93
miles; the number of families in each, from nineteen to fifty-
eight, and the number of children, from fifty to one hundred
and sixty-five! The obvious, and indeed, only remedy for
this state of things, was to re-district the County as a whole,
without regard to election or other artificial lines." This
Report was adopted, and the Committee instructed " to pro-
cure a map of the County, and have it laid off into School
Districts or not more than three miles square, and as nearly
rectangular as the configuration of the County, and a due
regard to the convenience and equalization of the population,
would permit." This was readily done by aid of a map of
the County, obtained from Mr. S. J. Martenet, the enterpris-
ing publisher of our State map, to whose general accuracy aa
a surveyor, as well as that of his assistant, Mr. J. D. Rhodes,
our own map bears ample and daily testimony. Plats of
each School District, drawn by the Secretary of the Board,
accompanied with a description of the metes and bounds of
each; together with a notice requiring '' all objections to
the proposed division, to be made in writing to the Board, on
or before two months from the date of notice '' were posted
up in each District, At the expiration of the period named,
no valid objections having been offered, the proposed division
was confirmed by the Board. Under this division—which it
is hoped, will obviate the necessity of future changes—our
County embraces three Commissioner and twenty-five School
Districts; the first Commissioner District containing eight
School Districts; the second Commissioner District, nine
School Districts, and the third, or most northerly, eight
School Districts; and each School District having an area of
about nine square miles; thus bringing every child—where
the houses are centrally located, as the board designs—within
easy distance of a school. All but five of the newly formed
Districts are supplied with houses; those yet vacant will be
furnished as fast as our means, and the increase of popula-
tion, justify it. Until this is accomplished, each child is al-
lowed to attend the school nearest its own residence.
SCHOOL LOTS, FURNITURE AND HOUSE LOTS.
We were subjected to no inconsiderable consumption of
time and money, in investigating and perfecting titles to
school sites, upon which houses had been erected at public ex-
pense, but for which no title, or at best, an imperfect one,
had beenj secured. We have, however, the satisfaction to
state that all the Public School Property is now properly
vested in the Board.
FURNITURE.
The Board at one time contemplated the introduction of
improved desks into all the schools, but on examination, found
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