National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-04-03
The Might School Question.


In a communication addressed to the
House committee on the District on
Wednesday last the District commissioners
express their disapproval Of q pending bill,
"to provide for free public instruction at
night in the District Of Columbia" The
$1,000 which this bill proposes to appro-
pirate is, in their opinion, more than is
needed for night school purposes, 'unless,
indeed, Congress intends to take upon itself
the support of the education of all ages in
this District" which they "are not pre-
pared to recommend" They have, how
ever, already recommended an appropria-
tion.of $4,000 for the payment of salaries to
ten night school teachers for term Of four
months next winter, and they also recon-
mend an appropriation of 5000 additional,
which is understood to be designed as
contribution toward the payment Of the
salaries due for the night school teaching
Of the present winter, leaving somewhat
ov er s400 to be raised by private effort.
The commissioners appear to be under
misapprehension as to the functions which
properly belong to the night schools, and
as to the necessities which require their
creation and maintenance. "The evening
school," says Prof. John d. Philbrick, in
report on city schools, recently published
by the bureau Of education, sis the natural
and necessary complement of the day school,
and is designed exclusively for persons who
have passed beyond the age to which edu-
cation in the elementary school is usually
limited, namely, the age Of IA years, and
more especially for adults Of both sexes.n
No doubt there is considerable number OF
children and youths under 16 in this Dis
trlct to whom evening schools would be
great boon, but such schools would miss
their widest and most important field of
usefulness II persons over that age were
excluded from their advantages. Nor do
we see why less liberal principle should be
set up here at the national capital than that
which obtains in the night school systems
Of Boston, New York, and other progressive
cities. The practice of admitting adults to
the public evening schools is not only
founded on enlightened policy, but is also
Just application Of our accepted principle
that the public schools should he Impair
TALLY open to poor an d rich alike.
The day bigh schools, maintained at q
: heavy expense in all our large cities, are
practically closed to all but very small
number of the children Of the poor; for the
simple reason that the latter are obliged to
begin earning livelihood long before the
time when they could be graduated from a
high school. Indeed, a large majority Of
them do not even succeed In completing
the elementary course, and many get but a
little way beyond the primary schools be-
fore necessity compels them to 60 to work.
Let us consider the cnse Of two boys, one
of whom is compelledt to leave school at the
age Of ~, while the other remains to COM
plete the elementary course and go through
the high school. A night school may be
open to the poorer boy, but as he has only
few hours in the evening for study and
recitation, 1t will, at o very moderate estl-
mate, require ten or fifteen years for him to
get as much instruction as the other boy,
who has all his time at hiscommand, will get
in four years In the day school. II would,
therefore, be mockery to pretend that VIC
should act up to our professed principles
and place the poor boy on an equality with
the rich one, as regards public school OPP
portunities, by simply opening the night
schools to him for the same number of
years that the day schools are opened, to
the latter.
The truth is that the night school is quite
as important part of the public school
system as the day school, and should be
kept up as regularly and with equal care for
lee IVA 10
away from the unwholesome idea that edu-
cation, SO far as that word comprises any
thing beyond the merest rudiments, Is chiefly
to be desired as means of escape from
manual labor. What republic needs is In
tclligence united with labor, and the country
will never be beyond apprehension OF dan
| ger until this union is effected. Tothis end
Il liberal night school system is lndispensa-
BILE, and no thoughtful person can look
abroad to-day without feeling that the es-
tablishment of such a system In every town
and city throughout the land is a measure
demanded by the highest considerations OF
public welfare
In Massachusetts the maintenance of
elementary evening schools In every city
having 10000 inhabitants or more is re-
quired by law, and provision must be made
for instruction in all the branches taught
In the elementary day schools, while school
committees are authorized to go as much
farther as they may deem expedient, even
to the establishment OF evening high
schools. In Pennsylvania, also, a some,
what similar statute exists. In Boston,
New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Gin