New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-01-07
NEW-YORK TRIBUNE.
Report Of the Superintendent Of Common
Schools Gene luded from Firsf Page.

a4RreHaLe amount NOsGutarly felssl IN hlS -cFrIht
districts Sor ordinary district purposes Is IT, then,
10 De supposed that the mere Substitution Of direct
taxation Tor rate bis, will under such circ1la
stances, and with the prevalence o. such spirit,
create any serious dissatisfaction or be REGARDED
as 10 any sense. an Uawe,ooms burden The 51-
perntendsnt cannot, for moment. permit himself
10 entertain this i3ea
The whole amount o. public money received from
al sources during the pas, year By the several
Town Superintendent, and other officers chsrged
with the receipts and disbursements q 5choo mon
sys was ss467 no ~ Of which s625455 50 has
been sppot0nsc amoaz the several districts ior
teachers WAGES sss 075 80 for library purposes
ers cites ard large towns. where SPECIAL pr9T'ion
fa in expenditure is made.
AYPoRuoSsEyr on Tgr SCHOOL rrSp
The annual revenue frOn the capiiaI o. me ION
mon School Fund s2s0.0)0. together WIN "a equsl
son raised BY the Boards Of Supervisor upyA zoe
several towns, and an addnDhai equal sum 'os.So
upon the respective Counties under the act estab-
hsbiug Free Schools 70 sppOr.loned among the
several towns and wards Of the State, ia proper
ton 20 the whole population Of each a. ASCERTAIN
cd By the last preceding census. The town and
ward officers spporton The amount thus received
among the several School Districts Of their respec
tive towns and wards, according 10 the whole
nnnsber Of children betreea The ares Of fee md
teen ye.fdIn1 hereis II Is respectfully suggested
10 the Legislature whether the ratio OF epport.On
meEt and distribution Of the School money might
not advnntageonsly be % changed as 70 have ref
erencs TO the attendance Of pupils upon the De
srtrt Schools for certain specified period-or IN
stance four NOTWITHSTANDING tho preceding yes-'
instead Of being based upon either population or
the number OF children actually residing IN the
District By the adoption Of this mode Of dIst1bu-
ton strong inducements would be presented D.
the taxable inhabitants OF the several District" 70
place their children IN the Common Schools. and b
Il ~ fnaa -
secure an additional share OF the public monev
IL would also be very desirable If practicable 70
adept mode Of distribution OF the public money
by which tbs weaker and poorer districts ~ loose
sections whore toe population issPsr's an' NOR
means OF supporting school limited should 10 Gu
sbled TO participate 10 . greater extent than they
now do q the or nrnon fad In the cities and many
OF the larger towns ard villages portion OF tins fund
nizht well be spared for thi, purpose, w..1out 1e
triment 10 the eeicsncy ofthe schools. and without
imposing any p'rcsPtibls burden upon u: inn'oi'
DISTRICT LrBRArIE.
The whole number OF volumes IA tho seYera DIS
trct Libraries OF the State on tho fret day o. Jsnu
sry Ists was ,4O9. l54-being an average OF about
ies volumes 10 each District Many Of tho Iarger
and weslttier districts. however, greatly exceed
this average and the disproportion is the greater
where IL should least exist In the cities and large
villages whore access nav most resdiy bs had &c
extensive and wenselected public and private
libraries, the share Of the library f0nd appropriated
10 the rec ectivs districts 10 in the ratio o! the popu
lation and Gar beyond their real wants OF neces.
ties while ia the poorer and more remote districts,
where hooks are most needed and most difficult o
access, the pittsnce annually doled out from TIE
library fand ID too mesgsr 70 enable the trustees to
do more than purchase s few cheap and eompsrs
lively worthless volumes
II 10 lansntably true that the Libraries Of the
several dissricts are not appreciated ss they
should BE- by the inhabitants generally and
strong disposition has been manfssted within the
past two three years IN various sections OF the
State, TO abandon the system altogether, and T.
divert the library fund TO the payment Of teachers
wages. Numerous applications have bsen m,te
10 tnis Department, under the act Of lst7 author
ixins such diversion Of this fund with the assent
ID the superintendent, for permissio- 10 sppropi
ate the whole or portions Of the library money.
either permanently or temporarily. 70 the compoi
sation Of teachers and IN many lnstances thes,
applications have been urged with q pertiaac,ty
aud esrnsstnss. indicative OF the strongest feeling
Deeply impress with an unaterabls conviction OF
the Importance Of this feature of our Common
School System. and OF the beneRoen. influences
which q well selected library in each Of our eeven
thousand school districts could not fail 10 secure es
pecaly 70 the rising generation. could not brlne
myself to take the hrst step toward the sbando-
msnt OF % noble an enterprise, by giving my assem-
to the diversion of any portion of the fund SCI apa
br this object The fund orisnsuysel
apart for the specific object Of difusng information
throughout every section Of the State by means o.
suitable books should, in my Judgment. DO invios
bly, appropriated to the purpose for which It WA
bestowed
Here follow sons valuable suggestions IN regard
10 the manner Of selecting books for the Libraries
10 when the Report continues
LOCAL sUPERvIsIoSs OF rlik SCHOOLS
The Superintendent would renewediy urge upon
thu legislature the restoration in some form Of the
oebce OF County Superintendent la addition 10
the reasons heretofore submitted in previous reports
from this Department, the experience Of tie lasl
two years warrants the assertion that an elhclcn'
administration of the Common School system can
not be secured without the assistance OF tina class
Of officers 1t has been found utterly impracicsblc
70 keep MP the correspondents with nearly nine
hundred Towns officers. which the ex'gencies OF the
Department constantly required. and which is alb
sontely essential TO lite practical workings. very
large proportion OF the statistics. information winch
10 almost indispensable to full knowledge and al
accurate survey Of the educational condition Of the
State, has been omitted in the tables herewith sub
mtted Tor ~ other reason than because i has been
found impossible to obtain from these officers tina;
accurate and reliable Information which alone
could be OF any value. Within the legitimate
sphere Of their operations Town Superintendents
have. In general. faithfully and satisfactorily dis
charged the duties incumbent upon them. BuI
they cannot. from the nature Of the case, be ex
pscted to supply the place or fulfil the functions OF
. County officer. The County CleTk has no other
duty imposed upon him. under the present law.
than that OF transcrbing and certifying tho oficis
reports OF the Town Superintendent made TO him.
and cnbodyins their results IN one seaora table
Between the Town and State Supcrintendents there
10 urgent need of class Of local supervisory officers
through whom the latter may constantly oommunl-
cate with the former and with the inhabitants ami
onceys Of the several districts ana by whose agsn
ey an unisorm and harmonious co operation may be
sscursd throus hout the entire extent Of the State
II 10 rndsnisbe that during the Ave years IN which
the systsm Of County supervision wss II force, not
withdrawing the many unfsvorabls Influences un.
der which il lshored and The numerous preudices
aSans; which II was forced to contend, the schools
OF the State were sdvsnced and improved TO sn ex.
tent far snrPassins the experience Of any previous
period. An impulse was given 10 the efforts OF the
nisnds Of education. by the active and enlightened
lahore ct these officers, which viii long continue 10
% ieis and The abundant fruits of which sre visible
no every direction around US The mode Of seleC,
ncn Ana OF compensation Of the County Supcrin.
tendent wss doubtless unvvise In son,einst,nces.
intadicions selections may have bean made .ne
various causes may have existed which rendered
the o1hcs itself obnoxious TO portion of our fsIo
<sA -