EilITATION. Accord ing to 1 he census of 1900. no State has a lower per vent. of illiterates than Iowa, the figure being only 2.3 per cent. of the population over ten years of nge, compared with 10.7 for the whole country. This showing is noteworthy in view of the fact that there is no compulsory sehool-ntlendance law. In 1899 711,2 of the population between five a nd t•enty• one years were I nrollvd in public schools, of Xi hon. 05.0 attended 'regularly.' The average length of the selo.ol term in 19(10 was 158 days, vine!) was Tower than it land liven before for more than a decade. The State has lind some very great administrative problems to contend with, notably the didietilty occasioned by too great multiplication of school districts, together with a decreasing rural population and the lack of gradation continuo in the country schools. In 1899, 34 per cent. of the independent schools and 54 per cent. of the sub-district schools had an average daily attentlanee of less than fifteen. In n few places the difficulty is being solved by the method of consolidation and transportation. In the above year 12,610 schools in the Stale were unoTaded, as against 5501 that were graded. The county system of superintendents is at the dis advantage of being made a political matter, and the popularly elected superintendents serve for only the brief term of two years. With one ex ception. Iowa pays the lowest average monthly salary to both male and female teachers of any State west of the :Mississippi. Before 1900 the State provision fer normal training was inade quate. and but a comparatively small per cent. of the teachers received special training. In 1900 a law was passed establishing a new State normal college, to he situated at Cedar Falls. in 1900 the female teachers numbered 22,839, and the males 5855. The State board of examiners
issues. upon examination, life and five-year li censes valid throughout the State, and the county superintendents issue certificates for different grades, each good for one or two years in the county in which it is issued.
High rehools are maintained in nearly all the cities, towns, and villages, and in a few coun ties there are township high schools, but the high school courses are characterized by great lack of uniformity. there being no localized or well-established standard to which they must conform. In 1900 the total wages received by teachers and superintendents amounted to S5.417.663, and the total cost of education to the State was $7.978.060. or S15.37 for each child enrolled. The total schtiol fund in 1899 was $4. 724,804. The State maintains a university (q.v.) at Iowa City, and a State agricultural college at. Ames. There are also a large number of de nominational institutions; namely. Upper Iowa University at Fayette (Methodist Episcopal); Tabor College at Tabor (Congregational); Ger man College at Mount Pleasant (Methodist Epis copal) ; Iowa Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant (Methodist Episcopal) ; Cornell Col lege at Mount Vernon (Methodist Episcopal): Central University of Iowa at Pella (Baptist) : Amity College at College Springs (non-secta rian) : Des Moines College at Des Moines (Bap tist) ; Iowa College at Grinnell (Congregational ist): Penn College at Oskaloosa (Friends) : Simpson College at Indianola (Methodist) : Nor wegian Lutheran College at Decorah (Lutheran); Drake University at Des Moines (Church of ( lirist) : .lorningside College at Sioux City (Methodist Episcopal); l oe College at Cedar Rapids ( Presbyteria : Parsons College at Fairfield (Presbyterian).