128 MARYLAND

which was submitted to the vote of the people

of the several counties for their adoption or
rejection, for establishing a system of Pri-
mary Schools thoughout the state. About one
third of the counties rejected the law; more

it is presumed on account of objections to
particular features of the bill, than in opposi-
tion to a school system. The expression of
public sentiment was very decided in the re-
maining two thirds of the state in favor of the
project, which it is fervently hoped after re-
ceiving such modification as experience may
suggest, will be put into effectual opera-
tion.

The law has been modeled after the plan
of the New York school system, now so gen-
erally approved in that state, when children
are receiving the benefits of instruction, at an
expense of less than half the money, and per-
haps half the time it has cast by the mode
which has been pursued heretofore in Mary-
land. Better teachers can be obtained, be-
cause a compensation is insured for their la-
bour, without the difficulties here experienced
in collecting. The expense of instruction,
and the trouble of superintending its interests,
distributed, and falls with
regularity upon
able to
on the