, 1869-09-30
FREE EVENING SCHOOLS.

creased attention which has beeu paid dur.
ing tho past few ycn.a 10 the instruction OF
thosc who n1e prevented from attending
tho day solsool Under our free cducatiou-
al system there arc few nat.ve American
citizens who cannot secure fair common
school instruction in that part Of life auto
cetlentt to TIC years necessarily deyoiel to
"n,ak'ng a living;" but there arc groat
numbers n1noug sla, who Aavo enigrated
Li,her from the Old World where these nd.
vnntagoS arc comparatively few and oxpcn-
sive. There nre hundreds Of thousands of
adults in every country Of Europe who
hnve never learned 10 rcnd In their natiye
Tongue, much less to write and cyphcr.
Many Of them find their woy hithcr, where
their Ignorance places them in n much
more disadvantageous position than they
occupied at home.
The foreign horn clement Is especially
numerous in Chicago. and, hence, a largo
proportion of our admit population is in
need Of the assistance which can be given
only il the evening school, rs tho dny is
necessarily occupied in toll.
Solong ngo rs tho autumn Of 1856, M effort
9ls made by our city authorities to reach
this class, and M evening school was OPEN
cd IN the Vest Market Hall, on Randolph
street, near Dcsplaines, under the caro- Of
b. S. Wentworth, nov the Principal Of the
Cock County Norznal School Tho term
opened with sixty pupils, but the number
was soon increased to )a0. A great deal Of
interest was manifested, but the course VAS
allowed to die out for lack Of pecuniary
support.
Another effort was made in the fall Of
1sGa, by the Board OF Education Of this
/ city, md m appropriation secured from
the municipal treasury, which has been re-
peated each succeeding year. Tho first
winter nhout 4s3 adults nrailed themselves
Of the offered instruction.
For the coming winter more extensive
preparations have been made, con,uen-
suratc with the increase in tie population.
Lust week evening sessions were commenced
in tho DenIbo1n, Jones, Frnnkliu, Hayes
Washington. and Foster Schools, under the
chnrgc of the Principals Of each Of those
buildings, who a1e assisted by corps Of
competent teachers they give instruction
in reading. writing, arithmetic, and gram-
taa1. An evening High School has also
been established in the Dearborn building,
on Madison street, near Dearborn, undcr
The charge Of H1essrs. Peabody and Payne,
Of the High School, in which more e1-
tended course is taught, including natural
philosophy, mechanical drawing, algebra,
geometry, and bookkeeping. The design OF
this latter feature is set forth in the follow
ing extract from the report of tho Commit
tee On Evening Schools. published in the
last annual report of the Duard Of Edaca.
ton:
;" Thus far nrr efforts have been directed Ia the
airing simply 10 i1upa1f that knor!edgc which
World Prove more bcnenctal II practical, cser{-
tay !!te: hut re row propose 1c make our xofk
ACnEd faci'.ttes to large c1a.s or youog 1uc1 lar
ihtr advanced {who, Withou: Their oxn vottoo
which our 1l,e6 scsoo. oder.}, ia m The opea.as q,
at cyt nnG High school, accessible to all whu Dc
s,rc 10 eecnte Tor tnense'ses a know1edue at tac
ncctanlr atts, and 10 understand moro fully the
I PRINCIPLES nPou htch the GEleucea arc loundett
ana by shich thcT can be applied 10 prlc,lcA
Superintendent Pickard also ssys:
"Ihe rufroee Of tht committee to cssaaltsh AT
evening iiiRn SCHOOL canpoa be too warmly con
Eeneeti: Thefn ase many Intelligent youns
MECHANICS rno wos,d 81 Eaa!y nas,ue Their suds.
echcul education. Their circumstances forbid III,
lire and expense OF such coufsc as our scml
% aes'nesy, M a1t % il he % mere % rTcueiire Isnos
shtte trlncAted 1t her expense, the eIy viii tca1lz
!, D profit ffou1 her expenditures"
We need only add TO this Tint tho e1
pense x conducting the evening session
: will be the same, whether tho attendanc