Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-29
FINDS FAULT WITH
NUTLEYS SCHOOLS
County Superintendent Refers
to INSTRUMENTATION Among
High School Pupils.

Oliver j. Morelock, county super
intendent of schools appeared before
the Nutley Board of Education last
night and criticized several depart
ments in the Nutely schools. 1t Is
supposed his criticism was the cause
of a long, secret session, which lasted
until early this morning.
In speaking of the high school Mr..
Morelock said he found insubordina-
ton and disrespeet among some of
the pupils.
When he was asked by one of the
members If he was sure of this he
said he knew the earmarks of 1t and
also saw it in the classrooms.
There Is one and only one remedy
for such a thing, he said, and that is
to put unruly pupils out and keep
them out. OF course, he continued,
there will be protests from indignant
parents, but in a short time the stu
dents will conclude that the school is
the place in which to accomplish
things and not place for fun.
In the kindergarten he found an at
tendance of thirty-seven under one
ledCnGT. L Ills, IlG ceIlut was d 6IdNO
mistake Under no conditions, he
added, should one teacher have more
than twenty-five pupils in a kinder
gartein class. In most cases the num-
Der should be less. He considered
twenty-five the exact limit.
The number of pupils in the Park
School who were over age for their
grade, he thought, is by far too large,
there being 205 out of 288 in the school.
The cause of this, in his opinion, Is
the holding over for year of pupils
in the first grade. He recommended
that this course be almost wholly dis
continued and in no case hold any
pupil back more than two years in
any grade.
He gave a lengthy talk on vocation
al schools. He spoke of the necessity
of establishing county vocational
school, and said that a law was
passed year ago permitting the es-
tablishment Of such an institution,
but as yet Essex county has failed
to do this. Such school, he added,
must be independent and should not
grow out of the present-day schools.
In speaking of the needs of such
school, he asserted that to accom-
plish anything the people must be
taught by thoroughly mechanical
men, who are proficient in their sub
ject, and not necessarily professional
men.
Mrs. Joseph d. Little took excep-
ton to this, saying that men being
expert mechanicians and having no
training as teachers would be useless,
in her opinion. Mr.. Morelock agreed
with her, adding that by his remark
he had meant that the men should
be expert mechanics, who later on
had acquired the art of teaching, but
under no circumstances should men
be employed as teachers who, after
having completed their professional
work, had learned to handle a few
tools.
Mrs. Little thought 1t rather a hard
proposition to obtain men who have
the combined ability of mechanic and
teacher In answer, Mr.. Morelock
stated that he has no doubt that
many such men would be attracted to
the position. He invited the members
of the board to be present at a pub
lie hearing on the matter of a county
vocational school, to be held in the
Court of Common Pleas under Judges
Martin and Osborne on Friday, May
%. Later in the evening the board
Endorsed the movement for such a
school, of which the expense of main
tenance will be borne equally by the
county and State.