New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-24
A PROBLEM IN EDUCATION.
ARE THE CORPORATE SCHOOLS NEEDED
ANY LONGER IN THIS CITY?
THE CTIILDRENs AID AND THE AMERICAN fE-
MALE GUARDIAN SOCIETIES NOT WILLING
TO GIVE THEM UP-A PROPOSITION
TO TRANSFER THEM TO THE

Board OF Education. AT present these co'po'a 'e
schools arc In charge OF charitable societies prln-
cipally the Childrens Aid and the American feinae
Guardian and these societies are radically opposed
to giving up the schools, which Wouid ih'o'e
loss TO them Of so a year for each chhd 10" GU
rolled In their schools. Appropriations are ihauo "
these schools yearly on this basis from 'he ota'e
funds by tho Board OF Estimate and Apporton-
ment, and whether or not the societies. wiz ,o"'
qulsh these funds and turn over their schoo's 10
the Board OF Education is entirely optional with the
societies The Board Of Education has no power 10
act.
The movement for placing these corporate schoois
under the direct control OF the Board OF Education
originated with the Federation Of East SIDE orh-
ers on Thursday. February 10. Mrs W. > hains-
ford Mrs c. H. Lee, Mrs. Lillian W. Belts ana 'he
Rev John b. Devins committee from inc .".
alton met the Committee on School system OF inc
Board OF Education TO discuss the question: out
under tho circumstances no definite action could De
taken Superint endent Jasper. who was present.
favored the transfer and the Commissioners asreeo
that all OF the children In the city should De euu
Gated wholly by the State and be In tho puoho
schools
CANNOT DIVIDE THE WORK
A Tribune reporter called at the once OF .ne I'm
drens Aid Society In the United Charities bu''uns
TO find out what the position OF that orea'''~a
ton on this subject c. Loring Brace secretary Vi
the society said: Il don't believe 1t IS possible Tor
us TO divorce our benevolent from our ednoa''oha'
work and carry on the former successfully as sug-
gested by the Federation Of East Side WorKers'
This would require to devote ourselves 10 sNi"s
outdoor relief and this don't DO now ana u" ''o'
want to do. outdoor relief tends to paup'r'H '"oso
who receive It. no matter how judiciously II may
be done As to turning over the schools 10 the boa'u
OF Education should h- glad to do go Il inc city
could get a hold upon these improvidert cAildreh
and educate them but this believe 10 he lmio'sioe
under tho present public school system. we "'o
not ready to agree to the Federa.ions plan simply
because we believe such plan would b" wholly I'M
practicable until the time OF the millennium
"Our teachers a missionari,s as well as teachers
and they have TO he the former in order to conpa'
with the tendencies OF the ignorant. foreign ana
poverty-stricken class OF children who are touhn
roaming about tho crowded tenement districts IN
the lower part tho city whore our schools are ior
the most part situated Under the law we are com
PEELED 10 submit to frequen; visits by III" school In
spec,ors our teachers are licensed by the super
intendent Of Schools and the superintendent can
block our appropriation from the state. II he IS not
satisfied with the manner in which our schools arc
conducted. We receive so for each child IN our
schools from the state and tho society spends ABOUT
s3 additional FOR each. Any charges OF ndiscriini-
nate giving are unfounded. We give very lttle. ana
even this is restricted the children in our schools
and does no: extend to their families
CARE OF TRUANTs
incorrigible children who VIII not attend tho pub
lie schools We DO wan, to keep these children.
however and Just as soon ms they become regular
IN attendance. clean and tidy In their habits ana
dress, and Interested IN their work. "" push them
into the public schools The present system In pub
lie schools does provide for truAnt,. Their list
OF truants includes those children only wh1 have
once attended Il public school. while there arc
thousands OF eligible school children in this city
who have never been inside OF a school building.
.ft- .aI.fN fl.ttl a -
four;h-st. ana Elcvcnth-ave. Two hundred children
came. and only ten Of then had ever seen the IN.
trained TO g 10 school and u you leave II to r.
child's opportunity ~ generally lost for most Of
them 80 to Work when thirteen years Oh.
for foTe Ss 80 This is the cas , h Rvinson,
-. school. where IS" nave class o.. Russian chill
were they to scatter Themselves ausns The large
classes o. the public schools N me ~aIi. they would
drop behind AMI gain llite good We teach them
trey upon class work. WHAT Ne want to do IS 10
Americanizc thcs. children and prepare them 10 en-
ter the public school,.
TO CLOSE ONE SCHOOL
MANY Of the statements made in regard 10 the
overcrowdns In schools. while It "a said.
cancies exist In the public schools IN the same
wards. misleading. In only one ward In the en-
tire city this the case FAR ! know. AMI
that is in The Eighteenth our society maintains
the Henrietta School in that ward at So 2o Eas:
Twenty irst-si. bur as We feel tina; our school IS
longer needed there. II VIII be closed on April
l. ana the teachers transferred to another part OF
tho city. We have now between 1000 and 200
children our rolls and between 500 anI 100 ii
The reporter also called n, the Home Of the
American Female Guardian Society. 40 % East
Twenty-n!nth-st Mrs. Fraak ) Evans. the secre-
tary Of the society took the same position as I'D
OF the Board Of Educaton's ever providing adequate
accommodations FOR these children that We have
visibility Of giving up our appropriations and de-
voting ourselves exclusively TO charity: We now
tho cbfI and
II were 70 give up the educational part OF the
work IT would turn our organization into an ordi-
nary almsgiving society.
VIEWS OF THE REV. JOHN h. DEvINS.
The Rev. John II. Devins. president Of the Fed
Grafton Of East side Workers. said:
1.-THE attitude OF the Federation in regard to the
Industrial schools IS in no sense antagonistc to
the two benevolent societies named. Every lover
Of humanity must admire the magnificent work
which they doing In relieving misery. in dis
pensing charity where 1t is needed and In providing
homes for friendess children. It is because they
organized for these purposes and are needed 10
do these deeds OF mercy that seems to some as II
their entire energies should be used for philan-
thropic rather than educational work. Charity
and education should be divorced. Not one cent OF
charitable money would we withhold from the
dence and deservedy so, OF the benevolent pub
lie But in the opinion Of many ma people the money
and not in education.
The action Of the Federation is IN no sense rev
ate schools to-day nor this yeaT without mani,
fest Injustice bOth the societies
carrying them on. and to the children who are
receiving their education there
an any ward where the public school accommo-
dations sufficient for all the children living In
the ward. be made so by the city, the chill
dren should be educated In them. rather than In the
schools maintained In part by philanthropy. The
benevolent societies could then expend the char
table money, which is now needed 10 supplement
that received from the State. directly upon tho
physical needs OF the children and their families.
II they desired 10 do When they own buildings
they could make them centres FOR settlement work.
day nurseries, places where children could gather
after school hours for recreation, In case their
mothers were working away from home.
1T is believed by many that as II factor In the
educa tiOnal problem the corporate schools are no
longer n necessity. Whatever may have been the
condition OF municipal life half century ago. when
these schools started II is apparent TO many
people who work in the most denscy populated dis
frlct Of he exist to-day warrant