New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-05-04
ALWAYS OPEN scHOOLHoUsEs.

That hackneyed saying of Swifts about the
benefcence of him who makes two blades Of
grass TO grow where only one grew before
comes strongly to mind again. under the stress
Of the facts reported and the suggestions made
at last weeks reunion of the lecturers of the
free public school lecture courses. Down to
dozen years ago the public schools OF this city
doubt did admirable work and the money
spent for school buildings was proftabIy in
vested for the common veal. Yet the grass was
growing in single blades. The schoolhouses
were used only a small part of the time, and
by only part of the community For five
or six hours in day, for five days in the week,
for forty weeks in the year. they were occupied
by children between the ages of six and eigh-
teen years. at all other times and TO all the
rest of the people at all times. they were closed
dark, silent. useless. Hot gospelIers of secu-
larism inveighed most copiously and vehemently
against those churches which were open only
Sundays. Yet here were the consummate
flowers of secular culture SHINING in the same
way, in kind If not quite in degree.
Under the subtle yet strenuous leadership OF
DR.. Leipziger all that is being changed. Indeed.
may say ii has already been largely changed
The schoolhouses are now being opened by night
al well as by day, and to the adult as well as to
the juvenile portion of the community. 1t is
now only thirteen years since the experiment of
giving free public lectures was somewhat timor-
ously made In half a dozen schoolhouses on
Manhattan Island. During the last winter the
work was triumphantly carried on in more than
hundred schoolhouses and other buildings in
every part of the city from Wakefield 10 Totten-
vile and from City Island 10 Canarsie and three
thousand lectures arranged in systematic and
discriminating courses, were delivered to audi
ences aggregating more than nine hundred thou
sand adult persons. Before such showing the
famed lyceum system of half century ago
seems small TO insignifcance. 1t is indeed a
growing Of two tall and Iusty blades of grass
where only one grew before.
With the credentials of such bene6cent
achievement DR. Leipziger is amply entitled to
an earnest and sympathetic hearing for his sug-
gestions of further progress in the same direc-
ton That the lecture system should be ex-
tended more and more goes without saying 1t
will not reach its full estate until there is a
lecture provided wherever an audience can be
gathered 10 hear IT. But that is not enough
DIR. Leipziger would have in every schoOlhouse
free public library, accessible to all at all req
sonable times, thus making IL centre of in
tellectual activity and culture for readers as
well as listeners. And. neutrality-suspicious. the
most novel and striking and not least benefcent
of afl-he wonld remove from the schoolhouse
the converse Of the reproach which has been
cast upon the churches. If the churches or
some OF them, are open only on Sunday and
closed during the week he would have the
schoolhouses open not only all the week. but
on Sunday. too. So doing might not entirely
solve the Sunday problem" but IT probably
would do so to certain extent or with a GER
tain part Of the people With the schoolhouses
open on Sunday afternoons. and presenting
lectures or other exercises of an elevatinr and
enlightening character, myrlads of people would