New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-18
THE CITH'S SCHOOLS.

IHE CI1I'S SCHOOLO.
MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
DISCUSSING TnD QUESTION OF DIsCoNTINUING THE
CoLoIED SCHOOLS.
At the meeting of the Board of Education yester-
day. the Finance Committee reported that the ex-
pendtnres and Indebtedness incurred for the year
1882 including the balance to the credit OF the
Buildings Contingent Fund and the Ward Incl
dental Fund, were $3.47s,24S. The estimate OF
expenses for the first quarter of the present year
was $500, 457, being nearly quarter OF the
sum allowed by the Board of ADportion-
ment The Committee Evening Schools re-
ported an average attendance at those schools
of 6353 for December. an increase Of s25 over the
attendance for December, 1881. The average at
tendance of foreign pupils learning English was
1000, 1850 of these being Germans. 50 Italians,
60 French. So Bohenians and AZ Swedes me re-
number of boys in attendance as 1873, OF girls ITO.
and the result of the examinations there as = gen
orally very credtabe.' The inspectors of the fifth
District reported that the new system OF instruction
without books. appealing to the eye and ear alone
"and not exercising tue mind" ought TO lie
changed. The system made the teachers work harder
and did not train the scholars. The number OF
pupils in the primary classes was too large Ihere
was long and animated discussion on the question
of cOlored schools, the subject being introduced by
Mr. Schiff who offered resolution that the Com
mttee on Colored Schools which was instructed IN
May last to consider the practicabllty Oh consod
dating the colOred schools with the common schools
should he relieved of the eonslderatlon OF
that question, on the ground that 1t ha S
done nOthns and saa
no longer exists and colored children are provided
for in the common schools without detriment TO
themselves and as there are no hindrances 10 tner
full enjoyment of the privileges of common schools,
and "a the Board of Education have the legal right
TO discontinue separate cooTed schools. therefore
such schools he discontinued after July of this
We ar. Mr.. Wood moved to amend 20 to make the
date OF discontinuance August 81 In order that the
teachers might have the benefit OF their salary
In vacation as usual. He considered the colorcd
schools failure not because Of the poor character
of the pupils but of the class of teachers employed
in them. Mr.. Coudert thought 1t one OF the prlyi
leges Of colored people not to associate with the
Whites IL they go desired. He then read that por-
ton of the statutes which made 1t the duty of the
Board of Education to appoint teachers for coIored
normal and evening schools, and argued that there
fore the law made such schools virtually neces-
sity. Mr. Schifi insisted that such PROVISION was
contrary to the Constitution, and he read from the
section In page Al which gave the Boari power by
two-thrds majority, to close any grammar, evening
orcolored school Mr. Dowd said that u Legislature
in 1867 made an appropriation OF So0,OO0 Tor the
establishment of a colored school in this city, and
that school, No 8, had been accordingly opened Tor
colored children. He thought that the Board had
Mr.. Schif replied: When the law was
passed there were great many coIored people
excluded from the privileges Of our common nH
mittance to them; for this reason the law was
passed which provided schools for colored
children Hence if .t they are h Row n.s ssi
for separate schools falls away of itself The Board
has the right to discontinue colored schools as sepa
MIR. Dowd said he was in favor of gradual clos
ing of the colored schools, discontinuing No; at
once and the other two at intervals; School No .,
he thought could not be closed at all, legally. Mr.
Woods amendment to make the date of discontinue
ance August was then adopted. Mr. Coudert
that the legal Of ant honsb @
Board had no right to abolish colored schools
as such, although it might might hay have the the
%sn offered as substitute resolution that the
Committees on Colored Schools and Bylaws should
report at the first meeting of the Board Ill March
on the expedency and the legality OF disseminating
the colored schools The substitute was thereupon
adopted with an amendment that the opinion OF the
Corporation Counsel should be ascertained.
The following committees were announced Tor the
year:
Finanec-Dowd, Beardslee. Bell, Kelly and scbiH
Teaehers-wctmore, crawford, Kelly, Simmons and
BSiidings-Devoe, Beden, PomerOy wetmOre and
SUppiies-Traud, Belden, Hansen, WEIGH and Wet
more ,, c,-. r-.u.oo yn,.h o,d uo.,
Sites and Eew embellishments, Devoe, sehif, Wal
lace and TamseD. -
fraud Crawford and Patterson.
FtrTft,.re-Poneroy, WINS, Tamsen, Wallace and
Normal oollege-wood, Bell. Coudert, Crawford and
EsensnG Sehools-Beard'ce, Bell WINS POmerOy and
WEIGH
Ooiored Sehools-Dowd, Bell, Schln, Tamsen and
West.
Warming and Tent,Iation- Bell, Pomeroy,
Tsmsen and WEIGH.
By-Lars-west, Beardslee. Coudert. Patterson and
Wood. -
ETocutre Committee Nautical Schoot-Wetmore,
Bolden. Bell WINS and Simmons
Annual Report-Ivins, Beardsee Coudert, Pomeroy
and Wood.
Nomination Of Trustees - Kelly, Beardsee, Devoe,
Dowd, Patterson, fraud, Wallace, West and Wetmore
Executive COMMITTEE of Cffv Coege-Crawford, Boards
lee Coudert Dowd, Kelly, Patterson fraud and Wood.