Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-10-30
LOCAL MATTERS.
TTTOm Last Evenings KditiOn.l
OuFPublio Schools,

HoS. e. S. STEVENS ;-Deny Str: In my
Communication yesterdsy,I I intimated that
the Public Schools of Cleveland are not, in
all respects, what necessity demands. can
not claim that intimate acquaintance with
these schools which was possessed by their
former superintsndents. have been con-
nected with them only two months but
nearly all this time has been spent In ae-
curing knowledge Of their condition.
have not yet paid much attention to office du-
ties, but have spent my time in the schools,
and in this way have become sufficiently ao-
ouainted with them to know that the state
msnts which am about to make are truthful
and worthy Of the serious consideration OF
every friend Of education in Cleveland.
The ono great hindranCe to the highest
prosperity and success of our schools, is the
want Of a greater number Of suitable build
ings. Our present accommodations are ut
terly inadequate. Many of our schools are
90 crowded that 1t is impossible that they
should accomplish the work for which they
have been established. A year ago, as
have been informed, there was felt the need
of additional room. Since then the number
of pupils has increased by many hundreds
while we have ne increased Accommodations
for them. The school census Of the city, tax
en- within the past month, shows an increase
Of eleven hundred children during the last
year. Full ons-half Of this number are now
in our schools, and the consequences are that
nearly alI the rooms occupied by the lower
grades, or departments, are OverhOWing the
teachers are psrplezed and over-wOrked,
and the pupils fail Of receiving the benefits
which the schools are designed to afford.
With few exceptions, the upper depart
ments, High, Grammar and intermediate, are
not inconveniently crowded. It would be
better If some of the schools Of these grades
we're less numerOusly attended; still there
is no great cause for complaint in this diree-
ton. The pressure Is felt chiefly in the Pri-
mary and Secondary departments. We have,
If mistake not, thirty-six schools Of these
grades, of which there is not one that has not
as many pupils as should ever be committed
| to the care of single Teacher.
Fifty pupils are, in my judgment, as many
as one Teacher can instruct and govern to
their grostsst advantage. Indeed, think
that it would be better if the number were
limited to thirty or forty; but such limita-
ten would be considered impracticablo by
most people, in city like Cleveland. An
active and faithful Teacher will be able to
make good progress with fifty pupils, in a
4 graded school. Some Teachers will do this
with greater number Of pupils; but no
Teachers can as thoroughly educate seventy
Eve children each as they can fifty.
But a single one Of the thirty-tWo schools
concerning which write, has a number of
pupils as low as fifty; while two Of them
number one hundred and si1teen, and one one
hundred and seventeen each. Five of these
schools number each from fifty to sixty, nine
from sixty to seventy, twelve from seventy
to eighty, i've from eighty to ninety, three
from ninety to ono hundred, and two over
one hundred.
Let the Common Council of olevelAn pom.
der these facts. It Is not for me to attemp
to dictate to our city authorities. would
give them no occasion to repeat the ancien
Inquiry, "Who made thee judge over us?'
But with all due respect, I plead that thu
facts which have presented may receive
deserved attention.
Only last evening several citizens callet
upon me to inquire why it WAS that thei
children had been refused admittance to On'
of our schools. Ny reply that the room va
slready thronged with almost one hurdret
children, and could hold no more, did no
satisfy them. They claimed that their child
rem had right to attend school, and tina
their rejection was an outrage. This I dit
not deny, but was obliged to repeat that i
was impossible for that school to rseeiV
another pupil.
will not take time at present to show tn
effect which the crowded state Of those school
has produced in regard to classification
That it has been seriously injurious, must b
manifest to all. 1t has sent hundreds I
higher departments, years before they eoul
be prepared for susb promotion. In man
of the districts it has brought down the grad
of the intermediate and Grammar schools 3
low that they have ceased to be worthy G
the names which they bear.
In my next will endeaYor to show wit
whom rests the responsibility for the difaeul
ties and evils which have mentioned, an
who have the power to apply the demsnde
4 remedy. Respectfully yours,
Arson SNYfH.