EDUCATION. In recent years the educational status of Indiana has improved very 'rapidly. The percentage of illiteracy for the age period of ten years and over decreased from 7.5 per cent. in ISSO to 4.6 per cent. in 1900. The percentage of illiteracy of the colored population was 22.6. In 1899 there was 73 per cent: of all persons between the ages of six and twenty-one enrolled in the State schools, as against 71 per cent. in 1879, and the per cent. of attendance on the basis of enrollment increased during the same period from 61 per cent. to 76 per cent. This increase is partially the result of the recent compulsory education laws, which compel chil dren between the ages of six and fourteen to at tend the full term of the local school. The aver age length of the school term increased from 132 days in 1379 to 152 in 1900. A State law now requires a minimum term of six months, but there is still a decided contrast between the average length of the rural and the city schools. A care fully graded system is now universal throughout the State, and through the agency of a compe tent corps of county superintendents an efficient supervision of schools is effected. A serious prob lem has arisen in consequence of the very general decrease in the attendance at the rural schools. In 1899 there were 1848 schools having less than 15 pupils each. The solution of the problem is being found in the abandonment of the small schools and the transportation, of the pupils to one centrally located school.
The greatest progress has been made in the high-school system of the State. Township high schools are now common. in 1899 there were 717 high schools. with courses of from two to four years in length, and 150 other schools in which some high-school work was done. High schools giving four-year courses and maintaining a cer tam standard of proficiency are granted commis sions upon the approval of the State Board of Education. In the above year there were 156 commissioned high schools.
A considerable number of the teachers of the State have received collegiate and normal-school training. A more satisfactory system of exam inations for teachers' certificates has been intro duced, extending the jurisdiction of the State in the granting of certificates. At present life licenses are granted by the State Board of Edu cation, as are also licenses for eight years and for sixty months. State licenses are issued by
the State superintendent of public instruction for periods ranging from sixty to twelve months in length, while the county superintendent issues certificates for terms of from thirty-six to six months. The State maintains a normal school at Terre Haute, which in 1900 had an enrollment of 1672. Among the private normal schools are the Northern Indiana Normal School, at Val paraiso; the Tri-State Normal, at Angola; Rochester Normal University, at Rochester: and the Eastern Indiana Normal University, at in 1900 the total number of male teachers was 7208; female, 8409.
The total expenditure for schools in 1900 was $8,1S8,089, of which $4,S00,965 went to teachers and superintendents. A comparative study of the last few decades of the nineteenth century shows that the rate of the State tax for common schools is decreasing. necessitating heavier local burdens, the sum raised by local taxes having increased fourfold during that period ($2.542,552 in• 1899). It is also found that the per capita cost of education has greatly increased in the rural districts and decreased in the cities. Indi ana has fortunately provided a large permanent school fund, amounting in 1900 to $10,359,959, (If this $2,467.655, called the Congressional Town ship Fund. was secured from the sale in each township of the sixteenth section of land. The emainder ($7.892,303), called the Common School Fund, is composed of the county seminary fund, saline fund, bank-tax fund, surplus-revenue fund, and the sinking fund.
Higher education is provided by the State Uni versity at Bloomington, and technical instruction by Purdue University at Lafayette. There are numerous higher denominational institutions. in cluding De Pauw University (Methodist), at Greencastle: Notre Paine University (Roman Catholic), near South Bend; Indianapolis Uni versity (including Butler College, Christian) ; Earlham College, at Richmond (Friends) ; \Va bash College. Crawfordsville: Hanover College (Presbyterian) ; and Franklin College (Bap tist I. Vincennes Cniversity, at Vincennes. and Rose Polytechnic Institute, at Terre Haute. are non-sectarian.