Ar an early period after the adoption of the Constitution of the State, the enlightened men of that time took measures to lay the foundation of a system of common school instruction, which was endowed by successive appropriations of public lands and revenues, until it has become one of the most important institutions in the State.
The local circumstances of cities and large towns made special organizations of the school systems expedient and necessary, and called for legislative action to meet the wants of the people. These modifications of the district system have all been found to justify the foresight of their projectors.
The system, however, had not become developed at the commencement of the present century to such an extent as to meet the wants of the city of New York, where the schools of private instructors, and the parochial schools, were the only institutions of an educational kind then in existence. The necessities of a large portion of the population called for some effort on the part of benevolent men, and the institution known as the PUBLIC SCHOOL SOCIETY was the proud development of those early labors. The expansion of the system under the administration of the Society, until it should become the finest in the country, was fondly looked for by its friends; and their plans would doubtless have been realized under their control, had they not been anticipated by the organization of the Board of Education, in 1842.
The rise, progress, and termination of the Society afford a noble illustration of the voluntary system in our country, and presents an example of disinterested and faithful labor seldom, if ever, equalled. The long periods of service of many of the trustees are worthy of special notice, as an evidence of their self