Workmen's advocate., 1889-12-21
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

FACTS AND FIGURES AT THE
 SCHOOL CONFERENCE.
 One Hundred and Seventy Thousand
 New York Children Allowed to
 Grow Up in Absolute Ignorance
 -The Compulsory Education Law
 Must and Shall be Carried Out
 Manual Training.
 At the last meeting of the School Conference, held Friday, Dec. 18th, the delegates oftwo additional organizations were admitted
 After the reading of the minutes l.. Sanial, representing. the N, Y. Ameri- can Section, &. L. P., said that he had been instructed to request the reconsid- eration of resolution, previously adopted, calling upon the people to meet in front of the City Hall on January lst, 1890, for the purpose of demanding of the Mayor that measures be taken for immediate and permanent relief in the matter of public education. He observed that the Conference was in no way ready for such a demonstration, and it's failure at such an early stage of the m ovement would cast discredit upon it. Before any kind of demonstration was attempted it was necessary to acquaint the people with the true con- dition of affairs The extent of the evil was not known and could by no means be inferred from the reports of either the Board of Education or the Superintend. ent of Public Schools. It was already very great in 1880 and had since then grown at stupendous rate, In that year the total population of the city of New Y ork was 1906, 900, twenty per cent. of which-or 24O, OO0-were chil- dren between the ages of 5 and 14 The public school attendance was then 100000, including youths above 14. Taking into account the number of pupils taught in the corporate, parochial and private schools, there were in 1880 about 100, 900 children und CT If deprived of education. Since that time the city's popula ation has increased half million, and the number of children from to 14 years of age is probably not less than 340000. With an increase of 100000 children, the attendance in the public schools shows an increase of less than 95,000. Of every four children between the aforesaid ages addea to the popula- tion of New York, three would receive no schooling whatever, were it not for the accommodatons which the Catholic church in particular-for purposes that need not now be commented upon affords to comparatively small but growing number. AS ma tiers stand, the public school attendance IS 131 ,000. and it Is estimated that 40, 1000 are edu- cated in corporate private and parochal schools. making in all I'll ,0OO children and you tns of all ages. From this it appears that an equal number at the least between the ages of 5 and IA are deprived of education. In other words. one-half of the ch'dren of New York are allo wed to grow up in absolute illit- eracy. And this in the face of Con- pusory Education Law These facts
 and oth CTS, not less significant, that the speaker would not now undertake to present. must first be su bInitted to the people, the indignation of all good cit
 izens thOrouhly reused and the objects of this Conference plainly stated before
 engaging in demonstration such as it , was proposed to hold.
 "Our object, in particular, should be well und derstood by the people and by the auth critics. We do not propose to be satisfied with few Inakeshifs and !, plenty of fine promises. We demand , that effective measures be taken at any !, cost to carry out immediately the Com puIsory Education Law to its fullest , extent"
 Hugo Nogt, in few energetic re-
 marks, took the same ground as the , previous speaker. He reminded the . Conference of the experience of the r P0lESZett ttty reporter, ana OI the Com- D mttee who had called upon the Mayor. I The Mayor had said in substance, that . the people had not asked for relief and , that nothing at any rate could be done I without the Legislature. It could serve
 no purpose to call agaln upon him, The 9 first thing to do was to publicly agitate
 the question, and the best way of doing 1, this was to hold mass-naeeting at the , Cooper U nion, where every demand to ! be made. including the bill to be passed n by the Legislature, should be submit Q ted.