Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-01-11
PUBLIC EDUCATION.

AA'' "i'''udl itIolt VI we l'tlldl lIlltllt
of Public Education of this State, of
which A. b. Draper is Superintendent,
was transmitted to the Legislature
January I. 1t shows that there are in
the State l,S03,667 children of school
age-that is, between the ages of five
and twenty-one years. OF this number
l,029,4ll live in cities and the 9th rs in
the towns, The number who attended
school dnring any portion of 1889 was
l,O33,Sl3, and the average daily attend
ance was 631, 4S0. The percentage of
attendance C513) was smaller than in
any preceding year.
The cost of maintaining the common
schools of the State during 1880 was
$l5, $40, S449l, If this be added to the
cost of maintaining normal schools, In
! dian schools, deaf, dumb, and blind in
stitutions, salaries of supervisory Off
GERS, and expenses of Institutes the total
for the school year is $16,69l, 17S.2t.
The whole number of teachers in the
public schools was 81 ,0S7, and their
average salary was $5lS,16.
Nine normal schools were in operation
| during the year, and one, that at One
onta, was opened in September, The
average attendance of all these schools
was 4 S35. The cost of maintaining them
during the year was $212, $3.50 and
$50, 1852 was expended for permanent
improvements.
The Superintendent commends the
improvements made in school buildings
and praises the work of educational
conventions. The Inauguration of AR
Dor Day. last May meets his approval.
The reports concerning the observance
of the day" he says, "were very graft
flying and indicated that the movement
was heartily approved by teachers,
school officers, pupils, and the public
generally. Outside the cities, 1851
school districts were reported as having
observed the day, planting "A, 1865 trees,
not including vines, shrubs and flowers. y"
Concerning the Indian reservations the
Superintendent says the good name of
the State requires legislative action.
Compulsory education naturally claims
a large share of the superintendent at
tention. He says;
1T is worse than futile to assume
that all persons charged with the care of
children will send them to school. The
great majority will. But, unfortunately,
some parents are iders, drunkards, or
criminals themselves. There are also
children who are uncomfortable, who
might be saved to society by a strong
hand and firm discipline, but who, in
the absence of these, will become out
casts and criminals. u A govern
ment which provides for a public school
system for its own safety is necessarily
bound to see tC 1t that all children who
are not otherwise provided for are
brought within the influence of that
system.
"The circumstances are more extreme
in the State of New York than in any
other State in the Union, for we have a
greater population, with larger cities
and a greater influx of foreign immi-
grants unfamiliar with our American
institutions and unprepared for the exer
ci>e of free suffrage than any other
State. We are facing greater dangers,
Schools not only teach reading and
arithmetic but they teach virtue and
obedience, and authority and seltrespeCt,
and social obligations and patriotism.
"All constitutional governments have
acted in this matter. Nearly, if not
quite every nation in Europe adopts
stringent measures and spends much
money to make sure that all children
within certain ages 90 to school Half
the States in the Union have legislated
upon the subject. but unfortunately
with less thoroughness and less success
because of our general Discrimination to
Compe, any one who can vote to do any
thing.
" 1t is worse than useless to admit the
principle that the State should require
children to be sent to school and then
pretend TO enforce it without doing So.
There is no longer any necessity for
moving blindly in the matter, The State
can now act more inteligently than 1t
did i'll 1874. and efIeCtualIy meet the
difficulty if it undertakes to do so. Pu-
bic experience at home and abroad since
tndt Time mas bten suCil dh " poiiIt out
clearly the particular steps which need
to he taken to make certain Of general
success. These steps were pointed out a
year ago, and were afterward embodied
III a measure, prepared at great labor by
most competent and experienced men,
which passed the Legislature, but failed
TO become a law for want of approval by
the Governor, who, without passing
judgment upon the general intent and
purpose of the measure, found some
provisions in it which led him to think