The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-24
NEW YORK'S EVENING SCHOOLS.
Facts and Figures OF the City's Free Public
Night Glasses.

To THE EDITOR oF THE SUN-Sir; A Won
derful document Is the seventh annual re.
port of the Superintendent of Schools OF
Greater New York. Between is covers are
500 pages packed with useful information.
Even more interesting than the section on
the city's nautical school,. described IN a re-
cent letter to THE Sun, is the article on the
department OF evening instruction-mor
interesting because, while the work Is so
much less romantic, 80 much more prosaie
and commonplace, 1t affects the general popu-
lace far more vitality. The work done in the
night schools constitutes a large and import
ant section of New York's free public In
struction. See 1T as Matthew ]. Elgas, dis,
trict superintendent in charge OF this splenolo
auxiliary work. reports it:
or the clty's entire population OF ~4,olS,7sl
the proportion in the public schools is 1873
per cent, the net enrolment being e5j,ol3.
The enrolment In the night schools for lW4-Oj
was 5,sSs In the high and s2.0S2 in the ele-
mentary schools, or a total OF 97,s7o, slightly
less than one-sixth Of the entire enrolment,
While the years increase in enrolment ior
the system throughout the five boroughs
was 5.35 per cent, that of the night schools
was a fraction more than 10 per cent. As 10
actual registration in classes. the figures are;
For the system, "a per cent. of enrolment. an
increase OF 4 per cent. over the previous
year; for the night schools. 80 per cent, or
an increase of is per cent.
So far the showing of the night schools Is
excellent; but the real test Of efficiency, the
significant measure Of service rendered, IS
not In the figures Of enrolment or even OF
actual reglster-what ought to be; but in the
record OF daily attendanc what is. Here
New York's n light schools fall behind 1rhe
general standard Of the city schools me
entire system in the last completed year was
IS per cent. In the night schools attendahe5
and register were respectively 33oi' aau
tendance was 81 plus. Even so, as compared
with the department figures for the SCHOLASTIC
ss This speaks aSSsSs we'll" says the ddiistriGt super:
intendent, for both pupils and teachers, as
the winter was q notably severe one.
A more just comparison than that which
places the evening, school percentages IN
luxtaposltion with those Of the regular u Gay
in a far moro favorable light, is with the gen.
eral experience Of evening schools, StatiStlCs
cited by the district superintendent show
that in other cities maintaining a department
on the lines of our own evening school az:
tendance. on the basis of re eistration, varies
from 20 per cent. 10 40 per cent, the hlgher
figure being attained only in rare instances.
The New York average, varying sllEhtig
around a mean of IS per cent. is among tWe
The heaviest drag upon ATTENDANCE per:
oentages in the experience. of the New hors
between Ia and 10 years Of age who have ley
school without completing the elementary
course 70 attend evening classes r onn i
are being made. Principals of day schools
are supplying the parents or guardisnS Gl
bows who leave without graduation WIN CT
culars containinR information as 10 the loca.
tiop of night schools. entrance requiremGitSs
and courses OF study, Also names o. ooI Suga
of the various districts. whose duty II Is 10
take all necessary and possible steps 10 Fc'
the boys into the schools, District Sunerinr
fnndnnt Elual higher pay lpI
these evening "trusnt officers .
oyer against this drawback to the VOTE 5
ency to regular attendance and conscientious
work. productive Of results; the classes is
%n nOt,,r5II4 dis sR p SRtsSed PqbD 8 = r rh II gFG dasir Is
to take advantage OF the opportunities offered.
an enthusiasm that means steady nroFreSIi
enrolment of $1,000 in round numbers. 3I,p.a
pupils We're foreign born or OF foreign pa,'
entage. Their average attendance was ass
an increase OF l4.b per cent; over lFI"-g3
The evening schools are distributed h!Ih
schools. six in Manhattan, of which thTse ate
Elementary schools, IS in. Manhattan, $ IN
The Bronx e in Br91oklyn' 5 in 9 booI.'
10; elementary schools, ~. OF the eI'l,'.l-
ary schools. IS are for men and BOYS, 20 lor
women and girls, and II for both sexes u"
evening school term of 10000 was from ne
end OF September 10 the end of March, Sow.
eral requests for an extension OF me , 'd,s
I MtIe uduts DuN Nlt n VI Wv 'l'i,., f''
made such a len gthening impossible
To close the statistical side of TIE s,oIy'
the evening schools engaged g., prHIt.ptlr
IL teachers in charge, AZ general ASSISTANTS
and l,i77 teachers. a total Of SOC, or 1871 MOI"
than were employed in the preceding l'",,
The largest number OF classes IN conl0ti ~
any time was Az, an increase OF ~ lIe.-
grouse OF attendance toward the enc q, ,ne
term necessitAted the discontInuahce OF ~
classes.
BY arrangement with the New YORK library
books are supplied for reading to the ,'y"Ir
ing school pupils. and the circulation dlI.Is
the year was $40; Phyuical culture VOTE u
2lso product i've OF good results, ana e',vIaii
debates on topics of labor and '.Inl,lp2l
ownership were successfully CONDUCTED
The new evening trade schools are d''nR an
excellent work. The field for them Is esPe-
cially wide and promising. a.oo,o-s
Az ,st. Louis the ,expGsition H!re o q
awarded n silver medal to New lotk 5 even,
ing school exhibit, and the work shown ny
the department ELECTED the highe5t eomHTien-
dalton, L..
NEW YORK. April 20
-As-.-