but 30 inmates since the school was established, in January, 1888. The school has existed for eight years; at the rate of $1,500 a year, her expenditures have been $12,000. Berkshire has a valuation of $46,507,821. Barnstable in the same period, with a valuation of $20,947,788, has expended not one dollar. These are the extremes; between them lie the other counties of the State. The interest involved affects every part of the State. Should not the tax for the schools bear equally upon the taxable property of the State? Upon what economic principle can a tax of $400 to $500 per year for the support of a child in the Berkshire school be justified, when in the Middlesex school the same result can be secured for $130?

Both economy and utility would be conserved by having the location of the truant schools under State control. A single school for the four western counties would meet all the wants of that section of the State.

Girls' School needed. There is a manifest impropriety in committing girls to the same school with boys. On leaving the school, moreover, any stigma which may attach to the girls on account of being sent to the school will leave an impression upon the minds of the boys with whom the girls are associated while there, and this possibly to their hurt.

The number of girls that are truants as compared with that of boys is small. There are some, and they should be provided for in separate schools. This provision would be better and more economically made by the State than by the counties. One or two girls' schools could be so located as to meet the wants of the whole State.

Supervision of Truant Schools. - Through the State Board of Education or a special bureau made up of experts in child study, there could be provided for the schools supervision and direction which they now lack and of which they are in special need, and which, I am sure, would be welcomed by their superintendents.

Whatever body is in control, these schools should be objects of interest to public-spirited citizens; they should be visited at opportune times by such persons living in their vicinity, and the inmates should be encouraged to look forward to, and helped to find, useful occupations in life.

Increase in Numbers with Better Knowledge.-Taken together, the schools have accommodations for more children than they now contain. With a right conception of the province of the schools, however, with provisions in accordance with their proper aims, with a more careful scrutiny into the attendance and truancy in the towns hitherto wholly unrepresented in them, which would result from the appointment of a State school attendance officer, and with the removal of the charge now put upon towns sending truants to the schools, the numbers that would be committed to them would exceed their present limits.

Middlesex County formerly had provisions in Lowell, Cambridge and Lawrence for 60 to 70 truants. In former estimates I have placed the number Middlesex would have, if a suitable school or schools were provided, at about 120. With the present satisfactory arrangements making and in contemplation, and with her added accommodations, she will reach my calculations. She built her school to accommodate 60 boys; at the time of writing she has 81, with a considerable waiting list; while Lowell at the same time is sending part of hers to her House of Employment and Reformation.

With the establishment of her Parental School, Boston was provided with a suitable place for truants to the number of 50. On the 11th of September, 1895, the school received its first inmate; up to the 11th of December, 117 had been sent there from her several courts. These facts indicate what had been assumed, that the magistrates will freely commit truants to appropriate schools.

Another thing which is shown by the recent large number of commitments to the Boston Parental School is that the neglect to enforce the law tends to increase the number of cases of truancy. Having abolished her truant school at Deer Island a year ago, the city did not commit truants for the year. This fact undoubtedly had the effect to increase the number of habitual truants among children who are inclined to truancy habits. A Single Court at Boston to have Charge of Juvenile OffendBut there is another fact which deserves attention. Boston has a half dozen courts that may commit for truancy. Apparently all these have been making commitments without full concert of action. What Boston should have, coupled with

ers.

her efficient truant system, is a single court with jurisdiction in all cases of truants and juvenile delinquents, and of parents offending against the law for compulsory attendance.

RECAPITULATION.

In summarizing the report upon the investigation, attention is invited to the following statements and suggestions for consideration:

I.

There is a considerable number of children in the Commonwealth above 5 per cent., by estimate that fail, from parental neglect and truancy, to obtain the amount of schooling required by law.

II.

The legal means for enforcing the laws in regard to compulsory attendance and truancy are inadequate or inoperative in small towns, largely because they depend for their enforcement upon local officers.

III.

Further provision should be made for:

1. A more careful enumeration, under the direction of the school committee, of children of all ages between five and fifteen years, inclusive; and coincident in time with this enumeration, for purposes of comparison, lists should be made of the names of all children in the town or city belonging either to public or private schools.

2. Registers of a prescribed form to be furnished to all private as well as to public schools. These registers to be kept at the schools, and abstracts thereof to be furnished to the Board of Education upon the request of the secretary, as a condition for the attendance of children upon such schools being recog nized as compliance with the provisions of the State requiring parents and other persons having control of children to cause them to attend school.

3. The use of discharge and transfer cards, to be given to children, with a duplicate to the truant officer, in every instance of a child's discharge from one school to go to another in the

same town, or to another town, the provision to extend to children attending private as well as public schools.

4. A careful scrutiny into the age of children applying for age and schooling certificates, with reference to obtaining employment, and full compliance with the requirements of the law regarding such certificates.

5. Securing from appropriate sources the necessary clothing to attend school for all children in need of such provision. 6. Provision for including the conveyance of children to public schools at public expense, in appropriations made for the "support of schools."

A change in form of fines to be imposed upon parents who from neglect fail to cause their children to attend school for the time required by law, so as to give the parent an added motive for causing his child to attend school.

8. An extension of the time schools must be kept from 24 to 32 weeks, and of the time of compulsory attendance to coincide with the time schools are required to be kept.

9. Amendment to the compulsory law, by striking out the provision in section 1, chapter 498, Acts of 1894, for an "allowance of two weeks' time for absences not excused by the superintendent of schools or the school committee."

10. Payment of tuition by the State for State wards, in towns giving schooling to non-resident pupils, such towns having a valuation less than $3,000,000.

11. Amendment of employment laws, to prevent the employment for wages of any child under thirteen years of age at any kind of work during school hours (chapter 508, Acts of 1894).

12. Amendment to the laws so as not to require towns to make by-laws concerning truants and the place of commitment.

13. Presentments by truant officers of parents for noncompliance with the compulsory law under a general rule or vote of the School Board of the town.

14. One or more State school attendance officers, to be employed as agents of the Board of Education in securing attendance of children upon the schools, and having all the powers throughout the State, to be exercised in emergencies now conferred or hereafter to be conferred by law upon local truant officers.

15. A change of the name truant school to the name parental school, for all truant schools.

16. Separating truants from children known to be guilty of graver offences, and generally for the separation of children in truant schools into small families.

17. Indeterminate sentences.

18. Assigning to the Board of Education, or to a special bureau, the conduct and supervision of truant schools, with State support.

19. The removal of the direct tax of $2 per week upon towns for the support of children while attending a truant school.

20. A truant school or schools for girls separate from the schools for boys.

21. Some minor changes in wording are needed to make more intelligible to school officers the meaning of the laws; for example, the last paragraph of section 17, chapter 508, Acts of 1894, needs recasting, unless it is intended to accept for illiterate minors 20 weeks' attendance upon an evening school in place of 30 weeks in day schools.

IV.

The report now presented covers, so far as was practicable up to date, the subjects which the Board was directed to investigate, namely: "School attendance and truancy in the Commonwealth, with special reference to the question whether any, and, if so, what, improvements can be made in the provisions and arrangements concerning truants and absentees from school." It represents the existing conditions of attendance and truancy, and proposes certain necessary changes in the methods and means of dealing with these subjects. How these changes are to be effected remains for further consideration. In this further consideration are involved:

1. The definite working out of the means already suggested for preventing non-attendance.

2. Modifications in the present system of truant schools, with their partial or entire transfer to the State for support and direction.

2. Provision for the employment by the State Board of Education of one or more State school attendance officers, to