The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-04-09
The YOUNG IDEA.
Council Of Education Discusses
Teacher and Pupils.

AA0 JUL ~ -
of New Jersey opened its session in the
rooms of the Board of Education, City
Hall. yesterday afternoon, at four o'clock.
The officers of the Council are:-W. L.
r. Haven, of Morristown, president;
Henry Snyder, A. NJ. of this city, vice
president; S. ". Arrowsmith, of Red
Bank, secretary, and II. Brewster Willis,
of New Brunswick, treasurer.
After the Council had convened, yes
terday evening, at nine o'clock. DR.. JAS.
NJ. Green read an interesting report pre-
| pared by himself, on .3The System of
Licensing Teachers in New Jersey" The
report was presented in printed form. 1t
was a long and able discussion of the
| subject. The salient features of 1t were
exclusively published in The News last
Wednesday.
The reading of the report took up so
much time of the meeting hat only brief
discussion was possible. After congratu-
lating the writer of the report super
~intendent Snyder of this city said he fav-
ored not only State certificates but also
National certificates. Teachers having
certificates from the Normal School are
recognized as being among the BEST he
said. Now scholars go from the gram
mar schools to Normal School and re-
ceive the same certificates as those who
go from High School to Normal School.
That system might well be amended.
1.-THE examinations are in my opinion
held too far away. For scholars or teach
ers to attend involves too much expense
and consumes too much time. The time
does not pay for the expense. / believe
we could improve upon the present sys-
TEN by holding examinations in different
9TH course of study, too, should be
made uniform. 1t is not inform now,
there are entirely too many Standards.
Certificates should be given for scholar
ship and for good form of teaching. Now
we require the highest grade for the low
est department and vice versa.
There should be uniformity. There is no
particular use in trying to change the
examinations just now. Changes Will
have to come, however. There are eva
Sions of the examinations now and that
is one reason why | favor the National
certificate proposition. Evasions occur
now on the outskirts of cities and the
trustees are sometimes fooled.
Teachers before being hired should not
only be able to pass in studies, but they
hould also be required to show their eff
cheney in being able to teach the sub
jects they are engaged to teach"
w. J. Shearer, of Elizabeth, said that
from the report one might be led to sup
pose that the Elizabethr teachers are not
| up to the standard. The impression was
an erroneous one, he commended The
teachers were chiefly graduates from
Normal School and a majority of them
from the High School as We'll as Normal.
Our teachers are selected by the Super
visor Of Schools and in every instance
| they are up to the requisite standard.
I'm the engagement of teachers, / think
some one should inquire closely into their
characters and further ascertain by ex-
animation whether the person to be en-
| gagged is qualified and able 10 teach the
| subject Tor which he has been engaged.
SuperimIendent s. Holmes ana Pflnclpal
! Christopher Gregory agreed With super
intendent Snyder that there should be
| uniformity in examinations.
| This morning at nine O'Clock the COur-
ell met again and listened to a printed re-
port on Sanitation in the Public
Schools-Care of the Eyes" by DR.. II. HI.
Hutton.
In regard to the lighting of schools, Dr.
Hutton submitted the GLOWING
-Four points should be considered, VIZ.
the quantity of the light. the direction OF
the light. the color of the light and the
! kind of light. DR.. Cohn maintains there
never can be too much light in a school;
! Children who are learning to read and
write need lust as much light as students
learning TO use the microscope. Accord
ing to regulations in Nuremberg, Sax
ony, Baden and Hesse the window space
in a school room must be at least one
| sixth of the floor space. In Prussia. ac-
fcording to a decree of January IA, 1888, Il
must be one-fifth; in Switzerland the rule
is o~ne-fourth, at least. The average ratio
of window space to floor space III SC cfal
of the best lighted German and SWISS
schools is as Yellowstone square YARD
of window space to five square yardS OF
! floor space. DR.. John S. Billings OF Lon
don, perhaps our greatest authority,
I maintains that the ratio should be one
square yard of window space TO -FOUR
square yards of floor space; iIhere must
be plenty of light at each desk, irrespec-
tive of this ratio. Hence, says Burnham,
photometric measurements should pe
made in every Ks se ,fssa l9pm This w parnose ph by
which one can determine in a minute
the amount of light at the pupils desk.
The standard of measurement! Is tle
.meter candle"-the amount OF brightness
cast on a paper exposed to a normal can
die one meter distant. Spermaceti can
dies, weighing a sixth of a pound are
axe as the standard me MINIMUM
brightness, says Cohn, for dull days at
any desk should be ten normal meter
candles. A room is well lighted when, at
ali the desks, there is light enough on a
dark day for a pupil to read a small dla-
naond type at a distance Of one foot. 10
ensure the amount of light, 1T would pc
necessary, if the school house must pc
near other buildings, that the distance OF
the opposite buildings should be equal TO
twice the height of the school building,
Light should always come from the
left and rear. Curtains should be used to
protect the teacher. No school bulidlng
| Should be erected upon a plot OF ground
where 1t It Is PGssffipfd ty f feet. any The pu air Space
10 each child should be $50 cubic feet, and
provision should be made for changing the
AIR in the room once in 20 minutes.
II believe an examination Of the eyes Of
Inc children in the public schools should
be made at>the opening OF the school each
year.
Barringer and Principals F. H. Hanson,
S. e. Manness and Franklin Thorn.
The gentlemen approved every recon-
mendation of DR.. Hutton.
The report of the Committee on Read
ing Circle, B. C. Gregory, G. E. Morse
and George G. Ryan, showed that there
is opposition to the revival of the circle.
The following committees were appoint
! ed:-
Membership-Green Morse, Hulsart.
Grading and Promotion-A. s. Gregory.
Organization of Boards of Trustees in
Rural Districts-Hayden and Cox.
Trustees Qualifications Ryan and
Organization of Teachers E. Man
Ed Edueation ana crime-oIiver G. Nor
lori. A. M. s,
Holmes.
Manual Training-James M. Green
S-alaries-James NJ. ~Ralston. A.
How to Deal with Notwithstanding
Hygiene-Mumper. Apgar, Davey,.s s A.
Farrand, Hutton, Eldridge, c. e. Morse
and A~rrowsmith.
Cleaning of Schools-G. L. Davey.
Seating of Schoolhouses-C. E. Morse.
Evesight-H. Fl. Hutton.
State Observation-Disclosures and imp
The Council adjourned at noon