The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-01-20

all question conclusive Of their intention, at all
hazards. to preserve unimpaxed the free school
principle and the sro0g vote Of the direct repre-
sentatIves OF the people, n favor of the fret section
Of the act Of the last session, declartory Of this
principle, affords ,oaueitaals testimony of tho
| Let US lock tor a moment at the practical
results of the existing law II purports on its face
to be IAN act 10 establish rec echools throughout
the State" and the first section explicitly declares
that "Common schools in the several school dis
tricts in this state shall be free to all persons
residing in the districts, over five and under twen-
ty.one years of age as hereinafter provided.
The annual revenue OF tho Common School Fund
amounts to three hundred thousand dollars; and
this exclusive Of So, 0G0 set apart for library
purposes,) together with the avails of annual
State tax OF $500 GOO is appropriated to the pay.
ment Of teachers wages. Tie average length of
time during which the several schools are kept
open, during each year, is eight months, or two
terms OF four q opths each The aggregate amount
paid for teachers wages throug the State falls
little short of 81 500 600, and is constantly in
creasipg as teachers of a higher grade of qua6ca-
ton arc brought into the schools. For the 6rst
! term of four months, tho schools may, therefore,
be entirely free in other words, free for third
! of the year. AT to close of the second term,
| there will be balance of nearly 100000 to be
collected by rate bill an amount falling very lit
tie short of the sum heretofore contributed for this
/ purpose, under the act of lS47. This enormous
balance will undoubtedly in the grea majority of
instances instead of being collected at the close Of
the second term, be dffased over the entire year
portion only OF the public money being appro-
| priated to each term. Thus every child who en-
tiers the school, instead Of fin ling it free, will. at
the end of each term, be charged with rate bill;
| and unless exempted Oh the ground of indigence,
| by the trustees, bis parents guardians will DO
compelled to pay the amount so assessed with fees
for collection Is it not absolutely mockery to term
| such system freel
The proposition to authorize permanent mill
tax the property Of the Sta.e will, it is con-
ceived, if adopted carry out the Rishes Of the peo
pie and their declared will Tho amount is too
trifing to be burdensome to any individual; while
the object to be effected Us one of the utmost mag
nitude and importance. Is there an individual ia
the state who would not cheerfully pay annual
assessment Of one mill upon every dollar Of his
valuation, or one dollar upon every thousand, if
thereby he could secure the blessings Of educa-
ton, not only for his children, but for every
child of suitable age in the State, for the entire
term during which the schools are kept open in
each year. IN all coming time Is it not far better
that the entire expenses of tuition should be met in
this manner by one simple, definite self adjusting
process, adapting itself to the varying standard Of
property and valuation and to the increasing wants
of the schools than that the trustees Of each of the
eleven thousand districts should be periodically
burdened with the trouble and parents with the
expense of q vexatious and karassing rate bill
cannot hesitate therefore, cordially and earnestly to
recommend the abortion Of this measure as in nv
Judgment best calculated to render our common
schools in reality and permanently what they now
inaly, free; believing it to be due not only
to the highest interest of education but to proper
respect to the clearly expressed will Of majority
OF our fellow citizens, that the noble enterprise,
the foundations of which have been so strongly
laid in an enlightened public sentiment, should,
Without unnecessary delay, be prosecuted to
completion.
3 Whether, no wever this desirable re suit shall
be accomplished or postponed to more favorable
period reasonable doubts can longer exist as to
cessty of restoration in some form Of the system
OF county supervision. The attention of the Legis-
lature has been annually called to this subject,
both by my predecessor in Office and myself, from
the period of the repeal of tho act creating the
Office Of county superintendent. to the present tie;
and each additional only increases the strength
Of the argument in favor of the proposed reform
Every Incumbent Of the office of State Superiaten-
dent without exception, during the period which
has elapsed from the passage of the original act
establishing this class of local officers, has borne
uniform and strong testimony to its utility and
cessity; and the most enlightened friends Of popular
education throughout the State have, with equal
unanimity expressed their decided and unwaverlng
conviction of its value and importance The con-
siderations which demand its restoration, as an
essential part Of our system Of public instruction,
numerous and incontes,a BILE; and it is by no
means going to far to say that in the continued
absence of some fundamentally of this nature it
will be found utterly impracticable to lay before
the Legislature and the people. that information in
relation to the condition and administration of our
schoolsysten, which is so indspensably requisite
it's efficiency and advancement The annual re-
ports of upwards Of eight hundred town superin-
tendents, involving full and detailed accounts
Of the receipts and disbursements Of nearly mil
lion and half Of dollars, are now required to be
made to the county clerk-an officsr Otherwi en-
tirely disconnected from the system, and whose
whole duty consists in preparing mere abstract
Of these reports for the Information Of the depart
ment, without the power OF ascertanipg or correct
ever important The unavoidable consequence Of
this state Of things is the accumulation Of inaecu
Iaces and errors, in these reports so great In many
kill, lstur
the purposes for which they are required. A care
full nspc ction Of these abstracts for any two
cutive years will show that scarcely an approxima-
ton to that accuracy, which should be required in
the official statements of public functionares Of
every grade is attained in the reports Of the great
majority of the town superintendents. There is,
indeed no to believe or to suppose that any
portion Of the public funds committed to their
hasds is improperly or illegally expended; but
from the iDposslbility of examining and connect
ing their reports, where obviously erroneous-of
pointing out deficiencies and inaccuracies-and Of
subiecung them L the scrutinizing test of some
supervisory suthcrity-the official statement of
these officers are, to very great extent, compare
lively vaueessas full exposition of the pccuniary
operations connected with their station. The same
remark is likewise applicable to other portions of
their reports. Under such circumstances, it is OBJ
vious that mere enumeration from year to year of
tabular statistics without system or accuracy must
only useless, but dangerous A county Off ,or,
chosen or elected with express reference to the per-
formance Of his duties in this respoct and invested
with competent authority to exercise supervisory
jurisdiction over the several town superintendent
would efectuslly remedy this evil.
independently, however, of these manifest ad-
advantages arising from a return to the system
Of county supervision, there are numerous other
reasons why The best interests Of common
schools would be essentially promoted by such
measure. They have been SO frequently and faly
recspitulated in previous Communications from
this department., and in the reports of the appro-
min m 10 CiSl committees
has from time to time been referred, that their re-
PETITION at this time would be supererogatory aud
VI called for. The whole subject will be found
fully discussed and elucda.ed in the report Of the
Commissioner already referred to; and deem it
only oecesary to add that the entire experience Of
the der artm ent during the period of my supervision
Gifts airs, bas strengthened the conviction en-
/ tertained and expressed by me at its commence.
ment that recurrence at the earliest practicable
period. to the system so unfortunately and ipju-
a;a;oxal,. han dcned in 1917 xnuld be attended