New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-04

THE EDUCA TIONAL POLICY OF TIE STATE.
In view of the fact that the Legislature will
shortly be called upon to select a Superintend-
ent of Public Instruction, it is profitable to in
ouire whether the educational policy of the
State ought to be changed in any important
particular. 1t will be remembered that Lucius
Robinson when Governor was a persistent adj
yocate of change of large significance. In the
message which he sent to tine Legislature in
1873, he wrote: " In my judgment very great
awrong has already grown up In connection
with our otherwise excellent (schooD system.
q 1t lies in the principle of applying large
aamounts of the moneys raised by tax TO the
Support of high schools and instruction in all
sthe sciences and higher branches of study re-
@quired in the learned professions. When
athe State has given to all the children good
scommon school education it should there
"leaye them to their own resources and to fol-
slow such callings in life as their capabilities
q fit them for" In his annual message year
later he renewed his protest against high
schools and expressed the opinion that q the
"nor1nal schools established in various parts of
q the State arc, with two or three exceptions,
wholly useless and fail almost entirely to ac-
@complish the objects for which they were es-
" tablished and for which the State is annually
"paying large amounts of money"
The views of Governor Robinson in relation
to high schools and normal schools, as thus
pressed, led to a vigorous discussion in the
Legislature, In the newspapers, at teachers
meetings and through other channels through
out the State in regard to the value of those
institutions. The result seemed to be public
sentiment against the Governor A large ma
jority of the educators of the State and of the
rest of the people seemed to feel that the high
schools were worth all they cost a thousand
times over. The Superintendent of Public In
struction took issue with the Governor In re-
gard to the comparative value OF normal
schools, holding that the best method yet de-
vised to prepare teacher for his work is the
training he receives in the normal schools, and
that such schools had by no means outlived
their usefulness. The Superintendent, Mr.
Gilmore, fortified his position by quoting from
the annual reports of his official predecessors.
Without an exception they had expressed them
selves as In favor of normal schools. One of
these gentlemen, Abram B. Weaver, is among
those now mentioned to succeed Mr.. Gilmore.
He wrote in one OF his reports that the normal
sCuooie III OiouoOiNOo nOW SohbeisuOc ~ HOtC-
worthy feature, and by their relations to the
"public they are calculated to exert powerful
influence on education Mr.. Gilmore ended
his argument by printing statistics which
proved that a very large portion of the pupils
instructed in the normal schools followed the
profession of teaching
. Now that a canvass is about to begin-if 1t
has not already begun-for new Superintend-
ent, we may look for revival OF this dIscus-
sion. The members Of the Legislature will
doubtless want to know how each Of the can
didates for the position stands on the question
of high schools and normal schools. Lucius
Robinson is O man of large influence In his
party, and it would be quite feather in his
cap Iif he could see superintendent elected
who would discourage high schools and normal
schools to the extent OF abandoning them. Of
course Superintendent could do little unless
he was Endorsed by tho Legislature. But
Democratic Legislature would be likely to
carry out the recommendations Of Democratic |
Politics ought not to be al |
lowed to have the slightest weight in the choice
Of man for this office. But it seems to be con- |
coded that Democrat is to be elected and |
alike to Democrats and Republicans we suggest |
that no man be voted for whose opinions On |
the question mentioned are in doubt. Let |
every candidate show his hand.