that the increased rate be voted by two-thirds of the qualified voters voting at the annual or special meeting. ANNUAL SCHOOL MEETING- Meets at the district school house annually, and elects a director for a full term, and fills vacancies in the board; determines the length of time in excess of four months, that the schools shall be kept open, and orders the proper levies within the limitations to be made therefor; votes a sum not exceeding $20 per annum for purchase of books for district library; decides for or against proposed changes of district boundary lines; directs the sale of property no longer required, and determines the applications of proceeds; designates their choice for county school commissioner every second year; directs the loan of money to aid in erecting school houses; directs the levy of tax for the erection of school houses; determines the location of the school house or houses; by a two-thirds vote changes location of school house; receives the reports of school district board as to financial condition, and itemized receipts and disbursements for the year ending. DISTRICT BOARDS-Consist of three members in the country districts, and six members in the city, town and village districts; each elected for a term of three years; one, annually, in the country, and two in the city, town and village districts; they elect one of their number president, and appoint a clerk who may not be a member of the board, if it so chooses; they are the executive officers of the school corporation, which each district is, being created by law; they serve without compensation; have custody of school property; execute the orders of the annual meeting; take the school census; make and file the estimates for tax levies; control the disbursements of all school money; keep the district records; visit the schools; employ teachers; provide for a four months term of school without consulting the people; make rules for organization, grading and government of the schools, suspend or expel pupils; admit and prescribe fees for non-resident pupils, and in general do all things necessary to carry on the schools. In city, town and village districts the board has power to establish higher grades of schools, but are subject to the same tax restrictions. Some cities have special charters giving other privileges than those enumerated, but subject to the same tax restrictions, they being constitutional provisions. EDUCATIONAL DIRECTORY.- University of Missouri, located at Columbia; number of students, 577; legislative appropriation for 1879 and 1880, $39,000. State Agricultural College constitutes a department of the University. Three State Normal Schools, located respectively at Kirksville, Warrensburg and Cape Girardeau.* The appropriation to each of *St. Louis supports its own normal school, for the preparation and training of its teachers, the greater number of whom are graduates of this normal school. normal schools is $7,500 per annum. Deaf and Dumb Asylum, located at Fulton; legislative appropriation for 1879 and 1880, $91,000. Blind Asylum, located at St. Louis; legislative appropriation for 1879 and 1880, $46,000. Lincoln Institute,* located at Jefferson City; legislative appropriation, $10,000 for 1879 and 1880; devoted to training colored teachers for colored public schools of the state. School of Mines and Metallurgy, located at Rolla; legislative appropriation, $15,000 for 1879 and 1880; constitutes a department of the state university. State teachers' association, meets annually at places selected at each session, during the last week in June. STATISTICS OF 1878.-School population, 688,248; school enrollment, 448,033; No. of ungraded school districts, 8,142; No. of graded school districts, 279. No. of school houses, 8,092; estimated value of school houses and sites, $8,321,399; average school year in months, 5; average school year in months, in graded school districts, 9; total number of teachers employed, 11,268; total wages of teachers, $2,320,430.20; average wages of teachers per month, males, $36.36, females, $28.09; average wages of teachers per month, in grades schools, estimated, males, $87.81, females, $40.73. REVENUE. From interest on state permanent fund, $174,030.15; from one-fourth state revenue collections, $363,276.32; from county and township permanent funds, $440,191.37; from district taxes, $2,446,910.71. Total, $3,424,408.55. PERMANENT FUNDS.-State fund, $2,909,457.11; county fund, $2,388,368.29; township or sixteenth section fund, $1,980,678.51. Total $7,278, 046.80. The state auditor's report for 1879 and 1880 furnishes the following school items; and they make a very favorable showing for the public school interests of Missouri: *Lincoln Institute was first projected by the 62d Regiment U. S. Colored Infantry, while on duty in Texas, in 1865, and was designed for the higher education of colored people. In January, 1866, the state attached a state normal department to it, to provide suitable teachers for the public schools for colored children. The school was opened Sept. 17, 1876, but was not finally provided for by law as a state normal school until Feb. 14, 1870, since which time it has gone steadily forward and done a good work for the negro population. MASSACHUSETTS AND MISSOURI SCHOOL RATES. Massachusetts is taken almost universally as the standard of measurement for other states. The state reports of Massachusetts and Missouri, for 1879, show that in the former there was applied to the education of every child of school age the sum of $13.71-in the latter, $4.37. But it must be remembered that school age in Massachusetts is between five and fifteen years; in Missouri between six and twenty; a difference of four years in school. The report of the secretary of the Massachusetts board of education, for 1879, states the "per centage of valuation appropriated for public schools," as two and seventy-two one hundredths mills. In Missouri it was over five mills. That is, every tax-paying Missourian paid nearly twice as much for the maintenance of public schools on the same amount (of value) of property as the tax-payer of Massachusetts. 1844 St. Paul College .... Glasgow DENOMINATION. M. E. Church South. .Roman Catholic. Congregational. M. E. Church South. Greenwood...... United Presbyterian. . St. Joe.. . St. Louis. . Palmyra . Roman Catholic. .Roman Catholic. .. Protestant Episcopal. 1844 St. Vincent College... ...Cape Girardeau.. Roman Catholic. 1857 Washington University...St. Louis.... Non-Sectarian. 1852 Westminster College.. ....... Fulton . Presbyterian. . Independence ....Christian. .St. Charles... .M. E. Church South. 1853 Wm. Jewell College. 1869 Woodland College. 1835 St. Charles College. 1852 Central College.. 1843 Arcadia College. .. Arcadia.. In addition to the above, the Baptists have: Stephens College, Columbia⚫ Mt. Pleasant College, Huntsville; Baptist Female College, Lexington; La Grange College, La Grange; Baptist College, Louisiana; Liberty Female College, Liberty; St. Louis Seminary for Young Ladies, Jennings Station; Fairview Female Seminary, Jackson; Booneville Seminary for Young Ladies, Booneville; North Grand River College, Edinburg; Ingleside Academy, Palmyra. The Christian connection has Christian University, at Canton, in Lewis county. The Congregationalists have Thayer College, at Kidder, in Caldwell county. The German Evangelicals have Missouri College, in Warren county. The Methodist Episcopals (North) have Johnson College at Macon City. The Presbyterians have Lindenwood Female College, at St. Charles. A good feeling prevails amongst these different schools. Each attends to its own work in its own way, caring for the patronage of its own people and the community at large, as a good neighbor of every other worker. A most liberal and impartial legislative policy is pursued, by dealing with all alike before the law, whether in the maintenance of vested rights or in the matter of taxation. By constitutional provision all property actually used for school and religious purposes may be exempted from taxes, and the same constitution most explicitly interdicts all discrimination, and also all favor or partiality. 1869 1873 1840 Missouri Medical College. LOCATION. Kansas City College of Physicians and Surgeons.. Kansas City. Columbia. . St. Louis. .... 1841 St. Louis Medical College.. 1858 Homeopathic Medical College of Missouri. 1865 Missouri Dental College.. 1864 St. Louis College of Pharmacy SCIENTIFIC SCHOOLS. 1870 Agricultural and Mechanical College (State Uni- Columbia. 1871 Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (State 1857 ..Rolla. Polytechnic Department of Washington University.St. Louis. NOTE.-Church members of the Catholic and Protestant Episcopal Churches include all persons baptized into the church. The others count only communicants in good standing. PROTECTIONAL LAWS. Our state legislature has made ample and discreet provision for the protection of a home-place from sale on execution. The home and property rights of married women, widows and orphans, are guaranteed by statute as far as is practicable. A limit has also been fixed to the amount of indebtedness which may be incurred by the people in voting bonds to railroads, or other enterprises in which they may feel a friendly interest, but in aiding which, too generally, so many western communities have burdened themselves and their posterity with debts and taxation that are grevious to be borne. HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. The laws of Missouri reserve from execution, in the hands of every head of a family living in the country, a homestead, consisting of one hundred and sixty (160) acres of land, not exceeding $1,500 in value; to every head of a family, in cities of over 40,000 inhabitants, a homestead consisting of not more than eighteen square rods of ground, and of a valuation not exceeding $3,000; and in cities and towns of less than 40,000 inhabitants, a homestead, consisting of not more than thirty square rods of ground, and of the value of not more than $1,500. Thus it is |