The New York herald., 1879-09-01
FOUNTAINS OF KNOWLEDGE.

OPENING TO-DAY OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ONE HUNDRED AND TEN THOUSAND PUPILS
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. FOR THEIR COM.
FORT AND PROFIT.
This is the scholars Black Monday. After two
months of vacation tho public schools once moro
open their doors. and from every ward in the city
the stream of pupils flows in. Mothers hxvc boon
all the morning scrubbing and decking their chill
dren. young ladies of the Normal College have been
trying on inaugural bows and ribbons and teachers
have said long goodby to the joys Of their summer
holiday. The Board of Education confidently
expect to see 10000 scholars rally round their
standard to-day. Each year swells the num-
Der. There 100000 in 1878. 10000
in 1877, $4,000 in 1876 and $1,000 in
1876. the scale gradually diminishing to the early
days OF the system. More than throo thousand fe
male teachers supporting the Board in theh
work and less than thirty male Most of the former
have come from the Normal College. which issuea
certificates to its pupils permitting them to teach
in the public schools, and most Of the latter from
the New York College. which grants them no such
diploma. and whose graduates cannot teach until
licensed by the City Superintendent. Tho difference
in the privileges of the two colleges accounts in
some degree for tho unequal proportions OF
the teachers. The Board will tako all the pupils
that can possibly be accommodated. It's members
believe that If tho parents would fall in with
their wishes there would be overcrowding. Al
population shifts from ward to ward, and somt
wards turned into business centres and soms
into habitable quarters the fow of pupils passea
from ono school to another. and some schools are
compelled to turn children away while others are
comparatively empty. They are regulated On hygt
enic principles with respect to floor space and all
space. and unless the parents will forego their rights
~
dren less crowded schools at distance the Board
argues tlAt it ought not to be held responsible for
the consequences.
~. BUILDINGS.
With these views they have been busily building
during the vacation. Grammar School No. 81,
West Forty-foursh street, between Tenth and
Eleventh avenues. has boon enlarged by the erec-
ton Of a wing on the eastery sile Of the plot.
1t 25 by 80 feet and ia four stories in height the
basement being used for play room. the second.
third and fourth containing four classrooma
each, with two sets of iron and slate stairs
extending from the first to the fourth story,
one set being located at the 'front.' between
the now wing and the present building. and the
front being thus made continuous to the eastcrly
line Of the site. Grammar School No. IA. on East
Twenty-eighth street. Third avenue. has now
an additional building. directly in the rear OF the
present the site being of the largest in the citys
and extending entirely through the block giving OPP
portunity for ingress and egrcss two streets,
Covered bridges of iron extend from building to
the otner, aording convenient and direct comniuni
cation the line Of the several stories. The cel
lars first stories and second stories form continuous
floors from street to street. Each OF these ex.
tensions calculated to accommodate Loo scholars.
Moreover, An entirely and full sized grammar
school is in Of construction in the Eleventh
ward. 1t is situated the south side Of Seventh
street, 100 feet east OF avenue b. The plan OF tho
buildings similar piots having q main build
ing and four wings, the greatest amount OF
space being utilized consistent with . proper
supply OF light to the various rooms. There are
four entrances from the street. and four stairways
from the first to the fourth story two OF them being
be the fourth story in the front section OF the
building, behind tho Mansard roof. This arrange
ment OF the janitors rooms is something new in
school construction and will henceforth be univer
sally adopted. This grammar school will hold 1000
been thoroughly oyerhauled. Owing to a lick Of
funds the Board has not been able to make quar-
ter of the alterations that It would have wished to
make Nevertheless the schools are found to be in
fair state OF repair and their sanitary condition Is
better than ever before. In some cases. however.
the floors have been pronounced uncommonly dirty
and in others the class rooms are far too small for
their purpose.
GOOD INTENTIONS.
tariff OF expenses tor the coming session has
been drawn up. The appropriation for the year
SlOO. 900 tor the corporate schools for which the
Board is ncrely the trustee, administering their
funds and appointing their officers according to State
expense of maintaining the Nautical School on the
st. Marys. which has just returned from q cruise
In the Mediterranean and IL lying to-day on
Glen Cove and will be ut its berth at the foot
Of Twenty third street on the lst or October. Tho
OF looking after truants who they have not served
thor OF fourteen weeks schooling. snapped
up by the Board agents and sent to ref0rmatory.
The last Jail delivery took place Saturday. when
fifty boys and girls were liberated that they
may not no only enjoy az quiet q at the noms S%s
to-day. One lad OF their number CONF
mitsa IN December last This hs sr owm reanss
with 1500 students in attendance aud 1000 children
IN the training school, is maintained At an ex-
pensc of $9o.oo0 being less than $35 . head The
supplies or books. maps and scholastic parapher-
MALTA expected to cost about $4,000. scarcely
more than 81 head. Tho contracts made during
the vacation have been made at unprecedentedly low
rates. The teachers salaries estimated 1t
230OOOO coal at $4,000. gas ut $4,000 new build.
ings at $200O00 and REPAIRS general and special ~
S60.0O0
Two female principas-one in control OF Primary
Department No. II. the other OF Grammar School
Nc. 3s-havo married during the holidays. and have
Gillespie Miller. OF the oldest principals, rc-
Gently charge OF Grammar School No. "a. has also
Grammar School No. 49, will have to be hlied during
the next thirty days. tho ordinary process being 20
thought unnt for tho post. No changes have been
niado in the Board itself. It's commissioners. ON.
and clerks remain Us before. Mr hiouie 10 stih
in Office No alterations have becn suggested In the
course of study. Some members of the Board iu-
tend at its next mecting to propose,
ton of sewing. but expect to meet Win strong ops
position. The scholars are Thought to nave their
time sufficiently occupied with their present STUDIES
of arithmetic, reading, penmanshp. geography.
English grammar and composition commentary
science, history. etymology. drawing music. Ger
man and French.
The following tablc will be found useful as show
ing the capacity of each school, the average
att.ndance and. by inference from tho teachers
salares the burden OF expense that lies upon each
ward under existing circunstances:
Seating
Capacity Arerdge Salaries
Ward. Class Rooms. Attendance. to Teachers. DC.
i........ 1890 1000 $2s,731 53
o... 231 151 1857 80
a... 1853 1863 $3.50 33