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HARFOBD COUNTY,

REV. L. VAN BOKKELEN, D. D.,

State Superintendent of Public Instruction

I have selected but two subjects for the report. The High
School an I School Homes.

We have no High School—we have no funds to sustain
one. Our County Commissioners failed to make any local
levy, and it is with difficulty that we can keep the common
schools in successtul operation three terms during the year.
Until the common schools can be kept open four terms, there
is but little probability that the Board will appropriate any
funds for a High School, uotwithstaudiug their high appie-
ciation of such an institution.

The second and absorbing subject with us is school houses.
Some sections are very needy, and some are grossly culpable.
They have not manifested sufficient interest in this matter
to secure any portion of the old fund devoted to such purpo-
ses. The custom in this County has been uniformly this :—
the patrons within the school district contributed about two-
thirds the value of the house to be built, and the Board lur-
nished the balance. In this way, many comfortable houses
have been erected. In some localities, however, (Havre de
Grace, e g.,) nothing was done on the part of the patrons,
and consequently they enjoy no part of the old building
fund. Many of the sparsely populated patrons of tue Coun-
ty have evinced more interest and energy, and obtained more
sastisfactory results. We trust the towns and villages in the
County will soon follow this worthy example. It is lament-
able fact, that many interested prisons, who are prodigal in
other respects, are penusions in this. Many who will spend
dollars for the amusement and unprofitable giatirication of
their children, are not willing to invest a dime in what might
be termed even a comfortable school house. The question is,
what shall we do? Some say, suspend the Public Schools in
certain localities, until their proportion of the school fund is
sufficient to build suitable houses. Such action would en-
able us to keep more of our best teachers in the County; as
it now is, the better class will, of course, go to such Counties
as furnish the best houses and pay the best salaries.

The persons who are generally the most tardy in all school
enterprises; the most ready fault-finders; the most severe
critics on the teachers; and the first to give their invaluable
opinion of the school system are the small tax payers—such
as pay tax on one thousand dollars,—that is, one dollar and
a halt a year-and yet who send, free of charge, four child-
ren to the Public School. This brings the education of their
Children to precisely the sum of twelve and a half cents per
term,—something like cue cent a week. It is a pleasant con-
sideration, however, that many of the large tax payers, who