New-York tribune., 1879-02-03
EDCCATION ~ NhUJERSEY.

AN ENCOURAGING REPORT FROM TIE STATE SUPER
INTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSGRuClloN-A sCh"oh
SYSTEM WHICH COMBINES CONSERVATIVES foHCf
WITH AGGRESSIVE VIGOR-SONr FIGURES WHICH
CRAFTY GOVERNOR MCLFLLN.
FROM An OCCASION NJ CORRESPONDENT OF TlIE TRIBUNEI
TRENTON, y. j., Jan. 31.-Thc annual re-
norris OF the New jersey state Roard Of Education
and the state Superintendent Of Public Instruction.
lust published, are more record OF sup-
stautal gain and growth IN almost every direcuo"
where progress can he definitely markedb bv comparative
figures II ought 70 be added that previous reports
show progress in all essential particulars for almost
every yesr since the present school Law was enacted III
1sG7 The methods Of gathering these statistics tOo
under the efficient administration of this law, are so
cOpicte and practical that these NcwJrTseN ahes are
among the most accurate and Trustworthy OF TINS cas''
There g 10 state I'm Union whore the various poi-
tons Of ths sciool machinery are SO conpacty ana
Thoroughly united and readily Obcdcnt 10 central
cotrl THIS fact emphasz d in the recent report OF
the udges thr Department OF Education ana ScIehcF
at Cenienn al. an extract from winch Is eiVep
by the state superintendent. After commencing the
classification, arTdugemcnt ard cataosuDg OF the New"
Jersey scuool Exhb. and tho excellence of the work
shown IN detail, the judges say In at least one I'M
poriant respect New-Jersey educational exhibit was
Lnloue II surpassed al Others in fulness and IN com
pletcuess OF organization. Every county in the stae'
evcry class and grade Of public ccho"ls' every He"
School all the higher institutions oi the State every n
portant private institution % per cent OF all te"ohe
and II 900 uuI- represented Besides 'hls' 'neo
were 400 of school houses Nothing Ike tS
mas been done by any other state or county since the
m.uguraiion of such exhibitions Ii was enough 10
knGle the admiration OF judges aud public Inc ""oe
State appeared have been worked over rs galueh Is
worked by ambitious cutiVator, to MAKE lh' very
utmost of soil and seed. We said TO ourselves Instantly
Here IS orcanzatOn win zeH thOrouehDess elhciencY
vhoIp hod NJ eCnO
must have felt common touch of inspiration, and
moved with unity OF purpose as an army OF disciplined
moved by a common patriotic s'nilmeht' uhueI
the direction of leader whom they have learned TO
love NcwJer-ey Is "A smal State, to I've sure but that
does not account for the completeness OF the exhibit
OF TINS organic UNITY. which connects The 0h
GERS OF each district with the Official head OF the
entire system ayas for other and more important pur
poses than the prompt aud accurate collecting OF Sta
tistcs II Is the Distinguishing characteristic OF the
New-Jersey scheme. aud to II the Sae Is indebted oi
much Of the educational progress noted ~ the current
reuort This unity Is secured and made eff ctve hy
clothing the county supeTntendents with very con-
siderable executive power, ana maMhs 'hei
appointment and removal depend upon the
same central Board which appoints the
state supcrn;e eudent, to whom they directly report
The Board itself consists OF earnest and capable
men WHO without pay, who are invested win
large administrative discretion, and whose tenure OF or
flee by successive roapponmen has come 10 bo practi
cay perpetual or during good behavior Altogether II
would be difficult devise system more securely re-
moved from s,ate or National politics and from local
disturbance, and ut once conservative and manage
aOle.
Another distinctive feature Of the system discussed
IN the report is the method OF distributing tie
state educational fund Two mills ON every dol
lar Of assessed property in the State are levied
az tax Tor school support, but the
drI y m he
Is raised. Gathered general fund.- the distribution
aferwar made according to tie nUIGber Of children
Of school age iu each locality. II thus happens that
some counties contribute thau they receive and
IL is in reply complaints from the richer counties That
the superintendent argues in favor Of tho existing
practice which is IN harmony with the rest OF
the system. which recognizes tho state as the
true Commonwealth and the only complete poit
cal organization. ana which impOses upon each
citizen his full burden OF responsibility for educating
the children OF the whole State without regard to
county boundaries An interesting paragraph Is next
devoted recent progress toward the introduction oil
the metric system OF weights and measures In connec
ton with the fact that during the next wear NewJerseY
will lead all the other States furnishing all her public
schools with a set of the metric apparatus. Among
other matters OF interest discussed in the report are
Technical education and now far State aid Is advisable
in TINS dlrectOn and local museums OF natural history
70 these are added somc fresh notes on eduoatioh III
Europe
The eIOt shows an improved cOndIu"n OF scboo
houses III spite oI small decrease IN he nominal Nu
alton of the entire school property Throughout the
state AbOIt 100000 have been expended for school
purposes, nearly SO for each enrolled pupil. Tue
schools have been Kept open Tor an average OF plnr
his fourteen days or ten days longer than ever
before The ouDiOued extract from the report OF Gov
ernOr MCCleau, eX Otlclo chairman OF the State
Board OF Education, forth the increase ID average
Attendance Of pupils iii very favorable lght: ,
"Wlc there has bee an increase of3,1SS IN the school
census the enrolled II, the schools has Incl eaSed
10y 3925 and what is gratifying is t1at there has
been much more than this increase in he numbers a end
an far FO A. "a
number attending 10 months il 2.370. the increase in
the number attending to 10 months Is 44S2 me N
crease The humDer attending to months Is l602
tnc increase in the number attending 10 months is
81 the decrease, less than months 4,999.'