Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1915-01-30
State Commissioner
of Education In Grantwood.
One of the Ablest Lectures Ever Heard in This Section
Given Last Week by Calvin P Kendall President
Wilson's 900 Choice for Head of New
Jersey School System.

here, from the crowd.) The property
here is not liable to decrease in value
and the acquiring of it by the com
munity is good investment policy.
Ample grounds for playing are
essential; and this not merely for the
1873 actual school days, but for Sat
urdays, and the summertime, and
even, as in Gary, Indiana, at night
where the grounds are electrically
lighted, and under official chaperon-
age. | was in Gary just short time
ago, and interviewed the crowds that
were present one evening. The
schools should be used by the public.
They should have assembly halls for
use of old and young alike. In them
there should be lectures, parties, dane
ing, always, of course, under prop
er control. 1t is the nature of youth
to crave enjoyment, and they will
have it. if not in a normal way, then
IN other questionable ways. Woe
TO the American people, even now,
for their hardness in providing for
craving Plainfeld and Princeton
are two communities in our state
where the march of progress in this
department has started"
"Now as for those dear $4,000
teachers, the second great cog in our
machine. Don't make them teach
classes of fifty pupils: two many
Of the taught will fail to receive the
proper training under these condit-
ions. There are plenty of teachers
IN the state, there being a proper
ton today of one teacher out of
every POS of the population. At one
time it was a proportion of one to
BIT.
In the history classes in Trenton,
the pupils are investing the author
ship in the State Constitution, of the
clause which requires that Sound
and efficient education" be provided
for every human being between the
ages of five and eighteen. What a
splendid mandate! Now you can
applaud,
"Our 1915 civilization can boast
of an absolutely unique educational
provision thanks to the Legislature
of 1911-that of classes for sub
normal children Whever there are
fifteen such in school, the state
stands ready to provide a $500. yearly
teacher. The state now has 1871 such
classes. In a case that | know about
in New York state, three men are to-
day illiterates, because the little
academic teacher of their class mem
| bership seventy, was physically un
able to educate them all. All must
be taught: none must be missed
In northern Europe, in normal times
compulsory education lays are en-
forced There should be more enfor
ceing with us. Next to poor teach
ing, poor attendance is the creates
school evil There should be truan
officers of the type of social workers
men or women Also there shonld b.
wider opportunity for special stud
les from the fifth or sixth school yea
OF manual training, and so on. TIL
schools should be open more week
in the year, especially in the poorer
congested districts. In Newark Their
is an all year school. 1t has bee
| said that the health of children VIII
have school advantages in summer, i
better than those receiving street an,
alley education at the same time. Il
New Jersey last summer, $1,000
children receive this boon. The
went because they wanted to-bles
their hearts!
"The question is really the mos
vital of all. The teacher makes tn
school; though a good building is
good assistant. Most of our teach
ers are trained outside of New Jer
sey. We have three normal school
one at Trenton, one at Newark AM
one at Montclair, but we need more
Out of our 1900 teachers, 5000 ar
under 30 years of age. Only 260 il
New Jersey are as old as go. Tn
average. Our average teaching
length of life is seven years. w
have practically no men teachers
If we want them we will have to g
down deeper into our pockets to pa
for them.
Teaching is not a profession tn
ministry is; or the law, or medicine
AS we have seen the life of the pro
J fession, at least in our state, is onl
seven years. We should prize GU
teachers more, We should max
more of them and their work. w
should even give them better sal
ries. We should take them into GU
homes; at least we should make
our concern to find them good plac
to live when they come as stranger