New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-18
THE MODERN SCHOOL.
1T IL 10 BE BEEN HERE IN ITS HIGHEST
DEVELOPMENT.

TON IN rw-YoRK-AUxIiIARY SCHOOLS
IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF EDI-
rIcxs-sArErr. CONVENIENCE
AND SANITATION.
IN no ono department has our big city advanced
moro rapidly and thoroughly than In her pubic
schools During tho last twenty-five years or 30
this matter has been taken out. to constantly
increasing extent from the domain OF applied poll
tics, and placed In the hands OF men to whom the
failure OF the schools meant everything.
while the rise fall OF any particular fnction OF
local politicians meant nothing. Tho members OF
the Board OF Education serve without pay are
appointed, not elected. and being answerable only
TO themselves enabled TO keep the hghest
attainable ends constantly In view.
In the matter OF private schools. there Is long
list from which to choose. from kindergartens up
through the grades TO postgraduate courses In the
various professional schools Of law medicine, the
ology, oratory, art music the drama. In fact. any
and all useful or elegant accomplishments AS 10
the semnares. military schools. private academies
and finishing schools herein the children OF the
wealthy may. by liberal payments. secure social
and literary polish qualifying them to move IN any
sphere OF life, however exalted, their number Is
legion. and their patronage. drawn from all parts
OF the country, Is SO generous that their success
is assured from the start.
But have TO do with the public school system
more especially and TO right understanding OF
the immensely Of the interests involved few igures
will contribute more than mere words. The budget
prepared by the Board OF Education for the year
1897 is nearly six million dollars. The recent appro-
priation by the Legislature for the purchase OF
sites and erection Of buildings amounts TO twelve
and half millions. of which two and half mill
ions are TO be devoted 10 high school purposes
There are In active AT the present time one
hundred and ftyoight school edhces, all the later
ones monuments to the scientific arcni,ec t RAJ
knowledge and ability OF the chief architect OF lhe
tcally solved the knoity problems bearing upon
satisfactory style OF school building In cry
where the enormous values Of land forbid that gen
erous lateral expansion which would ada 80 Inu E
Of e esrning Besd de the buildings referred
there are now under way or under contract twen.y
TENDER contracts will be awarded at the rate OF
about one in ten days. or as rapidly as the de'a''s
The whole number of pupils enrolled in the gram
mar and primary schools is two hundred ana lo,ty,
five thousand, and the attendance has been Two
hundred and fifteen thousand. Including the cor
porate schools which are under the GtgE1 or
associations but are under the SUPERVISION OF cb bne
dren taught last year trife in excess Of three
hundred thousand The number OF teachers IN tne
schools. dfty-esh hundred The annual increase grease
thousand. which is one and half times the total
of our GaP My Si in
physical reconstruction OF the public school, bul,o-
nss TO which he has lent himself SC Of r and
ventilation. without admitting such babel o,
pOssb ly0 Of sns @ in The
plan of building which he has adopted 70 mel t ne
cry n hs FG sne p snas onus
connecting building in the centre and iui aup
T6s style CT building may be placed in the cenre
OF block the outer sides Of the beng ing de sSs
walls and all the light therefore taken rom me
interior plots and the ends on the street In FUR.
heraHco Of ms light supply also the ssd windows 70
the very greatest possible degree
t9 The Of s} are e ns al
and fitting of these edhces; the closets ana saa
tories tori n are all m5a wnle ss War supply
always full and ample Tor rem3vihg eoVed nroc
esses. until the chemists OF the Board pronounce It
free from noxious properties. , , .. ,,,,
falling 'h up3 the T pups book
the pToper direction much attention has been paid
of tate By So, fE1 pr eard II Derby who
much to il condemnation OF the olo Slnsr OF
Medicines he says Long ago Comparatively ,,Ie
care was taken Of the Even In the cons,rne
The grossest ignorance often manifested In the
lighting arrangements; and II me eyes OF h, nc, rn
known were better than they are at present, ~
, MaT However this may be- there is no doubt
that many Of the schooiroons In ms , ry VIII
listed schoolroom recently where there is actu-
alIy not single pane Of clear glass IN any OF tne
mvopis child ruas great risk OF acquiring 1t
through ill-lighted schoolrooms etc Dr Der9S
contaeion. but as the authorities have. since the
reading Of this paper instituted what he therein
ton Of the pupils rot only for ophtha'ic 9 , FOR
all contagious infectious @ sen that ia Cause SO
Of complain removed while ths inteiiigIh,. n npwr
S@oI ct Sdns swS viii as sedy as they
advanced obviate the othe- difhculty. ,.,.,.
- a bxSiIdnr in which are hudded thousands OF
little ones TOO Young TO face f, suc Mr. an snyder The
nrst areproof school building was erected In East
Tweniy-scvenh-s in 1859 Not long after Mr so sny
Rniidines, in 1897 he strongly urged this matter
and law es in ie iht Should an be
constructed entirely Of reproof materialS naSea
the law was made SO stringent a ana DO on existing
bnIidngs Everything that can conduce to safety
rrgh,sneI regime Broad halls and stairwsys
AFFORD ample means Of egress while the children
ave So seen alarms Of fire they have the
mand OF their teachers. formed ranks ana 70 me
r nse 01 sSms ont to . sE With eadnes
seasoned % cS S5 the syse IN New
private Some Of hfr r! puG free
philan none too common. gradually extendea
hseff M5SSy and pSSc o fsa' "ssS
to c9nro n and even ra f"eh than
ears can our city be said 10 have fully awakened
10 her needs in This particular; and even So-nay
Tho writer Is Informed by Mr.. Jasper. the super
ntendont OF Schools who has entire charge OF me
edvca ,io,al Department that there are over eigh-
,aen .bousand Children who are debarred from edn-
cation for lack 4 room while he estimates ih sd
! Inc attendance IN the public schools will be In
| creased from forty TO fifty thousand ..
! A broad generous policy marks the present man
ogement in its dealings with Its army OF teachers
| AZ Mr. Jasper (who this year rounded out MS
| ;ucntv-dfth year 81 service in the public schoo
svsteyn OF New York-the silver wedding Of his
educational career. as some OF his associates aver
| nuts N ''I-nder the former management, for the
three or four months preceding the close OF The
/ school wear teachers were rendered anxious. and
/ their thoughts and attention distracted by so',ci-
| tude for their reappoint ment; one can readily
! 500 how destructive TO their usefulness this would
! he The teachers OF to-day however. drag no
! such weight OF Their appointments are for
| no or cool behavior orce they have shown com
netence II for any they become incompe-
,er this must be shown TO the satisfaction OF tho