Year: 1859

Such class OF 0nlctTe n""cfci, o"iHPo'O" VI t''N
men, to 20 round and inspect the schools, with
veto upon unnecessary expenses, will be more apt
to strike those who pay taxes as an advantage
rather than an incumbra0ce.


A singular power is also given 10 the local Board'
70 establish in each Of their Wardsa ".chool hbra-
ry, for the use Of all scholars teachers and eiti-
" .ens residing in such Ward" We would Ike 70
see good library for the people in every Ward,
but we do not believe any rational man Will be IN
favor Of giving the School Trustees the power to
establish and continue such libraries with the puo-
lie moneys, until they discharge the duties they
already have in such manner as to secure greater
measure of public confidence than they now ENJOY.


Another very singular feature is tie admission OF
nonresident pupils to the schools upon the payment
Of charge for the tuition. This would make TWO
classes-free scholars and pay scholars. Our sys-
tenn Of education processes TO be free, and It may
better be kept exclusively so. Distinctions be-
tween the scholars would be bad, and all the money
realized in this manner, which We presume would
be very little, would not equal the wrong character
the prsctice would give to the system.


One of the most striking instances Of the way IN
which this bill removes Legislative restrictions upon
The management Of the schools, is the provision in
relation to the length OF the daily school sessions
BY the existing law they are six hours day.
Hereafter, they are not 10 e1ceed s1 hours IN the
grammar, and five in the primary schools. 1t may
be question what length of daily session Is best,
but We are not in favor of giving the Board Of Edu-
cation, under the pressure of peculiar influence,
power to reduce them, perhaps to three hours
day.


So, also, in respect to holidays Evacuation
Day, which is now unobserved by the great mass OF
the community, and the whole of the week which
includes the lst day of May are added TO those
now allowed. 1t would probably puzzle any men,
Der of the Commission TO say Why because part
of the City move on the s day of May, the schools
should be closed for an entire week. The other
holidays allowed are less injurious, because they
are general holidays when children can be looked
after by their home guardians; but these forced
holidays are deleterious. And be it observed that
this is to be the law go that the schools can
not be opened on these days; and then, after
reducing by law the number Of schooldays to 2OI
year, the Board of Education have an unrestricted
righ. 10 allow other holidays. Very soon, the in-
Quiry would be on what day the schools were open,
instead Of what we're holidays


And, while the efficiency of the Public Schools
is impaired and their cost increased, the Orphan
Asylums, the House of Refuge, the juvenile Asy-
lum, the Home for the Friendless aud the Five
Points Missions, which now participate IN pars of
the school moneys, are shut out entirely. Even
charity i, ppched to swell the means to be wasted
in other channels of expenditure.


We presume, from perusal of the proposed
bill, that it is intended to give the control OF the
Evening Schools to the Ward Boards, but It does
not say 80. They are now under the charge OF the
Board of Education and it is just illustration OF
the looseness Of the b that it does not place the
management of these schools anywhere


However, justice cannot be done to the bill
without an examination of its financial basis. This
is to depend entirely upon the registered number
of pupils in the several schools; and that, We may
do it full Justice, we copy the words of the bill


"The register number lof pupils shall be computed
by adding TO the number of pupils actually belonging
TO the school on the first schoolday of the year the



ing therefromSthe number who have been discharged.
Tie Register shall be made mp monthly, and the aver
age of the months shall be the average OF the year.
livery pupil sbal be marked discharged on the Regis
ter upon the day when be shall leave the school; and
any pupil who shall be abseUt from school for ten con-
secuve scbool-days shall be entered as discharged,
and bis name shall he reentered on his return. The
entries required by this and the last preceding section
shall be verified 10y the oath or affirmation OF the
principal teacher


We will not step to inquire what difference Is
intended between marking and entering pupil as
discharged but proceed at once to the substantial
merits of the plan. Everything, it will be seen, Is
to depend upon the attendance on the " frat school,
"dsy of the year," and we may anticipate that
every induceme mt, from candies up to dollars, VIII
be held out to secure a large number on that day.
Suppose that n grammar school an attendance Is
80 secured Of four hundred and that during the
month Of January one hundred of this number,
being Fictitious, is lost while five bona fde pupils
are ado ed, aod We thus have an attendance of
three hundred and FIVE for January. Bat Febru'
ary, instead of beginning with this latter number,
takes again the swollen attendance OF the frst
schoo-6ay of the year" and as the unsound part
was lost in January, of course It cannot be Lost
again; and if ~e suppose five bons fde admissions
and loss Of three, We have net ad iiton Of tgo,
making an aggregate of four hundred and two for
the month, although the real attendance would be
but three hundred and seven. Nothing further
need be sad on this point except to remark that,
although these meretriclous returns are TO be
verified BY oath, false swearing in the premises is
not made perjury.


TIE sum Of SIG for each scholar, according -
the register number. 70 be- made out as above