night schools under Messrs. Britt and Simmons, of the public day schools, for the accommodation of that class of young men whose business prevents them from attending the day schools. These schools are conducted upon the State system, but all the expenses are defrayed by the city. No applicants under fourteen years of age are admitted.

Norfolk Co.-Superintendent West: Our work is going on smoothly and pleasantly. We have just completed five new schoolhouses and have two others under contract. Have added rooms to three, and repairs to many. All of the new houses, except one, take the place of old ones, and are improved in size, furniture, and general appearance.

Northampton Co.-Superintendent Mapp: Since, the close of last session we have built four very comfortable school-houses, and have started a graded school.

Northumberland Co.-Superintendent Eubank: Our schools are all in operation, and, as far as heard from, the attendance is good. In Fairfield district the trustees are having a very neat and commodious house erected for the accommodation of a graded school which will open with efficient and experienced teachers as soon as the house is ready. I shall not relax my efforts until there is a graded school in every district of the county, under such management as will secure the confidence of the people.

Nottoway Co.-Superintendent Sydnor: Schools generally have opened well; forty-eight now in session in the county.

Page Co.-Superintendent Keyser: The graded schools at Luray and Milnes opened this year with unusually bright prospects. The out-look for profitable school work this year is good.

Princess Anne Co.-Superintendent Mears: We have opened thirty-three schools, and will open two and probably three more in a few days, making more than any previous year.

Pulaski Co.-Superintendent Jordan: There is a plan on foot to erect, in the near future, a large and attractive school-house at Pulaski city. The school fund is to be largely supplemented by a corpora tion levy, or other means. The schools are starting well.

Rockingham Co.-Superintendent Hulvey: Our schools generally are starting with large attendance.

Scott Co.-Superintendent Smith: I completed my visits to schools to-day-November 5th-having been out eight weeks. Much better work is being done this year than last. Everything indicates an improvement upon last year.

Shenandoah Co.-Superintendent McInturff: The county schools begin to-day, October 31st. Graded schools at Woodstock and Strasburg-each four teachers-have already completed one month. We have 114 schools.

Surry Co.-Superintendent Gilliam: Schools opened under more favorable circumstances this year. Six new houses are added, in one of which we have a fine graded school.

Wythe Co.-Superintendent Huffard: Our schools are starting off favorably. The report for October shows an additional number

opened.

Complaints, Appeals, &c.

According to the Virginia School Report of 1886, we have nearly seven thousand public schools in our State. That local disagreements or controversies should arise at points, here and there, in the management of so many schools is to be expected. And as there is but one central office to which reports or appeals touching these matters are finally made, their number would appear somewhat large. But when we consider the large number of our schools and the vastly larger number of people interested in them, the number of complaints made to this office is comparatively small-not one in a hundred. This fact indicates on the part of the people that a laudable spirit of harmony, good will and cheerful acquiescence in official action prevails, and that the machinery of our public school system, extensive and complex as it is, is running as evenly and smoothly as can be reasonably expected. Doubtless the larger part of the disagreements and controversies which do arise in regard to the management of school matters are adjusted by the parties interested, and hence no report of them is made to the central office.

This is as it should be. There are many controversies which can be much better settled at home than by appealing to higher authorities.

In not a few instances informal appeals are made to the Superintendent of Public Instruction touching matters which are not legally subject to his control. He is by law constituted the chief executive of the public school system; he is to take care that the school laws and regulations be faithfully executed; he is to determine the true intent and meaning of the school laws; he is to decide all appeals from decisions of county superintendents of schools when made in prescribed form, but may, at his discretion, refer the matter to the Board of Education. But he cannot under existing laws issue or revoke a teacher's certificate. That is the business of a city or county superintendent of schools. He cannot legally say that this

or that teacher shall or shall not be appointed, or that there shall or shall not be a school in this or that neighborhood, simply because the law specifically confers these powers on other officers.

Where controversies arise it should be observed that the law makes it the duty of a city or county superintendent "to decide finally all appeals or complaints concerning the acts of any persons connected with the school system within his bounds, unless the matters in question are properly referable to other authorities; provided that teachers or officers belonging to the system shall have the right of appealing from the decisions of the county superintendent to the Superintendent of Public Instruction." Complaints, then, should go first to the city or county superintendent of schools. If appeals from his decisions are to be made to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, they should be made in "prescribed form.” form, so far as we know, has heretofore been prescribed.

The following, taken from a recent edition of the school laws of New Jersey, will serve very well as models:

To.........

APPEAL TO STATE SUPERINTENDENT.

Va.,

.188.

Superintendent of Public Instruction:

SIR, We herewith transmit a full and correct statement of

the decision of the County Superintendent thereon, from which decision we respectfully appeal for the following reasons: [Here state the reasons for making the appeal.]

We certify that the accompanying statements, together with the decision of County Superintendent, are true to the best of our knowledge and belief.

CERTIFICATE OF COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT IN APPEALS.

OFFICE OF COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS,

Va.,

.188

To......

Superintendent of Public Instruction:

SIR, I transmit herewith a full and correct statement of the facts and the documentary evidence presented to me in the case of .... together with my decision thereon,

.....

VS.

from which appeal has been taken to the State Department.

I certify that the accompanying statement is correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

County Superintendent for County.

NOTE.-The above certificate should be furnished by the County Superintendent in cases of appeal, when requested by the State Superintendent.

Text-Books for Indigent Pupils.

This subject has been much discussed from time to time during the past year. The difficulties presented originate from the failure of some patrons to supply their children with necessary books, and the consequent demands upon district boards to furnish them. It is, of course, the duty of every parent or guardian to see that his child or ward is promptly supplied with proper books as soon as the teacher

announces what books are required. This should be done at the very earliest time practicable after the organization of the school. Then it is the duty of every teacher to see that every pupil in his or her school has the required books. Prompt attention should invariably be given to this. Here and there will be found a pupil without books. It then becomes the teacher's duty to make a note of, and careful inquiry in regard to, each of these individual cases. If, after due investigation, the teacher is satisfied that any pupil is without books on account of the indigent circumstances of his or her parent or guardian, let the facts be certified to the clerk of the district board, with the names of the parent or guardian and the pupil, accompanied by a list of the books needed. The matter will then be brought

before the district board whose duty it is

"To decide what children, wishing to enter the schools of the district, are entitled, by reason of the poverty of their parents or guardians, to receive text-books free of charge and to provide for supplying them accordingly." (Sec. 62, p. 41, School Law.)

Some have construed the law, as given above, to mean fatherless children, but neither the letter nor the spirit of the law justifies such a construction. That the law intended to authorize district boards to provide books for children attending the public schools, whose parents or guardians, by reason of their poverty, are unable to purchase the books, is clear. But each case must stand on its merits before the board. It will not do, on the one hand, to say that all fatherless children are indigent, nor will it do to grant every applica. tion made for books. Diligent inquiry by the teacher into the circumstances of each applicant, and careful consideration upon the part of the district board, will generally result in an equitable distribution of the funds expended for this purpose. It might be wise to require that every application be approved by the county superintendent. The objection to such a plan is that it would result in delaying action by the district board, and so keep pupils out of books for a longer time than at present. The difficulties in the whole matter are not so numerous, nor are they so hard to meet, in cities as in counties. In the former the circumstances are such that more system can be readily introduced, and a blank form used in some of the cities tends to correct many irregularities. It may be found practicable to use something of this kind in counties, and we give below a copy of the form: