Teachers' Certificates.-Ar eat the present time all that could be required. the new law having so arranged it that the teachers who wish to remain in the profession are compelled to work up, and that in a way that is just and equitable to all.

Teachers' Qualifications. The teachers in this county are, as a rule, well qualified to fill their positions, and give better satisfaction to the people than teachers from a distance.

Teachers' Permanency and Continuity of Work.-The best teachers have no trouble to secure their school from year to year, and have no trouble in staying at one school so long as they try to discharge their duty.

Teachers' Salaries.—Is a general tendency of directors to pay better wages to teachers than heretofore. All have come to the conclusion, and wisely too, that they cannot secure good teachers without paying higher wages than have been paid, although the average wages for male teachers is lower than it was last year.

Teachers' Reports.—Are made out promptly as the law requires, but none of them are made out in full. There is a lack in making a full report on the number in the different classes and the average attendance of males and females.

Reviews and Examination in Schools.—Most of the teachers comply in full with the law requiring reviews and examinations, but there is no record kept of the same. Thinks the school registers furnished by the State should be so arranged as to keep a record of this.

New School Districts.-Section 42, School Law.-All school districts having reported promptly there has been no occasion to enforce the law, and I think that a good feature of the law. But one year is long enough for new districts to have before commencing a school. At the present rate of taxation there is no district that has a sufficient number of children to organize but what will have money enough in one year to carry on a four or six months' school.

General Workings of the New Law.-Has been very satisfactory in this county. It has many excellent features and some grand strides have been made toward placing public school system on a more satisfactory basis.

Official Labors.-In official labors has traveled over 600 miles; visited every school taught in county once, and in most cases twice; have delivered twenty lectures to pupils and patrons, and hopes has succeeded in placing schools in better condition than they have ever been since the county has been organized. There have been more and better school houses built in the last year than ever before. The permanency of the teachers and better wages is another indication of a forward movement in this county.

General Suggestions.—Amend the laws so as to compel directors to visit their schools. Compel them to use the money set aside for the purpose of apparatus, etc., or return it to the county treasurer to be reapportioned. Furnish each district with a register; pay each teacher for the actual time spent at institutes; increase the length of school term from three to five months, and newly organized districts from three months to one year, and we will have as good a school law as any State.

Educational Outlook.-Must say is very encouraging. The people are taking more interest in educational matters. The schools average longer terms and for so sparsely settled a country are well attended. Taking everything into consideration, thinks we are making fine progress in the matter of education.

MULTNOMAH COUNTY.-SUPERINTENDENT, C. H. GOVE.

In some districts children under four years of age have been enumerated for the sake of increasing the amount of money drawn from state and county funds. Mistakes as to boundaries of districts have been frequent. In one or two cases clerks on the eve of retiring from office have been careless in regard to enumeration, and have thus prevented the districts from receiving the full share of public money: The new law will aid in correcting these errors.

Apparatus. Two years ago found a majority of the schools outside the city without apparatus. First work was to become acquainted with the teachers and to try to awaken a desire for better facilities, and when found that apparatus would be used, urged directors to buy. Last September a circular letter was written to the directors of the various districts urging them to supply their schools with the following articles: Webster's Unabriged Dictionary, Appleton's Reading Charts, a set of outline maps, a globe and good blackboards. Have been very much gratified by the responses from a number of districts. There are many districts still unprovided with much needed apparatus, but is of the opinion that an earnest teacher, with the aid of the superintendent, can obtain the necessary apparatus from the average board of directors in Multnomah county. Teachers and directors have been urged to use great care in preserving the apparatus they have.

Directors and Their Duties.-Many of directors have shown great interest in their work in securing efficient teachers, in supplying them with aids to successful work, and in upholding honest efforts of earnest, conscientious teachers. Ignorance, indifference, neighborhood jealousies and, in a few cases, lack of principle, have greatly hindered the work. Considers that personal visitation to directors, letters of encouragement and suggestions, the holding of educational meetings in their districts, are the most efficient methods of educating both directors and patrons in the line of mutual duties and

responsibilities.

Clerks' Reports. Has experienced great inconvenience from irregularity in time of receiving clerks' reports and from the many errors they contain, but is glad to note improvements in these particulars.

Clerks Bonds.-These have not all been received, but they will be filed before the next appropriation of funds is made.

School Houses.-The school houses in many districts are in good condition. There is great lack of blackboard room. Improvement in caring for the buildings is imperative. A clean room, well lighted and heated, with comfortable desks and tables and well blackened stove, must take the place of dusty and muddy floors, disorderly desks and rusty stoves, which are so common. Teachers who are careless in these points have little idea of the strength and influenee for good they thus lose.

18881:

Local and County Educational Meetings.—(Here quote from annual report, "The year's work in Multnomah county has been very satisfactory. One year ago last September we commenced to hold institutes in various parts of the county. Have held in all fifteen. Teachers of county have taken a great deal of interest in this work. The institutes have been held on Saturdays, beginning at 10 o'clock and closing at 3. During Christmas vacation of

both years an institute of three days was held in Portland. These institutes were conducted by normal school workers, and proved of great benefit to the teachers of the city as well as those of the country.

Examination of Teachers.-The new law in regard to examinations is a great improvement. It has, however, been a source of embarrassment to some good primary teachers, who have not succeeded in obtaining the per cent. required for a second grade certificate. Their third grade certificates having expired, and they having previously held permits, it has been necessary to close the schools. It would have been better for the districts if the teachers could have completed the term's work. Such cases are very rare. When the rules are fully understood they will lead to earnest preparation for professional work. The inducements offered by the State board of education to teachers to secure State certificates and life diplomas are certainly just, and hopes the teachers will avail themselves of this opportunity to settle the question of certificates. Since the new law came in force twenty-two applicants have received first grade certificates, twenty-nine have received second grade certificates, and twenty-five third grade certificates. It seems that those teachers who fail to secure first grade certificates on account of not having sufficient amount of experience, should not be subjected to repeated examinations, but that the grade of such certificates should be raised when the teacher has had the required months of experience of successful teaching. The examining board should judge of the character of worth by personal visits to such schools. The preparation of questions for county examination is very important work. Would not grade the questions to suit the grade of certificate. Think the examination should test the knowledge of the applicant in regard to principles, and should avoid puzzles, ambiguous questions and general questions which are no test of scholarship. Has always been pleased with the questions in theory and practice, when they have been of the character that test the teacher's knowledge of standard authors on the various subjects included under this subject. The subject study of the history of leading movements in the educational world, and the successes and failures of prominent educators, is a fruitful source of strength to the teacher of to-day. The standard of work has been perceptibly raised during the last two years, and thinks the new law has aided very materially,

Teachers' Qualifications.-There has been a decided advance in the opinion of directiors in regard to the qualifications of teachers, He believes we are taking the correct view. The indifferent money-seeker who simply "keeps school," who seeks, through a disgusting sentimentality, to gain favor with pupils and parents, and also the ardent hobby rider, who teaches well in certain lines only, are giving way to the patient, painstaking worker, who is faithful in all departments of his work.

Teachers' Permanency, Etc.-One of the greatest embarrassments to the work in the country school is the frequent change of teachers. Good teachers have lost their positions on account of petty complaints based upon the judgment of immature minds of children. Many teachers have opportunities of promotion to more profitable positions. Too many have felt indifferent to the needs of the country schools, and have simply used their opportunities for excellent work as means of securing an easy living until they are ready for work in other professions. Others have been obliged to seek work elsewhere on account of meager salaries. We have had a number of young men and women in our county who have manifested great interest in their work, and who have availed themselves of the various opportunities for professional improvement. In very few cases have these found it necessary to leave the district on account of small salaries, which proves to my mind that professional work will bring requisite pay.

Average Salaries.-The average salary of male teachers is $73; of female teachers, $59. When we omit the city schools from this list the average pay is less. In the city gentlemen are only employed in the highest positions; hence their average pay is much greater. I am glad to be able to state that ladies holding positions of equal rank with gentlemen in the city schools receive equal pay, and in different parts of the county they are by their successful work educating public sentiment in favor of equal compensation.

Teachers' Reports.-Teachers are very prompt in sending in reports at the close of the term. In addition to the regular report required he has printed a form of report which classifies the school, notes the point at which the work of each grade begins and ends, a programme of daily exercises, etc., by the aid of which the new teacher will be able to inform himself in regard to the advancement of the pupils before he opens school and can better outline his work and arrange a programme, thus saving much valuable time.

He thinks every county should have a permanent organization in the way of a teachers' institute that should meet once a month, and he has paved the way for such an organization by holding institutes in various districts in the County. He thinks our county is ready for such an organization; he beleives that these organizations will be the means of securing systematic study of the best authors on teaching and of inciting teachers to thorough study of subjects outside of routine work in the school-room. He has been very much interested in the reading circles which are the outgrowth of these institutes, and he thinks the time can be profitably spent in the study of grade work, best authors on pedagogy, and a line of literary work aside from the routine work in literature, history, science, etc. He has found it profitable to the teachers of our county to have the annual institutes conducted by specialists. In many states these annual institutes are divided into sections, viz: Primary, grammar school and high school, and the work is so systemized as to make it much more profitable to teachers of the various grades.

He thinks it very profitable to have educators from other states aid us in this work, as we have ample opportunity to hear from our own workers during the year, and the introduction of new ideas and methods of professioual normal Teachers from abroad has a wholesome influence on our home schools.

He thinks the various county superintendents should arrange the time for holding these anuual institutes so as to employ institute conductors from abroad who can go from one place to another, which will lessen the expense of each County and prove very fruitful in inciting to more thoroughly classified work all over our state.

POLK COUNTY.-SUPERINTENDENT, R. F. ROBINSON.

Enumeration.-Enumeration of persons in county from four to twenty years of age, 2,550; actual enrollment in public schools, 1,841; average daily attendance, 1,212. These figures do not compare favorably. Believes that the prinepal cause of this poor showing is a lack of appreciation and enthusiasm on the part of a large per cent. of our patrons and the almost entire neglect of grade in our county school. By carefully comparing the statistical reports from the several districts he finds that at least eighty per cent. of youths drawing public moneys and not attending any school are between the ages of four and six and sixteen and twenty.

Has no complaint to make of the former, because children often enter school too young. True, if a child has the advantage of a nine months' school each year, at the age of sixteen he will be ready to enter a school of higher grade. But the majority of our country children have not this advantage and therefore leave school according to age and size, and not because they have completed a requisite course of study. In this county finds that the per cent. of youth

between the ages of sixteen and twenty years attending school is very small indeed. Can suggest no remedy which will give results entirely satisfactory. Compulsory education does not meet with general approval in America, and it seems that nothing short of this will entirely solve the problem. Suggests, however, that superintendents and teachers insist that the children should be kept in school until they have mastered the common school branches at least. Determined effort on the part of those in the school-room, educational meetings and institutes will do much toward correcting this existing evil. If possible they should be taught to make scholarship the standard of measure for ascertaining their fitness to leave school and enter business; not size and age. Apparatus. It is certainly a true economy in the application of school funds to place in the hands of teachers such apparatus as will enable him to illustrate what he teaches. No school room should be without a reading chart, unabridged dictionary, globes, etc., and a closet in which to keep them when not in use. Is not at all satisfied with the showing of this county in this regard. Those districts most able to buy apparatus are almost wholly without. District School Houses.-Is glad to note that in many districts much interest is being taken to make the school house attractive and comfortable. Within the last year much improvement in this line has been made. Teachers can make the school room neat and homelike if they but exercise a little care and effort in that direction. Believes the county superintendent should issue a circular letter, to be read at the annual school meeting, calling attention to needed improvements in school apparatus, furniture, condition of school houses, outbuildings, grounds, etc. In this way the superintendent can exercise an advisory power in a way that will do much good. Generally speaking, when the house and grounds are neglected it is done more through carelessness or lack of knowledge as to what should be done than through any intentional neglect. When assembled in school meetings the district is in a capacity to take some active steps, and will be almost certain to comply with at least a part of the superintendent's suggestions. In this letter the superintendent should set forth the facts as he has actually seen them in his visits, and then make his suggestions according to what is most needed, Being directly connected with this work, his suggestions will be of great value to a school meeting. This method was pursued at last annual school meetings, and is pleased to say it met with immediate approval, and was acted upon in the majority of the districts.

Local Educational Meetings.-During the last year have held quite a number of local educational meetings, all of which were well attended by both teachers and patrons. Knows of nothing that will better advance the cause of education in any county than these local meetings, When properly conducted they create much interest and awaken an educational enthusiasm. These meetings should be of two kinds-those of the nature of an institute, in which the teachers furnish the programme; and those entirely local, the exercises being furnished by the children and patrons. The latter is exactly suited to the rural districts, and awaken interest that could not be brought about in any other way. Being somewhat of the nature of an educational pienie, it is easy to secure a good attendance.

County Institutes.-At our county institute, held in conjunction with the third judicial institute in April, 80 per cent, of the teachers in the county were present. The public generally has begun to see the benefit of county institutes. They are receiving the hearty co-operation of the active teachers and citizens. New School Districts.-He is in favor of amending section 42, school laws, so as to require new school districts to hold at least three months' school during the first year, providing they receive the county apportionment of school