During the first 60 years of the history of the province there were almost no schools, because there were no towns, each family living upon its own plantation. Gov ernor Francis Nicholson was an ardent friend of education and under his influence the as sembly, in 1694, passed an act for the mainte nance of free schools by duties laid on ex furs, which then formed a large part of Maryland's trade. In 1696. King William School at Annapolis was founded, as the first of these schools, and continued in existence until 1784, when it was merged in Saint John's College. Under Governor Nicholson's admin istration, also, the Anglican Church was es tablished in the province, and the Rev. Thomas Bray, D.D., was sent over as the commissary, or representative, of the bishop of London, within whose diocese the province was con sidered to lie. He wished to induce worthy clergymen to come to Maryland and, as an in ducement to them, set about establishing a paro chial library in each parish for the use of tie minister, and a provincial or lending library at Annapolis for the use of the clergy and gen try. He succeeded in this plan and the provin cial library of 1,100 volumes was the largest collection of books then in the English colonies. Dr. Bray came to Maryland in 1700 for a few months and after his return the libraries lan guished and few books were sent them. The first printing press in the province was estab lished about 1690, and the earliest extant im print is one of Dr. Bray's sermons. The chil dren of the well-to-do planters were often sent to Europe to complete an education begun on the plantation under private tutors, who were often indentured servants — the Protestant children going to Great Britain, the Roman Catholics to institutions on the Continent.
In 1723 an act was passed looking to the es tablishment of a grammar school in each county. These schools were the only ones sup ported by Maryland authorities, until well into the 19th century. Jesuits conducted two schools for boys— one at Whitemarsh, in Charles County, and one at Bohemia Manor in Cecil County. In 1726 the first newspaper in the province was begun, at Annapolis. Negro education and industrial education likewise found their beginning in Rev. Thomas Bacon's charity school in Talbot County about 1750. Toward the end of the provincial period, Char lotte Hall Academy was founded by the union of the county schools in southern Maryland, and Upper Nottingham Academy, in Cecil County, was begun. Rev. Samuel Knox, who was principal of the Frederick County Acad emy, in 1796 published a remarkable hook on the 'Principles of Education,) outlining a complete educational system for the State. Thomas Jefferson derived many of the ideas which he carried out in the University of Vir ginia from this book, and Knox was the first man invited to a professorship there. Through Knox's efforts the State diverted to the county academies the funds it had begun ap propriating to the nascent colleges and these appropriations to the academies lasted until these institutions were absorbed into thepub lic school system, a process not completed until the 20th century. A considerable agita
tion for public schools about the year 1825 led to the organization of such schools for Balti more city in 1829. This city has always man aged its schools independently of the subse quently established State system and in 1917 had 112 schools, with 2,139 teachers and 79,599 pupils. The expenditures for these schools for 1919 amounted to $3,217,554. In addition to primary and grammar schools, there are in cluded in the city system for white children a high school for boys (called the Polytechnic Institute), two high schools for girls and a teachers' training school; and for colored chil dren a high school and a teachers' training school. Although some counties had begun a partial school system, the State had no uniform public schools until the constitution of 1864 was adopted which contained a provision for such a State system, through the efforts of Jo seph M. Cushing, Esq., a member of the con stitutional convention, and Rev. Libertus Van Bokkelen, D.D., who was made first State su perintendent of schools. Dr. Van Bokkelen was soon succeeded by M. A. Newell, who con tinued in office, both as superintendent and as principal of the State Normal School, estab lished in Baltimore, for over 20 years. This school has been transferred to fine new build ings near Towson, in Baltimore County. Rev. E. B. Prettyman succeeded Mr. Newell, and was .succeeded nearly 20 years ago by Dr. M. Bates Stephens, during whose incumbency of the office great advances have been made in the county schools. Since his taking of office, there has been a separate principal of the normal school. A second normal school has been estab lished at Frostburg in Allegany County. High schools have recently been formed in many places.
Teaching colored children was unlawful during the times of slavery. In 1865 a society was formed in Baltimore for negro education. It speedily established schools throughout the State, supported by the generous contributions of individuals, many of whom were members of the Society of Friends. When the State as sumed the task of educating negroes, in 1872, the society closed all its schools, except one in Baltimore, which was incorporated as the Col ored Normal School. In 1908 the State took over this school also and removing it to Bowie, in Prince George's County, maintained it as Normal School No. 3, adding certain agricul tural and industrial features to the course of study. In addition to the expenditure of the State for schools from taxation, the proceeds of which are quarterly distributed to the coun ties and Baltimore city, according to popula tion, each county raises large sums yearly by local taxation for support of schools. There are 2,605 schools, 6,560 teachers and 246,045 pu pils recorded in the report for the year 1917. The State school hoard consists of six mem bers appointed by the governor for a period of six years. The governor also appoints a school hoard of three members for each county for a like term. The mayor of Baltimore city ap points the school board therefor, composed of nine commissioners, each to serve for six years.