New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-09-13


contrary, it stire up generous rivslry' IL makes
those who select teachers for the District Scnoo
careful and discerning. Ii increases thelr motives
70 mantain the reputation OF their Hcho0l tor tho
rough Systematic instruction Was the child OF
the LatOrer or the Mechanic who wes too poor TO
pay o. per terra excluded from these adyantaSes
By no mesns Was he "sneered at and numlli
ated as the child OF pauper 2" Byno means. Il
ao by whom I By the wealthy of the nelghoor-
hood? Absurd By the children OF the school, ms
paymates Ifyou were ever at country DisIflcI
School you would not say go. Country chilafen
ere not 80 early aught to recognise dlsttncslohs'
where few are rich and none are mlserap!y poor.
Was the Mechanic or the Laborer obliged 70 resort
to petitions TO be " exoneratsd?' To whom, pray,
does he petition if he petition at all 10 lnditter
ent and unfeeliDg strangers Var from 1t. IN nine
cases OUT Of ten it would be to those VINO nave
known him. bis character and circumstances Tor
vears-from boyhood-to those who, IN many IN
stances, have given hrn aid and counsel But tne
idea of mans petitioniug for exemption from
school bills ia ridiculous 1t is the idea OF one WhoSe
mind dwes continually upon beautiful but ueeless
theories
of this law You say, oct least thirty snoQsana
have been brought into the Schools by the opera
ton of that law imperfect it IL and resisted az
it has been" Now if bringing children into schools
will necessarily and Of itself educate them tneq
much good mas been done. But VIII II 40 IL
/ brQW nOS Inc numDer Vi CLLILI ca III OoNi ~
School has by the operation of this law risen from
twenty five or thirty up to fifty or sixty, and Ia
many instances up to eighty; and with this IN.
crease of scholars there has been no increase Oh
teachers How much Instruction think you, can
each pupil receive from teacher who divides Blk
hours among seventy children How many min
utea could he bessow upon each one per day IN
der such method, how long would it take for an
intelligent boy to learn Arithmetic enough TO an
ever that question correctly How long would 1t
IT, Aod rvnn vas
teacher five lines twice in one day And now
much viii this state Of things be Improved when
this law ahal no longer be "imperfecg az 1t ls aud
no more "reaisted as it has been y When t|en
~ thousand children shall no longer abe kept at
home by dread Of rate. bills and greater dread Of
being sneered at and Inundated az paupers
have but one word more to say, Mt Editor
Can any good come from the spirit embodied in this
sentence? 1.-THE Poor ara not going back to pc.
titoDs to be exonerated just yet-see II they DO
! Is thiE the spirit of man wnose mind embraces
large and comprehensive schemes Tor ameioratlng
the condition Of Humanity? II 1t be, give me the
man whose views lot upon so grand scale,
bot whose labors prove that be lie actusted By far
different epirt. Your subscriber, ..,,,.,
Rye, Apg II, 1850 ThcmAs fOhpf
Remarks.
Mr.. Purdy writes at so great length that
we shall be compelled to study the utmost
brevity in replying. We will leave all his
points to the intelligence Of our readers, with
these simple comments;
|. The Free School Law was regularly
and deliberately passed by very large ma
ority in each branch Of the Legislature It
vas afterward submitted to the People, at
regular State Election, and ratified by the
votes Of an immense majority. Now we
cannot regard the popular ratification as
worth any less than nothing; SO that this
Law stands at least as fair and firm as any
other on the Statute-book, and, unless the
Peoples vote of approval is to bo regarded
as blighting and damnatory, we see net how
the contrary can be plausibly maintained.
2. As to genuine, practical Religion, we
not only believe it should be but that 1t IS
taught in our Common Sohools-that tho
silent Influences and direct ipculcations of
those Schools are strongly on the side of
pure religion and undefled from God the
Father Creeds, dogma8 and theologio
systems are very properly left to churches,
olergymen and Sabbath inculeatiOns, as
they should be. So think the People; and
Mr. Purdy will not shake himself clear of
his School-tax by coming the Religious dodge
over them. It is too palpable.
3. Mr.. A. BIS letter detailed a case Of
unequal taxation which, if correctly stated,
proved that our assessment and tax-laws
need amendment, not our Free School law.
So we said when we published it, adding
that we should gladly cooperate in any effort
to render our tax-laws more just and equal,
but it was unjust and absurd to attribute
their alleged defects to the Free School Law.
That was all that need be said on the sub
ject.
4. If the Free School Act has so sweled
the attendance of children at our Common
Schools as to render the old allo vance of
Teachers inadequate, The Districts must in
crease their teaching forco-and they ngi1
Let Mr.. Purdy and his cronios possess thoir
souls in patience. If any SchooI-houses
should need enlarging, enlarged they will
be. But Rome was not built in day
). If Mr.. Purdy don't know tha9caideon
whose parents apply from year to year ior
exemption from the payment Of their School
tax, will be known, pointed out, looked down
upon, and often twitted of their pauperism
by their school-mates, he knows less of Ilu-
man Nature and Common Schools than q
man Of his years and experience as school
officer ougM to kaow. lie mishs easily