New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-27
THE. SCHOOLS AND THE LEGISLATURE.

FL
Opposition to the proposal Of a Legislative
Commission to investigate and reform our pub
Ito school system does not necessarily imply
the slightest distruSt of the motives Of those
who have drawn up the memorial suggesting
that course. We have no doubt that the plan
originates with men who agree with the Board
of Education, with THE TRIBUNE and with the
public that the schools are not what they ought
to be; but il certainly does not follow that a
committee of the Legislature is the best agency
of reform or. supposing it were. that this is
proper time for such an inquiry.
The Board Of Education, through special
committee, has been engaged for months past
in a thorough and disinterested investigation
Of the workings of the school system. A clear
and instructive report has been made by this
committee, which, with the accompanying
recommendations, will be considered by the
full Board next Wednesday. We arc led 10
believe that the commissioners are alive TO and
in sympathy with the popular demand for
change of methods, and that in debating the
propositions laid before them. and in their final
action thereon, they will not divide upon the
line of personal feeling. The conditions, there
fore, at the present moment are hopeful for an
honest and far-reaching reform. Moreover,
there are several branches Of the subject upon
which the committee will successfully report,
and the action of next Wednesday, whatever it
may be, will not be the end Of the matter. IL
view, then, Of what has been done, and Of what
Is now doing, this seems TO us to be an unfort-
innate time for the Eruption Of an Independent
committee from Albany, necessarily Ignorant
of the whole subject and bound by the condi-
tons of it's appointment TO begin AZ the begin
ming.
The memorial proposes an investigation Of
the public school system, but such an investi-
cation has already been made. A vast mass OF
testimony and observations has been collected,
and whatever may become of the commission
ers' recommendations the facts obtained by
them are in evidence. Until IL has been made
apparent that these facts are partial and mis-
Leading or that the Board Of Education does
not know how 10 employ them, what advan-
tage is there in paralyzing the work already
under way? SO far as we understand the
matter, no fault can be found with the methods
thus far employed, with the spirit in which the
inquiry was undertaken, or with the present
temper and attitude Of those TO whom il was
intrsted. They do not imagine that they have
discovered a perfect and final solution Of all
the problems involved in popular education,
and if the discussions Of the Board shall de-
velop more effective plan than theirs so much
the better. The most important thing now is
practical conviction on the part of those in
authority that radical reform is necessary, and
the formation of n substantial public opinion to
support it.
Furthermore we are not aware that single
member Of the Legislature is pfe-eminently
qualified by study or experience for the task Of
investigating the public school system Of this
city and constructing new one and the
chances are painfully against the capacity Of
committee of three, FIVE, seven. or any number
Of members, selected however honestly, for that
purpose. And apart from individual inapt-
tudes, the spirit in which legislative COM
mittee usually sets about its work and the
machinery by means OF which the work is
necessarily performed are not adapted to the
delicate task of ascertaining and readjusting
the relations of thousands of teachers and
an army of children. In our opinion, it
will be time enough to appoint such COM
mittee when it has been shown that the move
ment now under way is not going to amount to
ANYTHING,