New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-25

CO,IPULSORY EDUCATION ACT.

ACTIVE OPERATIONS BEGUN UNDER Ir-PRoGREss
OF TIE CENSUS OF NON-ATTENDANT CHILDREN
-REsULTs OF THE LABORs OF THE sUPERIN-
TENDENT OF TRUANCY.
The Superintendents and Agents of Truancy
have been at work several weeks, but have not
yet fully indicted into the best ways Of working
under the Compulsory iuoatiOn act Sixty policemen
have been detailed By superintendent Walling to the
work Of obtaining OF the children remaining
away from school, and these making excellent prog
ress 1t supposed that by tho middle Of April the
census will be completed when the work Of the Super
nteudent aud agents. under tho Compu.
sorry Education act, will begin in earnest.
At present their duties confined chiefly
to the In several instances agents have
Teen informed Of the OF children 10 their districts
who have not attended school, and who arc not on tho
regular pubic school register, and these cases have
attended to. Every Principal OF department in
the public schools furnishes daily TO the Agent OF Tru
aucy in tho district postal card containing the names
OF all pupils who have boon absent without leave for
day two and also whenever such name comes under
the cognizlnco OF the Principal, with the and ad
dress Of any child In the district between the ages Of
and Il, who IL yagrant habitua
attendant Upon the information thus conveyed
the agents act. by such means they OBJ
tanned the names OF % nonattendant chill
dren in the interval between the 5h AMI the 10th Of
March, and by their agency % Of these have already
been sent school, The methods by whioh the agents
work are altogether the methods Of kindness. Recourse
to the force which the law empowers them 10 use is
deprecated yet seemed necessary in any
instance Where the agent finds child OF the required
age on the street he addresses it kindly nquring as
to It's name and where its homo is. Usually the an
swers are given in q wondering, halffrtghtened way,
bus the agent persists IN his kindly manner and ox-
tracts from the child full account Of his life and hab
its whether he goes school, would Ike to- aud even
cd u, he
favor OF his attending school, Then the agent visits tho
parents OF the child, explains the law to them, and
urges the necessity of giving tho child the adj
yantages Of an education. In nearly every
case that has como to the agents notice the
parents OF the nOn-attcndant children have
always sguined their willingness to have the child
attend school, although Ia oW instances they have Go-
INJURED and claimed that the child Is disObedienG or
rent or purchase OF life for the family
aud they cannot spare his services; Dut the agent ny
his perslstsBcY manages to Oyerrue these objections
In all the parents thus called moon have proved to
be miserdOly pOo aud the chef obstacle 10 the aend
ance OF their children is their ragged and sometimes
almost naked condition In these cases he has applied
Tor AID to tue charitable .ai Sasep Of d sS
warm enough 10 permit the child 10 attend
school have been PG0VldeG ~ scH OF er re nrS
vented Only by the want OF clothing, and that want
Was supplied in every instance This treatment has
gone further than any arguments to convince the poor
aud ignorant parents OF the beneicence OF the law
Mr. Church. OF the First District, heard recently IN his
rounds OF two boys aged eight ana ten who were not
Attending school, ana on Investigating their circum-
stances fOuD that their father snip carpenter, alb
sent seeking work. their mother goes out daily 10 obtain
work OF any sort, aud tho two lads remain at home
naked huggng themselves together over the enOeS or
IA fire 10 keep warm The agent at once informed "a
charitable Institution Of the circumstances and the
family cared for while the boys were clothed, and
are now joyiuly attending school.
Among children reached By the agents, especially
In the Fourth District OF the Eleventh seventeenth
Wards, large number OF that wretched class who
are compelled by brutal parents 70 traverse the Streets
picking up rags and refuse from the aust heaps ana gar
bage barrels These appear 10 be sent to school,
and exhibit prompt appreciation OF the merits OF tue
law bat they arc Invariably afraid when tho agents
propose to speak their parents masters the sub
lucy generally Insist that there Is no nope VI COM
pliance in That direction.
Tue operations OF the superintendent and his agents
have not yet extended ~ the newsDOys factory
children owing chiefly 70 the unfinished condition OF
the chlldrens ceGsus. Alexander NJ. Stanton the SUI
perneudent daily forwarding copies OF the law and
the Board OF EiucaOhs regulations relative 10 tho
enorUement OF the law, TO the manufacturers IN the
city no employ children, Tne superintendent has no
power compel any but yagraDt or trnant children to
attend school at present, as the law recognizes the
ability and willingness or every ono TO ODey IT, and
penalties for It's disO0edence against employers
enforced until year, out Investigations
made into all cases, whether OF employees or yagrdnts
steps prescribed above are taken IN all
such instances When the law Is brought into enforce
mcnt among the aggressive "gamns," Of whom the
ueWsbOys are q large aud independent element, more
trouble is apprehended The wretched little creatures
who have far CONS under It's hand have been Of
suDdued type OF street arab, easily impressed by the
gated by sight OF the shield which the agents
times find 10 necessary 10 display; but much moro
nOyiBg work - apprebended when the untamed young
Of neWsbOy bOotblack pattern become the
objects Of their phlanthropie minstratiOns 1t Is Of
interest to know That youths of IA not amena
BILE under the acts and neither compelled 10
20 10 school attend regularly except by tho per
suaslys influence OF their parents or guardians