But this, which makes in all four times the amount distributed from the fund, does not show the total expenditure on this noble object of legislative pro vision.
It was estimated at the beginning of the present year (1832), that in the nine thousand and fifty-four districts where schools are supported, that two hun dred dollars each are invested, on an average, in This gives a total of one million eight hundred and ten thousand eight hundred dollars, which, together with one hundred and seventy thou sand dollars invested in the same way in the city of New York, gives a total of one million nine hun dred and eighty thousand dollars, vested in school houses, which, at an interest of six per cent per annum, would be $118,848 Annual expense of books for 506,887, at 50 cents each, 253,443 Fuel for 9054 schools, at $10 each 90,540 Amount of public money for teachers' wages, 244,886 Amount paid for teachers' wages, besides public money, 372,692 1,080,409 showing the present annual expenditure of the citi zens of this state,for the support of common schools, to be one million and eighty thousand dollars, and proving that the application of one hundred thou sand dollars out of the fund, induces them to raise voluntarily more than nine times the same amount for the same object.
Police of the System. This exists in the hands of one superintendent of common schools, who is likewise the secretary of the commonwealth; fifty five clerks of counties; the commissioners of about seven hundred and ninety towns, and the trustees of nine thousand school districts.
These several agents are in regular subordination to each other, and, in succession, receive and distri bute the funds appropriated by the state for the sup port of schools. The highest officer, the superinten dent, is made directly amenable to public opinion, as well as to the law, in being required to present to the legislature annually, in the month of Janua ry, a report containing: " I. A statement of the condition of the common schools of the state.
" 2. Estimates and accounts of expenditures of the school moneys.
"3. Plans for the improvement and management of the common school fund, and for the better or ganization of the common schools.
" 4. All such matters relating to his office, and to the common schools, as he shall deem expedient to communicate." The collection of documents already issued un der this requisition, contains a most useful and in structive mass of facts, which ought to be in the hands of every state legislator in the union. It may be observed, that the police of the general system is not applied in the city of New York, where, in stead of commissioners of towns and trustees of the schools, chosen by the people, the disbursement of the public money is entrusted to a company, called the " Public School Society." The reason or ne cessity of this difference of organization has never, to our knowledge, been made evident.
Under article " Education in the United Slates," will be found a view of the colleges and a statement of the number of academies in New York, to which the reader is referred.
In 1832 the number of academies had risen to fifty-nine, and the number of pupils was four thou sand eight hundred and eighty•eight, or seventy one to each academy. In addition to the means for supporting common schools, the state has another extensive fund, called the literature fund, under the management of the "Regents of the University," to which one hundred and fifty thousand dollars was added in 1827, the income of which was required to be distributed to the several incorporated acade mies and seminaries in proportion to their numbers of pupils. It is gratifying to observe, that a liberal spirit has been manifested in furnishing to these in stitutions various means and implements for culti vating the natural sciences, and that some of them have already become useful to science by their ap plication of these means. We may refer particu larly to the. numerous sets of meteorological obser vations occasionally published by the " Regents," and which are all made at the academies under their charge. The money t.ppropriated to these institu tions, has been thus applied with a view of convert ing them into nurseries of teachers for the common schools.