New-York tribune., 1888-08-26
BEYOND THE BIG BRIDGE.
WHAT PEOPLE IN BROOKLYN ARE TALKING
ABOUT

Bcdru OF Educdon, ana IN view OIL tnS fact u II sur
prising that the standard maintained in the public
schools is so high It IS. Various suggestions In
the direction Of reorganzIng the Board have been
made from time to time In the last dozen years or
more and last winter Of them was embodied In q
bill drawn by Mr.. Tailmadge, formerly secretary OF
tho Board and at present q member Of the Assembly
But nothing OF 1t, and nothing has como Of any
Of the proposed changes The Board consists Of forty
| five members Of whom fifteen appointed evcry
year. 1t always happens that many Of the members
arc fond of the sound Of their own voices, and so tho
meetings of the board drcary affairs largely takcn
| up with proftless discussions l have heard II said
| by reporter who attended the meetings that the
and reverend members have known to spend
two hours in debating the question whether certain
schoolh house should or should not have stove
| pipe This may be exaggeration but do no.
doubt tho statement Under the circumstances the
practical work Of the Board is all done In committees,
and In order that committee may get its schemes
through its members have to vote I'm favor Of the other
committees reports. IL Is a constant game of give
ana take. Pride OF committee Is said 10 be all
| important matter in tho work Of Congress. 1t
tanly Is so in the work of the Brooklyn Board Of Edu
cation.
by some stroko Of good luck the Board has secured
an exceptionally we'll qualified superintendent Of Pub
| lic Instruction William II. Maxwelps career fur
| nishes good example for young to emulate. Hc
has won for himself the place which he occupies by
dnt OF hard work and untrng perseverance, added to
natural ability OF high order Like many othor men
who have achieved in various walks Of pro-
fcssonal lIfe Mr.. Maxwell began his career as
paper man. He was born in ireland, whore bc-
licve, his father IS Presbyterian minister and re-
ceived tho major part OF his education Dublin. Ho
came to this country quite fourteen years ago and
| soon secured employment tho city staff Of The
Tribune where, however, he did not remain long, as
| another opportunity in connection with
trade or fashion paper was thrown in
| his way. In 1877 he made tho
qnaintance Of Mr.. Peters, the Editor and proprietor
| Of "The Brooklyn Times" who recognized his
ability and made him managing editor Of "The
Times" In his newspaper work Mr. Maxwell was
careful and palnstaking and he popular with all
| the men on the paper He had many marked quaih-
cations for success In an editorial capacity But his
fnclnations led him in another direction. During
his connection with The Tines he began to deliver
lectures In of the evening schools and he
became favorably known among the educators OF tho
| city. In 1881 he candidate for the office OF
superintendent Of Public Instruction, which had been
made vacant by the death Of the former Incumbent.
He was not successful in his candidacy, but later he
was elected Assistant Superintendent, and when
| he was chosen Superintendent, about year ago. it
was natural and proper position
Mr.. Maxweps annual report for the year ending
last December has Just been issued by the Board Of
| Education Tho report itself seventy-twO
pagcs, and there statistical tables rules OF the
Board, etc., covering 277 pages, besides the elaborate
course OF study adopted in June, 1887, which fills
| 100 pages OF this of study, which went
INTO effect in September last, Mr. Maxwell says that
there has not been sufficient time yet for thorough
test but he thinks that there be doubt of its
good effect In systematzing the work Of the schools,
In moro judicous distribution of studies, In doing
away with what unfrutfu in the old course and
| f1Itfn xvha M fprra In fba
interest and pleasure well tho profit OF the
pupils, and In stimulating the teachers to progress.
Over half million dollars spent last year in
providing now buildings; but still Brooklyn is made
| quately supplied with school accommodations. 1t
Is in the rapidly growing parts of the city that the
lack is especially felt and too prompt provision for
the future in this matter cannot be made. Mr.. Max
we'll makes suggestion In his report which will
strike most people novel. 1t IS that every app-
cant for a teachers license should be required to
produce physicians certificate, stating that he
she is free from any organic disease and from any
physical defect that would interfere with the per-
formance Of teachers duties.
The experience of General Catn is terrible warn.
ing to any Republican who may be tempted to go
to tho Democratic party. Tho Generals dcser
tion due to the fact that his management Of the
DistrictAttorneys Office mildly ccnsured by the
Bacon Investigating Committee. No doubt the
sure deserved At any rate, General Catn had
been too well treated by his party rot to grin and
bear It; but likc whining schoolboy he threw up
his membership In tho Republican Association of his
ward and Joined the Democrats. Well weeks
ago be arrested for acting in dlsorderly
on a Long Island Railroad train and using threats
and violence toward brakeman Being a powerful
Democrat, now, however, he has managed to get the
postponed time to time, and thero some
people who doubt whether 1t will ever be brought to
trial. 1t is disgrace and scandal that this is so I;
but Brooklyn is I'm the hands of gang and the
gang can do as It plcases The question whether
General Catlln will we tried IS attracting as mrch
attention in Brooklyn the similar question in
gard to "Frcd' May attracts in NcwYork. Tho
chances in seem to be about equal to those
in the other
1t is subject Of general congratulation that some
of the streets Of Brooklyn to be rcpaved. The
work to be done, however, Will go but short way
toward putting the thoroughfarcs OF Brooklyn In a
decent condition. The pavements are as rule, In a
state that is simply shocking. They would disgrace
village on the confines Of civilization. The cobble
stone, in its rudest and crudest form, IS
the material mostly used. To drive over these
pavcmerts is to bid farewell to comfort.
well-known physician told the other day that his
bills for carriage repairs were enormous And STILL
while the great majority OF the streets are IN this
miserable state streets far out In the yet
unoccupcd part of the city which were paved years
ago with Belgian blocks but which are harcly driven
over half dozen times year. This was one of the
Jobs that iourshcd in the palmest days of tho
ring.
Another OF those Jobs the putting down OF
the Nicholson wooden pavement in some OF the
streets that must bc passed over to reach Prospect
Park, when going from the Older part Of the city,
1t is well known that in London and Paris these
wooden pavcments arc excellent; thcy we'll laid,
nolseless and durable. But in Brooklyn they arc
the baldest failure whether because the wood was
not properly treated, because the climatic condi-
tions are so different because the work was not
rightly DONE or for some other reason, tho Brooklyn
pavcments soon got full Of holes and ruts and de-
prcssons, and they could be driven over ohy at inc
ner,l of breaking down ones carriage After time
tbey were got rid of, not by removing them, but by
concealng them. That is, they were covered
with coating Of asphalt. This was
not the correct way to make
good asphalt pavement and continual repairing ana
Matching have boon necessary. And this sort OF re-