New-York tribune., 1878-07-19
KNOWS 4 COOP THING WIEN he SEES IT.

KEOWS 4 GOOD THING WHEN Re SEES 1T.
1t is announced that, "owiuR to structures
"of the press" Mr.. John Eaton, Commits
sioner of Education. has prevailed upon him
self to abbreyiate his annual report, and it
wonld now be of interest to know what pOr-
tions of that document he will be liable to
cut ont. The puffs of private schools and
siekly universities, the advertisements of
school books and pencil sharpeners, and the
lists of ex-supeTintendents might all be
dispensed with without any detriment
to the cause he loves. But the Pro-
"ceedings of Educational Conventions and
" Associations y which Mr.. Eaton annually
clips from the newspapers and embOdies
in his report, the country will not VIII
lingly dispense With. The unattached pro-
fessors and others who allude TO themselves
as educators and who do a good deal OF
convening in the Summer season, occasionally
have IL whole swarm OF bees in their bOnncts,
but they deliver long speeches, and pass
funny resolutions, which they like to have
embalmed in a public document, and they
ought TO be gratlfed. Mr.. Eaton ruth
lessly thins out these proceedings when
they are reported with any luxuri-
rance in the local papers; but
there is one variety of resolution
which he piously preserves Whenever Mr..
Eaton, as required by law, is " collecting such
" statistics and facts az shall show the c0ndi-
" ton aud progress of education in the vari-
"ous States and Territories" he invariably
collects as a statistic and fact the resolution
which any convention, or institute, or assOcia-
ton may be persuaded to vote, to the effect
that Mr. Eaton could endure a bigger appro-
priation. In the last bureau report but one
there are several statistics of this touch
ing character. One convention " resolved
that the labors of General John Eaton
/" in promoting etc, have been wise
/" and efficient, and that Congress be memorial
"ized IN behalf of liberal support for the
" Bureau The American Institute of In
struction also resolved in favor of liberal
support" A third convention is reported as
resolving that the good accomplished by
the Bureau is a vindicatiOn of the wisdom
4" of its establishment" and then added the
usual money clause. Perhaps the most pow
erful resolution Of its class is one with a suG-
gestive parenthesis, which Mr. Eaton pub
lished in his last report: " Resolved, That no
"other Department Of the General Govern
"ment considering the small amount appro-
"priated for its support has done so much
for the best interests Of society" 1t is
needless to say that Mr.. Eaton's is the De-
partment referred to-
The resolution business hasn't fairly opened
yet for this season, but up in New Hampshire,
the other day, the American Institute of In
struction led of with some average samples,
and once more "called upon Congress TO give
"the Educational Bureau ample means" Of
course it requires some sklful engineering
on the part of Mr.. Eaton to get up edu-
cational information of this sort, and we
shall look at his next report with some con-
cern TO see If it is all in. We trust that he
will not be restrained from diffusing 1t by
any morbid mOdesty, any economical views
about the public printing OF any structures
from licentiOus and unbridled press.