The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-24
Three Thousand Children shut out of
the Public schools.


About week agoa panic caused by a false
alarm of fire or by the uproar % the depart
Ing children occurred in public school in
Houston street. IL resulted in one Of those
wild scenes Of terror and confusion where
human beings, whether they arc young or
Old part with their reason and behave like
dumb animals, rushing into actual or
greater danger in order to escape a real or
tancied danger in which they are; Just as
h"ra';s win ln,@k ti,a haltar l." which, tha.,
have been led out Of a burning stable TO
throw themselves into the flames from
which they have been rescued.
The greatest panic was in the primary do
partment Of the school in the lower story.
which contained 900 young children. Some
Of the boys jumped out OF the windows,
Twelve feet from the street. but most OF the
youngsters We're SO jammed together on the
stairs and passages that many lives were
threatened. Fortunately, however, only
one child was seriously injured.
or course these public school panics will
take place occasionally, but rigid discipline
can go very far 10 prevent them and can
save the children from the grave results
which must follow their escape from the
control of their teachers. We are glad TO
say that in the case in Houston street the
teachers behaved with much discretion, and
that generally they preserve perfect order
IN the schools. But the trouble Il not with
them. 1t is with the Board OF Education,
which, though provided by the people with
m abundance Of money to furnish proper
school accommodations for all the children
VINO seek an education at the public ex-
pensc, Professionally overcrowd the schools,
Rnd especially the primary departments.
At the time OF the opening OF the public
schools in September The SUN prognosti-
Gated that before many weeks IL would have
10 report that they We're not only crammed
with pupils, to the injury Of the health of
the children, but also that thousands Of
boys and girls had been turned away from
them because they had not the space for tho
youngsters to stand or sit in. And what we
expected has happened
Mr.. RIDDLE, the Superintendent OF the
City Schools, last week informed the Board
OF Education that 1923 children have this
autumn been refused admission to tho
schools for lack of room to accommodate
them. OF these /, l99 wore in the Nineteenth
Ward, 707 in the Seventeenth Ward J37 in
tho Twcnty-second Ward, and AS in the
i'ANH W ar DOlut VI lutlll, nc says, nave
been able to get into other schools, but what
has become Of the restY Have they not just
Rs much right to learn the alphabet at the
public expense as the children who could loo
squeezed into tho schools
Not only are these three thousand chill
drcn other wandering about the streets and
getting into mischief for lack of anything
else 10 do, or thrown on private and paro-
chlal charity for their instruction, but those
who can get into the schoolrooms are so |
numerous that in many cases they arc
penncd up like sheep. some u the schools |
are 50 crowded" reported Mr.. KIDpLF.
that the rulc Of the Board, limiting the
class number to Is in primary schools and
to 20 In tho grammar schools, is not com
Piled with" Tine truth IT, tho schools arc
greatly oycrcrowlcd in tho most populous
districts Of the city, and the children OK
posed 10 the dangers Of insufficient vontila-
ton ana parics such as that which occurred
IN Houston street Moreover, they cannot
be property instructed in such drovos Tho |
limit ~ mo classes, the exceeding Of which |
mo overcoming nc,c-citatoa, has been |
proved To he essential to good discipline and |
tho eNlrient performance of shell work bv |
the teachers.
Never before was tho average daily at.
tendance on tho public schools 80 large as il
Is now. Daring the last month it has |
reached ll20s3, an excess over last year Of
C,7ls. Most Of the children Of tho city arc |
In these schools, the proportion attending
private schools being very small. though a |
considerable number are In Institutions SUD-
ported by churches, particularly by tho Ro- !
man Calhoh Church But great as tho