New-York tribune., 1868-03-03
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
COMMON SCHOOLS.

COMMON SCHOOLS
To ase Rdior orT7. Tribrr.
SIR: The Finance Committee of the Board
OF Education initiating tho Common Council Of this city,
has presented an elaborate report their Budget for
aes Tho rcport processes for its object removal of
isappcheOn existing the part OF some Of our citi-
1cns" This IS good ]. As 10 the number OF children
taught I'm ON schools The report gives the whole num-
her as 2OG2O the average Attendance tO22o The first
question which would arise IN tho nina OF thlhkhg
person would be- What is the minimum attendance ;
why is that not gvenl How do they succeed IN pro
duCng such a miserable average when inc whOie at-
tendance s so great Here the satistlcians or the
Iioord might remove misapprchcnsionl According 20
the last ccnsu there werc Children In OK pc
tween the ages OF and 20, 239,SS5 children 10
NowYork between the ages OF s aud IS. lG5,Slo. 1t
is undoubtedly safe to assume thRt tho WnOle
l. les than s6 COO The Compissioners OF Charities and
Correction inserted their last report that there were
o S %o eted scboo St ALL MR. Randall the sner
tcHdcnt OF Schools, In reply 10 questions nt Ny .o 90
children mn tho Catholic Church schools, and 10000 more
IN private schools We must then deduct lOm inc schoo
population Of tho city, persons with whom tle Board
Of Education has nothing to do 100000 This leaves rs
within the reach Of the common schools about 9OOOo
which IA less than the average attendance for the year
Here Is to clear up another ,misapprehenSiOn
would like to have one vcrsed IN hgres ci s now
il can be made 20 appear that than 100000 children
regularly receive Instruction in the common schoolsi
H. As 10 cost 10 Is not just TO estimate the cost per
child upon the aggregate attendance. No one Is under
sch chcnSion' ms 10 suppose that whole
number receives useful Instruction How mlch dOcs IL
cost for 90 22O cldrcni More than t32 each But how
much for thoae actually taught say $00OOf Almost 500
This Committee, aiming still 10 remove ulsdppcho-
sions scrs 10 excuse the addition Of tax OF - per
child on ground that the proposed bill OF last year
contacd that sum. Would IL not have been manly 10
have stated that before that proposed bll was dfawn
Mr. Vance the Chairman of the present Finance Commit
tee had moved "a resolution in the Board, whlch was
adopted creating committee to urge before tue Last
Legislature the addition Of this very S., aud that II was
from that suggestion the of $40 was inserted III the
proposed bill
III The report page G. says that the Committee on
Colleges and Schools slstaincd tho course pursued ny
the Bonrd" II by this Is meant that the Committee dd
report In favor of the proposed BILL tho Intention '
state tho fact Tho Committee made no report what
ever. ,
w The report (p 10 processes 20 state the grounds
upOn which the bill uf last Winter was proposed 6uIer
ME To state what understood some OF them To be-
First: That the scheme, constituted was complex
cumbersome aud In the best hands, 10 great extent III
cfi tctua
Second: That IT was cxtravngant IN the extreme.
Third That II failed 10 secure common school lnslruc
tio amy considerable proportion OF the city, and failed
most where II was most needed
Fourth: That the necessary result under the existing
organization put very many OF the schools under
Tho control of improper persons.
The propositions were presented, with others ana
maintained chiefly from the reports Of the Board OF Ed
etiu IL il asserted that the arguments then presented
again 81 the present system have not been answeicd
1hs finance report Is signed 30 be an answer IL does
not srrm lO me 10 rise high ~ that am satisfied
tint TIE Department of Education needs as much careful
strufl as any lu tho city. Heretofore IL has not re-
" OSR oP THE PEOPLE.
Acu IOrk, Feb. i5 1865