ulation and over are given in Tables 23 to 26. The statistics of the public schools of 307 cities and villages containing between 4,000 and 8,000 inhabitants are given in detail in Table 27, at the conclusion of this chapter. CITY AND RURAL SCHOOLS COMPARED. For the purpose of comparing certain statistics of public schools in cities of 8,000 population and over with like statistics of the public schools outside of such cities, Tables 7 to 16 have been arranged. It can not be said that all the schools not in cities of 8,000 population and over are rural schools, but as a rule the schools in the smaller cities and in the villages present conditions similar to those in rural schools. In the public schools of the 307 cities and villages of from 4,000 to 8,000 population there were 321,435 pupils enrolled, as shown in Table 20. In only a small number of these cities and villages have the public schools reached the high standard of organization maintained by the larger cities. The comparisons made in this chapter will not be vitiated by considering the public schools of the smaller cities as a component part of the rural schools of the country. In the census reports for 1890 the aggregate population of all cities of 8,000 population and over was considered to be the urban population of the United States, while all the population outside of such cities was classed as rural population. Table 7 gives the estimated population of the United States and of each State, based upon the latest school census in each State, as reported by superintendents of public instruction. This estimated population was for the whole country 71,374,142 in 1897. The aggregate population of the cities of 8,000 population and over was 22,531,091, estimated largely on the basis of the scholastic population. According to these careful estimates the urban population of the United States was 31.57 per cent in 1897, as compared with 29.20 per cent in 1890. The rural population in 1897 was 48,843,051, or 68.43 per cent of the total population. The "claimed" population of the cities is given in the third column of Table 7, but is not used for purposes of comparison, the aggregate being manifestly too great. In a few States where the school census was defective the population was estimated by using the 1890 ratio, and in five States the "claimed " city population is placed in column 5 for the same reason. Table 8 gives the number of children of school census age in the cities, outside of the cities, and for the whole United States. In the cities the children of school-census age numbered 5,893,132, or 26.16 per cent of the city population; outside of the cities there were 15,084,884 children of school-census age, or 30.88 per cent of the total rural population. The number of children of school-census age for the United States was 20,978,016, or 29.39 per cent of the total population. This total of 20,978,016 was not the number of children from 5 to 18 years of age, but the number actually reported or estimated by State superintendents of public instruction. The last column of the table shows the ages for enumeration in the cities, being in most cases also the ages for enumeration in the entire State. Table 9 shows the number of pupils enrolled in the cities, outside of the cities, and in the whole country. The number enrolled in the cities was 3,590,875, or 15.94 per cent of the city population; the number enrolled outside of the cities was 11,061,617, or 22.65 per cent of the rural population. The combined enrollment was 14,652,492, or 20.53 per cent of the total population. The same table also shows that the enrollment in cities was 60.93 per cent of the school population of those cities, the enrollment outside of cities was 73.33 per cent of the rural school population, and the enrollment for the whole country was 69.85 per cent of the total school population. The comparison shows that in the matter of enrollment the advantage is decidedly in favor of the rural schools. Table 10 gives the aggregate and average attendance and average length of school term in the cities and outside of the cities in each State. The average length of school term in the cities was 188.9 days, or nearly nine and one-half months, while the length of term outside these cities was 122.8 days, or nearly six months and three days. In the cities of only three States does the average length of school term fall below eight and one-half months, but in the rural schools there are wider variations. The shortest average term in the rural schools of any State is 61.7 days and the longest average term is 183.4 days. In six States the school term is less than four months, and in fourteen States less than five months. The average length of school term for the United States, as shown in the last column of the table, was 140.4 days, or about seven months. Table 11 is a comparison of public high school statistics for city and rural schools. The 627 high schools in cities had 181,410 secondary students, this number being 5.05 per cent of the public-school enrollment of the cities. The 4,482 high schools outside of the cities of 8,000 population and over had 228,023 students, or only 2.06 per cent of the rural-school enrollment. The last column of the table shows that 2.79 per cent of the pupils enrolled in the public schools of the United States constituted the public high school enrollment. It may be observed that in a number of States the high schools of the cities had more than 8 per cent of the city public school enrollment. For the North Atlantic and Western divisions the percentages were 6.33 and 6.43, respectively. Table 12 shows that male teachers constituted only 7.79 per cent of the teaching force in the cities, while in the rural schools it was composed of 38.16 per cent males and 61.84 per cent females. It may be noted that nearly all the 3,859 supervising officers in the city schools were males. If these be included, the teaching and supervising force of the cities would be composed of about 12 per cent males and 88 per cent females. For the whole United States the percentage of male teachers in the public schools was 32.6. Table 13 shows the whole amount expended for public schools in cities of 8,000 population and over, the amount expended outside of such cities, and the aggregate for the whole country. The $84,866,092 expended for city public schools was $3.77 per capita of city population. The $102,460,846 expended for rural schools was $2.10 per capita of population outside of the cities. The total amount expended for public schools in the United States for 1896-97 was $187,326,938, or $2.62 per capita of population. The expenditure for city public schools, as shown in the second column of the table, presents wide variations. The per capita expenditure is but 96 cents in the cities of one State, and exceeding $5 per capita in the cities of several other States. The expenditure per capita of population was as low as 32 cents in one State and as high as $4.84 in another. In the two Southern divisions the per capita expenditure for rural schools is less than $1. Table 14 shows that the amount of money expended for teaching and supervising in cities, $48,772,485, was 57.47 per cent of the total expenditure for public schools. In the rural schools the expenditure for teaching, $70,531,057, was 68.84 per cent of the total expenditure. For the United States the expenditure for teaching and supervising was $119,303,542, or 63.69 per cent of the total expenditure for public schools. Table 15 shows that in the cities the average expenditure per pupil, based on average attendance, was $31.58, and that in the rural schools the average was only $13.84 per pupil for the school year. For the whole country the average per pupil was $18.56. The average expenditure per pupil in city schools is as high as $48.89 in one State and as low as $11.88 in another. The expenditure per pupil in rural schools varies from $3.53 in one State to $48.74 in another. The average sums received by teachers and supervisors for the whole school year without regard to the number of months of service are given in the second part of Table 15. The teachers and supervisors in city schools received $625.48, while the average sum received in the rural schools was $216.78, the average for the whole country being $295.79. The highest city average in any State was $844.93 and the lowest $322.47. The highest average for the rural schools in any State was $549.90 and the lowest was $70.82. Table 16 presents the estimated average salaries of teachers in the city and rural schools of the United States. The first column shows the average monthly salary of male teachers in each State and the second column the average monthly salary of female teachers as derived from the reports of State superintendents of public instruction. The next column gives the average salaries of teachers and supervisors in the city schools as $66.19 per month. This is found by dividing the average sum received by teachers and supervisors in city schools, $625.48, by the average length of the school term in months. The average, $625.48, was found by dividing the amount expended for teaching and supervising by the number of teachers and supervisors. This gives an average somewhat larger than the true average for teachers and much less than the true average for supervisors. The same method shows an average of $35.31 per month for teachers and supervisors in the rural schools. The average monthly salary of teachers and supervisors in the public schools is estimated at $42.14 for the whole country. The average monthly salary in the city schools of the North Atlantic Division was $66.75 and in the rural schools $34.22; in the South Atlantic Division $58.92 in the city schools and $28.93 in the rural schools; in the South Central Division $60.86 in the city schools and $36.30 in the rural schools; in the North Central Division $64.68 in the city schools and $32.70 in the rural schools; in the Western Division $83.01 in the city schools and $53.22 in the rural schools. RELIGIOUS EXERCISES IN CITY SCHOOLS. To ascertain the nature of religious exercises in the public schools of the cities this office in 1896 sent to each city superintendent the following request for information: Please state whether you have any religious exercises in your schools, or whether these are forbidden by the regulations. In case you have religious instruction, is it limited to the reading of the Bible, or are other exercises allowed? Please state the nature of such religious exercises or instruction. Is the Bible or the New Testament read, or some book of selections? In response to the above inquiry 531 superintendents in cities of 8,000 population and over sent information, and replies were received from 277 superintendents in cities of less than 8,000 population. The information furnished by the 531 superintendents is summarized in Table 17, and that from the 277 superintendents in Table 18. The statistics of these two tables are combined in Table 19. Table 17 shows that of the 531 cities 425 have religious exercises in their public schools and 106 have not. In 57 of the latter such exercises are prohibited by law or regulation. The superintendents of 446 cities reported that religious exercises were not prohibited in their schools, while 28 did not answer this question. In 29 cities the religious exercises are limited to the reading of the Bible, in the schools of 381 cities the Bible is read, in 3 cities the New Testament only, and in 5 the Old Testament only, while in 38 cities books of scriptural selections are in use. In the schools of 343 cities the daily exercises begin with prayer and in 142 with sacred song. In 63 cities comment on the scriptural reading is forbidden by regulation. Table 18 gives similar statistics for 277 cities of less than 8,000 population. Religions exercises are held in 226 of these schools and not held in 51; such exercises are prohibited in 20 and not prohibited in 243, and limited to the reading of the Bible in 14. The Bible is read in the schools of 221 of these cities, the New Testament only in 5, the Old Testament only in 3, and books of scriptural selections in 11. Exercises begin with prayer in 193 cities and sacred song is employed in 84. In 36 cities teachers are not allowed to comment upon the scriptural readings. Table 19 combines the statistics of the two preceding tables, showing that in the public schools of 808 cities and villages of 4,000 population and over, religious exercises are held in 651, not held in 157, and prohibited in 77. In 602 of the cities the Bible is read, in 536 daily prayer is offered and in 226 there is sacred song. In only one State is the prohibition of religious exercises general. Reports were received from 29 cities and villages in Wisconsin, and in the schools of 24 of these religious exercises were prohibited. |