New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-18

vate schools who would be in the public schools IL
the school accommodations were increased. Ihere
is pressing need of new school III
Harlem; one should be started now hea,
Eighth-ave., at about Forty-fOurth-st' anu
another near Fifty-niDth-st., on tne '"Ni
avenue. In the Nineteenth Ward two new
schools will be opened in September, but thaV WIZ
furnish no relief to the rapidly increasing schoo
population, but will merely serve to relieve Iio
schools that are now OvercrOwded. Inc tru'n 10
the Board is fully two years behind ID supplyihs
school accommodations 1t begins to Duliu alvoi
there are enough children in district 10 Hi lho
school, and by the time the school is openeo ITO"
one is needed This condition Of things Is no laui'
of our Board but it is due to the annual reductioh
which the Board of Estimate regularly makes.
There is only one of two things for this department.
to do, either reduce the salaries or stop erecting
buildings, and it wisely adopts the latter course.
1T is impossible to say just how many chll'ueh
have been refused admission to our schools since
the beginning of the year In September there
were 300 reported from the Nineteenth ward
$50 from the Twenty-second Ward 400 from the
Twelfth Ward the whole number reported being
1862. The figures for October have not been sent
to the Board yet and so l have a delicacy about
stating them. The crOwding is in the fourth, tfth
and sixth primary grades, principally IN tnS slHtn
grade, and there may be vacant seats III lne S a
grades of the very schools reporting large numbers
of children refused admission, because they were
fitted only for certain grades. The teachers Wisely
advance the most capable pupils as fast as tney
can and thus they relieve the lower classes Souc-
what. In my report for September the average AZ
tendance was 129,562 That did not lnclde e the
corporate schools, nor the evening schools nor ine
girls at the Normal College. The corresponding
figures last year were 122,374.
1.-THE chief cause Of the sanitary defects III our
school buildings think is due to the economy prac-
tised by the Board in purchasing sites. IL buys
corner and its building covers all the ground IN
short time high buildings erected on three sueS
of the school, the light is impaired the yentIat1h
is destroyed and then the trouble begins. IL tn'
school must be in the middle OF BLOCK tne Doal o.
should own enough land to have plenty OF space
around the building. Look at our school IN ID, Lex
ingtOn-ave between One-hundIed- fourth ana
One-hundred -and-ffth sts There is 200 feet front.
At that school in October there were z, 100 cnldreh
in the primary department and 779 III the gram,
mar department There Is plenty OF alr anu Boou
ventilation in that school.
Would Iadvise the closing of any schools now III
use have strongly advised that several depart
mcnts should be consolidated, but do not THINK that
any building could be closed now. they neeu 10 De
kept open for the sake Of the small children. buI
the Board cannot transfer teacher or prlnclpa
without the concurrence OF the local DOaTu Vi
trustees and for obvious reasons that concurrence
il is hard to obtain In the Fourteenth ward there
were 1893 scholars in September, seven principals
and forty-three teachers; one OF the departments
had 4 BOYS in attendance and another 1876 boys
they ought to be consolidated; and the same Is u ue
! of two female departments, one having l4Z ana
the other 1873 scholars 1t is not merely the saving
of the principles and teachers salaries that
| educated if such a change could be made mat
ward is only one of several where similar changes
! should be made.