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and the school kept on increasing, when, after teaching four years, in the fall of 1870, the foreign students amounted to 120, and the new school house was found too small. The propitious time for asking the citizens for the promised help seemed to have arrived. A meeting of the citizens was called, and the following proposition was made for their consideration That H. S. Lehr would furnish $3,500 toward the erection of a Normal School building, if they would furnish $4,000 and donate three acres of ground, suitable for the location of the building. They accepted the proposition, but instead of $4,000 they raised about $6,000. They now requested him to swell his part of the contract, but not being able to comply, he associated with himself two partners, J. G. Park and B. F. Niesz. The building was at once commenced, and in the fall of 1871 was sufficiently far advanced in construction to admit of dedication, and the school was formally opened August 11, 1871. The enrollment for the first term was 147.

First Faculty-H. S. Lehr, A. M., President; B. F. Niesz, B. S., Vice President; J. G. Park, Secretary; Theodore Presser.

PROGRESS AND VICISSITUDES OF THE INSTITUTION.

The enrollment of the first term was 147, but the second or winter term was much smaller. The first year the High School scholars of the Union School attended the Normal School, which increased the enrollment and helped the finances. The school did not grow much the second year, for various reasons: 1st. The building and the furnishing of the house involved the Faculty to a considerable extent, and therefore they were not able to advertise. 2d. The citizens failed to pay their subscription according to agreement, which gave the contractors an excuse for not completing the building according to contract. The roof being deficient, afforded an opportunity for litigation between the Faculty and the Board of Trustees, who represented the citizens' capital in the building. At the end of the second year, a settlement was made between the Faculty and Trustees, and the

building was fully repaired and completed by the Faculty. Ever since, the growth has been constant, and the ratio of increase has been 10 to 40 per cent. on each preceding corresponding term. About this time, another partner, Lewis Rutledge, was added to the firm. He purchased the half interest of H. S. Lehr. In the spring of 1875, B. F. Niesz sold his interest to J. J. Wood. In the fall of 1875 the Normal School, known as the Northwestern Normal School, located at Fostoria, Ohio, under the supervision of J. Fraise Richard, was consolidated with this school, and both schools are now known by the name of Northwestern Ohio Normal School, and under the auspices of H. S. Lehr.. About the 20th of December, 1875, one of the members of the Faculty, G. W. Rutledge, successor of Lewis Rutledge, made a proposition to the citizens of Ada, that if they would donate $6,000, he would erect a building suitable for a musical conservatory, to cost not less than $25,000. The amount of money was pledged, and the building will be completed about January, 1877.

METHOD OF ORGANIZATION.

The Institution is owned by the Faculty, and is under the immediate control of the same, both as regards its finances and also as regards its government.

There are three courses of study: Normal or Teachers'; Scientific and Classical. There are special courses for Commercial Science and Music.

FACILITIES.

The school is well supplied with maps, charts, cabinets and libraries. There are two Literary Societies in connection with the school, each of which has a large and well selected library which supplies the students with all necessary miscellaneous reading. There is also a library in connection with the school, consisting of text-books, works on Theory and Practice of Teaching, Statistics, etc. The text-books are rented to students, while all others are free.

GRADUATES.

Whole number of Graduates-Males, 14; females, 9; total, 23. Of this number the following are employed as teachers: J. W. Zeller, Superintendent, DeGraff, Ohio; C. W. Butler, Superintendent, Plymouth, Ohio; O. P. Wilson, teacher N. W. O. N. S.; Mollie Schoonover, teacher N. W. O. N. S.; S. P. Gray, Superintendent—California; Lottie Bloom, teacher of High School, Plymouth, Ohio; Mettie Ferrall, teacher, Bluffton, Ohio; G. W. Rutledge, teacher N. W. O. N. S.; R. C. Eastman, Superintendent, West Newton, Ohio; A. C. Pierson, teacher, Kenton, Ohio; A. D. Snively, teacher, West Lebanon, Ind.; W. D. Woodward, teacher of Penmanship N. W. O. N. S.; Sallie Lindsey, teacher, Marseilles, Ohio; U. R. Niesz, teacher, Kentland, Indiana; E. L. Sinclair, teacher, Partello, Michigan; Anna Stayner, teacher, Wyandot County, Ohio; Mollie McNerney, teacher, Auburn, Indiana; J. M. Reid, Superintendent, North Manchester, Indiana; Ollie Dobbins, teacher Union School, Ada, Ohio; Sue Fogle, teacher, Franklin county, Ohio. Occupation of others not known.

The

average attendance the last year was 176.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT.

The Institution has no financial support excepting the tuition received from its students, and voluntary contributions from the citizens of Ada for library and apparatus. The income for the last fiscal year was about $4,700 tuition; donations, $600; total $5,300.

Trustees-H. S. Lehr, A. M., President and Treasurer; J. G. Park, Secretary; G. W. Rutledge and J. J. Wood.

Present Corps of Instructors-H. S. Lehr, Principal; J. G. Park, Secretary; G. W. Rutledge, Mollie Schoonover, J. Fraise Richard, Mrs. Emma D. Richard, O. P. Wilson, W. D. Woodward, C. E. Rowley and Mrs. Hattie Rowley.

OHIO AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL

COLLEGE.

The history of this institution is embraced within quite narrow limits.

On July 2d, 1862, the Congress of the United States passed an act donating lands to the several States and Territories which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts. The act is as follows:

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there be granted to the several States, for the purposes hereinafter mentioned, an amount of public land, to be apportioned to each State, a quantity equal to thirty thousand acres for each Senator and Representative in Congress to which the States are respectively entitled by the apportionment under the census of eighteen hundred and sixty: Provided, that no mineral lands shall be selected or purchased under the provisions of this act.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the land aforesaid, after being surveyed, shall be apportioned to the several States in sections, or subdivisions of sections not less than one quarter of a section; and whenever there are public lands in a State subject to sale at private entry at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, the quantity to which said State shall be entitled shall be selected from such land within the limits of such State; and the Secretary of the Interior is hereby directed to issue to each of the States in which there is not the quantity of public lands subject to sale at private entry at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, to which said State may be entitled, under the provisions of this act, land scrip to the amount in acres for the deficiency of its distributive share, said scrip to be sold by said State, and the proceeds thereof applied to the uses and purposes prescribed in this act, and for no other use or purpose whatsoever: Provided, that in no case shall any State to which land scrip may be thus issued be allowed to locate the same within the limits of any other State or of any Territory of the United States; but their assignees may thus locate said land scrip upon any of the unappropriated lands of the United States subject to sale at private entry at one dollar and twen

ty-five cents per acre; and provided further, that no more than one million acres shall be located by such assignees in any one of the States; and provided further, that no such location shall be made before one year from the passage of this act.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That all the expenses of management, superintendence, and taxes, from date of selection of said lands, previous to their sales, and all expenses incurred in the management and disbursement of the moneys which may be received therefrom, shall be paid by the States to which they may belong, out of the treasury of said States, so that the entire proceeds of the sale of said lands shall be applied without any diminution whatever to the purpose hereinafter mentioned.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That all moneys derived from the sale of lands aforesaid by the State to which the lands are apportioned, and from the sales of the land scrip herein before provided for, shall be invested in stocks of the United States, or of some other safe stocks, yielding not less than five per centum upon the par value of said stocks, and that the moneys so invested shall constitute a perpetual fund, the capital of which shall remain forever undiminished (except so far as may be provided in section fifth of this act), and the interest of which shall be inviolably appropriated by each State which may take and claim the benefit of this act to the endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one college, where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in such a manner as the Legislatures of the States may respectively prescribe, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of life.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the grant of land and land scrip hereby authorized shall be made on the following conditions, to which, as well as to the provisions herein before contained, the previous assent of the several States shall be signified by legislative act:

1st. If any portion of the fund invested, as provided by the foregoing section, or any portion of the interest thereon, shall, by any action or contingency, be diminished or lost, it shall be replaced by the State to which it belongs, so that the capital of the fund shall remain forever undiminished, and the annual interest shall be regularly applied without diminution to the purposes mentioned in the fourth section of this act, except that a sum not exceeding ten per centum upon the amount received by any State under the provisions of this act may be expended for the purchase of lands for sites or experimental farms whenever authorized by the respective Legislatures of said States.

2d. No portion of said fund, nor the interest thereon, shall be applied,

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