New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-02

Ing the mt the ext general election. II the public
csD only be made 10 appreciate thai the once of8ehool
Ccmp,issioner Is resIy ~ the most imputant
within their eift-if ,bsy will fl with men Of ex-
reriepee aud capssity, Instead Of using Il a. small
rcbsnoe wbe,ewRh 20 psy of rome disappointed az
pirsd or ocsliiy-tbty will cause Boards Of saper-
visors allow The incumbent CONDENSATION proper
tiopaie to the ZEAL talent and fa'hfulness manifested
In the discharge fits dutes-f tbey will secood the
efforts Of the Con missioners 70 place the schools In
charge Of truly competent teachers, instead OF grnm-
birg sgsnt their retbsal 10 eente those whose chief
requisite is IN ale, ed cbespDess'-po, on y viii all
Just came for sraiiefaction be removed, bat the
schools will vndicaie 10 their improved condtoa, the
WELDON Of sueriog Ihis Office IN remain without ls-
eisatve Interference save 20 far Is may be necessary
for the proper regulation Of It's duties.
Least Of all should there be disposition for change,
upIefs con ethng better than the douby sys
tenn Of Town SuperipfeDdeDts can be presented for
legislative adoption. Neither in point oindepeadenee,
efficiency or economy, can that system be commended
10 favor Cireumscrbed within The limits Of single
town. II exert extended influence upon teachers.
Dependent for election upon limited constituency,
and subject 10 the vcsstades Of Deshborheod brois,
il exercise comparatively little independence OF
sctiop IL lie idle 70 suppose that the duties incident 70
the visitation Of schools, the inspection OF teachers
The collation. Of reports, aud the sPPornonment on
moneys, would he done for lcse than go per yess'
THIS Tor the 90S towns, into which the sale - DIVIDED,
would give an aggregate expenditure OF $6s beng
, n excess OF fl2,l00 over the amoant apporaoned
for salaries Of the School Commissioners.
II would not be regarded as an arrogant 70
claim for en- 10 have bad the opportunity Of looking
over our school in it's workings through )ut tho
Stste-of observing its defects and studying Their sp-
rropriae remedies weight Of judgment IN such mat
isrs exceeding that Of persons whose experience 70
often omitted 10 q very narrow compass. this view
IL NAV bot be amiss 70 remind the Legislature mat
every State Superintendent Of SCHOOL, In every report
issued from 1913 20 1885, speaks in dsroeauon OF tho
system of Town SuperDtend and urges the sdop-
ton Of some mode of supervision analogous 70 that
now in operation 1t would be utterly futile 10 seek
for accuracy in ecboo statistics passing through nearly
thousand different hands IN their transit 70 TINS De-
psrtne cot The beneficial influence cxerted by Gem
mission rs through the medium If Teachers lDstutes
would be entirely dssipated; while the hope oil RAISING
the standard OF qualifications in teachers, with 90 many
iudges 10 determine The Of acquisition, would
de- enerate into Ed absurd chlmera-
ELECTION AND DUTY OF TRUSTEES.
By the act of April 70 1858 the option conferred
upon the ee Of each school district TO choose ono
three trnstees az the majority might determine AS
was anticipated, the practice in this respect has
been various; some districts changing from one 10
three, others having taken ncpieut steps toward re-
ducipg the number 10 one. 1 am persuaded that
where proper dtcretOn iB exercised IN the seleeuon
er Ole Individual can discharge the duty with greater
benefit to the school, and satisfactorily 70 the dis
trict than the larger Lumber. as IN the case OF
canal Ulcers, trustees we're prohibited from tue em-
poy nept of their immediate relatives fruitful source
of dissatisfaction would be removed. Jealodsies
sprpgIe from this source have done more toward re-
ardng the adoption If the single trustee system than
shy oil er cause.
sso submit that outgoing Trustees should be pro-
hibited from nal ing contracts with teachers for terms
of school commencing after the expiration Of their own
terms of office. Thoee whom the care and custody
of the rchoos Is committed for the year should have
the privilege Of selecting such agents they may deem
requisite for The best interests Of the district without
this privilege responsibility TO the character OF the
school js wholly lost; VIII lie change Of teachers,
though imperionsy demanded. csn only be made At
the hazard Of subeciDg the district TO litigation ana
A. ~ are H.
operative in ng. Trustees from hiring teachers
ast their terms of service are expiring, often
the sacrifice OF the peace Of the community and the
empoIary destruction Of the school.
AMENDMENTS TO THE SCHOOL LAWS.
Tie whole booy of school laws needs revision and
simplifcatiop. There has been 90 much legislative
rkeriDg Of the system with patch succeeding patch,
often overlapping each other that The consequence has
not uDrequeu'y been, tina: where leak was thought
N be stopped the rent bss 10 reality been made worse
The provisions are 10 some cases ambiguous 10 others
sDd in very many Instances fall snort IN
accomplishing much that IL desirable toward giving the
system harmony Of purpose and action. When IL is
borue in mind that there between twenty and thirty
thousand Trustees in the State, by whom the school
laws to be chiefly adminstered and that they are
not all remarkable for intelligence astuteness, the
obvious neceesity of having the laws e.rly defined
and as simple IN their operation practicable, must De
clearly apparent
corD.TIos OF THE SCHOOLS.
Personal observation, and the concurrent testimony
If all familiar with the subject enables 10 express
confident conviction that the past year has witnessed
decided Improvement in the scope and efficiency OF
cur Common Schools. This has chiefly resulted from
be introduction Of more competent teachers joined 70
improved methods of instruction developed at the
Teachers Institutes, and through the medium OF
Teachers Associations That great detects still exist
is not in the least problematca and though decien
cies easy of exposure, the application Of a remedy
10 far more dfisut. IT, with our present experience
we could coL.eDce our school system de n0ro--if it
had not grown with gro WITH and ent uned tsef in
its present FORM with all the partaties prejudces and
arp Iations Of peoples ystem could be doubtless
devised more homogeneous in it's character, and rising
by reguM gradatiOn from mere elementary studies 70
the highest educational attanments. Bot this could
only be zone through Governmental acquisitions as 70
classification, attendance and study, such ct-
zens have lot been accustomed TO endure and which,
being incompatible with that volition Of choice and
freedom in action iDeeparsble from free institutions,
would hot be tolerated by the community.
In despite OF glowing encomiums upon foreign sys-
tens and even Of st,aioable improvements in own,
our citizens will still claim the ght of educating their
children In their own way and TO an extent conmen-
eurste with the peculiar notions OF propriety enter
tanned by each individual depressed with this con-
victiop. would make our Common Schools those
neighborhood colleges from which the great mass Of
our thriving population must continue TO graduaess
perfect Ia their details thorough in their mental dis
ciplne, as extensive in their scope OF studyas the
ants and wishes Of the class for whom they
designed, will GLOW. The greatest boon
that be bestow ed upon them, is to furnish them
with accomplished teachers, no fam liar with the
most approved methods Of instruction, and who are
capable Of leading pupils from She simplest elements Of
know ledge through the branches pertaining to sound
Fl gsh education.
With oil that we can do, we aha still find the in
mates of schools such they have ever BEEN with
various capac ties for receiving knowledge-with
niDds Immature and requiring careful training for their
proper development-with no greater genius for the
acquisition Ct knowledge than those who bave pre-