The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-31
STATE, SCHOOL FINANCES.
ONE ARGUMENT WHICH WILL
TELL ON THE REGENTS SIDE.

bills for unihcatiOn Of the States educa.
tional system come up for final hearing
In committee on Thursday the supporters
OF the Stevens bill providing for return
OF the common schools to the control Of
the Regents, a In thA period before 1872
will have an Overwhelmingly strong case
to present.
In the first place, the development in the
States common school system under the
Department OF Public Instruction has BY
no means kept pace With that Of the second
airy schools under the Regents. The rapid
incseass In the number Of high schools
in the number Of pupils In them and the
results shown has bsen the feature OF the
success OF the States educational system
in the last fifty years. It 10 often cited
rs the most conspicuous fact In education
here in the lest century. The common
schools have nothing like such showing
TO exhibit.
While tbs snrollment In the elementary
schools increased 10 per cent. in the decade
: prior 70 1909, ths snrollmsnt In the high
schools was moro than doubled In the same
period. Ths number Of high schools in
. CREASED l4o per cent, the number OF acade-
fnies - per oent. and the total net prop
; erty Of secondary schools and the number
/. Of secondary studeats nearly Ill per cent.
:. On thu financial aide the showing made
. by tho Rsesnts u even stronger. In spite
I Of the trsnsndoos extent OF the Regents
q system and In wide rAmincations. including
sapssvisioa not only Of the high schools,
Z hut Of The colleges. the State Library and its
many branches OF educational activity,
4 the Stats Museum and its varied scientific
. interests, the care Of the States priceless
manuscripts and art treasures and the
supsrvisioa Of professional practice in the
Stats-all matters involving the use Of the
most highly trainso executive offioers-
the RaGsats, thsmsslvss unsslaried, control
their department relatively at . Lees ex-
psnse than does the ssmi-poitical Depart
mont Of Public Instruction.
Yet the Regents system has been de-
scribsd By Fabian Ware. the British eduoa-
tionai authority. a. IAN organization second
TO nons In the world and one which may
. ultimassly prove the model for all other
states; and 1t was declared only last year
by de New jersey Council Of Education
10 Be 'the best type upon which TO model
\ Department. Of secondary education IN
our own State
Despite the doubling Of their SCHOOLS and
extension Of their activities In higher educa-
ton, the appropriations asked Tor by the
Regents last year showed decrease from
the presiding year Of eI .toi. The APP
Instruction. with nothing like the proper
tionate increase In the common schools, |
showed . MT increase OF $4,000
An interesting. comparison Of expenses |
in the various depertments OF the State
preparation bill which took effect last
October. The Department Of Public In
struction for supervtsion OF the common 4
schools had . eta1 Of nfty-two persons;
The ne nth the ,S sses , :soS; @s
and their snorynosn educational syytem out
sids the schools. carried only lle.
The svers4s :ala[y under The Regents.
even though thetr odScsfs include the State
high school and 90 lleee inspectors, and az
aminegs, the State PaIsentologist. Geoloeist,
Entomologist, Botanist and practically the
whole etafe scientific corps. ives only 81 ,0s7
year: II. lowest Y the BE- State list: The
Public Instruction was e2.lo7 q year. the J.
highest tn any department ave the At
tornsy- 0eesslfs Department O2.77S) and
ths ssAts nsssMsrs gs2ioe(;
had on Ia payroll twenty-nine salaries
OF over e1,eoo year. that e TO say, 20 per
cent. Of h employees: tie Regents, despite
the high qualifications their service de-
mand.. had only twenty such salaries. or
II ID believed that these figures will
strongly appeal 70 . State administration
pledged 70 economy aud tax reduction.
In scores OF Ways the Regents have saved
money TO the State in the last ten years.
Even their publications. which are in
creasing In number every year and have
won the highest commendation, In the |
stats and outside It. a. educational guides
and standards OF value to laymen a. well /
az 70 educators. are Issued at profit rather
than n lnas tn thu SfafA Ia Wa THAR i
sale returnsd nearly 5000 and their sale
In increasinH A their fame spreads.
II is agreed on both sidss that uni6ca-
tion Of the States educational system under
an absolute necessity for the good Of the
sohools. II In argued in favor of the
Reeents control that the history OF edu-
cation shows that Improvement has ALWAYS
come from the top downward. and II -
to the common schools has come from
good work and high standards in the sec
In this State the improved standards
schools have had he eject Of bringing 70
. higher level the work In the common
ouhools. In order that the pupiis from these
grades may reach the educational plane
demanded u the schools above. In France.
whore dsvelopment from the bottom up
ward has been tried, the result has been
a general deterioration.
For the last ten years the standard Of
admission to the high schools in this State
has bean steadily advancing. The syllabus
Of studies prepared by the Regents 10 now
accsptsA q . model in and out Of the State.
II Is sold BY the State University TO hun
dreds OF educators in no way under control
OF the RAonntA. II has BEEN translated
into foreign languages by educators in
other oountries than this. and the eduoa-
tional syutema in some Of the most pro-
sressiye countries In Europe are framed
upon II.
It = ~ interesting fact that large pro-
portion Of the taechArp undar the Depart
msnt Of Pubic Instruction learned their
business In the institutions managed by
The nseeuts and would prefer to return
10 the Regents' control. L
New York States higher educational
rystem has become famous throughout I
The world, and not Q school principal In
Inc State believes that the Legislature,
rither for political ends or to eratify one
mans ambition, will refuse 70 extend
10 the oou,snoa se1soob the control which
hss bad spch remarhabls succsss in the
higher grades.
csshssy WIN DastFibstss TIVE Perfumes.
The will Of Nrs. Linda Dovs Coolssy,
At~d Nn~s~~A q Nl~S /