largest per centage of increase, the reports are this year much fuller than heretofore. Length of School Terms. Every county in the State has more or less districts that have maintained school more than one term. The number of districts that have had both summer and winter schools, is 3,069, or 67 per cent of the whole number. Rock and La Pointe show the highest per centage, very nearly 100 per cent. Walworth and Green, 94 per cent. each. Fond du Lac, Juneau and Winnebago, 90 per cent. each. Dane, Dodge, Green Lake, St. Croix and Sheboygan, 80 per cent. each. Iowa, Kenosha, Columbia and Waukesha, 75 per cent. each. Jefferson, Racine, Sauk and Washington, 70 per cent. each. Other counties from 67 to 20 per cent. The average length of winter schools is given at 56 2-3 days, or a little less than three months. The average lenth of summer schools is 52 1-3 days. The average length of school for the year is 109 days, or five months. The inaccuracy of the reports upon this subject in a few cases, makes the average less than it should be. The difference in the form of the reports makes it difficult to compare this with reports of previous years. There has been, without doubt, a slight decrease in the length of school terms, as compared with the years immediately preceding. School Attendance. In my last report I submitted a table showing the per centage of unregistered pupils for each year, since the organization of the State. The average per centage was shown to be 36, while that of 1861 was 35. This year the reports show nearly 38 per cent of the children entitled to school privileges absent all the time. Out of 308,056 persons between four and twenty years of age, 116,680 have not entered the school room for a single day during the entire year. Making all due allowance for inaccuracy of reports, for the number reckoned as pupils, who are attending private and select schools, cither denominational, or otherwise; for those who are necessarily absent by reason of sickness, or some physical disability; for those who are absent in their country's service, and for those who are needed at home in the place of absent fathers or brothers; for those, who in the school of the artisan, or the merchant, are still pursuing some branch of study, outside of the school room-the absence of so large a number of children from the school without any excuse other than the carelessness or indifference of parents, is startling. It cannot be doubted that more than half the absentees might be regular attendants upon our public schools. Any person, at all obser vant, may find in the streets of our cities and villages a larger number of boys than he can find in the school rooms. That a larger proportion of children might attend the public schools than are actually found there, is evident from the fact that such results are really attained in some of the counties, mainly agricultural, and sparsely settled. For example Adams county shows but 8 per cent of absentees. Columbia but 121 per cent. Wood but 16 per cent. Portage 17 per cent. Trempealeau 18 per cent. Kewaunee county which is as well situated as any of the above, if we except Columbia, shows but little less than 75 per cent of absentees. Milwaukee county, which is well provided with school houses, and furnishes, generally, good school facilities, has but little more than one-third of her school children actually registered as attendants even for the smallest portion of the time. The facilities afforded by Milwaukee county for private instruction will not by any means account for the disparity between herself and Columbia county. It is not to be expected that large cities will compare favorably with rural districts, but our expectations will not diminish the danger to which we are exposed in consequence of absenteeism. There is nothing from which our nation has so much to fear as from ignorance and its invariable companions. Could we find in active life as citizens those who passed their minority in perfect idleness, and who during this period were entirely unmoved by any and all influences that surrounded them, so that they attained their majority as mere soulless ciphers, destitute of all power either for good or evil, the danger would be great, and the loss to the country incalculable. But this may never be. "An idle man's brain is the Devil's workshop." Every people on earth has felt the force of this truth. This state will not be an exception. If we remain indifferent to this crying evil, we are slumbering upon the side of a volcano, which may at any moment burst forth and overwhelm us. We may not balance forces, and trust to the fact that a majority is being trained to support the right. The vicious are more watchful, and, in unguarded moments may overpower their more numerous, but less vigilant neighbors. I know of but one evil more destructive than this under consideration. It is that of irregularity of attendance. Responsibility is proportioned to knowledge. Those who know their duty and do it not are to be beaten with many stripes. Truancy is a worse evil than absenteeism. It is generally practised by those who have clearer light and more influence. Some of the evils resulting from absence from the school room, may be in part counteracted by the good influences surrounding the pupil during his attendance upon school. This will, however, affect the extent rather than the quality of the evil. The table appended will show the condition of counties as reported in respect to regularity of attendance. The average is shown to be 64 per cent. of those enrolled. This average is hardly high enough. If several counties, which are but partially reported, be removed from the list, the average would without doubt reach 70 per cent. It must be remembered that this does not cover the time lost by tardiness. The first column shows the average length of winter schools; the second column shows the average length of summer schools; the third column shows the average length of schools for the year; the fourth column shows the number of days attendance possible if every pupil registered were present every day. The fifth column shows the actual attendance, and the sixth column gives the per centage of punctual attendance. The counties marked with a star are those whose reports are manifestly imperfect. The per centage of punctual attendance, based upon the whole number of children drawing public money, is but 43. Could we visit all the schools of the state, and note those present, we should find the numbers in attendance to be but a little over 132,000. The persons that go to make up this number are not always the same. The number may be a fixed quantity but the persons are variable. To make an average of 30 to each school of the state, nearly 50 pupils are required, and a person visiting the school upon two successive days would find a large portion of the 30 present upon the second day to be those whose faces were not seen among the 30 of the day previous. At least such is my experience. This evil and its remedy may be more fully discussed hereafter. There seems to be but little difference as to punctuality of attendance between summer and winter schools. The per centage is nearly 70 in both cases. The number actually registered during the winter term is 20,886 greater than the number registered during the summer term. By comparison of the statistics of the two terms with the report as to the number of different pupils attending during the year, it appears that only 87,320 children attended school both summer and winter terms, leaving 104,656 who attended only one term. Subtracting from the number registered during the winter term the number attending both terms, we find 62,466 pupils attending only the winter school. Subtracting from the number registered during the summer term the number attending both terms we shall find 41,580 pupils attending during the summer term. Teachers. Until the present year we have had no reliable data upon which to arrive at the number of teachers actually employed in the state. I estimated the number last year at 6,000, but the reports of the present year warrant the belief that the estimate was too low. We have reported this year the whole number of teachers employed. Male teachers employed during the winter term 2,349; females employed during winter term 1810; male teachers employed during summer term 418; females employed during summer term 3,462. The aggregate would be 8,039, were it not true that some are twice counted. The same persons are engaged, in many instances, during both terms in the same school. The number of different teachers employed as reported by districts, is 7,069. A fair calculation divides this number employed as follows: Males 2,433: females 4,636. Of this number some have taught in different districts during different terms of the year, and, of course, are twice enumerated, so that the actual number of different teachers employed in the state is less than appears above, but how much less can not now be determined. From the above reports, some very interesting facts may be obtained. Nine hundred and seventy teachers have found steady employment in the same districts during the year. This appears small when compared with the whole number of teachers employed, but is more encouraging when considered in connection with the fact that, according to the reports, only 2,228 teachers could have been steadily employed at all, since there were but 418 male teachers employed during the summer term, and only 1,810 females employed during the winter term. In nothing do I find greater cause for rejoicing than in the fact that so many teachers have entered upon the work as a life work. Assuming |