New-York tribune., 1842-01-05


There are 1855 school district Libraries, Contain
Ing $4,000 volumes The whole capital perlT'a-
nant!y invested FOR the support OF ctucsuon, IN
Guiding the two funds, h- endowments OF col
Irres and the value OF school eGIaceS !sten anc
hall millions OF dollars There Is happy contrast
! between this munlfceai foundation, and reso.
iiuIion of me Colonial Assembly not long before
,il- revolution, declaring that 4 report thai they
intended 10 levy by tax hve hundred pounds, 10
be expended in III. promotion OF learning, was
groupGiesS, false and malicious.
1T was among my sar!ieS; duties 20 b-1ns 70 the
zoiice OF the Legislature the nsglected CONDITION
OF many thousand children. including very large
proportion OF ;sose OF immigrant palentage IN
our grea: commercial city; misfortune then
supposed TO result from groundess preiudices and
omissions of parental duty. Especially cesl!ous
al the sams time not 10 disturb IN any manner
ihr public schools, which seemed 10 be efficiently
conducted, although 80 many ioT wnoU they
were established we're unwilling 20 receive their
Instructions suggested. as thought, N spirit
no; ;iail4rmonIouS with our civil and religious IN
sitJtlons, that, II necessary, 1t might be expedl-
en-; 10 briag ttlose so e1cuded=froul such PRIV
legeS INTO schools rendered especially attractive
by tt~ sympafh!es OF those 10 whom the task OF
instruction should b. cont!d-d Il mas since been
discovered tha; the magnitude OF the evil Vas
laotztullv known, and that lts causes were very
.mpertrct!y understood Il VIII be shown you
ii the proper report that twenty thousand child
ren in the city OF New-fork. OF suitable age, are
not al ali Instructed in any OF the public schools.
while the whole number IN all The residue OF
he STATE, not taught IN common schools, does
not exc-rd nIne thousand Whatahad been re-
gar,Iea as individual, occasional and accidental
J n
3 large mass, lnclidiug Etleast one religious COM
munyou equally with al others entitled 10 civil
tolerance-opnonS cherished through period
OF sixteen years and ripened into q permanent
CONSCIENTIOUS dlStrust OF the impa-tlallty OF the
education given a the public schools. This dis
tslst has been rendered still deeper and more
alternating by subvrrslon of precious ciylrights
of these whose couscIenccs are thus offended
Happily In this as in other instances, the evil
IS discovered 20 have had lis origin no deeper
than ina departure from the equality of general
AVS. In our ganeralsysten OF commcn schools,
trustees CHOSEN bytaX-paylng citizens. levy taxes,
7ulld school-houSes employ and pay teachers.
and govern schools which ara subject TO vista
sion bv similarly elected inspectors. who certify
he Qualifications Of teachers and all schools
has constituted participate IN Just proportion IN
he public moneys which are conveyed 70 them
/. comm ssoners also elected by the people
such schools are found distributed IN average
spaces 0: TWO and a half square miles throughout
the Inhabited portions OF !he State, and yft nel-
her popular dcontent, nor political strife, nor
.-ctarian discord has ever disturbed their peace
nj instructions or impaired their eminent useful
ness
In the public school system OF ,ae city, one
huntreG persons are trustees and directors, and
,b
lTe the dispensers OF an annual average sum OF
$4,000, received from theCommon SchooFund
of the State. and sum equal TO S95, 600, derived
rom an understanding tax upon the real ant
1ersoaalesrat OF tie city They build school
louses chiefly with prhlj2 funds they appoint
| md remove teachers. fix their compensation, anu
prescribe the moral, intellectual and religious IN
,trucion wh;1h on---ighth of the rising genera
ton OF the STATE shall be required 10 receive
Their powers mere effective and ar-reachne
tlan are exercised by The municipality OF th-
citv are not derved from the community whose
children are edncated and whose property
taxed, nor even roni the State, whlca Is so great
an almoner, and whose welfare is so deeply con-
crrned, but from an Incorporated and perpetual
association. which grants upon pscunlary sub
-cription. the privileges even OF life membership,
md yet holds IN fee simple the public school ed-
ticeS, valued al eight hundred thousand dollars.
Lest there might he too much responsibility even
% the association, that body can elect only one
half oi the trustees. ard those thus selected ap-
point their ti.'y assocales,
The philanthropy and pafric tsm OF the present
managers OF the pubic schools, and their EN-
cheney in imparting instruction, are cheeriui!y
and gratefully admitted. Neg IS It necessary TO
nlaint4in that agents thus selected will become
unfailhful, or that a system thatso jealousy ex-
Guides popular interference. must t-n-cessarlly be
Unequal in It's operation. Ii IS only insisted iHhi
The Institjltion after far and sufficient, trial, has
| failed TO pain that broad confidence reposed IN
,h, general system OF The State, and lndlspensa-
HI, 10 .yery scheme Of universal education = o
olan for thai purpose can be defended, except on
the ground that public obstruction IS one OF the
r.yi5o.,s!bliries=oi he government ltls, there
f,ra a.rnlnifrs legislative duty TO correct errors
and defects in whatever system Is established
IN the pr5 sent case the failure amounts virtually
10 an exclusion OF all the children thus withheld.
can not overcome smv regret that every sug
sestion OF amendment encounters 80 mncn oppo-
siiiun from ,hUse who defend The Public school
system ot thr metropolis, as 10 show that IN their
judgement II can admit ot no onodlilc .ton either
from tenderness to the consclencts or regard'o 70
th. civil@riphtS of those aggrIeved, or even Tor
The reclamation CT those Tor whose culture tnr
State has 80 muniticently provided as il society
must coaform Itself TO the public schools, instead
OF the public schools adapting themselves to the
eyiaenel-S OF society. The lae eminent Superln.
;enden, after exposing the greatness OF this pub
lie misfortune and tracing II 10 the discrepancy
#brtween lh- local and general systems, suggested
4 remedy. when. although II is not urged 10 the
I=excusIon OF any other, seems 10 deserve dIspaa
.iosar4= =ro0Sid- -r ration submit therefore, with