45

THE STATE COLLEGES.

The Act of Assembly of 1865 recognized St. John's Col-
lege, Annapolis; Washington College, Kent County; the
Agricultural College, Prince George County, and the Balti-
more Female College, as institutions to be fostered by annual
State appropriations. To these was added the School of
Letters of the University of. Maryland, in Baltimore City.
The aggregate sum of $14,200 was annually donated, for
which 120 young men and 22 young women, meritorious
graduates of the High Schools and Academies, are to receive
free instruction and use of text books—being one student
each year for every $100 donated.

I have no report by which to know how far the youth of
the State have availed themselves of these beneficent provi-
sions, except from the college for young women, located in
Baltimore City, which will be found below.

I am also without the information which will show the na-
ture of the strictly collegiate work accomplished by these in-
stitutions, and the plans they propose for elevating the
standard of literary and scientific education. We need a
higher grade of college instruction. As will appear on an-
other page, many young men leave the State every year to
secure that higher culture which they do not find within its
limits. Our college system has not yet been systematically
developed, though, as a system, it is not in its infancy. The
seats of learning at Annapolis and Chestertown are as old
as the republic, and we refer with some degree of pride to
eminent citizens, living and dead, among their alumni.
That this dignity and high culture may be revived, and
our citizens turn their attention to the development of all the
State colleges should be as industriously sought as it ought
to be earnesly desired.

The action of the last General Assemby was encouraging.
Liberal appropriations were made, and it is confidently ex-
pected that the honor of the State will be maintained by the
revival of St. John's College under most favorable au-
epices.

BALTIMORE FEMALE COLLEGE, December, 1366.

To REV. L. VAN BOKKELEN, LL. D.,

Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Dear Sir:

In answer to the inquiries of your note, I beg leave to in-
form you that the Baltimore Female College was instituted
in the year 1849, and was incorporated by the State of Mary-
land the same year. Its course of instruction is as extensive
as that in most colleges for gentlemen. The buildings and
other appointments have cost about fifty thousand dollars.
They are extensive, and afford ample accommodations for
one hundred boarders and one hundred day pupils. Before