demand with persons suitably qualified, | the fragmentary gleanings of a few days is a problem which has occupied the at- institute may be of service. Testimony tention of wisdom and experience for of the value of the Institute Work comes years. That such supply has not been from Maine, New York, Vermont, Massaobtained is notorious. chusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Illinois, and the reports of County Superintendents of Wisconsin are full of glow. ing accounts of good done, which may have some weight, after making due allowance for mutual admiration. The State Superintendent of New York says: ‘Had that excellent litany, which invokes deliverance from battle, murder and sudden death, also incorporated a petition against incompetent school teachers, it would not have trenched upon a subject, in favor of which, wise and holy men might not properly raise their supplications." WM. F. PHELPS, President of the State Normal School at Winona, Minn., writes: "The schools are in the hands of ignorant, unskilled teachers. Poor schools and poor teachers are in the majority throughout the country. Multitudes of schools are so poor that it would be as well if they were closed. The pitiable spectacle is presented of ignorance perpetuating itself at the public expense." The Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Education for 1871, says: "More than 90 per cent. of our teachers have never received any instruction in the art or science of teaching; 40 per cent. are new and inexperienced, changing their places every term, looking upon the school room as a make-shift for the pres ent. Need we wonder that their hearts and souls are not with their calling, that they are slaves to text-books?" The Report of the Committee on County Academies of the State Teachers' Association of 1872, reads: Certainly, this lack of qualified teachers is a deplorable state of affairs, calling with the voice of thunder for a remedy." Our three Normal Schools, from published reports, give not far from 600 of all grades each year. From academies, high schools and colleges, it is estimated that 1000 more are furnished. Not one fourth what is needed, and the above number not distributed over the whole state, but supplied mainly to those parts contiguous to such schools. How then shall the mass of teachers be reached? One-half, or one-quarter, or one-sixteenth of a loaf is better than none and The Report of the State Superintendent of Wisconsin for 1872, says: "A conviction of the value of these institutes, is continually growing in the minds of teachers and people. A teacher is fast losing caste, who habitually absents him. self from these educational gatherings, and is looked upon as unworthy of his position. I am of the opinion that teachers should be required to attend institutes in their respective counties for at least four days in the year, and that school-boards should be required to allow them such time, without any deduction of their wages." The President of the Board of Normal School Regents for 1872, says: “A lib. eral appropriation has been made by the Board for institute work, and much has been accomplished in this important field of labor." This institute work is fragmentary, itinerating, missionary work; it means labor and sometimes discouragement; it needs faith to sow seed here and there in the day and in the night; but the future will bring the fruit, good to look upon and delicious to the taste. In corroboration of the foregoing views the state has, by legal enactment, provided that each County Superintendent shall (not may,) hold at least one institute each year. The Board of Normal School Regents and the state have also provided liberally to aid County Superintendents in this part of their work. Institutes should be held mainly in the fall, in the months of September and October, and should continue five days, beginning on Monday and closing on Friday, with two sessions each day, from 9 to 12 A. M., and from 2 to 5 P. M. WORK ATTEMPTED. One-half the time should be devoted to instruction-class work by whole institute. One-third of the time to Methods and School Management, by familiar lectures. One-sixth of the time to model class work and criticism. The county superintendent should advertise, at least two weeks before the time of meeting, the specific branches to be treated at the meeting; e. g. : ARITHMETIC-FOUR LESSONS. 1. Fundamental Rules. 2. Common Fractions. attend at all, or only nominally. The statistics of attendance are not reliable, for persons only present a few hours are not unfrequently enrolled to swell the attendance and make a good showing. In Grant county only one person attended the whole time and that time only four weeks. For trifling causes, teachers that in charity we are obliged to call good, absent themselves. The following are proposed as remedies: I. THROUGH THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT. 1. Let the State Superintendent see that each county superintendent holds an in 3: Decimal Fractions and Fed. Money. stitute, as required by law; and in case 4. Percentage. GEOGRAPHY-FOUR LESSONS. of failure, notify the county clerk of said county of such neglect of duty, and that 1. Globe Work-Shape of Earth, Cir- said county superintendent is liable to cles, Zones. impeachment. 2. Let the State Superintendent publish a list of county superintendents comply. ing with law, with attendance at each institute of actual teachers or those intend To include, in lessons 2d, 3d, 4th, bodies of water and land, elevations of land, nav-ing to teach during the year, and the igable rivers, political divisions, capitals and cities. READING-PHONICS-FOUR LESSONS. (Standard Webster's Dictionary, Ed. 1864.) 1. Vowels in monosyllables and accented syllables, sounds of, and how distinguished. 2. Vowels in unaccented syllables. 3. Consonant sounds. SPELLING-FOUR LESSONS. 1. Rules-two lessons. 2. Written lessons-indicating the book from which words will be pronounced, two lessons. Thus by specifically stating what will be done, much of the odium of failure on the part of the teacher, will be averted, because preparation by the teachers will be made, and being prepared they will desire to attend and show what they can do. A healthy emulation may be secured, and interest among the citizens excited. We have glanced at the necessity for institute work and the kind that should be attempted. It now remains to consider how attendance may be secured. Not 50 per cent. of the teachers of the state attend and those who need it most do not number of teachers needed to supply the schools of the county. 3. Also a list of the county superintendents who do not hold such institutes. 4. Advise each county superintendent of above regulation. II. THROUGH THE COUNTY SUPERIN- 1. Let each county superintendent, two weeks previous to the meeting, notify each teacher in the county of the time and place of holding the institute, with a specific detail of the work to be done. Admit none to class work after Monday, except for reasons satisfactory to the county superintendent. 2. Publish at the close of the institute the names of attendants and an account of the work done. 3. On examination give to those who attend five per cent. additional on each branch of regular work treated at the institute. 4. Hold institutes (if possible) in the months of September and October with examinations at the close, on Friday and Saturday, so that all in attendance may be accommodated. 5. Have any spring examinations sup- has been disputed, since our government plementary to fall, with certificates of only six months duration. III. MISCELLANEOUS. 1. Any county necessitated to hold institute in the spring (March or April) to have preference, for aid from the state, for next year, in the fall. 2. Each county superintendent to pledge an attendance of teachers equal to 50 per cent. of the schools in his county. Fail. ure to secure such attendance to forfeit the right to state aid the next year. 3. No county to receive state aid twice during any one school year. 4. Each institute conductor from a normal school, to make such time and place for holding institute in his district as in his judgment will secure the greatest good, giving preference in time to the months of September and October for fall institutes and last half of March and the whole of April for spring. A few points are thus presented, suggested by past experience, and based upon laws already in existence, as our experience in the past shows it unwise to predicate results on future legislation. The State Superintendent is made to play a prominent part, that county superin. tendents may point to regulations issuing from him. It is believed, that without further leg. islation, the above plan, if efficiently operated, will very perceptibly increase the attendance on the institutes, and render them a valuable aid in making the common school more effective. was established, that women and children if otherwise qualified by birth or naturalization, are citizens. Nor has it been disputed that white men, if born or naturalized here, are citizens, although belonging to classes shut out from the right of suffrage. But it has been denied that negroes, whether slave or free, are citizens. By the famous decision of the supreme court of the United States in the Dred Scott case, negroes were declared not to be citizens. But this decision is of course superseded by the explicit language of the Fourteenth Amend ment. The first qualification for citizenship is thus to be a person-not a man, not a white person, but simply a person, without regard to age, sex or race. The second qualification for citizenship is to be born or naturalized in the United States. The right of expatriation has always been defended by the United States; and has at last been fully conceded by most European nations, either tacitly or by formal treaty. One of the causes of the war of 1812 was the claim of England that her subjects could not give up their allegiance to the British crown and become American citizens. Under this claim English naval officers constantly impressed into their naval service naturalized citizens of this coun try who were born British subjects. But millions of subjects of foreign governments have now been naturalized, and thereby received to all the privileges of American citizens, and their right to thus change their allegiance is now fully recognized. The process of naturalization is as follows. At any time after he becomes a resident of this country a foreigner may declare his intention to become a citizen of the United States before the clerk of any United States or state court, who gives him a certificate to that effect. This is popularly called "taking out his first papers." When he has lived five years in this country, he can be naturalized, provided he has "declared his intention" at least two years before. This is popularly called “taking out his second papers," and is done with | United States. We claim all such chila great deal more formality than attended dren of American citizens by virtue of taking out the first papers. Full citizen- their parents' citizenship; and we also ship can only be given in open court by claim all children born on American soil the judge of some court of record, either of foreign parents. Other nations also United States or State. All United States make a similar double claim. In such Courts are courts of record; and in this cases one nation claims the child because State the Supreme and Circuit Courts are it is born on its soil; while another nation such also. The would-be citizen must claims it because of its parents' nativity. bring two citizens with him to testify to Between the claims of birth and of inhis good character, and he must formally heritance, it is difficult to decide, and as renounce allegiance to his former sov- the question has never yet been settled by ereign and swear allegiance to the United the general consent of civilized nations, States. we can only say that persons born in countries, of which their parents were not citizens or subjects, have a double allegiance. Our laws make citizens of the children born to foreigners residing here, and also of the children born to Americans residing abroad; but that does not release them from the conflicting claims of other countries When a man is naturalized, that fact naturalizes his wife and all his minor children. An unmarried woman who is of age may be naturalized in the same way as a man, and a few foreign women have been naturalized, in order to take up homesteads. But in two cases persons who are not already citizens may become such, without a formal naturalization. When territory is added to the United States either by cession or by conquest, the inhabitants of that territory become at once citizens of the United States, and when Indians renounce their tribal relations and become members of a civilized community in the United States, they become citizens. The third condition of citizenship is to be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Those Indians, who maintain their tribal government, are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, not as individuals but only in a modified form as subject tribes or nations. They are not citizens of the United States, because they do not have the responsibilities of citizens and therefore ought not to have the rights of citizens. Ambassadors carry the sovereignty of their country with them, according to the theory of international law; and therefore the children of our ambassadors are American citizens, though born abroad; and the children of foreign ministers are not American citizens, though born in this country. The case is not as simple with regard to the children of other citizens, born while beyond the jurisdiction of the By virtue of the Fourteenth Amend ment all citizens of the United States are also citizens of the State in which they reside. Beside those, citizens of the United States who reside in this State, there is another class of persons who are citizens of this State. The supreme court of Wisconsin has decided that when the constitution of the State conferred the right of suffrage upon white males, 21 years of age, who have resided in the State a year, and who have declared their intention to become citizens, the intention of the framers of that document was to make these voters citizens of the State. But this state citizenship does not extend to their families. Their foreign-born sons, when they come of age must therefore take out papers for themselves, if they wish to vote or be drafted into the army, two privileges which only belong to male citizens of the state of proper age. We have thus seen who are citizens, of the State and of the United States. There is still another important question as to what are the privileges of citizens. This is a question which depends more upon judicial decisions than upon statute law; and the courts have refused to attempt a full statement and 'classification of the rights of citizens, leaving cases to be de THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT. BY WM. T. HARRIS. cided as they arise. The Civil Rights act | women and children. Should the main defining the equal rights of colored jority of the women of this country ever citizens, incidentally defines some of the become dissatisfied with their representarights of all citizens. By that act the tives and demand an immediate voice in freedmen were to "have the same right the government of the country, it will in every state and territory of the United | probably be granted, but not till then. States to make and enforce contracts; to sue, be parties, and give evidence; to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold and convey real and personal property; and to full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of person and property as is enjoyed by white citizens; and to be subject to the like punishments, pains and penalties, and to none other." Besides these certain other rights of citizens are allowed by all; among which are, to be free from inequality of taxation, to intermarry with citizens, to engage in any profession or trade, when qualified, to take up homesteads or pre-empt gov. ernment land, to use the public schools, to have passports to travel in forein countries, and to be protected against injustice abroad as well as at home. These I do not doubt the soundness of his privileges, with others not yet fully de-views on the efficiency of supervision. I fined by judicial decision, the United have witnessed its marvelous effects. The States guarantees to all citizens. For protection in some of these rights we must appeal directly to the United States; for protection in others we must look to the State of which we are citizens, and only to the United States as the last resort where the State fails to protect us. In many States aliens are denied the full right to hold property, and to engage in certain professions or trades. But in Wisconsin such distinction between citi. zens and aliens is unknown. So far as this State is concerned, no distinction is made except in regard to voting or holding office. We have been told by the highest of educational authorities that the present great progress in the efficiency of education is due to a thoroughly organized system of supervision. In Canada, in Great Britain and Ireland, even in Australia, the supervision is now organized on so efficient a basis that Dr. McCosh thinks them on the sure road to surpass our American system of schools. The sole fact of more efficient supervision, in his opinion, will soon make the country schools of Canada and Australia surpass those of America. states that have adopted a system of county superintendency have come to the front in so prompt and steady a manner, that even the most skeptical observer has been obliged to confess the potency of the instrumentality. It seems to me, however, that Dr. McCosh had not visited the schools in those states where county superintendency is well organized. Like all other professional services, superintending schools is one that must be paid well to produce best results. Gratuitous services deprecate criticism and cannot bear it. With a well paid county superintendency the country schools improve at least fifty per cent. in the first year. Suffrage is not a right inherent in citizenship. All voters are citizens of the State; but not all citizens are voters. The Without supervision the tendency of all theory of our laws, derived from the com- work is to drift to the lowest level. The mon law of England, is that every man poorest work that can draw its money over twenty-one years of age is or ought to drags down the rest to its level irresistibly, be the head of a family, and that as the when there is no higher authority to meashead of the family he represents the fam-ure results and pronounce upon them. ily by his vote. In our representative With competent supervision all work government this is the first process of tends to struggle up to the highest level representation; the men represent the of attainment. The best work is continu |