Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-02-15

law W uld compel. Is objectionable. n Is
refers to attendance at night -chools ~ weeks
In lieu OF IL weeks o. day school. Night school
for child Of II TO l6 years is an abuminau N
IL meanS that the growing child, just when the
need of st and recreation Is most urgent must
add two hours of brain work to It's t. n or eleven
nours OF daily tol.. No strong man could endure
that And t. l. lct such labor upon children
between Il and II years of age is an outrage.
''3-The bin places a premium upon perjury -
IL Prov es for no registration of Childrt such
as urge ty needei and should be continuous
ana compl to in order to prevent false state
ments concerning the ages of the children, The
Dill merely compllcates the temptation to
parents bN having horde of children from II to
III years of age { ee from sch, oil nine months in
the year with nothing but their parents ca b
between them and nine months wages This
places heavy annual premium upon perjury.
Alt extends the tine for provi ing ADEQUATE
school accommodations to 1895 for cities Of $50
Wiinhablta Is and to 1892 for all OF her districts
whereas such accommodations are an imme
date urgent necessity.
"A summary of the history of the bill as It
stan s Is Instructive, and may he of special
interest in view of the defects pointed out by
your committee.
1T was drawn by the conference Of school
authorities and was meant to ask SO little as to
meet no opposition. VI 1t failed to pass the
Legislature In the first year of its history, was
vetoed by the Governor In Its second winter
AMI has been fought inch by inch both by the
sectarans and the principals Of private schools,
with all of whom 1t is believed to interfere
I'VE object toit as compelllae too little; over
nor Hill objects to It as compelling too much
and said SO n his veto message
such is the bill drawn bv the school author.
tiles, urged by the philantr"pists of the Ch-
dren's Aid Society, fought by sectarians aud
the private teachers vetoed by the Governor
and now resented to the School Conf rente for
its endorse ment.
In view of the facts before stated your com.
mittee recommend that the School Conference
do not endorse the present bill but formulate a
statement of the demands which must be met
by any law honest intended to pro lde for the
education Of the children Of the Common.
wealth"
Protiting by the experience of the pro-
moters of this bill, who asked for little
aud obtained nothing, the School Con.
ference proposes to take a stand that
will compel the authorities either to do
their duty by the child, or throw off the
mask of hypocrisy.
For the authorities to-day are the
servants of the capitalists and they serve
these masters faithfully.
The capitalists need cheap "hdnds ]"
and the school authorities supply them.
For the hundred thousand children of
school age not in school are not in the
streets and not in their homes. They
are taking the places of men and women
in every occupation in which they can
be employed; and those who cannut be
turned to account for grinding profits
here are shipped bodily out of the city;
single one Of our great subsidized
misunderstanding to boast of having export
ed So, 600 of the city's children to furnish
grdtultouS labor upon the farms of the
great West
1t IS characteristic of our whole school
system that this society for the children's
aid receives an annual appropriation
from the school fund of this city.
The facts above enumerated show con-
clusively that any statute which will be
commensurate with the exigencies of the
occasion and satisfy the demands of our
age must at least EN- body the following
principles:
/. Compulsory education from Sep
tember to June, inclusive, of all chill.
dren between the ages of and 16.
2. Ample kindergarten aCcommoda-
tiOns. Not less than one kindergarten
for every election district in the cities !;
and proportionate number in villages
and hamlets.
g. Not more than thirty pupils to every
teacher.
T. Strict prohibition of child labor,
at any season of the year or at any time
o: the day, within the ages OF compulsory
education.
g. Strict prohibition of child labor, at
any season of the year or any time of
the day, between the ages of 16 and 81
whenever the minor has not acquired an
education equal TO that given in the
highest grades of the Grammar School.
6. Thorough methods Of registration
whereby the lumber Of all children
within the ages of compulsory education
shall at frequent intervals be taken and
ascertained.
T. Effective provisions against truan-
cy, and for truant officers.
s. Effective punitive provision for
the violation of the statute.
g. And finally, with respect to the
teachers themselves, equal pay for
both sexes, living wages TO all, adequate
retiring allowances after fixed period
Of meritorious services, and thorough
going administrative provisions that will
insure to them fixity OF Office, right to
promotion, and methods TO enforce their
rights whenever they may deem them
selves aggrieved.
In conclusion. the School Conference
submits to the people of New York City,
as represented here, the following
RESOLUTION:
We, citizens of New York in mass
meeting assembled. demand the imme-
diate adoption, regardless of cost, of all
measures, legislative, administrative,
and executive, that may be necessary to
carry out the compulsory education of
every child between the ages OF and l6,
with view to the full development of its
natural aptitudes and intellectual facul-
ties.
Se receipt of sample copy of this
I is an invitation to su bscribe.