Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-08-06

vas Sass and $3.50 respectively.
or an increased cos over last year
Of $751; and $3.50 per pupil. 1t
would be interesting to know just
how this increase in the cost OF ed
ucating school children compares
with the increased cost of feeding
and clothing Of these same children
within the same period OF time.
The evening school enrolment,
while not the largest, was the best
ever had in the percentage of at
tendance. namely, seventy-nve per
cent. AS in the past. the classes
conducted by women teachers were
better attended than those taught by
men. Since practically all the pupils
were of foreign birth and of a o
or less limited education. the teach
err. IL is best lead to believe, sue
ceeds with such IL specially adapted
to the employment of methods suit
ed to pupils in the lower grades Of
the day school.
Special emphasis was placed upon
naturalization in the evening schools.
Assistance was given to a large
number Of men in their preparation
for taking out their final citizenship
papers and men who were about to
apply for their first papers. In gen.
eral, the year is considered the most
successful held thus far in the even
ing schools. The classes were COM
posed almost exclusively of men al
though strong efforts were made to
convince the women of the need Of
what was offered in these schools.
Among one Of the most striking
needs, it Is thought, is a census of
children under the age of sixteen
years of age, and educational privi-
leges for the unfortunate shut-ins
who, because of grave physical de-
fects, are unable to acquire anything
worthy of the name of education.
AS to the shut-ins, there is no
class that should appeal so strongly
to human sympathy. Enshrouded
as nearly all of them are, in the
darkness incident to the lack of
mental and physical training, the
report points out. that they must in
deed be most miserable. and goes on
to state that 1t is surely the duty
of organized society to brighten the
lives of such by creating within
them opportunities whereby they
can become self-supporting as many
of them can be. Aside from the
more humane side of the question,
that of the economical would call
for the best possible training for
these unfortunate that any commu-
nifty can afford.
Room and expense would be en-
tailed to properly care for these, but
two possible requisites are nothing
as compared with the bondage Incl
dent to physical deformity.
The two great movements in the
educational world in which this city
is concerned are the junior high
schools and vocational training.
Reference to the former was made
last year. AS to the latter, the re-
port does not wish to overestimate
the value of the movement, though
il is of great value to children of a
certain type If conducted along ra-
tional lines. The superintendent
thinks that we should not be moved
from the foundation upon which
the system of public school educa-
ton was born and Graded, namely,
enduring character and the I'M
equaled vocation which we know rs
true manhood and womanhood.
With these first assured. it is
thought that the vocational side of
childhood education will have en-
tered within the threshold of one
Of Americas greatest needs.
The report shows that the total
enrolment last year numbered
SPAS, of which 1883 were boys and
s.eS2 Were girls. The sub-normals
totaled 9 and Undergraduates 704.
The staff employed numbers ZIG,
of which number there is one SUI
perintendent, six n-on-teaching prin-
cipals, three special supervisors,
twelve kindergarten teachers. nine
manual training teachers, one sub
normal teacher and five teacher
clerks.
There were one clerk to the
Board of Education. seventeen jan
itors, two truant officers, two medi-
cal inspectors and three school
nurses.
At last nights meeting Commits
sioners Sellers. Main, Greenbaum
and President Sheehy were present.