The Jersey City news., 1899-02-21
PARENTS
PROTEST.
Greenville Citizens Do Not
Like the Apportionment
of School Children.
DIRECTOR HIGGINS EXPLAINS
Assures Anxious Ones That
Children Will be Cared For
Messrs. Mulvaney
and Bouton Speak.
DIRECTOR HIGGINS EXPLAINS

After Public School No. 20, in Green
vile was destroyed by fire last week the
Board of Education in order to find room
for the children who attended that school
selected School No. 15 for the grammar
department and the Minkakwa clubrooms
for the primary department.
This arrangement started in Greenville,
among the parents of the children, very
lively protest, which took practical form
In an indignation meeting held last night
in Columbia Hall.
Mr.. Charles Colbeck opened the meet
ing and briefly stated the objects of the
call. Mr.. Harry Oakes was nominated
chairman and Robert Lutz secretary.
In his opening speech Mr.. Colbeck
wanted to know if the parents of the chill
dren wanted to see their children slaugh-
tered by having them travel to school on
trolley car. He insisted that the chill
dren would lose an hour each day of
their time which should have been spent
In education.
A man named Joseph Heider spoke and
he was followed by Lawyer Isaac Golden
horn, who criticized the apportionment of
the children. Mr.. Colbeck then wanted
committee of five to draft resolutions to
the Board of Education. but Mr.. George
Il. Bouton opposed this until the senti-
ments of the meeting were known. Mr..
Bouton carried his point and then pro-
ceeded to make clear the situation. He
said
.'It is reasonable to expect" said he,
that the Directors of the Board OF Edu-
cation have done what is best. 1t is
hardly probable that they would oppose
their constituents. When the school was
destroyed Monday the Directors began
thinking the situation over. A meeting
was held Tuesday at which various plans
were suggested. In the meantime COM
mittee went to work. and this committee
reported to the Board on Wednesday
night. when another meeting was held
The Directors expressed their views to
the Board of Finance and you see the re-
suit
IF you have better plan in mind why
not appoint committee to visit the
Board and let the directors know what
it is? Surely if it is better than theirs,
suppose that such men as We have in
the Board of Education, such men of
looking out for the education of the
scholars would for moment be oblivious
to the need Of proper aecommodations, aS
to look after the children, and their plans
could not be improved.
This talk of erecting a temporary
building. which it would take months to
what the children would be subject to!
The delay would cost the people great
deal in their studies.
IF the people have plans better than
those of the Board of Education, let them
present them, and / believe that the
Board will take action on them.''
Several gentlemen Immediately got into
a dispute on the school subject and for a
time things were decidedly lively. One
gentleman wanted to bet five to one that
s,e ne could figure out bette better plans ia & for the
pulsion and he sat down.
Directors Thomas higgins and John J.
Mulvaney came in just then.
Mr.. higgins said:-'I must confess
that the remarks l heard a few minutes
ago, were anything but complimentary to
the Board of Education. The Board has
1t has considered the matter carefully. 1t
did the only thing that could be done
under the circumstances. 1t followed the
instructions of the Superintendent, man
thoroughly familiar with school work, and
conferred with the Board of Finance.
.One member of the latter Board sug-
gested erecting temporary building.
Who wants such structure? Time will
be lost and needless expense would fol-
low. The Board has done it's best in
the facilities are adopted for educational
work and where a child can go without
risking it's health.
sters, special cars will be provided and
the strictest care possible will be taken of
them. The teachers will accompany
them, and a policeman will be on hand
when the children board the cars. There
will be no danger The matter has beea
thoroughly Investigated by both the mem
bers of the Boards of Finance and Edu-
cation, and all are unanimously in favor
of the plans now being carried out. Par
erlts need not worry, their children will be
well taken care of.
."The Board has an architect at work
now on set of plans for a school which
will be second to none in the city, one that
will accommodate 1,500 children and will
be credit to the city. If there is a COM
nittee here that has plan better than
that of this Board let it present it and
the board will put it through
Mr.. Mulvaney followed. He said:-"This
question of the pupils losing hour a
day need worry no one, for they can easily
make this UP by little extra studying
at home. Parents who are worrying on
this score can easily remedy the hours
little more.
''The Board has done its best am
quite sure when the plans get working
new building viii be erected and you can
rest assured that it will be model one.
Now the question of temporary
into consideration. Just think of the
time that would be lost, the many dis
eases your little ones would be subject to
in ramshackle structurei And it would
have to be a fimsy sort of a building, if
it were to be erected in hurry. This
is pure nonsense, when we take into con-
to accommodate the scholars, everything
modern and the best of facilities.
In time the people of this section will
realize that they owe debt of gratitude
to the teachers and principal for the man
ner in which they are looking after the
pupils. You wish your children to go to
High School properly equipped for the
higher branches of studies. Let me tell
you. that such work cannot be accom-
plished when the facilities are not strictly
up to date. A temporary building would
be little short of slaughter house It
disease in your children, and then you
would have a bigger job on your hands
than the Board of Education could un-
do
The chairman suggested that collec-
tion be taken up to defray the expense
of the meeting, but the audience broke
up In disorder.