The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-10-10
FEWER CHILDREN ATTEND.

~
FEVER CHILDREN ATTEND.
OmciaI Statistics Show a Falling of in
Public school Work.
An article in the report of the Bureau
of Statistics deals with the attendance of
children at the public schools. 1t speaks
of the first attempt at compulsory educa-
ton, when, in 1916, the Legislature re-
quired.the presidents and directors of fac
tories to cause all children employed by
them to be taught in reading. writing and
arithmetic at least one hour every day.
Fifty years had passed before the sec
ond attempt at compulsory educational
legislation. That was the ~illusory enact
ment of 1875, which was succeeded by the
act of 1885. The latter statute was found
necessary to make the factory legislation
of 1858, and the supplements effective,
and requires hat every child, between
seven and twelve years of age, unless
physically and mentally i~ncapacitated,
shall receive each year. at least twenty
weeks instruction in the common Eng
lish branches; that N under fifteen
years of age shall be employed unless,
within twelve months Immediately pre-
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have attended school during a period of
at least twelve consecutive weeks; and
that those between twelve and sixteen
years of age, temporarily discharged
must be sent to school during the time
unemployed. The enforcement of this
law, with penalties for it's violation. is
provided for.
This latter legislation is not of very
comprehensive import, and hardly can
pass muster az an effective educational
measure. 1t is a step in the right direc-
ton, however, and its enforcement will
do much to mitigate, If not bar, the evils
of child labor. Its effect should be Wis
IDLE in increased public school attendance
in cities, for. other things being equal, our
State tree school system necessarily will
attract the vast bulk of that class of chill
dren for whose benefit our factory legisla-
ton is being enacted.
Any other result points to want of eff
cheney in our schools, wan OF proper
accommodation, or the non-enforcement
of our child labor laws, or to all three
causes combined. AS a matter of fact,
the following calculations from data in
the annual reports of the State Superin-
tendent of instruction, show not only that
the percentage of children enrolled and
attending the city public schools has been
comparatively small, but that with the
exception of the year 1886, there has been
a gradual. but very perceptible, falling off
since 1879. This has been noticeable in
some of our larger cities during the past
few years.
In 1875 the per cent. of the school CEN
Sus enrolled was 81, and the average at
tendance 30. The following year, So Q;
attendance, 81; 1877, 52.3: attendance. 31.4;
1873, 1913; attendance, 49, z; 1879, $50; at
tendance, 31.s; 1880, $40; attendance, 1874;
1882; ST.; attendance, 30.9; 1884, SIS; at
topdopoa 90 <. 12SS 51 <. ~tfapdano 20 O..
1886, 52.2; attendance. 81; 1887, SIG; at
tendance, 1877; 1888, 4S.5; attendance, BIT.
The enrolment in Trenton in the latter
year was in excess of the general city av-
erage. 1t was so per cent. of the school
census. The highest enrolment was in
Millville, 81 per cent, and the lowest in
Jersey City, 80 per cent.
70 Every age period has been effected,
which is evidence that want of school
accommodation, though a very potent
factor, does not account for this apparent
deterioration, for the facts elected by a
special investigation undertaken by the
Bureau, go to show that the pressure for
enrolment was felt mostly, if not en-
tirely, in the lower grades, especially in
the primary department.
In neither New Brunswick nor Mill
vile were applicants for enrolment re-
fused, and in both cities more could have
been seated comfortably than were
actually enrolled; but the falling off in
those cities has been as marked as else
where. 1t is also to be noticed hat the
largest enrolment is reached before the
twelfth year, when there occurs a very
rapid dropping off. This is also ap-
parent in the daily attendance, accord
ing to the tables printed in the work,
which are worthy of study, particularly
those embodying the statistics of relative
male and female enrolment and attend
ance, at the respective age periods for the
term of sixteen weeks, ending December,
1888. '"This is a line of investigation"
the article continues, (which it would be
interesting to follow out for a number of
years, and more completely than it
has been possible for the Bureau
dition of things, the proportion of
male and female pupils should be approx
equal, at least up to about fifteen
years of age. Our data show nothing of
the kind, but only great variations be-
tween the cities. If, as seems logical, ex-
cess of female owe male enrolment of
children between the prohibited factory
ages points to a violation of the factory
what is the explanation when the
contrary is true, al in Newark, Hoboken
or New Brunswick-a larger attendance
boys at the evening schools, or the en-
ploy1nent of girls in the so-called female