1620^

118

and faithful. Let parents co-operate with them and sustain
them, and ere long, not only will opposition cease, but the
thousands and tens of thousands of hoys and girls who fill
the public schools of the State, and who connot be educated
by any other agency, will fully realize the great blessings
which the school system of this State is so well calculated to
bestow. ROBT. F. THOMPSON,

President.

FREDERICK COUNTY.

Office of School Commissioners,

Frederick City,

December 11, 1866.

REV. L. VAS BOKKELEN, LL. D.,

Superinterdent of Public Instruction,

Sir:

I have the honor to transmit my reports on "the condition
of the public schools of Frederick County for the school year
ending June 30, 1866," and on "the condition of the Colle-
ges, incorporated Academies, High Schools, and Private
Schools and Academies." We have had 7,888 different pu-
pils in the public schools. The number of school distrcts is
308, and schools have been open for ten months in an aver-
age of 94 1/4 The cost of educating each pupil has been $4,-
43 1/2, if the aggregate only of salaries and incidentals be con-
sidered, or $4,83 1/2 if the entire expenditure of the Board be
taken into the computation.

The labor imposed by the law upon the School Commis-
sioners has been of a nature to demand much time and atten-
tion. It was necessary for them to superintend repairs, to a
greater or less extent in all the school houses of their dis-
tricts, to secure teachers from those who had obtained certi-
ficates of competency from the proper authorities, to give ad-
vice in the general management of the schools, and to lend
every aid to make the law as efficient as possible. This la-
bor has been performed with such hearty good-will by my
Colleagues, that it is a pleasure to make an acknowledgment
of thankfulness for it in the Annual Report. No person in
the position of President of a County Board could accom-
plish very much unless his hands weie stayed by his brother
Commissioners.

' During the^rat school year I examined 124 applicants for
flie position of teacher, and issued 5 flist giarle, and 95 sec-
6nd grade certificates. The corhpensation that we are able
to offer teachers, is nut sufficiently large to attract many ap-
fclicarrts. These are mostly, either attracted by an earnest,
Irrepressible longing to the business of education as one which