The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-08-18
SCHOOL PROGRESS.
superintendent Poland'S Re-
port Gives Much In
teresting Informal
ton.
HUDsoN'S VIRTUES AND FAULTS
Incompetence of Rural Teachers
Need Of Higher Instruc-
ton.
HUDsON'S VIRTUES AND FAULTS

valuable information and is probably one
of the best documents of the kind ever
| gotten out IN this State. 1t teens with
facts. Whenever the Superintendent
! makes a statement regarding the condi-
ton of the schools he proves 1t with sta
| tistics or in some other way. 1t is not
all commentator, either, this report, and
Its writer writes fearlessly. DR.. Poland
is Superintendent of this State no longer,
| having become one of the assistant SUI
perirtenients of the city of New York,
but he will long be remembered by New
Jersey Educators for his readiness to
| condemn where condemnation is due-a
| rare trait among men in similar positions.
and all the more admirable for that rea-
son.
Among some of his general observations
are to be found the following;-A greater
demand for trained and successful teach
ers larger expenditures than ever for new
buildings, larger expenditures for repairs
and Improvements of all kinds. unusual
progress in grading the schools. All these,
he says, show that unprecedented progress
is being made. and he then proceeds to
show how his observations are correct In
detail. The grading of the township
schools, under the new school act, has
done a vast lea to improve the state of
affairs in the smaller towns. There is
much less friction between adjacent
school districts. and county superirlten-
dents find it much easier to conduct mat-
tens h~arrnoniously than formerly. The
new census law requiring more exact re-
ports concerning the number of school
age and thus eliminating fraud in the
registry to a great extent, cut down the
number of children in the State by A.
2S9. There were at the close of last year
Il, 500 children attending private schools
throughout the State. Essex county had
by far the greatest number, 1892, while
Hudson county came next with II. 1S9.
Ocean county had but 50 and Cape May
county but IS. There were 1929 children
of school age attending no school, al
most equally divided between males and
females. Hudson county led in this list
with 22.s74, and Essex came next with.
1e.0aS. Cape May had the least, ms. The
total for the State seems ~alarIningly
large, but II is readily reduced. There
are about 81. 1853 children for each year OF
the thirteen years of school age Is TO
1sl.
Deduct one-half of the 32,eSs, or 1884,
children between the ages of S and 6,
which will about represent the number of
that age whose parents consider them too
young to attend school. Deduct next one
bhird Of 1859. or 1888, for the children
between the ages of 6 and z. who's pa
rents keep them from school for a similar
reason. This would leave Isl, 249, less 16, 344,
less 10.S7D only 6o,032 to be accounted for.
Taking now into consideration the fact
that a great majority of children leave
school at the age of IA. or .-thereabouts. it
will ha ron.s thai. fr<xr .Lt1lw - .A--z-
the ages of and IA were not enrolled in
school during the year. 1t is not probable
that ADDITIONAL accommodations for more
than 10000 children would have to be pro
Compulsory Education act, now uporl the
statute books of the State, by reason Of
alleged -fnadequacy of school aceommoda-
tons, is not justifable in fact. The law
aient by districts be no longer optional.
but required.
There were at the close of ,a5 Las
children of schoo age who could not read.
Hudson County had 1856 of these and Es-
sex was second in the list with 10. Hun
terdon and Gloucester COUNTIES had but
q each, while Salem footed the list with
u. There were 5,41S children under Is
years of g employed IN factories, mines
or stores. There We're 90.191 children I'M
v~accinated. Throughout the State there
were 1862 colored childreH of school age,
Essex having the greatest number. 1870,
with Camden second, 1868. There were ia
deaf-nrute children of school age. Essex
again at the top of the list with IS.
With reference to school property. DR..
Poland wrote as follows
The whole amount expended for new
buildings and repairs during the year
1ssaTs3 ny vas srs ssss; sOo, 90, This e 81. sn 81 increase
shows a -phenomenally large amount of.
new work. Essex County shows the larc-
est expenditure. namely, $3.50, 754. go. Prob
ably no other county In the State. mas at
the nrncarr time So mo, NY cchoo3 h1,t1as--.