Improvement in the education of negroes in the former slave States-Proportion of colored males of voting age who could read and write in 1870 and in 1900. The figures of 1870 are those of the first census taken after emancipation. It will be noted that the States bordering on the free States of the North showed by that census the largest proportion of males able to read and write, and with few exceptions the same may be remarked of the later statistics. UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES AND THEIR RELIGIOUS CONTROL. Per cent of the total number of colleges and universities under the control of the different religious denominations: 1902. The figures show about 70 per cent of all the higher institutions in the country (638 all told) to be under the control of religious denominations, while the remaining 30 per cent are nonsectarian and about equally divided between those under public and those under private control. Many of the sectarian colleges for men were designed primarily to prepare young men for the ministry, but beyond this they now differ little from other colleges of corresponding grade except as to the matter of maintenance. Sectarian colleges are usually supported by some unit of church administration, but in many of the stronger denominational institutions large endowments place them beyond the necessity of regular appeal to such sources. GRADUATES OF PUBLIC NORMAL SCHOOLS. The comparison of the numbers in public normal schools at three epochs from 1880 to 1902 shows the increasing capacity of these schools to supply the needs for professionally trained teachers. Besides the public normal schools there are many private normal schools, and also normal training departments, in nearly 800 public and private high schools and in more than 200 of the colleges and universities. The number of well-trained teachers graduating each year amounts to about 15,000. DOL AMOUNT OF PROPERTY EXPENDED FOR EVERY ONE THOUSAND The first column shows the expenditure for all purposes, police and the courts, sewers, etc. The second column shows the number of dollars expended for schools. The figures given in this table were deduced from statistics collected by the Bureau of Labor for the year 1902. It registers fairly what each city named is relatively doing for education. It will be noted that the sums named are strictly for maintenance and operation, all items of capital outlay being excluded. All of which is respectfully submitted. W. T. HARRIS, Commissioner. STATISTICS OF STATE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. TABLE 1.-The total population, the school population, and the adult male population. |