New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-09-19
Why did Ncw-Yorh need a free School
INV

Lawe
Wasn't our old Common School System
good enough? Didn't it work well?-
what was the need of such a change in
four mode of raising the funds to support
our Scbool82 What hardships resulted
from the workings of the old law?'-Such
are the questions asked from day to day by
the opponents Of the Free School law. We
answer them in part by copying the follow
ing statement of facts from the Free School
Clarion of the 18th inst. We commend it
to the souls of the generous and the gizzards
of the avaricious
MIR w. L. CRAsDAL-Deor Sir: AS it is fte.
quenty asserted .bat, tho Old School Law, was
good enous h az it wac" that anybody could ed
ocate his children under it y that il worked we'll
enough" &c. propose to give few examples OF
it's workings that came under my own obser-
yation.
la the winter of 1885, an individual, q will not
call him man the owner oil large farm which was
maid for and who in the spriog bought another, for
which he was to pay $40 zoo, and mad cash IN hand
for the first payment, $4,000 who had four chill.
dren Of a suitable age to attend school whose old
est son, a young man OF twenty years OF age could
scarcey write bis name. or read lntelllgioly and
had not thoroughly mastered the fundamental rules
Of arlthm etic said he could not fo 70 have Ehe
Rinter's school continue over three months, ss the
tuition would come high, and he should not be aoe
TO pav it," He was a trustee and declared himself
we'll satisfied with the teacher saying the school
was the beet they had in the district for many
wears" 1t closed in February numbered forty
five, and the teacher received SIG per month
knew another individual, a man of no property,
11ofa jo Or rina children which
he supported by day labor sending Blk or seven OF
them 10 school, who rented house tor his family
1T $40 per year and paid the tuition OF 1uch OF MS
children az were OF sufficient age to attend school,
for from eight to ten months each year, unth oy
toll and privason be had broken down his conssltu
tuion and wss unable tU labor all the time-when
the Trustees generously rsmisted one halt his rate
bill.
In another District, upon asking an individual
zvbo had q family of six Children OF the proper age
to attend school, OF whom but three were IN attend
spoe Why be did nos send the others, he replied
{" that he did not feel able TO do is" | told him,
that l would see THAI they were exempted If he
would only send them. He shook his head saying
{" that be could not bear as he worked about from
day to day in the neig hborhood to hear the people
say, We have had to educate - 8 children. p"
One half OF his children were sent to achool the
fore part of the Winter and then Withdrawn, and
the remainder of a suitable age occupied their
places for the rem alnder OF the torn.
| afterwards learned, that when he had worked
hard for bread for bis family, of which he stood in
immediate want, he not unffequently found 1t up
piled upon some rate.bill which happened to be
10 arreara
In the winter of 1882 happening to enter
large school Of $50 scholars wnere the Trustees
were in the habit Of RENTING toe tuition OF auch
as were unable to pay their tuision, l observed
several Of the scholars in tears They geru little
girls often or twelve years of age. Upon Inquiry
AZ to the cause, with some degree OF hesitation,
they said that THE other childcen had been calling
shein INDECENT scholars" saying that "t2eir pa
rents had to pay their tuition for them, tor the,
own parents were TOO poor to pay their tuition"
With hearts almos. broken with grief, and with
sobs half suppressed, they looked up to me aud
said 1--WE are not to blame are we, II cur parenta
are poor :" Upon inquiry, llearned thatis was not
uncommon for those exempted to be termed both
by old and young" Indigents;' and that same
school under The present Free School sysEem-de'
fectye as it TO- has had at leass THIRTY PER cENT.
ADDED TO ITS NUMBERS. Names and dates can
be given.
These are only few of the many similar in
atances that might be detailed to snow the bsausi-
ful "wothicgg," Of tbs Old School system-a sys.
sem thas sfould only be tolerated among bar.
bgrous people, an a semi-6ar6aroUS age.
Gentsee Co Sept l. 1850 AN OBSERVER.