New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-26
Professor Thinks They
Are Improving, but Lack
Moral Instruction.
CHANGE SUGGESTED
FOR BRONX IDEA
Writ Plan of Industrial Training
Favored-Teachers' Meeting
in Interest of Children.
BY HENRIETTA RODMAN.

new York Is one OF the most au-
vanced cities In the country in the de-
velopment of its elementary schools
said Professor Charles Zueblin, for
merly Of the University of Chicago, an
acknowledged expert on municipal, and
especially educational, affairs.
Are we graduating healthy, useful
and happy citizens from our public
schools" | asked. "Do young people
come out of them masters Of their
fate. able to earn a good living, ready
TO enjoy the best literature, music and
art that the community can offer"
Professor Zueblin laughed. You
are comparing our present school sys-
TEN with your ideal of what school
system should be. ! am comparing
the New York schools with other
schools in the United States to-day.
"The system here is in some ways
one of the best in the country"
They're all extravagant, ridiculous
failures | insisted. For the money
that is being spent on them every
child should be getting a genuine edu-
cation, actual preparation for life. He
should leave the school ready 10 do
efficient work, under present condi-
tions, and yet wise enough to change
those conditions for better ones &C
COTulUR Win the sONldl iNtdAS
of a later generation.
Boys and girls who are mentally or
physically unable to meet efficiently
the conditions Of life as it is should
be protected in special institutions
where the best work they could do
would entitle them to the best condi-
tons we can give them. The feeble
minded, for example, should never be
subjected to the ordinary conditions
Of our life to-day. Ii is intolerable
stupidity that we send them out of the
schools into the community, and we
are paying a frightful price for our
blunder."
"All that is perfectly true Profess
sor Zueblin said patiently. But it Is
also true that the schools are improy-
ing tremendously. We have special
open air classes for anamic children
and the so-called 'ungraded classes for
backward children"
But" l interrupted, Eve put con-
genital idiots, who ought to be per
manently cared for in special institu-
tions, into the same classes with boys
and girls who are normal but little
| slow"
ain some cases we do, chiefly because
we have not enough special institutions
TO care for these children"
az the teachers realized their re-
sponsibilities," l grumbled, they would
| insist upon having more custodial in
stitutions for the protection of all the
| children. They are necessary to the
welfare Of society"
"The acceptance Of responsibility de-
ponds upon moral development" said
Professor Zueblin. Our schools are
| seriously lacking in moral instruction.
/ By that, Of course, do not mean COM
pulsory reading of the Bible. | mean
a practical attempt to prepare boys
and girls to meet honestly and fairly
! the problems of life"
what would you think of a course
! on the ethics of marriage" ! asked, ito
/ teach young people the meaning of
| marriage, both as to the personal re-
lation of comradeship and the social
relation of parenthood? 1t seems to
/ me that one of our chief responsible
/ ties as teachers is to prepare young
people to reason about the relations Of
/ men and women to each other and to
the State before the problem becomes
personal and acute"
81 agree with you, of course" said
/ Professor Zueblin, land | think that
women especially should take up this
matter as Mrs. Young did in Chicago"
/ The Bronx thinks it wants a trade
/ school.
/ Pause for a moment, dear Bronx.
| A trade school will cost about half
a million dollars and will give indus
/ trial training to about 25O boys, at
/ cost of 500 a year each.
I HI al .
spent in equipping five schools to give
/ trade courses, according to Mr.. Wirts
plan, you will give industrial training
/ to at least five times as many boys
| and girls at a cost of about $50 a year
| each. And it Will be better training.
/ MADAM: may be old-fashioned, but
| il seems TO me that the Board of Edu-
! cation is assuming a very radical posi-
/ ton in expecting mothers TO coniide TO
! them that dear secret which has hith-
erto been whispered only to husband
/ or family doctor.
/ 81 like to see progress in the officials
/ in charge of our great school system,
but this seems to me to be going too
/ far.
81 am the mother of four children,
yet at my age, | am appalled, by this
I encroachment upon modesty and the
/ sacred privacy of the home.
"A MOTHER OF FOUR"
MADAM: 1t is a matter of great re
gret that almost all meetings OF
/ teachers organizations seem to be de-
voted to the consideration of teachers
| interests in some phase or other. The
causes for this may not be altogether
/ the.fault of the teachers, and may not
reflect creditably upon the system as a
whole; but, however this may be, the
meeting Of the Teachers League this
evening al the Washington Irving High
| School will he devoted directly to the
/ interests of the children.
"All those who approve of teachers
! interesting themselves in these mat
/ tiers, or have any curiosity as TO what
those who are in daily contact with the
children, think about these questions,
| should be present at this meeting.
1.-THE COMMITTEE"
There will be a meeting of the dis
| trict representatives Of the Board of
! Retirement at the Hotel Martha Wash
ington tomorrow at p. m. Senator
| Hamilton will be present. The pur-
pose of the meeting is to take inn
| mediate steps TO secure legislation on
pension matters. Two tentative bills
have been prepared and will be pre-
scented for consideration.
I
RESIGNS AS PRESIDENT