New-York tribune., 1912-02-01
OLD PRINCIPAL PROTESTS
George White Says Board Acted
ShabbiIy in Retiring Him.
IN SERVICE So YEARS
Veteran Tells of "Fads and
Frills" of Present Day and
Urges School Reforms.


Urges School Reforms.
"Ycs. my physical, mental and moral
systems have all gone TO pieces. according
to the bylaws of the Board Of Eduiation.
and ! am rclcGated to the retired list with
out the decent reward of half pay after
lifty-five years of active service" said
George White. principal of Public School 20,
yesterday Mr.. Whites pension Will be
$500. What If I am seventy-five years
Old" ne continued, 81 feel fifty years
younger than that, and good for many more
years to come"
With these few words as starter. he
paused long enough in making out his final
report yesterday TO make a few pointed
remarks about the modern development and
present status of our municipal educa-
tonal system. 1t was as clear to see that
Mr.. White was entirely out Of sympathy
with the present modus opcrandl Of the
Board of Education as il was 10 note that
his years sat lightly on his shoulders. His
eye was bright. his hand steady and his
every movement was indicative OF a vigor-
Gus mind and body.
lie was retired yesterday Under A re-
Gently adopted bylaw of the board which
prcCludcs a man from teaching who has
reached the age of seventy years. lie had
been principal of School 20 for thrty-five
years
THE schools did much better work In
the old days than they do now" he said.
more time and attention we're given then
to the essential studies the humanities,
you might say, and the children were
turned out with a better education. During
the last few years the time has been cut
down on all these studies TO make way for
the shams. fads and frlls which have been
introduced into our educational system. \
vcritable Bureaucracy, as | call it, has
grown up in the Board OF Education, with
It's multitude Of reports, until so much
clerical work is put upon the teachers and
principals that they have become mere
clerks and have little actual time for
teaching. Between the Board of Education
and the Board Of Health. with their rcd
tape officials continually running in and
ont Of the schools there is small time for
anything else. We used TO do some solid
rock work. but now it takes half the time
to make out reports
Il want to make the point that the great
percentage Of our children leave school at
an early age; therefore, they should get all
the useful education We can give them
during the few years they are in school
The whole idea should be 90 educate and
develop them as much as possible up TO
the age of fourteen or fifteen. when most
OF them have to go 10 work.
Teachers principals and most every one
else are continually finding fault with tho
Board Of Education for the lack Of educa-
tior i'm our schools. for which the city pays
S27. 600 900 annually. In ten years the
amount has doubled. and yet the results
arc unsatisfactory. with taxes doubled
why should We have a.oco part timo
pupils in the schools. unless It is gross
mismanagement on the part of the Board
Of Education? Why should We pay 81
oO0 600 for n school building and keep these
children in the streets? Where does all this
money go?
Il am Of the opinion that the Board NJ
Education IL entirely too cumbersome too
unwieldy and unnecessary in it's present
makeup II all the other city boards arc
run by ono man. why should IT take forty
six 10 run the BOARD of Educaiion'h tn"
mischief of the forty-sevon members in
Guiding the heads that YOU hav" forty
seven different avenues for increase ~ eN-
penses, for each man has his own hobby.
Ir you had seven men on tho hoard. as
has heor suggested. you cut down thos"
possibilities about siX-sevenths. ono Of the
objections 10 tho small paid board Is that
q might be controlled by politicians. Can
ANYTHING he more political than the hoard
is TO-DAY?
eft would be better to have Nh" paid
hoard so that n man at least would have
70 attend the meetings and devote most
Of his time TO the work. instead ~ coming
when he liked When politics were purer
than they are now and we did not nave
the element to deal with that We do now
the voluntary board was all right but not
to-day. Personally, I have opposed for
6fty years any entering OF politics or re-
lieion into the public school system. But
they have both crept in II Is wrong IN
NV opinion, TO allow teachers and princi-
pals 10 be engaged in the publication OF
their own books Superintendent Jasper,
tbe predecessor Of Dr. Maxwell. would not
permit IT,"
Mr.. White said that he quit work without
q regret because OF the shabby and dis
courteous manner in which the Board OF
Education had treated the veterans In the
service
The more a man labors In the school
system tho less he gets out Of it,, he said. i
don't think any one who ever was ireed from
slavery or prison was gladdcr to get out
than am. hut it is the deep damnation OF
my taking Off that makes me Indignant. IT
thc board had been decent about II they
could readily have had my resignation.
might say to them in the words of the
moot. why did YOU dlssemblc your love?
why did YOU kick me downstairs
CARUSO AT THE MllllON.'
Enrico Caruso occupied box at the