Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-11-19

Public schools--visit OF Common Couneii--
Comm issioners and Cathslies--Ad eapitan-
dum vuigus NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. gant
Expenditures, aud other Matters thst need
Investigation.
Nh. Epirox-
Ii appears from the debates in council, OF the Pc
tent and grave fathers Of our city, that they mean
to visit eur public schools uring the week. in pro-
psis PERSONS, aud ascertain frem occular demon
stratioa whether the monopoly shall be continued
or net.
Now, sir, doub. much if they will be any the
wiser in relation TO the true nature and quality Of
the schools, after such visit. 1t WILL as usual be
mere outside show. They intend it ms, to go in
company with the Commissioners, who certainly
can give them but very little light the matter 1t
is true they visit the schools twice year, aud hear
few Of the best scholars read and spell little,
which amounts TO nothing more than a forma-
lily They are seldom longer in one department
than twenty-five minutes, or With them it is a
mere ia ska flying vi1it-to comply with the sta
tute The whole is des pate he'd in haste-a sumptu-
Gus dinner awaiting them which they despatch with
infinitely more govt than the dull and formal task of
examination.
am well aware what pains the Trustees take to
set of these schools to the best Advantage before
| strangers. A committee Of the Corporation were
invited last year to visit the schools, TO if they
were not deserving more funds. Some two or three
only, of the most respectable, were selected and
their teachers notified some time previous 10 have
them in the highest possible state Of discipline on
such a day aud hour. Now, what did the whole
amount to The honorable gentlemen came, and
fouad the scholars with faces and hands extra elean
and all around a "nicely sanded floor" So far as
physical teachers were concerned, they could
hands up" ''hands down." and hands behind"
very well because they had been screwed Up, on
this scale, to the highest point of psrfectibiliy
Who weuld neglect to have their house in order,
when warned of the visits of such Personages But
after all, they nothing than the tnsel and
show Of the concern. The quality Of their intel
lectuaI fooi-their general order and discipline
the arbitrary government of those who supervise
them, are all hidden from the ken of the visitor.
The question for the Common Council to settle is,
net whether the teachers Of the scholars be good
whether they can read, write and cipher well, but
whether the length and breadth of tie education the
schools offer the public, is such that all can avail
themselves Of their ad vantages without any
fee Of religious principle. The very first princi-
Piles of liberty dictate that have right to le
gIsate away any mans conscience, or infringe upon
bis gion, or visit him with pains and pesalties en-
account of his faith. That the public schools have
swerved entirely from their first principles. no man
knowing their history can deny. They were based
ut first religion. About fourteen years age the
first powerful assault was made upon it, AID was
continued until every vestige was gone. To rebut
the charge of infdety, the trustees tell the BIZ
BILE ia read every morning by the teacher; and,
therefore, they religious religious, jasta
you please. Reading the Bible by the teacher one
thing, and inculcatag religious instruction is ano-
taer. That which treats Of asupreme and super
intending Providence-of an immortal soul-ef
eternity-of human &C countability-never enters
into the daily lessons Of these schools.
Now I contend, that by impressing the mind Of
Mankind with the belief that there Is An eye that
behsds all they do, and 10 privy to the most secret
intents Of the heart, and that every will be dealt
with according to his deeds,yss do more to prevent
crine-more to make good ctizens-and more to
perpetua'c the stability OF our republic than is in
the power of all the secular sciences combined.
But Cesar" has a c,onopoly here, and nothing 10
rendered to God" These ought ye to have
done, and not TO leave the other undone." A coun-
tryman, being asked his opinion Of very elegant
sermon, said il was the worst he had ever heard,
for L had neither Lord, God, Jesus Christ nor De-
vii in il The public schools may be a. elegant
the sermon, but they are equally defective.
Of all these matters asd things, q eursnry visit
will not inform ssrient fathers. IL they meas
to inrsstgafe, well as look on the surface they
would do we'll to enquire whether the five thousand
uninstructsd Catholic children in city growing
up in ignorance and vice, did not more need fifty
hogsand dollars TO make them good citiz sns, than
Public School Trustees TO rear palace in
Grand street, IN which a lew OF them may meet to
iegisiafe or t,ciee month! IL tho Corpora
on blind 20 such prodigality, il is time their
eyes were opened. These trustees contiausly
ompaining Of being short OF funds, end here We
fad these s.noners of the public bosnty iavishing
funds raised for the sacred cause OF education,
costly edifee, Of which they had more need than
the King cf the French has Of palace. They had
the use of the Mechanics school for nothing II
that was denied them, they had buildings enough OF
their own 10 accommodate from t,csnfy down to
half do-en members which is often the gr. atest
number they can raise at some Of their most grave
IT, AL all. Ia
the trustees codneil chamber Ii would have built
all the schools the Catholics want. With interest,
and tear and wear, IL costs at least foar thousand
dollars year. Say their meetinrJ are twenty five
year. each meeting will cos: one hundred and ak
ty dollars. Why not hire the City Hotel or the
Tabernacle They can be had for fourth Of that
sum, and are certainly capacious enough for dozen
eighteen individuals, equal certainly to the ave-
rage attendance at their meetings. Ifthess men are
defcieb; In philosophy and political economy, the
CORPORATE IN would do well TO point out to them the
GFitsmeic Of Their doiRgs, and also demonstrate to
them the difference between philanthrephy and am
bition,
Such ex,rsvagant expenditure comes with bad
grace FROM men who are so pcnurious IN other mat
tiers. When the assistant teachers once asked fur
an increase of salary, some Of them, having IA.
miles, could not support them ON the pittance they
received, the committee OF three Qszkers In whom
these petitions were rred their feelings
by telling them with perfect sang roid, that IL
nerptditnf" TO make any addition to their sala-
ries. They asked again. and their petition WAS laid
ON the table, where it died. This committee has
been Justly named the "Committee Silence"
Bet want Is fertile In petitions They asked again
The Quakers in general tried hard TO crush their Pc
tition-soTne Of them argued that the teachers
az well paid az nechancs-others, that they eosld
get enough for less than they paid fAem. And ell
this TO men who had been subjected TO the most ri
gid Nomination Of some six or eight hours, before
they eosld be admitted iDts their subAltern sitsa
tions. II was Only by getting the whole Board to
move in the business, and look at the equity asd
common sense Of the matter that the illibera ptia
cipes Of tho regency were voted down, and the pc.
tition for a moderate increase was granted. Those
trustees who could oppose the honest and reasobs-
Bile requests their hslfstarvcd assistant teichers
then male, may do to legslste for slaves, not for
fresmsn, in he republic Of letters. Men who can
not discriminate between the culture OF tho soil and
the csliurs Of the mind, unfit for Public School
Trustees.
Their treatment OF the teachers has often msrited
severe conaemsat Take one instance. Alter