New-York tribune., 1903-03-11
UN1F1CAT1oN UNDER THE REGENTS.
Bishop Doane Defends the Bill offered by
the Board.

20 the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The constant reproduction OF Mr.. Skin
ners views Of the educational system Of the
State OF New York, with some variations OF ex-
preston, gives 1t a sort Of stereotyped pefTna-
nence and prominence as containing the es-
sence of the discussion from the superintendents
point of view. It is quite true that the minds OF
the legislature have been distracted from the
subject Of the particular bill Che Merritt bilD
which Mr.. Skinner fayors, to the consideration
of the Brown bill, which also he favors, and
now to a consideration OF the Regents Dill
which, naturally, Mr.. Skinner does not favor.
There are certain points OF common interest and
common agreement among the three; and the
necessity which compelled the Regents to pre-
pare and propose their bill IS so well brought
out in the points of the superintendents letter
that II seems worth while to call general atten-
tion to 1t.
On the surface most of Mr. SINNERS conten
tions are true The Merritt bill! does not take
from the REGENTS the right Of visitation or the
right to distribute special funds or the right to
conduct prescribed examinations; nor does 1t
annul or endanger the charter OF any existing
academic department. But the evil element IN
the proposal Is twofold. In the first place, II
must not be forgotten that up to 1895 the De-
partnent of Public Instruction conhned itself
within its legitimate and most important sphere
education of the children Of the State. From
1853 "a hen the Regents first began their earnest
efforts to increase the number and efficiency OF
schools of secondary education. until 1880, they
had the undisputed and undisturbed RESPONSE
bility for this work. In 1895 the Department OF
Public Instruction secured the passage or bill
enabi--g it to supervise and approve OF courses
of study in public high schools and academies
for students preparing to te0ch and the permls-
1-lI4,4 6lo0G
and troublesome double inspection, which really
has caused what is called the friction between
the two departments, and brought about IN
evfta bile confusion and uncertainty in the schools
themselves The move made now by the Mer-
ritt bill Is further step In the same dlrectioh'
recurring the Department OF Public instruction
to approve all high school courses in Thch non
resident ruDiIs arc to hare free tuition AND
the next step, plainly avowed by the deputy
superintendent in his appeal before the commit
tee, will be to take the entire control of public
secondary education into that department.
The Regents have seen what all this was
leading TO- and now the legislature and the in
teIIixeut public of the State must see what II
has led TO- The Regents bill Is not an act or
retaliation; it is the logical necessity OF exist
ing conditions. Either they are to be legislated
eut of duties and responsibilities, which, for ali
these years, they have discharged. or they are
to submit tarnely TO the foolish ana lrrtatihs
extravaganza Of double inspection and divided
responsibility Or else some intelligent unifica-
tion Of the whole educational system OF the
State must be devised. Which Is wiser. to
nut the entire public education of the VStaee
into 9 department liable to perpetual changes
of methods. dependent upon the varieties or
Dolitical power and the individual preferences
Of changing superintendents. with the inevitable
tendency to adapt itself not to the best methods
OF education but the wishes and interests OF
party, leaving to the Regents only the care OF
the academies and colleges OF the State Library
and OF the Museum: or to unity the entire edu-
cationai system Of the State under the consti-
tufional body whose one and only aim has
been and must be to perfect II at every point!
The two elements that need considering ia
this decfsIon of course. are the primary and
the secondary schools. so far as the secondary
aehools are concerned. they are safer in the
Sends Of the Regents who have developed them
g saeir present efficiency than Ia the hands
e q depertrnent whose present superintendent
50 gat only attacked them violently in his
fNzf pzEsart hut whose predecessor over and over
eea1n. O previous reports. has avowed his feel.
lAe fhes moneys directed toward their support
vsra Nsensfplly Withdrawn from the eleEneatary
eTles,-e In hardly high school teacher