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


whore they have been very extensively adopted;
and earnestly recon mend that thu requisite ap
preparation tor their encouragement, as veil for
the past a. the present year, be made lt has also
occurred to me % very desirable in many respects,
that some adequate provision should be made By
the Legislature for tie selection and dssignstion
either by me department or some officer e,islly
designated tor that purpose, OF petent and well
qualified Individuals to preside over and conduct
the exercises of these institutes in order to render
them efficient in the highest practicabls degree,
towards the accomplishment of the object 10 view.
COMMON SCHOOL LAWS AND INSTRUCTIONS
In accordance with the directions contained in the
section of the act OF the last session for the estab
several laws relating to common schools with full
instructions and expositions, and complete digest
of the several decisions now in force and applicab
to the existing system, accompanied with a concise
history of tho origin and progress of tho system,
and q summary ofits leading features, have been
compiled by Samuel S. Randall, Deputy Superin-
tendeDt under the direction OF the department and
forwarded to the several school districts and school
officers
Theattentien Of the Legislature was called, in
the last annual report from this department to the
necessity and Importance Of restoring jurisdiction
on appeal to the Superintendent, in all school dis
trict controversies, Of hich he was inadvertently
deprived by clerical error in the engrossment of an
act passed in 1919. bill for that purpose passed
the mby at its last session. but was emitted to
be acted upon in tho Senate, from want of time
DISTRICT SCHOOL JOURNAL OF EDUCATION
| respectfully recommend q renewal of the State
subscription to this valuable periodical as an indis-
pensabe auxiliary to that department in the trans
mission and communication of official Information,
ard in the dissemination Of educational views gene
rally Its value in these respects might be essen
tally enhanced by an increase of the appropriation
in lis favor, which would enable it to dispense with
the necessity OF seeking advertising patronage and
to devote its columns entirely to the object for
which it was specially designed
BY resolution of the Assembly, of the llth Of
July last, the Governor was authorized to appoint
o commissioner, whose duty it should be to prepare
and report to the Legislature, at its ensuing ses
sion, an entire common school code, in one act.
Under this authority, the appointment of commits
sioner was conferred on Samuel 5. Randall, late
Deputy Superintendent of Common Schools, who
proceeded at once to the discharge of the duty thus
devoived upon him, ana whose report will be for
warded to the Legislature at early period of its
session. Following, as this resolution Of the AS
scmbly did, Immediately upon the completion of
full consolidation aad arrangement Of the exist
ing provisions of law in relation to common schools
under the act of the last session. the commissioner
deemed himself authorized to incorporate in the
lew revision such amendments and notifications of
tho system now IN force, as IN bis best judgment,
after full and free consultation with the ost en-
ligheped and experienced friends of education
throughout the state, seemed desirable and neces-
sary Tho principal suggestions and recommends
tioIs made by him in the discharge Of this impor-
With the views of the department and their adop-
ton will, it is confidently believed, place com
mon school system upon permanent and satisfac-
tory basis They are understood to embrace as
their leading and prominent objects-frst, the
separation OF the office of Superintendent of Com
mon Schools from that of Secretary Of State and
its erection into separate and distinct department;
second, the substitution Of a permanent annual
state tax OF one mill upon every dollar of the ag-
grega.e real and personal property of the state,
FOR the support of common schools, in lieu of the
presen. tax Of eight hundred thousand dollars
ard, thirdly, the restoration, in a modified form,
and with suitable guards and restrictions Of the
5, stem Of county supervision.
The proposed alterations of the existing system
are Independent of each other; and any one or
more of them may be adopted by the Legislature,
others; or the whole may be rejected, leaving the
ensctments Of the present law to stand srbstan-
TALLY as they are, with new and improved CLASH
fcation and arrangement, and with such modifca-
ton thee details as to adapt them more perfectly
to the objects FOR which they were designed, and
to carry out moro fully the obvious views and
wishes Of the Legislature Some amend ments of
the existing Ia will doubtless be found absolutely
DoisI ensa5le; and, if combined with full and COM
petc revision 0! the system, in such manner as to
render it permanent, as far az may be practicable
there can be no doubt that the interests and vel.
fare of the schools and Of the inh lbtants officers
Of the several districts, would be materially pro-
noted by such an arrangement.
l. With reference to the separation of the Office
of Superintendent Of Common Schools from that of
Secretary Of State, the expression of any opinion
in favor Of the adoptioa of such q measure, in the
peculiar position OF the present Incumbent, about
10 give place to successor, elected with express
reference to the COR u:tion OF the two Offices, might
N somewhat indicate and improper. Conscious,
however, of being actuated by no other motives in
this respect than such rs regard the true welfare
and improvement Of the common schools, and forth
fed by the nearly unanimous opinion of the friends
of education throughout the state, of all parties,
far opportunity has been afforded through
the medium of a very extensive correspondence,
and by personal intercourse, TO ascertain that
opinion the undersigned cannot hesitate to express
his entire conviction that the department of com.
men schools should constitute distinct and indie
pendent branch of the government. The nature
and extent OF the official duties devolved upon the
Secretary Of State render it wholly impracti,able,
if not absolutely impossible, for that officer to be.
stow that time and attention upon the complicated
interests involved in the general supervision of the
common school system, which their great impor.
lance imperatively. demands. This important
branch Of his duties is consequently necessarily de-
volved, to very great extent, upon deputy and
while, it is believed, serious of complaint
has yet occurred in the mode in which those duties
have heretofore been discharged, due regard to
epubc interests, and proper appreciation of the
magnitude and responsibility of the trust thereby
col ferred, would seem to dictate that department
embracing the direct and indirect supervision of
upwards of eleven thousand school districts, with
their forty or fifty thousand officers, and of nearly
one thousand t.wn officers connected with this
branch Of the public service, through whose hands
nearly three millions Of dollars Of public money
annually passes, should be under the direct super.
vision and personal management Of a responsible
and efficient head, chosen BY, and accountable to,
the people or the Legislature. There is, it is be-
ieved, no other instance in our institutions of the
com animation in one Office Of powers and duties 50
variant and incom patible; and no valid reason
exists why at the present time, and under existing
circumstances, these powers and duties should not
be separated.
The proposed substitution of permanent annual
state tax Of one mill upon every dollar Of the real
and personal property Of the State, in lieu of the
existing tax Of eight hundred thousand dollars for
the support of common schools, commends itself to
the judgment Ct the undersigned as q measure
ffaught with ncalculable blessings to the cause Of
universal education. If adopted, and permanently
engrafted upon our existing system Of common
schools its effects will be to carry out, in the most
simple, efieacious and perfect manner, tho will Of
the people, repeatedly and distinctly expressed,
that property of tho State shall provide for the
elem entaYy education Of all its future citizens, and
af all nm arhnola ali ali ha