Viewing page 41 of 321

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

12

0/110

Oct. 28 8

Rev. J. W. Alvord
Gen. Sup. Schools

Dear Sir: I have the honor to reply to your communication of yesterday.

The Commissioner calls for "a digest of the laws of the reconstructed states &c". Virginia is not one of these, and the ante-bellum laws are in operation.

The state as such has no schools except the University of Virginia at Charlottesville and the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington.

The counties and corporate towns are allowed to establish free schools and provide by taxation for their support. This is all there is or has been of a public school system. Before the war a number of cities and counties availed themselves of this privilege and set up which were free to those who were unable to pay and received tuition to a [[crossed out]] time [[/crossed out]] limited extent, from such as could pay. At that time there was a "Literary Fund", arising from "escheat, fines, forfeitures, property derelict" &c. from which $80.000. per annum was divided among the counties 

Transcription Notes:
.