Your memorialists are therefore apprehensive, that, while the hopes held out to the churches by the success of the present application must prove ultimately fallacious; that the sources of the present revenues of the public schools would in that event be greatly diminished, and, in so far as the same depend on the aforesaid acts of the Legislature, would be withdrawn.

If the public confidence in the equal distribution of the school fund is ever lost, it is possible, not to say probable, that it will never be regained. All which is respectfully submitted.

(Signed)

LINDLEY MURRAY, Secretary.

Dated this 24th day of Mareh, 1932.

PETER AUGUSTUS JAY, President.

A long and earnest discussion took place upon the memorial, and it was deemed important that the members of the Board of Aldermen should be seen personally by committees on behalf of the Society, and they were accordingly appointed, as follows:

Alderman Cebra, to be seen by Messrs. J. I. Roosevelt, Jr.,
and James Heard.
Hiram Ketchum, Clark, and
Richards.

Stevens,

The petition from the Methodist Society was presented in the Board of Aldermen on the same evening (September 5) on which it was laid before the Assistants, and was referred to the Committee on Arts, Sciences, and Schools. The report in favor of the application for school money was submitted on March 12, 1832, and was laid on the table, to be printed.

The remonstrance of the Public School Society against granting the application was laid before the board at the meeting held on March 26, and was referred to the Committee on Arts, Sciences, and Schools, and, with the other papers relative to the

matter, was made the order of the day for the following meeting of the board. The committee reported on the remonstrance at the session held on April 2, in which the recommendations of the first report were reaffirmed, and their adoption strongly urged. The report was recommitted.

On May 2, the report, on motion of Alderman Palmer, was made the special order for the next meeting of the board, which was held on the 7th of the same month, when Mr. Palmer called up the special order relative to the school question. The report of the Committee on Arts and Sciences was then read, as follows:

The Committee on Public Schools, &c., to whom was referred the petition of the Methodist Episcopal Church, praying that a portion of the common school fund may be given to aid in the instruction of the destitute children and helpless orphans who are taught and assisted with clothing, &c., at the Methodist free school, ask leave to report:

That said committee have had the subject under their deliberation, and submit the following facts and resolutions:

That, for nearly forty years, the Methodist Episcopal Church have supported a school in this city for the gratuitous instruction of orphan children and the children of poor and destitute parents.

That they have received for several years a share of the common school fund, for all children taught in their school.

That, encouraged by this public munificence, and prompted by a laudable desire to render more extensive and desirable their free school institution, and during the time while they were admitted to participate in the school fund, the trustees took a lease, for twenty-one years, of two lots of ground in street, and the Society erected thereon a school-house thirty by eighty feet, at the expense of about four thousand dollars.

That, in the year 1826, they were unexpectedly deprived of all participation in the common school fund, and they have since found great difficulty in sustaining their school.

That they have usually about two hundred scholars who are instructed at their school, among whom there are about fifty orphans, or children of parents entirely destitute.

That for shoes, clothing, &c., their poor children are dependent on private charity, the funds raised for the school being inadequate; and the petitioners therefore ask that the Corporation will grant to the said school an equitable proportion of the school fund.

It further appeared before your committee, that the concerns of said school were managed by fifteen trustees, chosen by the Methodist Episcopal Church.

That the fund which supports the said school is raised by contributions, and is kept distinct from the church fund.

That the teachers are of the Methodist religious denomination; that the children of parents of any other religious denomination are admitted into the school when there are vacancies.

That the school-house is distant about fifty or sixty rods from Public School No. 7, in Chrystie street; that the trustees never encourage children to leave the public schools, but, on the contrary, refuse to receive such children.

After a full examination of facts, your committee have come to the unanimous conclusion that the prayer of the petitioners ought to be granted; that they believe such a conclusion to be consistent with equity and justice, because the common school fund is raised equally. They believe it is consistent with the intention of the enlightened Legislature of the great State of New York, who, in their statutes which create and distribute their bounty to common schools, did not think proper to shut out any school on account of its religious connections.

Whether the Common Council would deem it expedient (should they adopt this report) to admit said school wholly, or only in part, to participate in the school fund without a more general enactment, your committee have no means of judging. They therefore submit the following resolution, which applies only to the destitute children in said school:

Resolved, That, in addition to the institutions in this city entitled to receive a portion of the common school fund, and the tax raised for the benefit of the public schools within the said city, the school of the Methodist Episcopal Church shall be entitled to receive its proportion for all the orphans and children of destitute parents who may be taught in said school, and who shall be duly returned, agreeably to the provisions of the revised statutes. TYLER DIBBLEE, CHARLES H. HALL, HENRY MEIGS.

The memorial of the Trustees of the Methodist Society, and the remonstrance of the Public School Society, were also read. On motion, the board went into Committee of the Whole, Alderman Cebra in the chair. After some time spent in discussion, the committee rose, and the chairman reported that the Committee of the Whole had disagreed with the report of the Committee on Arts and Sciences.

The President then put the question, Will the board agree to the report of the Committee of the Whole? and a decision being called, the question was decided in the affirmative, as follows:

Ayes-Aldermen Cebra, Van Wagenen, Sharpe, Lamb, Tucker, Jeremiah, Palmer, Woodruff.-8.

Nays-Aldermen Meigs, Dibblee, and Hall-3.

The report of the Committee of the Whole being thus adopted, the agitation of the question ceased, and the Trustees of the Methodist Society abandoned their claim.

CHAPTER VII.

HISTORY FROM 1831 TO 1834.

Infant Schools-Primary Departments-Harlem School-Pay System Abolished-Lotteries-Deaf and Dumb Institution-Transfer of Property to the CorporationNew Plans-Delegation to Boston-Primary Schools-Female Teachers Employed-Vagrancy and Truantship-Ordinance of the Common Council-New Public Schools, Nos. 13 and 14-The Asiatic Cholera-Hospital School-HousesEvening Schools-African Free Schools-Report on Reorganization-Manhattanville Free School-Samuel F. Mott-Public School No. 15-Opening of No. 14Normal School-Salaries of Teachers--Evening Schools.

THE expansion of the school system, in order to enable it to keep pace with the wants of the metropolis, continually made new demands upon the labors of the Society. As the number of the schools increased, and the population in their respective districts became more dense, it was made apparent that a new order of facilities was required, and that a better classification of the scholars, as to age, proficiency, and qualification, would increase the efficiency of the system. An experiment had been made by an association of ladies for the establishment of infant schools, and the basement of School No. 8, in Grand street, had been granted for the purpose. A committee to examine this school and report upon the question, recommended the adoption of the plan which is fully detailed under its appropriate section, and also that a committee be appointed to examine into the expediency of a revision of the system of instruction in use for the "Junior Classes." This committee reported in July, 1830, and submitted a resolution that the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th classes be designated as the 3d or Junior Department, and that, where practicable, female teachers be employed for the care of the schools. The subject was subsequently referred to a new committee, who reported a manual and regulations for the Junior departments, which were to be called "Primary Departments; and it was directed that application be made to the Legislature

for authority to educate and draw money for children between two and sixteen years of age.

Overtures were made at this time by the Trustees of the Harlem School for the transfer of that school to the Society; but as advantageous arrangements could not be made, and it appeared that, at most, only two of the residents at that part of the island could be induced to become members of the Society, and aid in the supervision of the school, it was deemed inexpedient to entertain the proposition.

Thus opened the year 1831.

An application having been made for a school at the Five Points, a committee was entrusted with the duty of examining the location, and reporting the facts in the case. Their recommendations were in the affirmative; but the party with whom they supposed they had agreed relative to the terms of lease of the premises, subsequently refused to fulfil the contract except at a very considerable advance, and with restrictions which were deemed to be inimical to the objects of the Society, and the project was, for the time, abandoned.

The Society had now under its charge twenty-three schools and 7,383 pupils.

The practical as well as the financial results of the "pay system were observed with much solicitude; and when, at the beginning of the year 1832, the amount of tuition fees had been reduced to a comparatively trifling sum per quarter, the treasurer, Samuel F. Mott, in his quarterly report suggested that the charges for tuition be abandoned. Accordingly, on the 3d of February, on a consideration of the quarterly report of the treasurer, it was resolved," THAT THE PAY SYSTEM BE ABOLISHED.”

By the statute which had been in operation many years, and in obedience to which the Society had received considerable sums of money, the Society and the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb had been made the recipients of the tax upon lottery dealers. The directors of the latter institution informed the board, in February, that they had decided to apply to the Legislature for a grant of the whole amount so collected. The matter was referred to a committee, to consider and remonstrate; but, on a conference with the Finance Committee of the Institution for Deaf-Mutes, they reported that it would be advisable to leave the disposition of the revenue to the Legislature, and a