railroads, tax equalization, quarantine, forestry, etc.
Judicial. The highest court in the State is the Court of Appeals, composed of a Chief Justice and six associate justices, elected singly for terms of fourteen years. The Supreme Court is composed of seventy-six judges, each elected for fourteen years. They act in eight judicial districts. There are also county courts, surrogates' courts, and city courts.
Local Government. The Legislature provides for the organization of cities and incorporated villages, and restricts their power of taxation assessment, borrowing money, contracting debts, etc., “so as to prevent abuses. . . .” It divides all cities into three classes, according to size, and provides that all special legislation shall be submitted for the approval of the cities concerned, although they may be passed later over the city's veto. In the counties, the board of supervisors, elected by towns and wards of cities, have control of public buildings and the care of the poor, and they audit the accounts of county officers. The cities are governed under special charters, varying in their provisions.
Since 1848 married women have had separate rights to real and personal property in New York State. They may carry on business, and may sue or be sued on their own account. A husband may convey directly to his wife, and a wife to her husband. Absolute divorce is granted only for adultery. Women may practice law. No youth under eighteen and no woman under twenty-one may be employed in a factory for more than 60 hours in one week, nor may any child under thirteen be so employed at all.
Militia. In 1900 there were 1,639,395 men of militia age. The militia in 1901 numbered 14,410.
Population. The population of the State by decades has been as follows: 1790, 340,120; 1800, 589,051; 1810, 959,049; 1820, 1,372,111; 1830, 1,918,608; 1840, 2,428,921; 1850, 3,097,394; 1860, 3,880,735; 1870, 4,382,759; 1880, 5,082,871; 1890, 5,997,853; 1900, 7,268,012. From fifth rank in 1790 the State advanced to first place in 1820, and has ever since held this position. The largest absolute increase and the largest per cent. of increase after 1860 were witnessed from 1890 to 1900. In that decade the rate of increase was slightly greater than that for the United States, being 21.2 per cent., as against 20.7 per cent. The growth during that time, however, was wholly on the part of the urban population. In 1900 the 83 cities of the State with a population of over 4000 each contained together 71.2 per cent. of the total population, only two other States having a higher per cent. of urban population. The large urban population accounts for the high average density per mile—152.6. This figure is exceeded in only three States.
The location of New York City, as the gateway to the large foreign immigration to the United States, has resulted in giving the metropolis an unusually large foreign element. In 1900 the foreign born in the State numbered 1,900,425—nearly twice as many as in any other State. The striking characteristic of the foreign element in New York as compared with the country in general is the prominence of the Irish, Jews, and Italians. The State contains nearly four times as many Irish as any other State except Massachusetts; nearly three times us many Italians; and nearly as many Jews as all the rest of the country combined. Of the native white population, those born of foreign parents numbered 2,415,845 in 1900. There were 99,232 negroes, 7170 Chinese, and 5257 Indians. The female sex slightly outnumbers the male.
Cities. The population of the 12 largest cities in 1900 was: New York, 3,437,202; Buffalo, 352,387; Rochester, 162,608; Syracuse, 108,374; Albany, 94,151; Troy, 60,651; Utica, 56,383; Yonkers, 47,931; Binghamton, 39,647; Schenectady, 31,682; Auburn, 30,345. The State sends 37 members to the National House of Representatives.
Religion. The large immigration into New York has resulted in a very rapid increase of the Catholic and the Jewish populations. Particularly in New York City have these two elements become prominent. Among the Protestant denominations the Methodists are the most numerous, followed by the Presbyterians, Baptists, Protestant Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Congregationalists. Protestantism in New York City is characterized by the prominence of the Protestant Episcopal Church, this Church being much stronger there than elsewhere in the Union.
Education. Several school teachers were brought to New Netherland by the Dutch West India Company, but under the English rule popular education was neglected by the Government. In the eighteenth century several private academies were established, and in 1754 King's College was founded, and was reorganized in 1784 as Columbia College. At the latter date the Regents of the University were constituted a supervisory authority over higher education. The first step toward public common schools was taken in 1789, when two lots of land were assigned to each township for gospel and school purposes. But it was not until 1812 that an active movement set in to establish a State system. In 1854 a State Department of Public Instruction was organized, and soon afterwards the plan of free common schools was adopted, and State taxes for schools were very largely increased. The various schools are under the immediate direction of district trustees, and of boards of education in the towns and cities. The State superintendent exercises a general supervision over the common schools. The Regents of the University, a board of nineteen members elected for life, with four State officers ex-officio, continue to supervise secondary education. This board incorporates all higher institutions, distributes the State grants to academies and high schools, and for this purpose conducts a system of secondary school examinations and certificates which embraces this phase of public education throughout the State.
School attendance is compulsory between the ages of eight and sixteen years. The illiterate population of the State is 5.5 per cent. of the total population of ten years of age and over. The proportion of illiterates is 1.2 per cent. for native white, 14 per cent. for foreign white (12.6 in 1880), and 12.8 per cent. for colored. According to the school census of 1901 the school age (five to eighteen) population of the State was 1,620,287, of whom 1,242,416 were enrolled in the public schools in the same year. The average attendance in 1901 was 873,157, as against 642,984 in 1890. There were 35,591 teachers employed in the public schools of the State in 1901, of whom
