New-York tribune., 1907-10-06
1 rLcrIlL OF ENVIRONMENT.

While the Board of Estimate and Apportlon-
ment was giving ear TO the requests OF the CltE
College last Friday il came out tnat CohtrOleI
Metz believes there ought to be secohd boaru
of Fducation to whom all matters relating TO
secondary education should be, referred IL
would be sheer waste Of time to comment SOL
emnIv upon this suggestion did VI not rplfy
with striking precision the theory OF govern
ment which has made a hOdge-podge OF New
York City's administration. The ConroHer
recommendation is not in the least eccentric IL
..eccentric" means departing from the usual
custom or practice; it is. on the contrary,
hawless specimen of conventiOnality, and as
such deserves attention and study. Seen III itS
true character 1t cannot be held up 10 MT. Metz
as 4 personal reproach; therefore we WISH 10
"show il up" for we should greatly dislike 10
see the Controller blamed for more plumbers
than he has really committed by act OF VIII
That would surely make Mr.. Metzs recording
Angel go on a strike.
The idea of a second Board of Education grew
ont Of Mr.. Metz's conviction that momentous
conflict is now being waged between the high
schools directly affiliated with the City and Nor
NAL colleges and the large number Of ordinary
high schools The former two institutions are
drawing pupils away from the latter because
they offer a seven-year combination course en-
abling students to receive a complete secondary
education in one year less than Is ordinarily re-
quired hence students planning to attend either
of the municipal colleges prefer their high
school departments 10 any other The reader
who is not versed in the political philosophy OF
Fourteenth Street will doubtless struggle in
vain 70 discern the connection between this eX-
ceedinglv simple problem of school admlnistra-
tiOn and Mr. Metzs solution Of IL The prob
lem is to prevent Overcrowding in the high
school departments Of the two colleges and the
deserton of the ordinary high schools. Any
well Informed teacher would solve this by intro
ducng uniform point system" of promotion
IN all secondary schools thus enabling proficient
students 10 complete their course as quickly
down on Staten Island as over ON washington
Heights The point system or promotion by
subjects rather than by years, is known TO all
educators and favored by the vast majority.
But any such easy settlement would disgust a
political philosopher nurtured by the automatic
adages: "A new official for every new task
! In division of responsibility and control there
is strength (for the gang), and IF they ask
for brains give them Board"
Mr. Metz is not to be criticised because his
suggested Board of Secondary Education would
he both useless and harmful; he is simply
victim of his environment. His teachers have
filled him 10 the top of his Uranium with the
doctrine that salvation lies in the direction of
choppinc the municipal administration into as
many separate and autonomous departments,
branches and joblets as possible, and that the
sternly consistent execution of this policy will
automatically solve every problem. That Mr..
Metz and others have never stated publicly
,rbOse salvation Is attained by this rule OF
hatchet-and-earthwOrm is not surprising. To
dwell on this aspect Of the doctrine might prove
disconcerting