New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-07
EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT
AN ADDRESS BY SENATOR MILLER.

The proceedings of the second day OF the annual
meeting of the State Teachers Association began
yesterday morning at o'clock in the large haii Oh
School No. .. Yonkers First there were singing by
a chorus of school children and class exercises con-
ducted by Misses c. f. Taylor and Edna Pateman
Then followed the report of the Committee on In
dusirlal Exhibit, which was read by Professor
HH. Straight, Oswego. The other members OF the
committee were Samuel G. Love, of Jamestown
C. W. Nassau, of Friendship; +. w. Lane, OF
Yonkers; and c. L. Nichols of Mount Nernon. Inc
report was d scussed by Felix Adler whose remarks
were listened to with close attention by the meh-
bers of the association. He described the SUCCESS
which had attended the working OF his Ihuus',,"'
School for Laboring Mems Children. lie saiu hc
did not believe in introducing the shoemaAer ahu
1he carpenters or any other trade into the schoVs
and he Thought there was often great udheoi W ~
scholars from OVERRIDING the matter ~ a dere
TO give them practical education Not that ne ueP.g
Gated he said real teal education i9r youns
dren Tor such instruction was the need OF to ht
III should ALWAYS be borne III ulId' however, Una.
The work was for the sake OF education, ana noi
education for the sake of the work lie then
nv children eight and nine years old. Many OF the
models were neatly and skilfully executed. MI.
Adlers tak followed BY Rpor M on Il n Hun
OF Brooklyn. Tbs closed the morning SESSION.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
The afternoon session was opened ny INC
reading of a paper upon Whae Is 'no
Practical IN EuuCdllol, ny a.
ton principal of the Elmira schools. FRO
fessor James NJ Cassety of Cortland, then read a
report of the Committee on Improved Methods OF
FdueationD The other members of the committee
were Barney Whitney, of Ogdensburg; ). Il. Mas
see. of Sandy Creek Edward Wait, OF Lansing
burg; and George F. Grumpy of Little Falls. Inc Inc
conclusions reached by the comihltt9e Horo - sna
there should be more concentration and unity OF &C
zion by educators in collecting data LOT ascer-
tanning the results of different methods OF educa-
ton and that there had been too much theorl1Iine
from assumed data. This had led 10 very Dad re-
sults The report complained that what snOuid De
done by organized bodies IN collecting anu s
data OF different methods had been done almost en-
trely by individuals. Educational methous couid
be improved only by proceeding from the emplIiGa
to the rational, and 1t was an art that must po
brought to perfection by the united work OF many
succeeding generations. The report was discuSseo
by ii. X. Clapp Of Geneva, and >. W. Shus'ei VI
William Ross. of Waterloo. read an interesting
York State~ The report of the Committee ON AL
yancement OF Education was next rea9 Dy JeI9Hie
Allen, 81 Cloud, Mum. The report was discussed Dy
r. j. Morgan, OF Potsdam and Wilson Palmer, OF
Oyster Bay A. NJ. Brown of Demands Crossing,
read a paper How May the PuOlc SENIORS Oe
Improved, and 1T was discussed by ii H. Htica
OF Port Washington, and L. Is, Lowell, OF Attlca
Several minor committee reports ehueu Ino "i'ei
noon session.
SENATOR MILLERs ADDRESS IN THE EVENING.
In the evening the exercises were opened oy re-
ports from the Committees on Finance ana
Neurology. AL ABOUT udiI-ptSt o OClVVh 'HO PiN'i
dent of the Association introduced Senator Warner
Miller who was greeted with long-contlnued ana
hearty applause. He delivered an address upon
Education as a Fourth Department of Govern
ments and spoke in part as follows:
Mr. CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE NEW
YORK STATE TEACHERS AssOCIAIoS heeu NOT say
that highly esteem the honor you nave done me III III
yiting me TO address you To me your invitation com
STATE suI,eTintendent was like an order OLD com
rades assemble around the camp fires ana revive Tue
pendent venture In life was teaching country sch9oI
at sixteen for what to me- was most NO raj an ner
day without board. l followed the profession Win
greater or less zeal for a few years. alternating teach
Ing and studying; then deserted your ranks and am
now no longer worthy to oe numbered among you
But can you. fellow teachers II may ne al,
lowed the expression That have never lost my interest
in fraternity zeal for the cause OF e19canon
iaSored as best / could for tine Improvement OF the
witch / snail submit l propose consider our eduoa-
tonal system in lis relations 10 government III TACT
TO treat of of the departments or government
In order that we may fully comprehend tne present
status OF the scAool and me schoolmiser IN our ous
potc il Will be necessary for us 10 20 briefly over Tue
history education and follow II through lts various
changes and developments TO the present tIlne
The speaker, after reviewing the systems OF
Greece and Rome, said that " to Martin Luther
more than to any other man owe the public
school system of today Next in order he treated
the beginning and growth of education in this
country showing how the colonies especially Mas
sachusetts. whose early system he explained, were
thoroughly imbued with Luther'S idea OF the neces-
sity of universal education Reviewing the history
of education in this State. he said
In 1914 the first colony of Dutch traders landed
on Manhattan Island; they came for purposes OF
trade rather than of settlement. but they brought
paroehiai school From that time till the conquest
BY tue English in 1864. church schools ot vary
iig degrees or exeellency were maintained Inns coha
ZION OF affairs continued without much variation ull
alter the Revolution and NeW-Nork had changed nom
n dependent colony to an Independent stale During
this time some private schools OF mgh OIuer were
opened, and Kings College now Columbia, was char
Tered; but during the period OF colonial mis-
tory no system OF p1Dne euucaon Mas Ei,ieI "
NEW-YoRK's PRESENT COMMoN-sCHooL SYSTEM.
Our present common-sohOo system may be said to
have had it's origin in the legislation of 1872 Previous
TO that date 1887 the Board of Regents OF the Uni
yersty had been Incorporated body sometimes con-
sidered more ornamental than useful, but which i'll
reality great value to the state IN adVanc-
ing the interests higher education In 1903 sale Of
public lands ordered with the proceeds OF
Hshed Thus New-York was the second State
In the Union TO establish such fund Sonnectlcu.
commission appointed BY Governor lonpkins, 10 IN
nd resizatiop 81 public schools" The results
lsbOrs remain 10 the present day. Inc three main
Irs Tn division OF the state into school districts of
such convenient size as 10 enaDe al the chGreh 70 oe
within easy distance OF school The school district is
the unt OF power in the school system as the Township
s s 10 me dstibnton of the school fund among
districts according TO the number OF children u school
Third Making it obligatory the towns to raise by
taxation sum equal the amount they received from
the distribution OF the school fund. - -, -.
These ndameutal principles have never been lost
sight of any legislation whicn mas been had during the
last seventy years. since 1872 many changes have
taken place in the machinery Oh our school system Inc
STATE ma assumed absolute eoutol ana S Oa
che system through inc state superintendent anu the
Commissioners III the districts, ana me Board OI he
gents. But the great advance which has been made
IN eoncatlon state during the past quarter Of
century due 10 ;he adoption OF ADDITIONAL luhdanehta
fSTst Making tine schools free all, and supporting