Excerpt from School Administration in Large Cities; The Legal Status of the Public Schools: Addresses Delivered Before the New York State Teachers' Association, Academy of Music, Brooklyn, N. Y., July 3, 1889, and Then National Educational Association, at Nashville, Tenn;, July 17, 1889 These children are Of a more heterogeneous character than those in the rural schools. They will represent all classes of society, the very rich, the well-to-do, and the very poor. The moral and industrial conditions from which they come are most diverse. These things not only augment the difficulties of properly grading pupils and securing satisfactory progress, but they present ques tions concerning the health and cleanliness, the moral character and the discipline of the schools, which are scarcely heard of in the country. Moreover, there are quarters in every city, where human beings live in degradation, filth and crime, from which the children will not attend school except under police surveillance and constraint. But the public schools exist to protect against just such illiteracy as is found in its most revolting form in these foul places, and the school authorities fail in their duty if they disregard them.
The responsibility of organizing and maintaining an educational system for such vast numbers, in such circumstances, is one calling for the wisest statesmanship of the land. It is a responsibility which can not be appreciated by one who has not borne it and had experience in the work. I venture nothing here in expressing the belief that there is no class of public administrative work which, in consequence of its technical character, the embarrass ment which surrounds it, and the intricacy of all its details, is so difficult and responsible as the management of the schools of a great city.
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