Perth Amboy evening news., 1924-11-08
S|LzER URGES
SCHOOL SURVEY
Governor Also Cautions New
Jersey Teachers Against
Partisan Politics
IN THE CLASSROOM
Warning Prompted by Com
plants that Have Come
to the Governor

ATLANTIC CITY, Nov. SIN re-
| iterating his urge to the last legis-
| lature that the public school system
| be made the subject of a compre-
hensive survey, Governor Silzer,
speaking here today before the State
Teachers Association, took occasion
| to caution the teachers against the
| injection of partisan politics into
| their class room work. The warning
was prompted by complaints that
have come to the governor.
He referred specifically to the con-
Quoting of debates and straw votes
in the schools during presidential
! and other campaigns. Such methods
he said, tend to give impressionable
youths views hich should be formed
only in later ye IS, and upon mature
reflection.
II have no doubt that this result
| is not intentional" remarked the
governor, but in many cases l be-
lieve it detrimental to the schools
themselves. There can be no objec-
| ton to educating the children IN gov
ernment, in its forms and purposes,
and in the machinery of elections
That they ought to be taught, and
| ought to know. Such instruction
however, should be kept free from
| the personality of candidates, and
| from the discussion of parties and
| party views"
The governor also had word II
say with regard to the activity oi
numerous self appointed bodies wht
| assume to be guardians of our publit
schools" The honesty and the -desirl
| to help on the part of these bodies
was not questioned, but too frequent
| ly, it was stated, they take a selfist
/ biased and provincial view of schou
( problems with the result that cross
currents are put into action which
prevent the accomplishment of thai
which is best. He mentioned no or
/ ganizat!on by name.
Governor Silzer has been stressinE
| the need of a school survey since
almost the first day he took Office
The last legislature was not averss
to his suggestion, but insisted on be-
| ing allowed to name a majority Of
| the proposed commission of nine
He held, however, that politics should
not be permitted to enter into tbs
undertaking. There the matter rest
! ed.
1T seems to me that such an in.
vestigation should be made, to clear
the atmosphere, if for no other rea.
| son." declared the governor to tht
teachers. Everything connected
with the schools should be included
in the survey"
The last study of the school sys.
tenn was made by the legislature il
1911 and the result. it was pointed
| out, was in the institution of severa
| beneficial changes. Since then, hi
continued, many new and intricate
problems have developed, all oi
of which demand intelligent con-
sideration If costly mistakes are tc
be avoided and proper plans laid foi
the future.
In the opinion of the governor the
, financing of the state teachers PEN
! sion and annuity fund also should
/ be included in the survey. AS mat
ters now stand, he asserted, the leg.s-
lature is harassed on the one hand
by those favoring a large annual
appropriation to the fund and on the
other hand by critics who would like
to see the appropriation sliced. The
report of an impartial commission,
it was held, would be highly valuable
for the future guidance of the law
makers.