New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-25
PLAIN WORDS BY PRESIDENT BERGEN.

The Brooklyn Board of Education is composed OF
forty five Commissioners appointed by the Mayor
fifteen being appointed each year. One OF Mayor
Lows first official acts to cf ange materially
the complexion of the Board by dropping fourteen
of its members and appointing new men III their
Mace About that time TunS q. Bergen was elected
president of the Board aud twice he has been re-
elected Owing to its large size, containing more
than twice as many members as tho Newton
Board. il has been called the Brooklyn Debating
school D but it is not hampered as the Board is in
this city by the refusal of ward trustees TO concur
with il ia regard to any action. In New-York the
May0r appoints the Commissioners, who III turn APP
pcint five trustees in every ward. There are no
trustees in the Brooklyn schools
President Bergen represents the younger and more
Advanced element in the Board. In conversation
with the reporter yesterday he said that Brooklyn
needed the full number of primary schools which
$500 600 would build. "There are now" he con-
timed six or seven thousand children OF school
saa olanoring for admission to our schools; and
there are hundreds more now III school who are
eadly in need of better accommodations. But what
are we to dot We need high school, we need n
free college, we need schools where our teachers
may be thoroughly trained, so that they may not be
compelled to practise classes after they have OBJ
tanned licenses to teach. But hold that no city
ample accommodations have been furnished for
teaching all the primary children. Before the Board
was reorCanized the tendency was TO erect grammar
schools wherever it was possible to do So based on
the feeling, presume, that a grammar school lent
moro dignity to a neighborhoOd than primary
school,
"Are your primary schools overcrowdedT
sMany of the lower grades are, and to accommo-
date as many children as possible halliday classes
have been formed When class numbers more
than hundred scholars 1T is DIVIDED me tt aa
vsnced children being put in the section that at
tends school In the forenoon. Ihey nave three
hours instruction and in the afternoon te Tess ad
yanced scholars come and are taugDt iof TWO 700
Ono teacher can in this way take care OF nearly Zoo
boys girls, although the strain on her Is heces-
Are yOu in favor of halliday classesf'
"For small children think the shorter hours may
BIO a, good thing. And then it prevents overcro"d-
ingn ,,,,i. .ho -. .,,o s,oso 30 the numher
this condition Of the seating capacity of room is
desks as they should. in fact the smaller scholars
have no desks, but sit crowded together settees
this way the SyeTcroTSng occurs An effort is Is
setfee irving O certain space to each child do not
hear much complaint Of the lack of ventilation.
aBesdes the lack of room which results in over
crowdinQ the lower rooms, in overtaxing the teach
ers and keeping many children out OF school part
OF eli of the time. there is another serious defect in
our system refer to the course OF study II Is too
schools, A gentleman complained to me recently
that his daughter could not learn her lessons In
9P He said that on Se S6e sne Tns the
world. telling whore each one emptied."
al y SF sSaGG fa IS SSSd
building that was formerly the Police Headquarters