New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-14

County of Duchess, three IN each OF tue Oouhtcs
efKines, Queens, Schoharie and w ayne' Two ia
each of the Counties Of Columbia, Ontario, hens-
selaer Suffolk and Warren, ana one IN each OF sue
roe Orange Saratoga, Sreuben and Yates In
,hssa schools 497l colored children have been
ts.sbt during the year embraced in the reports
~ Which number 3 ,345 resided in the City otNew-
YORK, $50 in the County Of Kings, l64 In the Coan
~ of Broome, l40 in Albany, l36 IN Erie Ioo N
Rensselaer,, 90 in Ontario, IS in Queens, % IA
Monroe, 80 in Yates IS in Columbia SO IN Greeue'
% in each Of the Counties Of Orange ana Sc ,'
harie u in Suffolk % in Saratoga, and 10 ia e.
ben. For their support the sum OF Sll,4so - u .t
been apportioned from the pubic money VI 'n0
several counties and towns 10 wncn .uey mr. s,o 10
Gated; and S776 IS contributes ny rate Oins ny
those sending 10 school ....b,;.L
The existing provisions OF law Tor the establish
,nent and support Of this class oil schools, are quto
Inadequate 30 the Increasing wants oil those IN
terested; end l respectfully recommend suc1
fnr,her legislation In their behalf an enlightened
yegard 10 the intellectual and moral welfare OF this
portion Of our fellow citizens may seem to re-
quire.
SUPERVISION or THE SCHOOLS.
The Superintendent deems is his duty again TO
call the attention Of the Legislature to the present
defective system Of local supervision. The ex.
perience Of the last year has strengthened and
confirmed the opinion heretofore expressed, that
some other and more efficient agency should be
mterposed between the several school dlstrlcts
and this department, than that OF the town super
intendent IL is utterly impossible for this class
of officers TO fulfill the various important functions
which appertain 10 uniform, thorough and well
regulated supervision Of the schools This can
be done effectually only by county, or at least
by an assembly district officer invested with the
requisite powers and subject to such restrictions
and limitations as may be deemed expedient and
necessary.
The great increase Of litigation which has
grown out Of the provisions of the late act OF l549,
serves also to exhibit in q striking point OF view
the want Of some adequate local tribunal for the
adjustment and settlement, without costs to eth
er party, Of the various questions which are con-
stantly presenting themselves for determination.
Trustees and other officers Of School Districts
with the exception of the Collector are required
to perform the various, laborious, perpexing, and
responsible duties devolved upon them by law
without compensation. They are compelled TO
give their services when called upon by the In
habitants of their district and subjected to heavy
fines in case ofrefusal 70 serve. Under such cir
cumstances, it is both unjust and oppressive that
they should be subjected to an expensive and har-
RAISING process Of litigation in theperormance OF
the various functions thus dev0lved upon them
Ii is true, the respective tribunals before which
they may be cited. have power to exempt them
from the payment of costs, where it appears on
the trial that they have acted in good faith but
il Ia obvious that this exemption reach only a
small part of the expenses, and none of the vexa-
tOn and trouble incurred by them in their defense.
Ultimately, too, these expenses may be made a
charge against the District but in the meantime
they are subjected TO all the embauassments and
burdens incidentto an angry and protracted course
of litigat without any adequate protection. A
local officer tribunal vested with exclusive jtt-
yisdaction in all of controversy arising out OF
the School Laws, and authorized to make hnal
decision, subject 10 review by this Department
on appeal, and without costs to either party,
would seem to afford the most equitable and et-
ficieDt mode for the settlement Of this increasing
class of questions.
Ia connection with this subject the attention OF
the Legislature is respectfully requested to the
propriety of formal re6nactment Of the provls-
ion comforting appellate jurisdiction upon this De-
partment. By mere clerical error OF the en-
crossing clerk the section referred to was incud-
ed in the repeating clause of chapter 1872 OF the
Laws of ls49, amendatory of the General School
Law. And although the attention Of the Legisa-
ture at its last session was directed to the sub
ject no deiinitive action was had, In consequence
of the failure of the bill introduced to the amend
ment of the Free School Law. The Superintendent
has continued up to the present period to enter
terrain appeals as heretofore, without objection
or complaint from any quarter.
NORMAL SCHOOL.
This institution is rapidly aud steady increas
ing in usefulness and popular favor. The report
of the executive committee which will be lald
before the Legislature at an early day, will show
the progress which has been made in its admin
istratOn, its present condition and probable Ia
ture prospects.
None OF the nstrumentalities provided by oui
Common School system are, in the judgment OF
the Superintendent, capable Of accomplishing
greater permanent improvement IN our element
ary institutions of learning than this. The an
nqal thorough preparation of from one to two
hundred qualified teachers OF both sexes, and
their distribution throughout different sections Of
the State is well calculated 10 intuse an element
of advancement, the benefits OF which can scarce
ly be over estimated. The low standard o! quar-
fcation heretofore so generally prevalent, AZ
tended as it has been, and under similar circum
stances must continue to be, with constantly
decreasing standard of wages, has constituted the
most serious impeachment TO the intellectual ant
moral progress of our schools. This impedimen
can be removed only by systematic movement
in the opposite direction movement which the
Normal School has thus far successfully accom-
plished;
An interesting feature in this institution durins
the past year has been the experiment of educat
ing number Of Indian youth of both sexes, witt
the view Of preparing them for teachers among
their own people. These pupils have evinced
surprising aptitude for instruction and at the ex
piration of their respective terms will undoubted
ly possess all the requisite qualifications for com
municating instruction in all the ordinary branches
~ NphAhAVh NSuotA eo NhhNANh Va tA'
various tribes with which they are connected
The obligations incumbent upon the State in it'
dealings with the scattered remnant Of this in
teresting people, within our borders, cannot bI
more wisely and bene6cially performed, than by
shus placing them upon a footing Of intellectual
and moral equality with their white brethren
through the agency Of an institution designed FOL
the benefit OF the entire rising generation.
TEACHERS INSTITUTES.
In most of the Counties Of the State, 50 far a,
can be ascertained from the reports TRANSMITTED
10 this Department, no institutes have been helC
during the past year returns have been received
from three or four Counties only and it is be
leved that no efforts have been made in the ma
iorty Of the Counties 90 assemble the teRchere il
accnrdnnca With the rrn.-.s.n.a ~