New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-12
WOMEN AND THE SCHOOL BOARD.

The appointment of two School Commission
ers to succeed Mrs. Agnew and Miss Dodge,
whose terms expire next week, is not one OF
the prerogatives which Mayor Grant most thor
oughly enjoys. He is known TO have gwen
the subject considerable anxious thought which
has not vet resulted in decision, ana MS per-
plexity is not surprising when all the clrcum'
stances which he is either bound or urgeo "
consider are taken into account. Ii IS assumed
nv some of those who feel the most personal
interest in the matter that he has determined
not to reappoint the present lncumbentS' anu
il is true that sufficient hostility toward them
has been cultivated to make that suppoSlUoh
not mwarrantable. Some of this hostility has
an intelligent and respectable purpose behlnd
II. and some of it has not and it is not easy TO
determine what proportion of it is entitled TO
consideration. That it is chiefly mistaken we.
have no doubt Mrs. Agnew and Miss Dodge
have served the public with great earnestness
and unseltishness and have accomplished Ill
rectly and indirectly much permanent good
One result of their labors is, we beheve, an al
most universal conviction that the Board OF
Education ought to be composed in part OF
women.
1t is knowledge of this general sentiment
which in reality makes the Mayors task diif1-
cult, supposing that his present inclination Is TO
make new selections for the places about to be
vacated There may be hundreds OF women
in the city qualified to ill them but 1t does not
follow that the Mayor will be able to find even
two who would and should accept the work and
the responsibility. Many of those whose names
would readily occur to the most intelligent
friends of our school system are absorbed by
other duties, and many of them, it must be
acknowledged, could never prevail upon them
selves to undergo the toll and publicity and
criticism incident to public service. 1t must
also be admitted that most of the women who
would promptly and cheerfully accept School
Commissionership if it were offered to them
ought never to have the opportunity. The
danger is that Mayor Grant, if he decides
against the reappointment of the present mem
hers will be impelled by the difficulty OF re-
nIacing them to the selection of men as thell
successors.
Such conclusion would be generally regard
ed, we believe, by those competent to form an
opinion, as a public misfortune. The sympa-
tbetc knowledge of childhood which women
possess by nature ought to find practical eX
preston in the government of the schools
Moreover, as members of the Board of Educa-
ton they bring into its discussions the domestic
point of view, which always has been for the
most part ignored in our public school system
They are able to understand and represent fal
better than men its home relations, so to speak
and more apt to comprehend the necessity o.
making it elastic. If the Mayor should make
up his mind irrevocably to fill the impending
vacancies in the School Board with women he
would PROFESSIONALLY meet the popular desire
and if, having reached that determination, hi
should find himself practically forced to reap
point Mrs Agnew and Miss Dodge, few per
sons, in our opinion, would permanently regre
his action, though some might persevere in re
GREETING that his choice was so restricted.