580 



NEW YORK. 



Education. This branch of the State gov- 

 ernment is under the charge of a State superin- 

 tendent, whose salary is $5,000. The present 

 incumbent is Andrew S. Draper. In his annual 

 report he shows that the number of children in 

 the State of school age (i. e., between five and 

 twenty-one years) in 1891 was 1,821,773. The 

 number of children attending the common 

 schools in the same year was 1,054,044. More 

 than 767,000 children of school age were either 

 not in school at all, or received instruction else- 

 where than at the public schools. The cos of 

 supplying this education to somewhat more than 

 half the children of school age in the State was 

 $20,269,118.29, an average cost of $19.22. 



Tabulated statements are submitted showing 

 that since 1861 there has been a steady increase 

 in the number of children of school age in the 

 cities, and a gradual decrease in the towns. The 

 same condition applies to the number of chil- 

 dren in actual attendance at the public schools. 

 In 1861 there were 270,926 children attending 

 the city schools, and in 1891 513,066. In the 

 towns the figures were : 1861, 601,928 ; 1891, 540,- 

 978. A comparison of the tables for the years 

 1890 and 1891 shows that, although the reported 

 number of children of school age in 1891 was 

 22,823 less than in 1890, yet the number of 

 children in attendance on the public schools was 

 greater by 11,884. With reference to the in- 

 crease in the minimum length of the school year 

 from twenty-eight to thirty-two weeks in the 

 rural districts, he says that it is entirely practi- 

 cable to maintain schools in the rural districts 

 for thirty-eight or forty weeks in the year. The 

 number of teachers employed in the public 

 schools in 1891 was 31,982, of which 10,482 

 taught in cities and 21,500 in the towns. There 

 were 5,359 male teachers and 26,623 females. 

 The aggregate amount paid in wages to these 

 teachers was $11,012,986. There were 12,072 

 public school-houses in the State last year. 

 Of those, 45 were log houses, 10,126 frame, 

 1,573 brick, and 328 stone. The cities had 

 595 school-houses, and the towns 11,477. 

 The average value of the school-houses is 

 $51,246 in the cities, $1,700 in the towns, and 

 $4,142 in the State at large. The cost of main- 

 taining the public schools in 1891 was $17,174,- 

 835. Between 1887 and 1890 special efforts were 

 made to improve the school property of the 

 State. The importance of the subject was fre- 

 quently presented at educational conventions, 

 teachers' institutes, and school meetings; de- 

 signs for school-houses were published by the 

 department ; prizes were offered for the best- 

 kept school grounds in the common-school dis- 

 tricts, and legislation was secured which re- 

 quired the most essential improvements. The 

 result of the agitation was that $3,634.917.07 

 were expended in improvement of school prop- 

 erty in 1890, against $1,405,773.51 in 1886. 



The cost per capita of total population in this 

 State (census 1890) for the maintenance of pub- 

 lic educational interests last year was $2.90. 



His report says that the observance of Arbor 

 Day has called attention to the fact that many 

 school grounds are too small to admit of orna- 

 mentation, and are, indeed, totally inadequate 

 to the necessities of the schools. He thinks that 

 every school site should contain at least half 



an acre of land, and he renews his recommenda- 

 tion that provision be made for carrying out that 

 idea, making it applicable at first to all school 

 sites outside of cities and incorporated villages. 



With reference to the public schools main- 

 tained on the six Indian reservations, he says 

 that the educational facilities offered by the 

 State for the Indian youth are inadequate. " The 

 tribal influences are against the day school. The 

 Indian boys and girls need to be taken into an 

 institution where all their habits can be regu- 

 lated, and where they can be educated indus- 

 trially. He therefore recommends that the Leg- 

 islature take steps to induce the General Govern- 

 ment to provide for the reception of our Indian 

 children at the Indian school at Carlisle, Pa., 

 and if such efforts do not avail, that the State 

 appropriate $150 per year necessary to maintain 

 each pupil there. 



He concludes his report with a reference to the 

 steady decrease in the percentage of attendance 

 at the public schools. He says : " The reports 

 show that in 1851 the ' total attendance,' com- 

 prised 75'6 per cent, of the school population. 

 This percentage has constantly fallen off with 

 surprising regularity during the intervening 

 forty years. In 1861 it was 65'6 per cent. ; in 

 1871 it was 68-4 per cent. ; in 1881 it was 61-4 

 per cent. ; and in 1891 it was 57'8 per cent. 

 This is a showing which must engage the atten- 

 tion of all thoughtful persons." 



A State Flower. In order to obtain an ap- 

 proximate decision as to the opinion of the chil- 

 dren concerning their favorite flower, a vote was 

 taken throughout the State on Arbor Day in 

 1890, when, out of a total vote of 318,079, the gold- 

 en rod received 81,308 votes to 79,666 cast for the 

 rose. But as the total vote for these two flowers 

 did not equal half of the entire vote cast, the su- 

 perintendent of public instruction decided on a 

 second ballot, to be taken this year on the two 

 favorites.of 1890. Accordingly, on Arbor Day, 

 May 8, 1891, a vote was taken, which resulted as 

 follows : 



The majority of the rose over the golden rod 

 is therefore 88,414, thus establishing the rose as 

 the State flower. 



Charities. The annual report of the State 

 Board of Charities shows that the receipts were 

 $18,868,454; the expenditures, $17,605,660 ; the 

 number of public beneficiaries in the various 

 classes of institutions on Oct. 1, 1891, was 74,773, 

 an increase of 3,878 during the year. The prin- 

 cipal ones were : Dependent children, 23,732 ; in- 

 sane, 16,647 ; poor-house inmates, 10,637 ; aged 

 and friendless, 7,464 ; hospital patients, 5,048. 



Insurance. This department is under the 

 direction of a superintendent, who receives a sal- 

 ary of $7,000, and a deputy, who receives a salary 

 of $4,500. The present superintendent is James 

 F. Peirce ; deputy, Michael Shannon. The annual 



