New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-01
TIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
REPORT or THE CRY sUpERrSrgNpEN

H
In submitting this hi- fourth annual Report 10 tire
Beard the undersigned cannot refrain from Don.
graduating it, member and Their c0nstruents upon
the prosperous and fourshing Condition OF The Public
School. Of the City and County Of New-fcrk While
nearly every other pubic and private ineres. OF our
great metropolis has suffered 10 greater less eS-
tut from the effects Of the mexampeo financial TOR
ssdo which has swept W during the par year,
oar noble system Of puthc iDsrrtion has sofey ana
unipiured outrode the storm. Enjoying, As has
done and still does % the fullest ,he eonndsace
efthe public endeared a. il has beer ard H. 10 'hs
hest and hottest affec, ons Of the entire community
snd administered a. II has been ard -, WIN me most
serupuous integrity and with earnest On" Or hte1esed
desire on the part Of it, administrators 70 eheoe 10
accomplish in the most efhent hhnher me great oo
ect Gr winch IL ,sas estabsledthe coriBcrcial re-
yuIsop which Frustrated 80 many political iabrcs ana
pafaly zed 30 many promising entTpIlZes, ihHu 10
Undermine any portion of ts broad foundations, on ~
any degree 10 shake ia firm sipsnIncfuIe. its
spscious and convenient halls have continued to b.
,flIed with thousands Of happy ana intelligent
Children The morning and ming song of praise and
Thanksgiving has duly gone up with unin'ermited
heerfalness and Joy from their young ups and hea',
and faithful md competent teachers have, without
INV interval been successfully engaged N comnnpl-
eating 10 them the elementary principles OF sound ana
useful knowledge, in Inbuiny !eIr tender mihds WIN
correct PRINCIPLES Of action aud conduct and IN laying
Abe foundations of future character and usefulness
The puLlc funds Appropriated and sci apart Tor Ihe
accomplishment of these objects, in ali ther dlVei
si6ed details, have been faithfully app"h 70 tnen
destined use, and equal amount mas been chr"r-
fully and ungrudgngly contributed from the taObe
resources OF the city for the continuance aud extern
,ion of this cherished system of public and free edu-
cation. New and spacious edltices have arisen IN
different portions of the city TO supply the places OF
oh and inccmmOdiOus structures, whore walls nave
been found TOO straitened for the rapdlyeApandiDg
educational wants of the population within Their VI
tinfy or 10 afford new accommodation Tor sections
hitherto unproyided-several PRIMARY schools and
primary departments have been removed foin com
fortress and unwholesome Easements, and furnished
with convenient healthy and c0Innodou' apartments;
aud antiquH,ed seats desks ana furniture have been
replaced by modern Improvements in thus important
and hitherto too much neglected department oi educa-
ton. The wages of well qualified and fAperleDced
teachers have been steadily though slowly and pru-
IDENTIFY advanced in accordance Us well with the cor
ferpondng advancement of all olasses OF labor az
with an intelligent appreciation OF the imporance OF
the duties demanded Of them, and OF The atalnrents
and skill requisite to the efficient performance Of those
duties The Free Academy, the several Normal
Schools and the Evening Schools, have been
strengthened, their facilities for the communication
OF instruction expanded, enlarged aud improved, and
their means Of usefulness prOpOuiOuably extended.
Fifty Ward Schools each with thrre distinct depart
ments, and sixty Primary Schools, dflaed at conVe-
aiep distances from each other throughout eVerypor-
hon Of the city, have, during the past year M connc
ton with the ten corporate institutions participating IN
Abe public money, tie Free Academy for boys, and
the thirty Evening and four Normal Schools, afforded,
70 greater or less EXTENT and for longer shorter
time the benefits and blessings of education, in its
various degrees, from the rudimns Of alphabetical
iugructon 70 the highest grade OF coh glMe ana un'-
y.rsty scholarship 10 l400 600 pupils. The average
regular attendance upon the several schools under ,he
sharge of the Board Of Education during the entire
school wear of eleven months has been about Jo,VOV
The whole amount of money expended during 'he
year for teachers wages books stationery, iuei at
tendance repairs, buildings, SITES, and SUPERVISION, H.
- nd N o.
ning 10 the administration OF the entire sySen, was
a. 4l0 81 being fraction under Is Tor each pupii
under instruction for longer or shorter PERIOD during
the year.
Relations 6etseeen Education and Crime
The most accurate and reliable statistics, carefully
vathered from the official records Of our own ana other
Countries eonelusIvely show that, imperfect and de-
fciye az our systemsof education oonfessedy are ana
have been-tOo generally confined IN their
10 the mere communication of intellectual instruction.
and even that frequently in the crudest form and dur
ing only very brief and nternted perod oitlme-tney
have nevertheless, served TO draw clear, distinct
and sharply. defined line between panper'm ana CRIME
on the one hand and uprightness intelligence, useful
ness and an independent competency on the other
With scarcely solitary exception the inmates OF our
Aims Houses and pauper asylunls- for the
support of which we contribute annually sum nearly
equal 10 the entire expenses o our educe'ohai Sys
tem-are destitute Of even an ordinary common
school educaton-by far the greater portion
of these being unable 10 read or write
This immense and cumbersome drain upon the
resources Of the community might ii IL clear be dr1ed
ND at its fountain by enlightened system OF general
education brought home 10 the doors OF every child 81
penury and destitution. More than hall OF the inmates
Of our prisons and penentares of every grade are al
most entirely destitute of the simplest rudinents ~
education and of the residue but very inconsdera
be proportion have enjoyed the benefits OF even the
lowest commOn-sch0ol instruction. The closest and
most searching analysis of The records Of crime IN our
own city and State for the past twenty years will dis
close the names of but very few individuals who have
IN arlv M III
esrdanoe with the highest prevailing standard, may be
denominated good education. OF ll32 persons, be-
lng the whole number reported by the sherns OF the
different counties of this State under convection and
punishment for crime during the year 1917 - only had
received common education IL only u = toeraby
good education" ant 6 only were reported az well
educated" OF 1886 criminals so returned for the
year lSlS, % only had common, rs toleraoy good
and 10 only good education. The whole number OF
persons returned 10 the office of the Secretary o State
as having been convicted of crime in the several coun
ties and cities of the State during period o; nine con-
secutive years, frem 1870 10 lsiS both inclusive, was
"a 9i9; OF these 1872 were returned as having re-
eeived a common education" 4l4 as having " toll
erably good education and Us only a. wei edu,
Gated" OF the remaining ~, s25 only about one-haf
were able 10 read and write. The residue were dest
tute Of any education Whatever. OF BOO boys at pres
ent under confinement in the House OF Refuge in this
city for offences against the laws ~, considerably
more than one-hsf had attended school for period
hess than six months, aud 80 only for period
exceeding three years An examination OF the Au-
burn tste-Prlson, made few years since, gave,
out Of pa prisoners, but 80 who could either
read or write, and but SO who could read
we'll In the Connecticut State Prison but one
half of the convicts, when committed knew how to
write. In the Philadelphia Peniten;iary, ont OF 2l7
prisoners received its organization in 1885, s. only
could read or write and most of these could do only
N avery imperfect manner. In the criminal statistics
Of France and England, il has been customary to d.
vide the convics into four distinct classes as il respects
their degree OF education instructions is; those
unable to read and write, d. those able Z, read and
nite mperfeetly Sd those ,sle 10 read and writs
well; 4, those superiority instructed In the former
country, during period of seven consecutive years
the proportion Of those embraced in the isnrth ass