Banks and Banking. The first bank in the State was opened in Natchez in 1809. On 31 Dec. 1918, there were 33 national banks in opera tion with $30,310,811.87 of deposits, including savings deposits ; and 288 State banks with $83,891,325.59 of deposits, including $8,301,526.57 of savings accounts. A comparative statement of the State banks, not including national banks, is: On 30 June 1900. resources, $19,345,840; on 25 Aug. 1905, $50,620,811 ; on 2 June 1910, $66,688,649; on 31 Dec. 1918, $149,198,055.78. In this State the Uniform Negotiable Instru ments Act has been adopted.
Education. Nearly all the cities and towns in the State maintain graded schools for 10 months in the year. The country free schools are maintained four months. Separate schools are conducted for the two races. In 1915 the children of school age numbered 737,356; the enrolment in public schools were 575,653, and the average daily attendance was 312,650. There were 6,656 licensed teachers, 7,500 pub lic school buildings, and school property valued at $2,500,000. The State appropriation for com mon schools in 1915 was $1,695,651, in addition to which the counties and the towns levy addi tional taxes for schools, and there are other sources of public revenue for schools. For higher education, there were 115 graded public schools, 17 private secondary schools, 3 public and 2 private normal schools, 8 universities and colleges for men and 6 colleges for women. The men's colleges include the Agricultural and Mechanical College (State) at Starkville; the Mississippi College (Baptist) at Clinton; Millsaps College (Methodist) at Jackson; Jef ferson College (at Washington) near Natchez; Chamberlain-Hunt (Presbyterian), Port Gib son; Rust University at Holly Springs. Among the most notable women's colleges are the Industrial Institute and College (State) at Columbus; Blue Mountain College (Baptist) at Blue Mountain; East Mississippi Female College (Methodist) at Meridian; Belhaven College (Presbyterian) at Jackson ; Hillman College (Baptist) at Clinton; Whitworth College (Methodist) at Brookhaven; Gren ada College (Methodist) at Grenada; Stan ton College at Natchez. The University of Mississippi at Oxford is a coeducational in stitution, as also the Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College at Rodney, a State techno logical institute for colored pupils; also the Tougaloo University, a Baptist missionary in dustrial institution, at Tougaloo, near Jackson. Normal schools are established at various points.
In 1916 there were 227 newspapers issued in the State, 16 daily, 183 weekly, 7 semi-weekly, 2 fortnightly, 5 semi-monthly and 14 monthly; 2 agricultural and 13 religious.
Religion. The Baptist Church claims over half the church population of the State; and then follow the Methodist Episcopal, South; the African Methodist, the Methodist Episcopal, the Roman Catholic, the Southern Presbyterian, the Cumberland Presbyterian, the Disciples of Christ and the Protestant Episcopal. At pres ent there are 6,500 Sunday schools conducted by church organizations, with over 33,000 officers and teachers and about 300,000 pupils.
Charities and Correction. There is a State penitentiary, the prisoners being employed at labor on State farms. There are State hos pitals for the insane at Asylum and Meridian. The State Deaf and Dumb Institute, for white and colored, and the School for the Blind (white) are located at Jackson. The Beauvoir Home is located at Beauvoir. There are char ity hospitals supported by the State at Jackson, Natchez and Vicksburg. There are altogether 17 benevolent institutions, of which about 12 have been founded by private or church au thorities. At present there are about 435 pau pers in institutions, being 24.3 per 100,000 popu lation, and about 2,300 prisoners in penal institutions, being 127 per 100,000 of the population.
Government. The State is governed under a constitution adopted in 1890, with some later amendments. The governor is elected for a term of four years, and receives a salary of H $5,000 per annum. e is not eligible for re-elec tion. Other executive officers are the lieutenant governor, auditor, attorney-general, secretary of state and treasurer. Legislative sessions are held biennially, beginning on Tuesday after the first Monday in January; but only those ses sions held in the leap years are unlimited as to scope and duration; the other sessions can deal only with revenue and appropriations and such other matters as the governor shall sub mit to them by message. The legislature and entire State government are Democratic. Each member receives $400 per annum and mileage. There are eight representatives in the United States Congress. The legislature is composed of 138 representatives and 45 senators. There are six supreme judges, elected by the people for eight years; and circuit judges and chancery judges, also elected by the people for four years. Voters must have resided in the State for two years and in the election district for one year. Registration is necessary, and the voter must be able to read any section of the Constitution of the State, or be able to under stand the same when read to him, or give a reasonable interpretation thereof. He must also have paid taxes for two years and must pay a poll tax of $2 for school maintenance.