper discharge of the duties required by the law. The consequence was that my predecessor was compelled to put in several deficiency bills to reimburse his outlays in the discharge of his duties. On taking the office, I determined not to overrun the appropriation, but to stop whenever it should be exhausted, and allow the responsibility of leaving necessary work undone fall where it should fall. In the year ending June 30, 1883, I did so; but not exactly in the ensuing year, because a loud demand was made at the close of the year for my presence and services in a distant county, and the result was that the appropriation was exceeded by a small sum. Meanwhile, in both years, I failed to make many visits and inspections which the good of the public service demanded.

Section 1532 of the Political Code fixes the limit of these traveling expenses at $1,500 per annum, although the Legislature, since 1880, as intimated before, has appropriated only $1,000 per annum. The limit of $1,500 a year

was fixed in 1872, when the number of census children was

2

a bout one hundred thousand less than at present, and the work about one-half of that at present to be done; $1,500 was then allowed, and now, with double as much to do, $1,000 is allowed, and the same amount ($1,000) was allowed as far back as 1863, when the total number of children enrolled in the public schools was only thirty-six thousand five hundred and forty. The proper limit for the present needs of the public service would be $2,000 a year. Then the general superintendent of the instruction of the State could make occasional visits to outlying schools and districts off the seaboards and the main lines of travel, and know for himself, and be able to report to the people through the Legislature, the actual workings of the school machinery, to keep it homogeneous and progressing equally all along the line. There can be no abuse, because it is a reimbursem2nt of outlays, and the details are scrutinized by the State Board of Examiners. This matter is respectfully submitted to the wisdom of the Legislature.

The salary of the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction is only $1,800 a year, while that of the deputy of every other department of the State Government is $2,400 a year. No other deputy does more work for the State, and it will not be claimed that the functions of any are superior to his in importance. Why this injustice? This matter was referred to in strong language by my predecessor in his last report.

The Porter in the Department of Public Instruction receives but two hundred dollars a year, while the least paid to the Porter of any other department is three hundred dollars a year, and yet it is certain that none do more work than he. Why this unfair discrimination?