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the Schools, spending generally half a day at each, and in
addition about half that number of visits to School house
sites, and in the accomplishment of this work have travelled
4401 miles, 2700 miles chiefly on horseback. Now, as I said
I do not know how all this compares with the work done in
other counties, but one thing is certain, a great deal of time
has been consumed in the saddle, and on the road, which
might have been spent to advantage in the School room.
It is true, I might have saved some of these miles, if I had
known as much before I started as I did when I got back.
But in a County 100 miles long by an average of 10 miles
wide, it is not easy always to get information unless one goes
for it, and then one will often have far to go, and in a Coun-
ty, where there are no sign-posts to guide a traveler, one will
often go further than there would otherwise be need of.

Most certainly however, if the whole County is continued
under one President, he should be released from the care of
a district. In this County, the President has frequently to be
away from home two weeks at a time, sometimes it may be
longer. Things in his district occur during these intervals,
demanding his attention. Then when he gets home, the
general work is delayed, or plan of visitation is broken up
in order to attend to the particular work of the district. In
a variety of ways the work of the Commissioner interferes
with the work of the President, and the County could not
help gaining by relieving the President of the labors of a
Commissioner.

What I wish however, to impress is this, that for a proper
administration of the School law in this County, the territory
should be divided. The President should not have so large
an area, the Commissioners should have smaller districts.
There has long been talk of making two Counties out of Alle-
gany. Whether the time has arrived for carrying such a
contemplation into effect, I do not know, but certainly nature
has divided it, and so far as School purposes go, the time has
come fordivision.

I am all the more free in expressing my convictions rela-
tive to this matter, in that I have now no personal interest
in it whatever. I anxiously desire to see Allegany County
prosper, mentally, morally and socially as she has done, to
all outward appearance, physically and commercially. She
ought to prosper. There is no people naturally better en-
dowed. The material is here, often not worked at all, often
badly worked, still it is here, and all it wants is proper devel-
opment and culture. Knowledge, mental, moral and social
culture, are an unspeakable blessing to any people; much
work remains to be done up here. May God give wisdom to
all concerned, to do it well.

O. PERINCHIEF,

Pres. of Board of School Commissioners, Allegany Co., Md.