The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-21
CENTENARY OF CITY SCHOOLS.
GREtT AUDIENCE CELEBRirtS
IT IN CARNEGIE HiLL.
Dr. Harris From Washington and ID. Draper
Here to He'll -Iioih Praise New works.
school system Joke SonS ON Shpt.
Maxwell Fnlh ems The Celebration

Esttan Island was celebrated IN Carnegie
Hall. Fifty-seventh street and seventh
avenue. last night Really. Feb. ~ was
the exact date Of the centennial. but a. that
was Sunday the celebration wac carried
over until last night.
Carnegie Hall WAS packed To the doors
with teachers and friends Of members Of
the Board ~ Education. The auditorium
was decked with flags. Fom the boxes
nearest the stage in the first tier hung the
peace flags presented TO the Board OF Edn-
ton by tho New York chapter Of the Daush-
tors of the American Revolution.
On the stage the Board Of Education and
guests Of the evening occupied the front
rows Behind them AT a choir OF $50 pupils
from the Normal College. Training ana
High schools Of the city Music Wa iur,,
nshed by an orchestra oil pubic Hchoo'
Bishop Greer offered prayer and then
President Henry y rift of the Hoard ut
Education opened the celebration hy giving
a brief sketch of the history Of the puhhc
school. He said
first had it, inception. On that day al tLe
home of John Murray. il. whose house
occupied the site whcrc the hullhh6 oMlPu
hy Harper 4 Bros. now stands, dozen
philanthropst- met together ana deter
he given he poor children OF Ne'f-No
The first free school was opened on
May 10. 1905 on Banckcr thow Madi7onl
ireei II consisted merely of singc
large room and had an idtendance o.! LOT
two pupils. Not until four years later was
the first school building erected II was
built nj Chatham Square an" iIy"u row
AZ a cost of $4,000.
The present Board on tduoItiuh VIE n ~.
established in lE2 and ihl- huard "ftu. u! ~
al. ltsa
founders OF the hrst Tree 1cpool. -
the value OF puphC schopl piup,I w. W.,
only 100000 NJ NE 'r'TclN 'lrhe w.
are $40 public school hnudlils7 III ~" 100 w ~,
and their valuation l. Iu. . a. N, Wv,
n attendance today are b--'oo ch'"reh
and 1900 eachcrs.
/ am sorry to.nlEh ihat MAYOR NcN iei-
Ian is unable Ia hc with III, but lle writes
10 Us saying hlS heart - WIN US ana tha'
he wishes us all .hcceTe. l.
Edward NJ Shepard gave NOR" Ie-
tailed history OF me eCiabliNh nlrnI o. tiIe
school system sud IT. nrSt SFuEsle7' no
closed 10y saying. -,
The time viii come and i trust ~ WIZ
come soon. when giving All the credll 70
the fostering care Of those IN charSe OF
the nation, instead Of another approprh llo1 i
for battleship, we shall nave ncnop'
building, instead OF another torpeun podt
We shall have another KlhueIsaitten ,,t
thomas Hunter ireSlu'l.t VI llir s ",uia'
7 llltBft Nd0 lllNi''NhN-'N '-T' - -
lic school teachers. He received the great
est ovation of the evening
4 have been teacher for hltN-hVe years
thirty-hye OF which l pave spent az the
head OF the Normal College ne SAID
am "a years Old but in spite, OF the saying
that things are not as good as they used
to be | believe them TO be letter. pc
lieve that to-day we have the finest pubic
schools in the world.
United States Commissioner OF bduca-
tion William T. Harris, the next speaker.
defined the public schools position III our
national life. He described II rs n great
institution which makes individuals INTO
cooperative bodies. We 40 not realize
how small figure the olty Is IN the entire
make up of the world, SAID Or, Harris,
While New York Is tie second CITY OF the
world, III educational facihtle~ 60 NOT
TO the education Of New fork alone but
TO help educate the world
Andrew y. Draper state Commissioner
of Education said that the American system
~ common schools has Tor obvious reasons
had more crucial test IN this CITY than
anywhere else in the land,
You have never had a balanced school
system, with any fair chance Tor rs HE,
said Or. Draper, until well within decade.
In a brief seven years you have made more
true progress toward comprehensive ana
efficient system OF public schools than any
other Clfy in the country. There has doubt