The morning call., 1891-02-12
SEVEN AGAINST FIVE.
A fractional Fight in the Board
Of Education.
Retrenchment Proposed in Several Ways, but
Defeated in All but One Case-Con-
solidation of Glasses.

The most pertinent remark made in the
meeting of the Board of Education last night
was by Director Hyde, who declared that
the board is proving very expensive lnstl-
tuition to the city in consuming so much gas
in 'gassing," and yet crying retrenchment
with every other breath.
The Yrangles into which the antagoniZlng
factions plunged themselves during the SEES
sion held them until II o'clock, and yet every
wise measure proposed of any special Sig
nlficance or toward the desired end of econ
omy was practically defeated. Directors
Woodward and Pennington were the only
absentees at the meeting.
Superintendent SWEET made the following
report:
To the Honorable Board of Education-GEN-
TLEMEN: In compliance with law, as provided
IN the Consolidation Act, l hereby submit my
first monthly report.
| have visited each class In the following
schools Tie Clement Grammar, the Lincoln
Primary, the Lincoln Evening, the BernaI
Heights Primary and the Edison Primary.
have also visited The Girls High School.
The Lincoln Evening School Includes thirty
classes, with an enrolment OF 14S0 pupils, an
average OF 40 TO class with an average evening
attendance OF 33 pupils No school In the de-
partment is paying better dividends on Its cost
than this. The school Is well graded, the pupils
are orderly the principal is efficient and Inc
teachers are earnestly doing good Work. l nave
q
sonal inspection of This school. Except IN the
classes in bookkeeping and in Spanish, nearly
all the boys aud girls In attendance began their
education In the day public schools, Dut were
compelled by the necessity OF bread-WnnlnS 10
change 10 The evening schools.
The rules of the Board of Education require
pupils under the age OF Is shall not be admitted
to the Evening School. The most pathetic ap-
peals are made TO me almost daily TO allow chill
dIen under 13 10 attend these classes, the plea
being that to prevent starvation the boys must
I've put where they can earn $40 month. Inc
last application was made TO me yesterday-was
that Of a widow in behalf of two manly little
fellows, aged 10 aud II years. She had just ar
rived IN this city ana was herself seeking EN-
poymenL. Her two boys are employed as "cash-
boys aud earn SIS a month each. l granted
the request although it was a violation of ruIe
OF The board. In The revised rules now under
consideration by The committee, L nave offered a
reasonable modification TO The existing rule,
which l hope viii be adopted.
That the diminishing attendance in public,
private and parochlal schools during the past
tour years is owing partly TO the fact that the
labor OF children in hund: eds OF families Is abso-
lntely necessary for the support III part OF a
home, entertain no doubt.
The residents In tie outlying western part OF
the city request that an evening class be opened
IN the Hamilton Grammar SchOOl-hUuse. Their
request seems reasonable one, and recon-
mend thar the mailer be referred to the Commit
tee on Classification with power 10 act.
STATISTICS.
The rules of the Board OF Education require
that full class IN primary grades shall consist
of sixty enrolled pupils; i'll tue grammar grades
OF nIty-fOur enrolled pupils But there Is no rule
whatever relating TO the minimum number that
shall constitute a class, except in evening
schools in relation to which il Is provided that a
class shall be discontinued unless II numbers
twenty-five pupils.
The omission of any rule relating 10 the mini
mum number In a class partly explains the fact
that during the last tour years, although The
average daily attendance has decreased by 1874
the number OF teachers has been increased by
125. The number OF skeleton classes Is very
large.
Herewith submit for -our careful eonsidera.
ton The following statistics which | have
gathered from the monthly reports OF principals
Tor The school month ending January 80, 1891
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.
List OF schools with the average daily attend
ance per teacher and the average enrolment
per teacher for the. school month ending Janu-
uary so. 1891.
Schools having fun or fair attendance.