New-York tribune., 1909-05-10
DEALING WITH TRUANCT.

Without convincing evidence TO the contrary,
it is safe TO assume that responsibility for the
greater number of the cases OF truancy in
the public schools Of New York, referred to by
DR.. Maxwell in his annual report, rests with
the parents. While it may be going too far to
take the advanced ground of a Western judge,
who holds that the parents are responsible alb
soIutely for the acts of their children, the gen
eral proposition that a child properly trained at
home will conduct himself with a fair degree
of proprety elsewhere can hardly be disputed.
! If the sense Of duty and obedience is early in
stiIled into the child, it is only in exceptional
cases that he viii show any marked tendency
TO deviate from the ways generally supposed to
be most beneficial to himself and 10 the com
munity.
II could hardly be expected, of course, that
pupils in the lower and grammar grades Of the
public schools would realize the Importance Of
taking advantage OF every opportunity pre-
sented for securing an education. 1t is per-
fectly natural for children TO feel that play IS
much more pleasant than study. but there
should be influence enough in the home. backed
by wise laws relating to school attendance, TO
bring necessary pressure upon young people to
cause them 20 attend school regularly. That
this pressure is not being brought 10 bear Is
evident from the statement that last year
/ shows an increase of nearly one thousand cases
. :
The suggestion that teachers are 10 blame
because of their harshnesS toward erring pupils
IS open TO serious question. There is no city
in the country where competent teachers have
more difficulty in enforcing discipline than in
New York. Teachers returning from inspection
of schools in Europe. especially England and
Germany. are aStoniShed al the discipline main
tanned there and appalled, by the lack Of it at
home Assaults upon teachers by pupils are
far less rare then they should be and if the
trouble lies at all in the relations between
teacher and pupil II Is probable that IT is due
70 the handicaps under which the teachers
labor in their efforts 10 enforce wise regulations
in the scho0lr0om. With corporal punishment
forbidden. in general wisely, there seems to be
no means Of controlling many OF the children
Of the roughe- class who have never been
trained 10 an appreciation of ethics, and 10
whom moral sUaSion suggests only weakness.
Naturally. the problem of dealing with pupils
of - many n2doralities aS may be found in
the large public schools Of lower Manhattan.
where the percentage 81 truancr is highest. *
: difficult one While many upeducatsd per
sons fully realize the value OF education, and
are determined that their children shall not
suffer from their own handicapS. there are
many others who consider that any attempt 70
connaI the children to attend school IS an in
frfngement on their rights and the children are
rern3itted 70 follow their own bent and remain
away from school. even though they are not
openly encouraged in the practice.
Failure of magistrates u cooperate with the
tr,lancv officers Is also very demoralizinE to the
necessary discipline Of the school Even after
making dUs allowance for boyish peTversity,
the plan Of arrestng 2 youth for this or for