Whitewater Township (part 7 of 17)

In 1876 the school board of Cincinnati appropriated seventeen hundred dollars to defray the expense of preparing a Centennial Exhibit of Educational Work for the National Exposition at Philadelphia. The work of the pupils in written examinations, drawing, etc., was displayed conspicuously, making the fullest and most interesting exhibit of the kind in the Fair. A similar, but much more elaborate, exhibit of pupils' work, in numerous large volumes, was placed in the World's Exposition at Paris in 1878. Of this, Hon. John D. Philbrick, United States Commissioner of Education to the Paris Exposition, wrote: ''No other exhibit of scholars' work equal to that of Cincinnati was ever made in the known world." The international jury awarded a gold medal diploma and a silver medal diploma to the Cincinnati schools. The practice of preparing written work for public inspection did much to establish careful habits in the children of the schools. The superintendent, in his visits to the various school rooms, always inspected the slates and books of the pupils, and they took pains to try to please him by doing their best with pen and pencil. He felt justified in claiming, in his report for 1878, that '*No schools in the United States have given so much attention to system, order, neatness, on the part of pupils, as those of Cincinnati during the last four years."

The sin that so mischievously besetteth those engaged in the work of education,, whether as pupils or teachers - the pernicious evil which Guilford, Rickoff and Hanceck recognized and deplored - was as clearly seen and as vigorously opposed by Dr. Peaslee. This was the unintelligent adherence to the '' memoriter plan " - the routine practice of committing words to memory and reciting them, parrot-like, without a correspondent effort to think and reason. As one means of possibly cor- - recting this fault the superintendent put great stress on the practical use of language as a means of expressing conscious thought, not as material to fix in memory merely. In his annual report for 1879he says: " Believing that the time now devoted to technical grammar in the first five years of school is practically wasted, I reeommend that a systematic course of language lessons be substituted."" Feeling that the results aimed at in the study of history were lost, owing to the prevailing wrong method of teaching it, the superintendent tried also a reform in that direction. He says: "History can not be taught by the memoriter plan. It kills the life of the subject. It disgusts the pupil.'' New plans were brought into practice in the schools; history was vigorously taught by many teachers in its true substance. The scholars were induced to read and investigate. Especially were they encouraged to study the lives of great men, influenced by Dr. Peaslee's precept that '' Biography is the soul of history." Written examination in history, physics and object lessons were discontinued.

Decidedly the most distinguished and important service that Dr. Peaslee did for the schools was in the way of literary stimulation. He introduced books to the children and the children to books. American authors and publishers owe him a debt of gratitude. The beginning of the "literary movement'' in Cincinnati schools dates from the introduction of Peaslee's 'Memory Gems" as part of the course of education. These '' gems'' were choice passages in prose and verse, to be learned by heart and recited by the pupil, as a basis for further literary study. It is claimed that Dr. Peaslee was the 'first in the country to introduce into the schools a systematic and graded course of gem selections from English literature.'' He prepared a little book of selections for the use of schools. The zealous impulse which led him to devise ways and means of aiding the young people to make a start in reading and loving good books carried him on to a still more inspiring mode of enlightening the children, and of calling forth willing and profitable efforts on their part. It was a happy thought of his to vary the monotony of school life by occasional celebrations, commemorative of the life and services of distinguished authors, statesmen and others whose word and example might serve to stimulate the rising generation to nobler and better conduct. The first celebration of the kind was held on December 17, 1879, the anniversary of the birthday of John G. Whit- - tier. This was followed in 1880 by celebrations on the birthday of Longfellow, Holmes, Emerson and others. Commenting on the value of this new feature in education, Dr. William T. Harris, the present United States Commissioner of Education, said ''it was the best thing that had been done for the schools for fifty years." The innovation proved popular as well as salutary, and was adopted throughout the whole country. In Cincinnati the movement found further development, by Dr. Peaslee's activity, as an adjunct to Arbor Day celebrations. On April 27, 1883, under the direction of the superintendent, and as a part of a general civic Memorial Day, the school children of Cincinnati planted '' Authors' Grove," a plat of ground six acres in extent in Eden Park. A vast number of beautiful trees, each dedicated to some distinguished writer, were planted, and granite tablets with the names of the several authors were afterward placed near the trees. The visitor to Eden Park will now find '' Authors' Grove" one of the most delightful portions of the lace.

: Other incidental means of adding to the interest and utility of the schools, Dr. Peaslee's versatile mind discovered in the organization of '' Bands of Mercy,'' in encouraging the study of local history, in modes of beautifying school rooms, and in unique school exercises for imparting "' general information."'

Near the close of his administration the superintendent states that '' The time has come when phonography should constitute a part of the regular curriculum of the public schools."'

As regards the difficult and oft-recurring question whether or not the promotion of pupils from grade to grade should depend upon per cents determined by written examination, the superintendent recommended, in his Report for 1884, that the board should pass a rule, '' making the average between the teacher's estimate of the pupil's standing expressed in per cent, and the results of his final examination in June, the basis for promotion, in all grades below the F."

Dr. Peaslee's last year in office ended August 15, 1887, and his successor, Hon. EK. E. White, entered upon the duties of the position the next day.

Dr. Emerson E. White (1887 to 1889) brought to the office of superintendent a pational reputation, acquired by a succession of distinguished services in the broad field of public education. He had experience as teacher and superintendent, had been editor of the Ohio Educational Monthly, State Commissioner of Education for Ohio, president of Purdue University, and had held the highest positions in the National Educational Association. In educational authorship he was well known as the writer of a series of schoolbooks, of a treatise on ''The Elements of Pedagogics," and other works. ;

Dr. White's administration covered only three years, 1887-8-9 - but was crowded with work. Considerable revision was made in the course of study - technical grammar was entirely omitted from the district grades of the school, a new system of '"' graded observation lessons" was introduced, together with an elaborate course in ''morals and manners,'' and changes were made in modes of teaching several branches. But by far the most significant and radical alteration effected in the schools by Dr. White was a total change in the mode of determining the pupils' standing in scholarship and of promoting them from grade to grade. It will be remembered that, in 1884, Dr. Peaslee recommended the board to pass a rule making the average between the teachers' estimate of the pupils' standing, and the result of the final written examination, the basis for promotion in all grades below the F. Superintendent White depended wholly upon the teachers' estimate as the basis of promotion in all grades. Written examinations were not done away with, but, to quote the Report for 1887: ''The written test is no longer made the basis for the promotion of pupils, and it no longer occurs at stated times, but it is continued as an element of teaching where its uses are many and important." In the Report for 1888 we tind the method stated thus: '"' The monthly estimates are made on the scale of 1 to 10, the number 4 and below denoting very poor work, 5 to 6 tolerable, 7 good, 8 very good, 9 excellent, 10 perfect. In reporting estimates the initial letters are used, Pr. denoting perfect work; E, excellent; G, very good; G, good; T, tolerable; P, poor; PF, very poor."

In the period of Dr. White's administration a law was passed making it the duty of the superintendent to appoint all the teachers in the city, with the consent of the board. In the discharge of this delicate function Dr. White did not escape embarrassment. Asa rule, old teachers were reappointed, though some were dropped, and a few were quietly removed for cause. Discussing the subject the superintendent says: '' The fact has been too often overlooked that the possession of a position by a teacher is of itself a claim to reappointment, if there be no good reason against it. But neither possession nor length of service can be urged as a claim in the face of inefficiency or incompetency, or moral unworthiness. "'

The law in regard to colored schools was so altered in 1887, as to do away with the distinctions of privilege that had existed, and to permit the black children to enter any of the schools on the same footing as the white.

The year 1888 was the centennial of the settlement of Ohio, and a great central Exposition was held in Cincinnati to commemorate the event. The grand Fair was opened July 4 and closed on November 10. The exhibit of the public schools was superior in every way, and its excellence was recognized by the commissioners of the Exposition who awarded it several prizes. '' School Children's Day" proved one of the most notable of the distinguished days of the Fair.

The law requiring special instruction to be given in the public schools of the State, on the nature and use of alcoholic stimulants, and narcotics, went into effect while Dr. White was superintendent, and he was active in enforcing its provisions. One of his services in this line was to propose a special Report calling the attention of the school board to the violation of the law forbidding the sale of cigarettes to school boys.

Dr. White devoted his energies, with great vigilance, to the direct task of visiting schools, and instructing the teachers on all possible occasions. So vast and varied did he find the field of labor, that, in the Report for 1888, he declares that '"The experience of the past two years shows conclusively that no one man can fully perform the duties now imposed upon the superintendent .of schools in the city." He gives it as his opinion that at least two assistants should be employed.

On retiring from office, at the close of his third year, the superintendent surveyed the whole situation of popular education in Cincinnati, in a full report, in which he says: 'The most gratifying fact, in the progress of the schools in the past three years, is the increasing appreciation of true methods of instruction, by the teachers, as a body, and their earnest efforts to get out of the ruts of mechanical routine."

The present superintendent of the public schools is William H. Morgan, who came into office in 1890. The history of his administration, of course, can not yet be written with completeness. Mr. Morgan came to Cincinnati with his parents in 1838. He entered the Third District School in 1844, passed through the several grades of the schools, graduating from Woodward High School in 1856. Entering the schools within one year after their organization, Mr. Morgan has since occupied almost every relation to them. He was at onetime president of the school board; for sixteen years he was principal or assistant, and was elected principal while he was still one of our country's defenders in the Civil war. Thus he was fitted by an experience in school affairs, of more than forty-five years, to understand the history and conditions of education in this city.

Though a review of Supt. Morgan's official acts and policy would be premature, there are some features of his Reports that may properly be mentioned. His judgment in regard to the utility of written examinations, and their value as furnishing a basis for promoting pupils, differs from that of his predecessor. In his first Report he writes: ''It is my firm conviction that the progress made in the efficiency of the public school work in the last half century in our land has been largely the result of the influence of a regular and judicious system of examinations - examinations not for curiosity's sake, but for that of thoroughness of the pupils' | work."

Mr. Morgan recommended to the board, that promotions should rest upon the combination of ''estimates'' by the teacher, and "' examinations;'' and in his report for 1892, he reiterates the same belief. Hesays: 'The exclusively estimate plan has been tried and found wanting, and the same may be said of the 'one examination' plan, although I think the latter has less of sin than the former to atone for. The first has surfeited our grades with unprepared pupils, while the second has probably retarded some, who, if relieved of the embarrassment of examination, might have been advanced to higher grades and to advanced work, although I do not think this is pertinent to cases where the promotions sought were from grade to. grade in the same department. It is, however, safe to assume that a pupil who is an applicant for promotion, should, at the year's close, be able to tell something of what he has been studying during the year. The excess of damage done is, in my opinion, fairly chargeable to the plan of promotion based exclusively upon 'estimates." The main charges laid to the door of the examination system is that pupils will, in anticipation of the trial, pursue a method commonly styled ' cramming," which in some mysterious manner may become something of doubtful service to: them.''

Supt. Morgan's Report for 1892 is a vigorous document, and sets forth clearly his fundamental doctrines on education. The tenor of it is emphatically in favor of sound, practical training, which, he maintains, is only to be obtained by downright hard work. ' Pupils,'' he says, 'must not live in expectancy of becoming scholars by playing school." 'In another paragraph he says, wisely: ''I care little what may be the rules governing the schools, or what may be the narrowness or wideness of the course of study; or how elaborate or attractive the text books may be, the result of school effort will be a failure unless these implements or accessories be in the hands of a teacher, an educator.''

Supt. Morgan's latest Report, for the year ending June 30, 1893, again returns to the discussion of the irrepressible question '' Promotion of Pupils,'' holding firmly to his original views on the subject. In his opinion, '' The best and most faithful teachers are not willing to have their year's labors measured by their own estimate; nor is the world at large willing to promote under the advice of one who, very naturally, might be biased.'' He affirms that '' Instead of examinations being a bugbear, most pupils enjoy them. They have proved their efficacy with us for sixty years, and still the Colleges and Universities in our land are looking for graduates of our schools.'' Of course the superintendent's theory and practice in regard to the matter of examinations met with opposition in some quarters, and elicited much debate. But no voice of dissent was raised against his earnest declaration that '' The pupil must be taught to think,'' and that '' No public money is better expended than that spent in procuring the very best teachers, in building the very best houses, and in obtaining the very best apparatus for the instruction and training of our boys and girls."

The School Reports issued since Mr. Morgan's entrance upon office give ample evidence of zeal and energy upon the part of the school boards, the Superintendent, the Teachers and the Taught. These formal school documents, no less than the files of the newspapers, and the utterances of the orator of the pulpit and the platform, indicate an all pervading, all prevailing interest in educational thought and action. Mr. Herrlinger, president of the school board, well calls the period one of '"' Educational Revival.'' Though conservative in many things, the leaders of public opinion, in Cincinnati, are progressive in their pedagogical wishes and aims. The agitation on educationa] themes, popular and professional, that has affected the whole country, especially the cities, and that is still shaking the school world in general, could not fail to affect education in the Queen City. Whatever profoundly moves the system at large must act on every local system, for '' all are but parts of one stupendous whole.'' Our educational prophets, our literature, our plans of organization, our usages, and even our school fashions and '' fads,'' belong not to any one State or city, but to the nation.

The Cincinnati teachers, alive to their reputation and power as a body, have, of late, manifested their professional energy and pride by various combined efforts. Looking to their material welfare, and conscious that self-help is the only efficient and dignified means of support, they established, in 1890, the '' Teachers' Aid and Annuity Society,'' under the able presidency of Mr. James E. Sherwood. In furtherance of general culture and social progress, the '' Teachers' Club" was formed in March, 1891. The first president was Dr. W. H. Venable, who was succeeded in 1892 by Dean William O. Sproull. Under the auspices of this club several of the most distinguished educators of our times have spoken in Cincinnati, such as Pres. Angell, Prof. Lawrence, Dr. Mayoand Col. Parker. The membership of the clubis about 400. In December, 1893, the " Male Assistants' Association" was organized, to afford an arena for the discussion of practical questions in school affairs. Prof. J. Remsen Bishop was chosen president. The three important societies just named, in addition to the '' Principals' Association," the ''German Teachers' Association,"' and the annual city '" Institute," give to the educational forces a more complete and efficacious organization. Perhaps a special body of working, representative woman teachers is yet needed. *

The " Principals' Association,' as the name indicates, is made up of the heads of the several district and intermediate schools, namely: James E. Sherwood, Abram S. Reynolds, William S. Flinn, Isaac H. Turrell, H. H. Fick, C. J. O'Donnell, John H. Morton, C. C. Long, H. H. Raschig, William B. Wheeler, William P. Gault, George F. Braun, J. B. Scheidemantle, L. Rothenberg, John C. Heywood, John S. Highlands, G. W. Burns, William T. Harris, Lewis Freeman, George W. Oyler, George W. Nye, Louis M. Schiel, F. M. Youmans, R. C. Yowell, J. R. Trisler, W. C. Washburne, D. L. Runyan, La Fayette Bloom, E. A. Renner, Charles S. Mueller, principals of the district schools, and G. A. Carnahan, John Akels, Edward H. Prichard, and George F. Sands, principals of the intermediate schools. -

The following is a list of names of special teachers connected with the public schools: Music. - G. F. Junkermann, superintendent, J. L. Zeinz, Walter H. Aiken, Louis G. Wiesenthal, Louis Aiken, George Dasch, Joseph Surdo, Julia V. Ghio, William Rickel, C. H. Robinson. Drawing. - Christine Sullivan, superintendent, Frances Kohnky (High Schools), William H. Vogel, Ist assistant, Kate Whiteley, Ella Brite, Jannette Cist, Arthur O. Jones, Elsie Whiteley. Writing. - Howard Champlin, Mary H. Stevenson, MaggieA. Delehanty, Carrie P. Dehner, Lizzie Schott.

* Since the above was written, the lady teachers of the city have formed a professional iss Christine Sullivan for first president. : : ah cuppa:

A novel event, in the recent history of the public schools, was the distribution in the summers of 1890 and 1891, of what are known as the " Cincinnati Enquirer Prizes,'' given by John R. McLean to pupils receiving the highest per cents in the intermediate and high schools. These prizes were in gold coin, and ranged in value from five to twenty dollars. The sum of three hundred dollars was bestowed in 1890, and six hundred dollars in 1891.

"Columbus Day'' was duly celebrated by the Cincinnati schools, with literary exercises, music and processions. A very creditable exhibit, consisting of 103 volumes of written work, by pupils of all grades of the schools, was shown at the great Chicago Exposition in 1893. This display was much praised, and it received official commendation and award.

The administration of Supt. Morgan and the present board of education and union board of high schools will be memorable for the changes it wrought in the courses of study, and for the service it rendered the cause of physical culture. The gymnasium buildings at Woodward and Hughes schools, completed at a cost of nearly twelve thousand dollars, and equipped at a cost of three thousand dollars, are a proud addition to the educational facilities of a great city. Special credit is due Francis B. James, president of the union board, for the establishment of these elegant improvements.

Closely connected with the exercises of the gymnasium are the military drills of the cadets of the high schools, whose companies are now uniformed and supplied with arms. The Hughes Battalion is commanded by Maj. J. R. Bishop; the Woodward, by Maj. A. M. Van Dyke.

For the convenient reference of those who may wish to consult, in brief, the schoo] statistics of Cincinnati in the year 1893, a summary of leading facts is here given. According to the Sixty-fourth Annual Report, the population of the city is 320,000. The city is divided into thirty wards, and from each ward a member is elected to the school board. The roll of members for the year 1893-94 is the following: William McAllister, E. R. Monfort, Ernst Rehm, W. F. Hartzel, A. J. Boeckman, G. D. Jobe, H. H. Mithoefer, Thomas J. Knight, H. W. Albers, John Grimm, Jr., George Friedlein, S. H. Spencer, George Bardes, George W. Long, L. J. Fogel, J. M. Robinson, B. Bettmann, L. Mendenhall, Joseph Parker, Joseph W. O'Hara, M. H. Mersch, John Grace, A. L. Herrlinger, J. E. Cormany, C. W. Whiteley, D. H. Lehnkering, Charles Weidner, Jr., Rudolph Fischer, J. C. Harper, J. J. Geiger.

The number of school buildings owned by the board of education is fifty-nine; the number rented is ten. The number of school rooms is 798; the number of seats for pupils, 41,000. The number of pupils enrolled in the public schools for 1893 was 37,648. The number of teachers employed in the schools is 774. The amount paid to these in the year ending June, 1898, was $641,388. The total value of the school property is $2,995,000. The expenses for 1893 were $986,312.

James M. Robinson, vice-president; George R. Griffiths, clerk; William Grautman, assistant clerk. The officers of the schools are: W. H. Morgan, superintendent; Henry Klein, superintendent of buildings; William C. Ziegler, clerk superintendent of schools; A. B. Clement, truant officer.

Woodward High School. - The Cincinnati high schools, Woodward and Hughes, named for their founders, are not wholly under the control of the Board of Education, but are managed by a Union Board, and are supported partly by endowment funds and partly from the regular school tax. | Both were endowed before the free school system went into operation. The fund which sustains the Woodward school is derived from the income on property originally bequeathed to the city by William Woodward, a farmer who became rich by the rise in value of his lands. Mr. Woodward was born in Connecticut, in 1770, and died in Cincinnati in 1833. He was a typical New England character, shrewd, industrious, frugal, and strictly religious. Of a thrifty, business turn, he combined, with the management of his acres, the occupation of surveyor, tanner and shipbuilder. His home was the usual log house of the rural pioneer. The Woodward estate lay mainly within the area now bounded by the streets Woodward and Liberty, Main and Broadway.

Shakespeare says: ''Good men, at their death, have good inspirations.'' A good inspiration was breathed into William Woodward a score of years before he died. The benevolent impulse came into his heart to leave to the poor of his city the best fortune possible, the means of gaining such elementary education as would enable them to overcome poverty. What should he do with his worldly goods when . he no longer needed them? He had no heirs, and so, with the wise and friendly counsel of his neighbor Samuel Lewis, Woodward resolved to endow a school. With this end in view he transferred that portion of his farm lying nearest the city, in trust, to Samuel Lewis and Osmond Coggswell, November 23, 1826. These two men were constituted trustees for life, with power to appoint their successors. By the act of incorporation, January 24, 1827, the power to appoint three other trustees was vested in the city council. The trustees accepted their office, and a deed of confirmation was signed March 24, 1828. Jonathan Pancoast and Lewis Howell were made trustees. Mr. Coggswell was a nephew of Mr. Woodward.

According to the first intention of the founder and his advisors the proposed school was to be quite elementary, and the name chosen for it was the '' Woodward Free Grammar School.'' But, in 1880, the public schools of the city being organized to meet the demand for free primary instruction, Mr. Woodward was induced to sign an additional legal paper empowering the trustees to enlarge the original design, and to create a high school. Indentures made and signed December 17, 1830, established Woodward High School, which was incorporated in January, 1831. The trustees in that year were Lewis, Coggswell, Howell, Oliver Goode and John P. Foote. Mr. Foote tells us in his ''Schools of Cincinnati,'' that " Mr. Lewis was the chief manager of the trust, and that it soon became the principal business of his life.' Under his direct supervision a school building, 40x 50 feet, was erected, and the school was opened October 24, 1831. By January 1, 1882, the number of pupils enrolled was 144, much the larger number of these paying a fee. The first teacher appointed was T. B. Wheelock, and the special subject he taught was mathematics. After the lapse of about five years, the trustees took action resulting in the transmutation of the high school into a college. The first session of Woodward College (the eleventh since the organization of the school) began August 15, 1836. From that date until May, 1851, a period of fifteen years, the college organization was kept up, and within that time 1,377 students received tuition, and forty graduated with the degree of A. B., fifteen of whom afterward received the degree A. M. Among the most distinguished trustees, besides Lewis

In May, 1851, the work of the college was virtually suspended. Action was then being taken to unite the funds of the Woodward bequest with those of the Hughes, and to place the two high schools in affiliation with the public-school system. The last meeting of the board of trustees was held July 22, 1851. A contract was entered into by which the fuads were united, and increased by public 'taxes, and the two schools put under control of a union board made up of representatives for each endowment fund, and members chosen by the city authorities. Work was begun on a new high-school building, the present Woodward High School, July 28, 1854. It was a suggestive coincidence that Samuel Lewis died on the same day.

Since the reorganization of the schools in 1851, the Woodward High School has steadily gone forward in its career of usefulness. The entire enrollment of pupils for the year 1852 was but 102; the number enrolled in 1892 was 841. The first principal of Woodward was Dr. Joseph Ray; the second, D. Shepardson; the third, M. Woolson; the fourth, George W. Harper, the present incumbent.

The Central High School. - It will perhaps conduce to historical clearness, to give here a sketch of the old Central High School, which, in time, holds the precedence over Woodward and Hughes, and of which, in a sense, Hughes is the continuation, the principal and three other of the teachers on the original corps at Hughes having held over from the Central. In October, 1845, Peyton Symmes, president of the school board, recommended the organization of a public high school, and on the llth of the following February, 1846, the State legislature authorized the board to provide such a school. The question of consolidating the Woodward and Hughes funds had already been proposed, and the Centra] School seems to have been regarded as provisional. The board took action, and, in Novyember (other authorities say July), 1847, the school was commenced in the basement of the German Lutheran Church, on Walnut street, below Ninth; '' very considerably below the ground,'' said Prof. Cyrus Knowlton, one of the teachers. In February, 1848, the school was removed to more commodious quarters on Center street. Up to this time the only teachers in the school were the principal, Mr. H. H. Barney, and Mr. John M. Edwards. Mr. Knowlton was then added to the force, and also Miss Eliza Bush and Mr. E. D. Kingsley. In 1849 Miss Bush resigned, and her place was filled by Miss Mary Atkins. Other teachers in the ''Old Central'? were Miss F. Ellen Cassat, Messrs. Locke and Aikin, professors of music; Mr. A. Brunner, professor of French; Mr. Bowers, professor of penmanship, and Prof. Shattuck, professor of drawing. The number of pupils enrolled in the Central High School was, in 1848, ninety-seven; in 1849, eighty-seven; in 1850, seventy; in 1851, sixty-three; and in 1852, ninety-eight - in all, 415.

Hughes High School. - Some mystery broods over the story of the life of Thomas Hughes, founder of Hughes High School. The memorials of his private life are scanty and somewhat contradictory. It is known that be was an Englishman, probably born near the Welsh border. He was a Christian, but not a sectarian. Karly in life he seems to have been unhappily married, though little is known of his wife, and he had no children. He practiced the trade of shoemaker, having his shop in his dwelling-house, a log structure on the corner of his small farm, a tract of some thirty acres, principally on the hillside north of the old corporation line. One of his intimate associates, J. Sampson Powers, has recorded that Hughes ''lived alone, in a humble cabin, on the north side of Liberty street, Cincinnati, which cabin, if now standing, would be west of Sycamore street." Mr. Powers further reveals that the solitary shoemaker cherished certain pets, a sorrel dog, a sorrel pony, and a few favorite chickens, for each one of which he had a familiar name. 'In regard to his last illness and death," continues the same witness, 'I only know about it from what my kind friend John Melendy told me in 1825. Peter and John Melendy took care of Thomas Hughes in his last illness. He died in their house, on the west side of Main and south of Liberty street, on the 26th day of December, 1824. His remains were interred in the Twelfth street burying-ground, and when that ground was converted into Washington Park, his body was exhumed and reinterred in Spring Grove cemetery."'

This is the simple story of Thomas Hughes, who was a friend and neighbor to William Woodward. To him, also, as to his more prosperous fellow-toiler, came a good angel, whispering blessed counsel. Hughes was moved to give his possessions for humanity's sake, to the world, in the form of a school, which should stand as his monument and a perpetual benefaction to the young, especially to those who might not be able to gain an education without the advantages of a free school. In the year and month of his decease, December 4, 1824, Thomas Hughes bequeathed his land to William Woodward, William Greene, Nathan Guilford, Elisha Hotchkiss, and Jacob Williams, as trustees, the property to be "'applied to the maintenance and support of a school or schools." In April, 1827, the land was laid out in lots, since which time it has been improved and managed by the trustees, for the benefit of the school. The original trustees of the Hughes fund were William Woodward, Elisha Hotchkiss, Jacob Williams, and William Greene.

On the 19th day of May, 1851, the board of trustees and directors of the common schools, the trustees of the Woodward College and the Hughes School, and the board of trustees of the Hughes Fund, entered into a triplicate contract for the establishment of the Cincinnati Woodward High School, and the Cincinnati Hughes High School. As we have stated, work was begun on the present Woodward building July 28, 1854. The Hughes High School building, located on the south side of Fifth street, opposite Mound street, was begun in March, 1852, and completed in January, 18538. The school was immediately organized, with-H. H. Barney as principal. The first graduating exercises were held in the school hall, Friday, January 27, 1854, beginning at one o'clock, p.m. Ten pupils graduated, four boys and six girls. Among these was R. D. Barney, one of the present trustees of the Hughes Fund. H.H. Barney retired from the principalship in 1854, and was succeeded by Cyrus Knowlton, who died in 1860. Dr. Joseph L. Thornton was the next principal. After six years he resigned, and the present principal, Dr. E. W. Coy, was elected to the position.

The number of pupils now enrolled in the high schools is 1,480. The number graduated in 1893 was, from Woodward 85, from Hughes 79, total 164. The members of the Union Board of High Schools for the year 1893-94 are: Delegates from the Board of Education. - W. F. Hartzell, A. L. Herrlinger, Ernst Rehm, H. H. Mithoeffer, J. E. Cormany, C. W. Whiteley. Delegates from the Woodward Fund. - A. H. Bode, John B. Peaslee, William H. Taft, S. S. Davis, and Francis B. James. Delegates from the Hughes Fund. - R. D. Barney and Charles H. Stephens. The officers are: Francis B. James, president; C. W. Whiteley, vice-president; George R. Griffiths, secretary.

Cincinnati Normal School

In our sketch of the public schools it is mentioned that, at Supt. Rickoff's suggestion, normal classes were instructed by H. H. Barney, in Hughes High School, and that, while Dr. Hancock was superintendent, a regular Normal School was established under the principalship of Miss Sara Dugan, from the Boston Training School. This was in 1868. The school was located in the Eighth District schoolhouse.

Miss Dugan resigned at the end of a year's service, and the board elected in her place Miss Delia A. Lathrop, who retired from the principalship of the city Normal School, Worcester, Mass., to come to Cincinnati. Miss Lathrop remained in charge, with great acceptance to the people, and much to the advancement of professional spirit and qualifications among the teachers, until her marriage, in 1876, to Prof. Williams, when she removed to Delaware, Ohio.

The valuable services of Albert Knell and John Mickelborough were successively enlisted in the management of the Normal School. These gentlemen were succeeded by the present accomplished principal of the school, Mrs. Carrie Newhall Lathrop. The president of the board of education, A. R. Herrlinger, says of the school, in his annual Report, dated September 1, 1892: 'The Normal School has now been in existence about twenty-four years. Its usefulness has long been an established fact. During this period of time almost one thousand students have graduated as teachers. Wherever these graduates have located, they have done honor to their alma mater; as well in our public schools, as in numerous private institutions of learning. During the past year the theory and practice departments have been again united, much to the benefit of the school. Mrs. Carrie N. Lathrop, principal, and her efficient assistants, deserve well of the board and the public for their diligence and energy.'' The present corps of teachers in the Normal School, besides Mrs. Lathrop, are Johanna M. Huising, Anna Bewley, Agnes L. Brown, and Mary Coleman Burnet.

The Normal School comprises two departments - a Department of Instruction, and a Department of Practice. Two years are required to complete the full course. By a rule of the board, '' graduates of the Normal School shall have the preference, other things being equal, for positions in the Public Schools of the city."

University Of Cincinnati

Highest in the series of Cincinnati's free, popular, educational institutions, is the University, an organic part of the public-school system. All residents of Cinciunati are admitted to its courses, without charge, and the city High Schools largely reinforce its annual Freshman classes.

No clearer or more succinct statement of its history and condition can be given than is found in the college catalogue for 1892-938, from which we quote. '* The University of Cincinnati owes its existence to the generosity of Charles McMicken, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Cincinnati in 1803, accumulated a large fortune, and died here in 1858. By the terms of his will he bequeathed to the city of Cincinnati property worth over one million dollars, to found an institution of learning in which students should 'receive the benefit of a sound, thorough and practical English education, and such as might fit them for the active duties of life, as well as instruction in the higher branches of knowledge, except denominational theology, to the extent that the same are now or may hereafter be taught in any of the secular colleges or universities of the highest grade in the country.'

"In April, 1870, the General Assembly of Ohio passed an act to enable cities of the first class to aid and promote education, under which the city of Cincinnati accepted the bequest of Charles McMicken, and proceeded to establish the University of Cincinnati. Academic instruction was actually begun in 1873 in the building and by the teachers of the Woodward High School, and the University was formally organized in 1874 by the appointment of professors of mathematics and civil engineering, of Latin and Greek, and of physics and chemistry. During the academic year, 1874-75, instruction was given by these professors in the Woodward High School building, but at the beginning of the year 1875-76 possession was taken of the new building then erected on the site adjoining the MeMicken homestead, where the institution is still located. The resources of the University have been largely increased by the 'Brown Endowment Fund,' from the estate of the late Rey. Samuel J. Brown, by the large bequest of Matthew Thoms, and by a tax-levy of one-tenth of a mill by the city. Donations to the Observatory have also been made by John Kilgour and Julius Dexter.

"The University forms the culmination of the school-system of Cincinnati. Tuition is free to all residents of the city, and even necessary expenses, such as labaratory fees, are reduced to the lowest practicable limits. An opportunity is afforded to every citizen to obtain a thorough education at a minimum of expense. From its inception the University has admitted on equal terms persons of either sex, with eminently satisfactory results. -It has constantly been the aim of the Faculty to carry out, to the best of their ability, the spirit of the passage quoted above from the will of the honored founder of the University.

"The University offers eight courses of study, of four years each. On the one hand, it recognizes the fact that the same studies and the same routine are not suited to all minds. It admits that different tastes and powers on the part of students call for diversity of instruction. On the other hand, the University, led by its own experience, and by that of similar institutions, perceives clearly that college students need guidance in the selection of their studies, and that such guidance is best provided in the presentation of symmetrical and distinctive courses of study from which the student is to make his choice.

'Each of the several courses here offered is planned to meet the wishes and needs of a different body of students. The freedom of the student is properly exercised in the selection of that course which best accords with his talents and aims in life. To the Faculty is reserved the duty of determining, in the maiu, what particular studies will best promote a broad and symmetrical development in each of the given directions. It may be added that while all the studies of the first two years are prescribed, there are some hours in the third and fourth years which are to be occupied with elective studies. In the matter of Biblical instruction, the University has endeavored to comply with all existing requirements. By the terms of Charles McMicken's will, the Bible, in the Protestant version, is to be used as a book of instruction; but, as a public institution, supported in part by taxation, the University can not insist upon any form of religious compliance from its pupils. The Protestant Bible is taught by the professor of philosophy. The instruction is expository, and is believed to be in full accord with the spirit of the founder's will. In order that all pupils may avail themselves of the instruction, the hour in which it is given is declared vacant of other University exercises. Attendance is voluntary. Those who attend may count thestudy in making up the required number of hours of their respective courses.

'"The University has no dormitories. Excellent homes may be found in different parts of Cincinnati. The price varies for boarding and lodging from five to seven dollars a week. Lists of desirable places are kept by the Registrar, and can be had on application.

ing libraries: The Public Library, which, besides the current newspapers and periodicals, has extensive collections of standard works in literature, the classics, theology, art, the sciences, medicine and engineering, aggregating over two hundred thousand volumes. Its privileges are open to all students of the University free of charge. The Mercantile Library contains over sixty thousand volumes, and in its reading room is found a carefully chosen collection of newspapers and periodicals. The collection of the Historical and Philosophical Society contains over eight thousand volumes, and its books may be freely consulted by all. The Young Men's Christian Association building contains a reading room and free library, as well as a complete gymnasium and health department. Other public institutions having collections of special value to the student are the Art Museum, the Cincinnati Society of Natural History, with its extensive museum, the Ohio Mechanics' Institute, and the Zoological Gardens. The Cincinnati Gymnasium, with its athletic grounds and fine equipment, offers every advantage for physical culture."

The University originally comprised three departments, the Academic, the Observatory. and the School of Design. The last of these was transferred to the Cincinnati Museum Association in 1884. There are now affiliated with the University a Medical Department embracing the Miami Medical College, established in 1852; and the Medical College of Ohio, established in 1819; and the Clinical and Pathological School of the Cincinnati Hospital, established in 1821; also a Dental Department, consisting of the Ohio College of Dental Surgery; and a Pharmaceutical Department, consisting of the Cincinnati College of Pharmacy.

The Academic department, now embracing the Observatory, conducts wellorganized courses of University Extension Lectures, and sustains a Philological Society.

The chairmen of the Board of University Trustees have been Hon. Rufus King, Hon. George Hoadly, Hon. Alphonso Taft and Hon. Samuel F. Hunt. The present chairman is Dr. Cornelius G. Comegvs. The first clerk of the board was William T. Disney; the second, Joseph F. Wright, still holds the position.

In December, 1877, Thomas Vickers was made rector of the University, and held the office until June, 1884, when he resigned. Hon. Jacob D. Cox was chosen president, April 13, 1885. He resigned in June, 1889. Prof. H. T. Eddy was then elected acting president or dean. Prof. Eddy being called to the presidency of Rose Polytechnic Institute, withdrew from the University, when the directors elected Prof. W. R. Benedict to assume the duties of dean for one year, then tu be succeeded by the professor next in seniority. At the close of Prof. Benedict's administration, December, 1891, he was succeeded by Prof. E. W. Hyde, who gave place at the end of the year, 1892, to Prof. William O. Sproull, the present dean.

The Faculty and assistant instructors of the Academic department of the University of Cincinnati at the present time are: William Oliver Sproull, Ph. D., LL.D., professor of Latin language and literature and of Arabic; Wayland Richardson Benedict, A. M., professor of philosophy; Edward Wyllys Hyde, C. E., professor of mathematics; Thomas French, Jr., Ph. D., professor of physics; Thomas Herbert Norton, Ph. D., professor of chemistry; Jermain Gildersleeve Porter, Ph. D., director of the Observatory and professor of astronomy; William Everett Waters, Ph. D., professor of Greek and comparative philology; Edward Miles Brown, Ph. D., professor of English language and literature; Philip Van Ness Myers, LL. D., L. H. D., professor of history and political economy; Ward Baldwin, C. E., M. S., professor of civil engineering; James Playfair McMurrich, Ph. D., professor of biology; Charles Frederick Seybold, A. B., LL. B., professor of French and German; Everett Irving Yowell, C.E., instructor in mathematics; Paul Francis Walker, instructor in Spanish; Herman Elijah Newman, Ph. D., assistant in chemistry; Charles Henry Turner, M.S., assistant in biology; Ellis Guy Kinkead, B.A., LL. B., assistant in Latin; William Osgood Mussey, A. M., assistant in English.

It is a matter of great public interest in the Queen City that on the 20th of September, 1889, the common council passed an ordinance giving to the University forty-three acres of land in Burnet Woods Park, on condition that $100,000 be expended in the construction of buildings, etc., upon this tract, within five years, and that the main building be begun within three years of the date of the agreement.

Cincinnati Observatory

The Cincinnati Observatory, now part of the University, demands special treatment in this sketch, being one of the most important astronomical stations in the country. Its telescope has the distinction of being the first ''at all commensurable with the needs of a modern observatory, to be erected upon the soil of the Western continent."'

In the winter of 1841-42 an enthusiastic public interest was aroused in Cincinnati, by a course of eloquent lectures on astronomy, delivered before the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge by Ormsby McKnight Mitchel, then professor in Cincinnati College. An Astronomical Suciety was organized, and Mitchel proposed to raise seven thousand five hundred dollars, in shares of twenty-five dollars each. The stock was subscribed within three weeks, and on May 23, 1842, the shareholders organized a society, adopted a constitution, and elected the following officers: President, Hon. Jacob Burnet; treasurer, William Goodman; secretary, Milo G. Williams; directors, E. Poor, James H. Perkins, E. D. Manstield, H. Starr, John P. Foote, T. J. Brooke, J. Jonas, G. P. Torrence, J. P. Harrison, Miles Greenwood, M. T. Williams.

Prof. Mitchel was authorized to procure a telescope, and he immediately went to Europe, where, after much search, he found, in Munich, a lens of nearly a foot in diameter, which he purchased. The sum of at least ten thousand dollars was required to mount the glass properly, and Mitchel undertook to increase the subscriptions to this amount. On his return to Cincinnati, a site was secured for the Observatory, on Mount Adams, near the present '' Highland House,''a tract of land being donated to the society by Nicholas Longworth. The corner stone of the Observatory was laid November 9, 18438, on which oceasion an oration was delivered by John Quincey Adams, who, in 1825, had vainly urged Congress to found a National Observatory. The erection of the building was begun in June, 1844, and was carried on, under many difficulties, under the direct and constant supervision of Prof. Mitchel. The building was at length completed, and Mitchel continued to act as director of the Observatory until 1860, when he was called to take charge of the Dudley Observatory, Albany, N. Y. Soon after this the Civil war broke out, and the fame of the astronomer was merged in the glory of the soldier. The brilliant military career of Gen. O. M. Mitchel fills a splendid page of the nation's history.

For a short time the Observatory was under the care of Henry M. Twitchell, who had been the assistant of Mitchel. Mr. Twitchell resigned in 1861, and for some years the telescope was in the careful keeping of Mr. Davis, father-in-law of Dr. Rickoff, but not much astronomical work was done-until 1868, when Mr. Cleveland Abbe, of the National Observatory at Washington, was called to the directorship. The officers then controlling the Astronomical Society were: President, Robert Buchanan; secretary, William Hooper; treasurer, William Goodman; directors, Alphonso Taft, Miles Greenwood, Samuel Davis, Jr., Edmund Dexter, L. B. Harrison, Rufus King, T. D. Lincoln, John Shillito.

Prof. Abbe carried on the scientific work of the Observatory with vigilance, much retarded in his work by the smoke and dust of the city. In 1869 he organized a party to observe the total eclipse of the sun at Sioux Falls. But the peculiar genius of Prof. Abbe was exercised in giving system and practical value to meteorological observations concerning the weather. Prof. Jermain G. Porter, who is now the efficient director of the Observatory, in an admirable historical sketch to which we are indebted for our facts, says: '' Probably the most important work which Prof. Abbe did. during his connection with the Observatory was the establishment of a system of daily weather reports and storm predictions. Having secured the cooperation of observers stationed at various points, throughout the country, he began to issue this bulletin on September 1, 1869. Although the Observatory only maintained this service for a few months - it passing then temporarily into the hands of the Western Union Telegraph Company - still the experiment had the effect of arousing popular interest in the subject, and led to the speedy establishment, by the General Government, of the Weather Bureau. To the Cincinnati Observatory thus belongs the honor of being pioneer not only in the field of astronomy, but also in this important field of weatber prediction. Upon the establishment of the National Signal Service, it was but natural that Prof. Abbe's ability and experience in meteorological work should be in demand at Washington. He resigned the directorship of the Observatory in 1870, to accept the professorship of meteorology in the Government Weather Bureau, a position which he still holds."

Important action was taken in 1872, by which the Astronomical Society surrendered its trust to the city, and by which the Observatory became an adjunct of the University. The first annual report of the directors of the University states the conditions of the transfer as follows: 'The property on Mount Adams, which was donated by the late Nicholas Longworth, Esq., for an Observatory, having become unsuitable for that purpose, his heirs have joined with the Astronomical Society in an agreement to give and convey the ground to the city, upon the specific trust that it shall be leased or sold, and the proceeds applied toward endowing the School of Drawing and Design, which is now established in connection with the University; the city agreeing, as a condition of the gift, to sustain an Observatory, also to be connected with the University. To enable the city to comply with the latter engagement, Mr. John Kilgour has agreed to give four acres of land as the site for a new Observatory, and also the sum of ten thousand dollars for building and equipping it. The Astronomical Society also gives to the city, for the same object, the equatorial and other instruments, with all the apparatus and astronomical records and books belonging to the present Observatory.'' A new building was erected on the summit of Mount Lookout, and by act of legislature the board of education was authorized to assess and levy an annual tax for the support of the Observatory. A meridian circle was purchased in 1888, and a new dome was constructed in 1892.

Prof. Ormond Stone, of the National Observatory, was called to Cincinnati as professor of astronomy in the University and director of the Observatory, in 1875. He resigned in 1882, to accept the directorship of the Leander McCormick Observatory of the University of Virginia; and Mr. Herbert C. Wilson remained in charge until 1884, when the present director, Jermain G. Porter, was appointed director. Prof. Porter had been connected with the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.

The Ohio Mechanics' Institute is one of the oldest, most efficient and most praiseworthy of Cincinnati's popular agencies for the advancement of civilization. It is decidedly an educational organization, bearing directly upon the interest of industry and art. Founded, in 1828, by a few philanthropic men who devoted their leisure, their money and their hearts to its objects, the Institute has been fostered and sustained, now for nearly three-quarters of a century, by the unfailing zeal and stubborn energy of its friends, among whom have ever been found the best and most generous of our citizens. To the Mechanics' Institute the public owes the inauguration and successful development of the system of Industrial Fairs or Expositions, for which Cincinnati is distinguished, and which furnished the model after which so many other cities and States patterned similar displays. The vast influence of these expositions as modes of objective instruction to the masses entitle them to be regarded as schools for the diffusion of useful knowledge. But these expositions, however valuable, and however imposing, were but'grand incidents in the history of the Institute, not the regular staple of its yearly work. The institution was organized as a means of enlightening and training working people, especially mechanics, through the instrumentality of books, lectures, teachers, and by study and manual skill. It has come to be accepted as a motto of the members of the old Institute that they

A journalist reporting his impressions of the academic department, in 1890, describes it as " A school where the son of the millionaire elbows the bootblack."' The description conveys the literal truth, for the winter evening sessions of the school briug together all sorts of learners, from college graduates to street cripples, and six or seven hundred youths may be seen amicably and diligently at work, with perfect democratic equality of rights, all bent to acquire some special knowledge.

The prime mover in forming a Mechanics' Institute in Cincinnati was John D. Craig, who, at the close of a course of popular lectures on physics, suggested the propriety of organizing a society for the promotion and practice of the mechanic arts. A meeting was held on the evening of October 25, 1828, at which John P. Foote, Luman Watson, John Locke, J. Bonsall and W. Disney were selected as a committee to report a plan for carrying Mr. Craig's suggestion into effect. At a succeeding meeting, held November 20, 1828, over which Rev. Elijah Slack, president of Cincinnati College, presided, Mr. Craig explained the nature and purposes of Mechanics' Institute, and John P. Foote presented the report of the committee, and submitted a constitution which was adopted. The Ohio Mechanics' Institute was duly incorporated on February 9, 1829, though the charter was amended in 1846-47. The names of the charter members are John D. Craig, John P. Foote, Thomas Riley, Luman Watson, William C. Anderson, David T. Disney, George Graham, Jr., Calvin Fletcher, Clement Dare, William Disney, William Greene, Tunis Brewer, Jeffrey Seymour, Israel Schooley and Elisha Brigham.

In the winter of 1828-29, classes were formed in chemistry, by Dr. Cleveland; in geometry, by Dr. John Locke; and in arithmetic, by John L. Talbott. The lectures in chemistry were given in College Hall and in the city council chamber; the mathematical instruction was imparted in Mr. Talbott's school room. In 1830 the Institute purchased the Enon Baptist church, on Walnut street between Third and Fourth. The main room of the church was used as a lecture hall, and the ground floor was divided into three apartments, to be used as library, reading room, and recitation room. After some years, not being able to pay for the quarters which had been bought on credit, the Institute was obliged to abandon the church and to seek new accommodations, which were found in Cincinnati College. Meanwhile, occasional lectures were given by Prof. Calvin Stowe, of' Lane Seminary; Judge James Hall, the western author; Dr. Craig, and others, for the benefit of the struggling Institute. In February, 1838, a grand 'Mechanics and Citizens'' ball was held, at the National Theater, the profits of which put about twenty-four hundred dollars into the treasury. This was followed in May by a fair, in the locally famous Bazaar building, erected by Mrs. Trollope. About four hundred articles were on exhibition, and the rooms were crowded with visitors for three days. This fair was the precursor of the long series of ''Expositions,'' the latest of which took place in the Centennial year, 1888. The Bazaar, facetiously called '' Trollope's Folly,'' was purchased by the Institute, in February, 1839, for ten thousand dollars. However, as in the case of the Enon church, the Institute was unable to discharge its obligations, and the Bazaar property reverted in February, 1847, to Messrs. Longworth and Blachly, who foreclosed the mortgage which they held on it. After many financial misadventures, and many enforced removals 'from pillar to post," the long suffering, courageous Institute at last secured a permanent home, and entered upon a new career. .A lot on the southwest corner of Sixth and Vine streets was procured, and on the Fourth of July, 1848, the corner stune of the present Mechanics' Institute building was laid. Though burdened with a heavy debt, the Institute, by the generosity of Miles Greenwood, Marston Allen and others, and by the vigorous energy of its trustees, was eventually put on a solid financial basis. It does not owe a dollar.

In the years 1856-57, arrangements were completed by which the directors of the Institute provided accommodation, in their edifice, for "' The Cincinnati Common School and Family Library," and for offices of the public schools, and session hall of the school board. In 1870 the Public Library and school offices were removed to the new library building, on Vine street.

Courses of lectures have been given, from time to time, ever since the Institute removed into its permanent home. The lecture room, Greenwood Hall, was, for years, the scientific headquarters. Among the lecturers who appeared on its platform were Prof. H. E. Foote, Dr. W. W. Dawson, Dr. J. C. Zachos, W. M. Davis, Prof. Daniel Vaughan, Dr. Sam Silsbee; and, later, Dr. T. C. Mendenhall.

The School of Design of the Ohio Mechanics' Institute was founded in 1856. It supplied an actual need, and won merited success. In the Annual Report for 1870 we read: 'The Board of Directors desire to call special attention to the successful results and practical workings of the School of Design. It has, in reality, proved itself the pioneer in the several branches which have been taught in its different departments. It has been, without doubt, the forerunner of the school in connection with the McMicken University, and the means of the introduction of drawing in the public schools of Cincinnati.'? The attendance at its first session, 1856-57, was only fifty-two, but it has steadily increased, and, at the thirty-sixth session, 1891-92, it numbered eight hundred and forty-five. The total enrollment, since organization, amounts to about eleven thousand.

The sessions of the school are now held from October to March. The instruction given falls in the several departments, viz.: Mechanical, architectural, artistic, practical mechanics, carriage drafting, and mathematics.

The Institute has been peculiarly fortunate in the blessing of good officers. The first president, John P. Foote, held the responsible position for nineteen years, and was succeeded by Miles Greenwood, who was in office seven years. The next president. Charles F. Wilstach, continued in office seventeen years, and was succeeded by Thomas Gilpin, who died in office after serving seventeen years. James Allison was president from 1889 to 1892, when James Leslie was elected. The success of the Institute, of late years, has been largely due to the zeal, fidelity and genius of the clerk or superintendent, R. E. Champion, than whom no public officer in Cincinnati deserves more praise, or enjoys the meed of a more genuine love.

Technical School

The Technical School, Cincinnati's special school for manual training, entered upon the seventh year of its existence, September 11,1893. From a printed sketch of the history of the institution, we take the following paragraphs: '' The need of a Technical School in Cincinnati had been felt for some years, and was the subject of serious thought with a number of our public-spirited men - among whom were M. K. Ingalls, Julius Dexter, John V. Lewis, Maj. L. M. Hosea and others - who had from time to time been calling attention to the desirability of establishing such a school. However, no definite results came of these deliberations until at a meeting held by the Order of Cincinnatus, July 8, 1886, a committee was appointed to investigate the subject and the feasibility of organizing a Technical School.

'The members of that committee were Col. William L. Robinson, Adolph Pluemer, William F. Gray and other citizens. The committee making a favorable report, an association was formed and incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio, July 27, 1886, under the name of 'The Technical School of Cincinnati.' The Association completed its organization October 25, 1886, by electing a board of fifteen directors.

'""The school was formally opened for the admission of pupils November 1, 1886, in the art rooms of Music Hall. The practical work of the school began on the fifteenth day of the month, with a class of three pupils, and closed the year, June 22, 1887, with eighteen. 'The second year opened September 5, 1887, with an enrollment of forty pupils, which has since increased to 161.

'The Commercial Club of Cincinnati took formal action, as a body, on the subject of the Technical School in November, 1887 - although a number of its members had been interested in the movement since its beginning - and has since borne nearly half of the expense of the school.

''At a banquet given by the Commercial Club on December 1, 1888, in honor of Matthew Addy, the founder of the Addyston Steel and Iron Works near Cincinnati, the subject of industrial education was mentioned. Mr. Addy opened the question with a strong appeal in behalf of technical and manual training, quoting the proverb: 'He who does not teach his son a trade, teaches him to steal.' M. E. Ingalls and others followed, urging that it had become essential to give to thinking labor in this city of diversified industries an impetus that would be felt through generations, by aiding 'an institution like the Cincinnati Technical School, and to do something to remove the anxiety of its founders and promoters in regard to its financial basis. The appeals of these gentlemen found an echo in the actions of the members of the club, for when a subscription list was started many of the gentlemen present responded to the appeal with great enthusiasm. More than thirty thousand dollars were raised within a few minutes, and more was subscribed afterward. The liberal donation of Charles Schiff of ten thousand dollars created a deep impression."

According to the sixth annual catalogue of the school, for the year 1892-93, the amount of cash in its treasury was then about nine thousand dollars. There are eight teachers in the School, three of whom are instructors in shop-work, four class instructors, and one in charge of drawing. The School has graduated thirty-one pupils, and awarded certificates to eight others.

The object of the School, as stated in the articles of incorporation, is to furnish pupils instruction and practice in the use of tools, Mechanical and Free-hand Drawing, Mathematics, English Language, and the Natural Sciences; to develop skill in handicraft, and to impart such a knowledge of essential mechanical principles as will facilitate progress in the acquirement of manual trades. The rates of tuition range from $765 to $125 per year.

The School is provided with a fully-equipped carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, and machine shop. There are, also, suitable recitation rooms, facilities for drawing, and a good working library.

The officers of the board of trustees, elected March, 1893, are president, M. E. Ingalls; vice-president, A. M. Dolph; treasurer, T. T. Gaff; secretary, Miles T. Watts. Other trustees are H. T. Proctor, Levi C. Goodale, A. B. Voorheis, Charles Fleischmann, J. G. Schmidlapp, B. 8. Cunningham, Peter R. Neff, William L. Robinson, W. P. Anderson, Herman Goepper, Stewart Shillito, Drausin Wulsin. The Faculty of the school consists of James B. Stanwood, M. E., director; E. R. Booth, A. B., principal, English and political science; T. L. Feeney, mathematics and science; H. F. Brewer, physics and chemistry; Miss H. B. Whitaker, mathematics and

Private Schools Since The Public Schools Were Organized

An account has already been given of some of the earlier private schools of Cincinnati, particularly those conducted by Locke, the Pickets and Kinmont. All these flourished before public schools were started. In 1838, there were in the city publie schools only 2,000 pupils with twenty-nine teachers, while there were twenty-four private schools, with 1230 pupils and thirty-eight teachers. In 1841 there were forty-four private schools with 1,500 pupils, and in 1859, according to Cist, 'there was a very greatnumber and variety of private schools and academies, besides the parochial schools - as many teachers as 150, with 4,000 pupils.'' In 1859 the number of teachers in the public schools was two hundred and eighty-two.

Schools for Young Women. - Many of these private schools were most excellent, and a few gained wide-spread and enviable reputation. A girls' school which grew into distinction was that known as the '' Western Female Institute,'' founded by Miss Catherine Beecher and her sister Harriet (Mrs. Stowe), about the year 1833. When the Misses Beecher retired from the school it was carried on by Miss Mary Dutton, of Hartford, Connecticut. This school was located on the site afterward occupied by St. John's Hospital. Miss Dutton returned to New England, and the patronage of her school was largely transferred to a similar institution conducted by Mrs. Ryland, an English lady, whose school, organized before Miss Dutton came to the city, was maintained very successfully and with great dignity for about twenty years. Another school for girls, organized early in the '' thirties," was conducted by Mrs. Caroline Lee Hentz, a lady then highly honored for her literary achievements, and whose novels are yet in considerable demand. Her husband, Prof. Hentz, was a distinguished teacher, and the seminary conducted by him and his wife was one of the fashionable schools of the day. It was on Third street, near Broadway.

These girls' schools were the forerunners of several more ambitious and extensive female seminaries, or colleges, of a semi-public character, and generally of some special denominational bent, that sprang up within the decade from 1840 to 1850, or not long after. Principal of these, perhaps, was '' The Wesleyan Female College,"' founded under the auspices of the Methodist Church, in 1848, under the presidency of Rev. P. B. Wilber. This, the oldest college for women, and one of the best known in the west, has only recently suspended activity in its long and useful career. Its alumnal association includes hundreds of accomplished ladies, who recall with pride the days of prosperity of the old college. The history of the institution is full of interest, and should be written with care by some one conversant with all the facts. In the list of its presidents we find the names of Rev. R. H. Rust, Rev. David H. Moore, D.D., Rev. Lucius H. Bugbee, D.D., and Rev. W. K. Brown, D.D.

The "American Female College," Glendale, Ohio, was founded about 1852 by Rev. John Covert. The ''Ohio Female College,'' College Hill, founded in the same period, was for many years a prominent and deserving institution of higher learning. The '' Cincinnati Female Seminary," conducted for a long time on the southwest corner of Seventh and Mound streets, by T. A. Burrows, was a notable seat of polite culture. Among its teachers, in 1859, were Milton Sayler, since distinguished in law, and Miss Frances C. Bauman, one of the most influential women teachers that the city has ever possessed. This seminary passed into the hands of Rev. George W. Maxwell, D.D., whose high standards and refined scholarship kept up its welldeserved reputation. The school building was finally bought by the Homeopathists, and was transformed into '' Pulte Medical College."

Aftér the suspension of " Cincinnati College,'' in 1845, and the dispersion of its Faculty, several of its teachers embarked their fortunes in private school enterprizes.

Among these was Lyman Harding, who had been principal of the Preparatory department in the college. He established Harding's Female Seminary, of which John P. Foote said, in 1855: "It has become so prosperous that it is considered a permanent institution. It comprizes teachers in all the branches taught in our seminaries of the highest class, and a large body of pupils constitute a testimonial of approbation of the conduct of the school, on the part of parents and guardians."'

In Mr. Harding's school, Miss Elizabeth Haven Appleton was a teacher for six years, beginning in 1849. The memoir of this noble woman's life, contained in a memorial volume prepared by Eugene F. Bliss, in 1891, contains this account of her educational work. Mr. Bliss writes: ''In i855 she established a school of her own, which she continued till 1875. Usually she had a partner, but her own personality was so strongly impressed upon it that it was always spoken of as ' Miss Appleton's school.' She was absent in Europe during the school year of 1865-66, and was again abroad after she finally gave up teaching ten years later. I have no account of her labors in Mr. Harding's school, but in her own more than four hundred pupils were first and last under her instruction. Were the list to be published, the names of all the families prominent in the city for the last forty years would be found in it. What impression she made upon her pupils may be shown by the following extract from the proceedings of their meeting held December 1, 1890: 'The sphere of teacher admits of such scope for influence, and the teacher is such a factor in the moulding and shaping of our lives, that the value of such a mission can scarcely be computed. No one could have been more gifted and better qualified to fulfill this - noble work than Miss Appleton. She had, to a rare degree, the faculty of imparting knowledge and of awakening interest and love of study in her pupils. By her admirable methods she not only trained the mind for careful and serious thought, but, by her instruction in art and literature, she stimulated the imagination and cultivated an artistic appreciation tending toward that harmonious development which makes life so full of interest and beauty.' "'

Private Schools for Boys; after 1830. - One of the early schools for boys was that conducted by O. M. Mitchell, and called by him the '' Institute of Science and Languages.' It was established, probably, in 1836. Of earlier origin were '' Cincinnati Adelphi Seminary,'' Thomas H. Quinan, principal; '' Cincinnati Academy," John L. Talbott, principal, and a practical school, taught by Milo G. Williams, a prominent member of the College of Teachers. In June, 1832, an examining committee consisting of Isaac G. Burnet, Timothy Flint, and others, testified, in the pages of the Cincinnati Mirror, to the great merit of Mr. Williams' schoo]. In it were taught manual labor, and the principles of the United States constitution. The proprietor supplied for the use of his school a choice library of 250 volumes. Mr. Williams removed to Dayton, where he founded the '"'Academic and Manual Labor Institute," one of the first technical schools in the West.

Herron's ''Seminary for Boys'' was begun in 1845, and maintained a high reputation for a series of twenty years. Joseph Herron came to Cincinnati in 1829. He was one of the early teachers in the public schools. Subsequently he was called to take charge of the Primary department of Cincinnati College. After the destruction of the college by fire in 1845, he, like Mr. Harding, founded a private school, of which he was principal till his death, March 26, 1863. The school occupied the lecture room of Wesley Chapel until 1848, when it was removed to Seventh street. The average annual attendance at this seminary was about two hundred. Foote, in 1855, speaks of it as '' one of our permanent institutions of learning." The seminary was situated on Seventh street, between Walnut and Vine. The building was erected by Mr. Herron. The corps of teachers, in 1859, was as follows: Joseph Herron, A. M., professor of rhetoric, moral science and English literature; Miletus Green, A. M., professor of Greek and Latin; Maxwell P. Gaddis, Jr., B.S., mathematics and natural sciences; James E. Sherwood, assistant; Charles Aiken, A. M., vocal music; Philippo Fr. Baldauff, German and French; Charles J. Sheppard, bookkeeping and penmanship; Louis Schwebel, drawing and painting; Mons. Jose Tosso, instrumental music.

Mention must be made of an original and energetic institution entitled "St. John's College,'' conducted for some years by Dr. Colton, with the assistance of Prof. John C. Zachos. The immediate successor to this school was an academy under the care of Charles Matthews, formerly professor in old Woodward College.

Dr. Andrew J. Rickoff, after his withdrawal from the superintendency of the public schools, in 1859, opened an " English and Classical School,'' on the corner of Elm and Ninth streets, which he carried on successfully for nine years.

A most excellent "' Preparatory School for Boys"' was conducted for a number of years by Eugene F. Bliss, of Harvard, a gentleman of the finest culture and character, and whose influence on the many youths, whom he prepared for college, prepared them, also, in the best way for a pure and upright life. It was a Joss to education in this city when Mr. Bliss retired from the teaching profession.

Chickering Classical and Scientific Institute. - Josiah Boutelle Chickering opened a '' Select School for Boys,'' in the hall of the George street engine-house, between Central avenue and Plum, Cincinnati, September 3, 1855. A circular announcing the school gives the following names of citizens to whom reference is invited: Miles Greenwood, D. T. Woodrow, Samuel Cloon, Jabez Reynolds, Dr. Henry Crane, William H. Moore, Henry A. Johnson, Rev. W. R. Nicholson, Clifford G. Wayne, William P. Neff, Edgar B. Conkling, E. O. Goodman, J. W. Sibley, George T. Stedman, Dr. Charles Woodward, George H. Calvert, D. W. Corwin, James Calhoun, R. S. Holden, S. H. Burton. In a sense, these men may be regarded as the founders of the institution. The school was well attended, and the hall of the engine-house did not long afford sufficient accommodation. In 1859, Mr. Chickering bought a lot on George street, between John and Smith streets, and built thereon a substantial two-story brick edifice, well planned for the purposes of a school. Two years later a third story was added.

The school was reorganized in 1860, and the courses of study were revised by the Faculty. During the continuance of the Civil war, the business prosperity of the school was phenomenal. The first formal commencement exercises were held in June, 1864. The first four classical graduates went to Yale College, and the. next three went to Harvard. In 1864 the Adelphi Literary Society was formed by Prof. George K. Bartholomew: The school paper, Lux Luminum, was started im 1865. The school was known as Chickering's Academy until 1866, when the name: was changed to Chickering Classical and Scientific Institute.

Mr. Chickering devoted himself wholly to the up-building of the school. His indomitable will, his business tact, his untiring industry, his love for educational work, united to give his private enterprise the character of public service. He conducted all departments of the school on a liberal scale, and made every effort to employ the best of teachers.

Among the teachers who were connected with this school within its thirtyone years of existence are Prof. Chauncy R. Stuntz, Woodward High School, Cin- © cinnati; Nelson Sayler, Esq., attorney at law, Cincinnati; Charles F. Vent, Esq., book publisher, Cincinnati ; H. A. Morrell, Esq., attorney at law, Cincinnati; Dr. J. C. Christin, late assistant superintendent public schools, St. Louis, Mo.; Prof. George K. Bartholomew, principal Bartholomew English and Classical School, Cincinnati ; Charles S. Royce, director of Butler's Health Lift, Collegeville, Penn. ; Louis. Schwebel, artist, Cincinnati ; Charles Aikin, late superintendent of music in the - public schools of Cincinnati; Prof. J. K. Creevy, editorial rooms of Appleton Co., New York; Prof. E. G. Coy, professor of Greek in Phillips Andover Academy ; Prof. H. P. Wright, professor of Latin in Yale College; Rev. J. P. Babin, proprietor of Collegiate School, Cincinnati; Prof. Tracy Peck, professor of Latin Yale

¢ After J. B. Chickering's death (December 5, 1881,) the principalship of the Institute devolved on W. H. Venable, who, for twenty years, had been at the head of the Scientific department of the school. Mr. Venable, on February 6, 1882, purchased the good will of the school, and leased the school building of Mrs. S. M. Chickering, widow and executrix of the founder.

Mr. Venable conducted the school until June, 1886, when for business reasons it became necessary to abandon the buildings on George street. Under the circumstances Mr. Venable decided to withdraw temporarily from the educational field.

Two hundred and twenty persons received the diploma of the Chickering Institute. These were graduated within twenty years; twelve are deceased. The catalogue shows that nearly one-half of the graduates took higher courses of study after leaving the Institute. Many took college degrees. Thirty attended Yale, and nine went to Harvard. The following institutions each received one or more students from this academy, viz.: Amherst College, Brown University, Beloit College, Center College, Cincinnati University, Cornell University, Columbian University, Hahnemann Medical College, Hebrew Union College, Law School of Cincinnati, Ohio Medical College, Marietta College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michigan University, New York College of Physicians and Surgeons, Otterbein College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Pulte Medical College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Williams College, Wooster University.

A majority of the graduates of the Institute reside in Cincinnati, but a considerable number are scattered in various cities and States. They are engaged, almost without exception, in active business pursuits, or in professions. ieuty bere have entered the profession of law; twelve are physicians; four are clergymen ; four are teachers ; seven are journalists. A number are prominently connected with mercantile and manufacturing interests. The record exhibits the names of bankers, pork-packers, stock-growers, farmers, engineers, architects, etc. Several of the graduates have held public offices of honor and trust.

The Franklin School. - The Franklin School, a first-class academy for boys, has its buildings on May street, Walnut Hills. This excellent institution was founded several years ago, and has grown steadily in power and in the estimation of discriminating judges, and now holds high rank, not merely as a local school, but also as one of the very best places of preparatory learning in America. Such an authority as Everett O. Fisk, of Boston, is in the habit of rating the school as the best private school out of New England. At present the teaching corps numbers eight persons, and the school has besides the regular equipment of most schools, a gymnasium with a trained instructor in physical culture. The school has primary and intermediate departments, and prepares its pupils for colleges, and schools of science and technology. Classes of about twenty are graduated each year. The list of its students who have entered colleges and scientific schools now numbers one hundred. The instructors are: Principals: Joseph E. White, Latin and English ; Gerrit S. Sykes, Greek and modern languages; Assistants: Albert E. Kingsbury, mathematics and science; Adelaide A. Jackson, primary department; Eléonore Peltier, French; Marie Harff, German; and Mary Grace Hulsman, English and German.

Babin's Collegiate School. - The collegiate school for boys, at No. 6 West Fourth street, Rev. J. Babin, A. B., principal, ''aims to prepare boys thoroughly for college and for commercial or professional life, and to afford the best educational advantages to those who wish to have their sons trained with reference to their individual peculiarities and wants.'' The name of the school was given in 18/7, when the present principal and E. F. Bliss united their schools and formed a partnership, which, in 1879, was dissolved. The motto of the school is '' Age quod agis.'' The teaching force for the years 1893-94 includes, besides the principal, E. G. Kinkead, Latin ; H. M. Wallace, Greek ; Prof. H. T. Mueller, German; R. H. Hoeg, writing ; John Zelter, drawing; Miss Flavia Babin, primary department. The collegiate department offers a four years' course of study.

Dodd Classical High School. - This school, conducted by Rev. T. J. Dodd, D. D., located in the Apollo building, began its seventh year in September, 1893. It offers to boys and young men a five years' course of study, embracing mathematics, ancient and modern languages, history, English literature and elementary science. The proprietor states the aims and scope of the schoolas follows: ' The first purpose of the school, paramount to all others, is to train the student to the highest order of intellectual and moral manhood, qualifying him for an honorable and useful life as a member of society, a man of business, and a citizen of the commonwealth. The special aims kept steadily in view are: To create a love of study, to stimulate zeal to its highest efforts, to ascertain the student's gifts or aptitudes, to develop thought with the power of expression, to secure intelligent comprehension and appreciation of the subject studied, rather than the committing to memory of facts or rules.''

Prof. Eisele's School. - One of the most popular and successful preparatory schools in Cincinnati is that of Prof. W. M. Hisele, Ph.D., C. E., in the Bradford block, now in its eighth year, which makes a specialty of preparing pupils for colleges and scientific or polytechnic schools or for business. The school also gives special courses, which provide a thorough preparatory training for civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, surveying, architecture, professional and commercial pursuits. Pupils are received by the term or by the month, and three sessions are held daily. The time for completing a course preparatory for college and scientific or polytechnic schools varies from one to three years, and in favorable cases less than one year is required.

tions for admission not only to the Freshman, but also to the Sophomore year of Yale College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Other candidates from this school have been notably successful in the entrance examinations of Harvard, Sheffield Scientitic School, Cornell University, Lehigh University, Cincinnati University, Ann Arbor University, Rose Polytechnic Institute, Imperial Polytechnic Institute, Berlin, Germany, and the Polytechnic School at Zurich, Switzerland. The methods of instruction and recitation adopted by Prof. Hisele have gained the approval of those who have examined into their merits. The cramming and rote system are not honored by the school, for Prof. Hisele believes that 'the letter kills, the spirit makes alive.'' Strict personal attention is given to each pupil according to bis individual requirements, so that he may be promoted in each study as rapidly as his abilities and application will justify. Among the many who bear testimony to the thoroughness and efficiency of Prof. Hisele's school may be mentioned: H. T. Eddy, C. E., Ph.D., president of Rose Polytechnic School Institute, Terre Haute, Ind., formerly dean of the Cincinnati University ; Hon. Frederick W. Moore, judge of the supreme court, Cincinnati; Prof. Ferd Schwill, Ph. D., of Chicago University; Prof. W. S. Rix, formerly principal of the Mount Auburn Collegiate School ; Thomas G. Smith, Esq., ex-president of the board of public affairs; D. S. Oliver, Esq.; also H. Coope, G. N. Merryweather, Herman Knost, James Landy, Herman Urban, Maximilian Briam, and others scarcely less prominent in educational, professional and commercial circles.

Prof. Eisele completed the greater part of his studies at a German university and Polytechnic academy, and has won distinction as a teacher both in Europe and America.

The Berlitz School of Languages. - The Berlitz Schools, named after the founder, Prof. M. D. Berlitz, are now to be found in a number of the larger American cities, and also in Germany and France. The first one was established in May, 1878. The branch at Cincinnati is now located at No. 93 East Fourth street, and is under the directorship of Prof. William Jaeger. In 1893 the school held a summer course, in connection with Belmont College, College Hill.

The Cincinnati Berlitz School was opened November 1, 1891. The attendance during the second year was two hundred and fifty-six pupils. Instruction is given in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and also Latin and Greek. In their prospectus the directors of the school publish as follows: 'In the Berlitz Method we teach, from the start the various inflections, forms of words and modes of constructing sentences, not only systematically, but, as we believe, also in'a novel and attractive way. The pupil, without ever conjugating, declining or memorizing grammatical rules, is thoroughly drilled in each inflection and form, before he passes to new ones, and these exercises are continued until all the more important elements of the language have been practiced.''

The Bartholomew English and Classical School was established September 21, 1875, for the purpose of offering to girls a course of instruction in the ancient and modern languages, mathematics, natural science, and English, as thorough and broad as is given to boys in schools of the highest grade.

In respouse to the announcement of the plan proposed, seventy-five applicants presented themselves for classification on the opening day. The average number of pupils for the period of eighteen years has been one hundred and twenty-eight; the highest number enrolled during any one year being one hundred and sixty-nine.

The school is distinctively Christian in its influence and instruction. The form of morning worship is liturgical, as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer of the Protestant Episcopal Church, including responsive readings from the Scriptures with chants and hymns.

'by lease, with privilege of purchase, and a commodious, light and thoroughly ventilated building was erected. Every department is now well-equipped for its work, and the best facilities are given to students who desire to complete a liberal course of study, as well as to those who are preparing for the colleges and universities now open to young women. Of the graduates of the school, now numbering one hundred and twenty-six, thirty have entered Vassar, Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Girton (England) or the University of Cincinnati. Many others have been stimulated to we forward their work in particular lines of study, especially in literature, music, and art.

Among those who have been associated with Dr. and Mrs. Bartholomew as instructors, and who have left the impress of their faithful and efficient work upon the school, may be named Miss Ella M. Liggett, A. M. (Vassar), now principal of a prosperous school in Detroit; Miss S. R. Steer, whose life has been devoted to edu- 'cational work in Cincinnati; Miss Annie S. Peck, A. M. (University of Michigan); Miss Elizabeth K. Eaton (Harvard Certificate); Miss Lottie Caldwell (now Mrs. Fred. W. Wood, of Chicago); Albert H. Hoyt, A. M., of Boston, distinguished for his historical research and literary labors and scholarship; Charles M. Hepburn, A. M. (University of Virginia), successor to Mr. Hoyt in the chair of literature and rhetoric; Madame Emilie des Islets, who has. been fourteen years at the head of the French department; Madame Helena Klingner, well known as a teacher of the German language; Miss Mary C. Hoyt, B. S. (Asbury), now Mrs. J. Livington Brown; Miss Carrie M. Wheeler, successor to Miss Steer, and now for ten years principal of the Preparatory department; Miss Ellen C. Hoyt, B. S. (Asbury), now Mrs. John Davis Morgan; Miss Christian S. Bredin, whose art work has already given her first rank among the graduates of the Cincinnati Art School; Miss Anna Poyntz Anderson (Harvard Certificate); Miss Margaret E. Johnston (Boston School of Oratory).

The home department has been, from the first, a prominent and pleasant feature of the institution. As the number of resident pupils is limited, each one enjoys the personal care, protection and comforts that constitute a delightful home. Constant supervision is given to forming correct habits of study, to courteous manners, to ease of conversation in both English and French, and to the healthy development and moulding of high personal character. At the same time, these students have the advantage of association with day pupils in classes sufficiently large to stimulate them to their best efforts. Careful attention is paid to the laws of health and the physical training of each pupil as her special needs require. The school now enters upon its nineteenth year, strong in the support of its friends and in the loyal devotion of its alumne.

Thane Miller's Young Ladies' Institute, Mount Auburn. - The Mount Auburn Institute, founded in 1856, is in successful operation under the direction of H. Thane Miller and Mrs. Miller, with a Faculty of able, experienced and enthusiastic teachers. The school is situated on an eminence overlooking the Ohio river, a location unsurpassed for beauty, healthfulness, and of easy access from all parts of the city. The courses of study are broad, systématic and complete, special attention being given to literature, history and the languages. Diplomas are given to graduates, and a post-graduate course is provided for those who desire to pursue their studies further.

The Institute is supplied with an excellent library, and reading rooms, where the best. magazines and newspapers are kept on file. The Polymnian Society is an organization conducted by the students for literary and musical culture. Lectures on art, music and belles-lettres are # prominent feature of the Institute, and musieal recitals furnish to the students that opportunity for gaining confidence and selfpossession so necessary to the proper development and use of musical talent.

The home life of the Institute is desirable in every way, and as the family is limited to twenty-five, each one of the resident students receives individual care and personal attention. The Mount Auburn Institute numbers among its Alumnz many ladies distinguished both in Cincinnati and in other cities for commanding social position, and not a few of its members have become well-known as musicians, artists or writers.

Miss Armstrong's School. - In the year 1875, Miss Sarah J. Armstrong, at that time a teacher in the Normal School of Oswego, N. Y., was induced by friends in Cincinnati - who were acquainted with her character and work, and who realized the need in our city of an earnest influence in female education - to come here and establish a school for girls.

A remarkable feature of the school has been its permanent Faculty. No changes have been made in the English department from the beginning, but new members have been added from time to time as growing numbers demanded. Thus, one teacher has been associated with Miss Armstrong from the beginning of the school - eighteen years; a second, sixteen; a third, fifteen; a fourth, thirteen; three others twelve, eleven and seven years, respectively. The location of the school has been twice changed. It opened in the city at No. 180 Elm street. The evident advantages of a suburban situation led Miss Armstrong thence to Mount Auburn where, in 1877, she leased the beautiful Reakirt homestead, now torn down and replaced by a row of residences.

The rapidly increasing compactness of Mount Auburn and the growing need for still more room necessitated a second removal in 1888. The school now occupies a charming location in Avondale, on the corner of Main and Linden avenues, formerly the residence of H. T. West. This location combines the advantages of easy access from all directions, pure air, extensive views, large and beautiful grounds, and convenient proximity to thecity. The commodious and elegant mansion of Mr. West is used as the home, and a new building for the school has been added under Miss Armstrong's supervision. This is admirably adapted to its purpose, being spacious, light, airy, well heated, and without fatiguing ascents, as the classrooms are all on the first two floors.

The course of study is comprehensive and systematic, exacting in its requirements, yet capable of adaptation to individual needs and powers. Recognizing no limit to the capacity and energy of the mind, the teachers discouraged the idea of a ''finished'' course of study, so flattering to the vanity of a young girl, and so dangerous to her progress. Above, and beyond, the impartment of facts, they strive to give that power and love of mental activity which is a higher educational acquisition and a better preparation for a happy and useful life. Claiming no name but that of school, and conferring no title but that of student, this institution sets no limit to the work which an earnest, bright and persistent girl may accomplish under its guidance.

Miss Nourse's English and French Family and Day School, Walnut Hills.. - Miss Nourse, whose services to the cause of education in Cincinnati deserve the highest commendation, is at the head of a girls' home school, located in an attractive building, erected for school purposes, at No. 804 Gilbert avenue. The school affords preparation for the best colleges, and awards diplomas. ' It possesses a gymnasium, an excellent private library, and fine facilities for social and literary culture. The instruction in French is regarded as of the highest order. The school is patronized and recommended by many of the most distinguished families of the city. It is at present represented by pupils in the University of Cincinnati, Vassar, Smith and Wellesley.

Madame Fredin's Eden Park School. - " Toujours Mieux,'' the motto of the Eden Park School for Girls, has been well interpreted and closely followed, as a short sketch of the school will show. The school opened in September, 1881, and was located at No. 15 Morris street. The pupils numbered twenty-three, and were from the best families of Cincinnati. Three years later the number had increased so much as to make it necessary to enlarge quarters, and No. 16 was rented. In