APPLICABILITY OF OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. 429 



who not unfrequently absent themselves against the wishes and commands of their 

 parents. Even such children the officer tries to win back to habits of attendance 

 and good conduct, and is often successful. But when other means fail, he complains 

 of the offender, who is arraigned according to law, and if found guilty is sentenced 

 to some reformatory institution for a period varying from one to two years, where 

 he will be instructed in the common school studies, and also taught to labor at some 

 trade. In some cases the child is sentenced to the State Reform School during his 

 minority, not so much to punish him as to save him from apparent ruin, and to give 

 him an opportunity of growing up under good influence, and of becoming a good 

 member of society." 



A friend writes me to say that compulsory measures on the part of 

 the Truant Officer are seldom required. The fact that such a power 

 exists makes the reasonings of the Truant Officer so very cogent hoth 

 with parents and pupils, that very rarely is anything more needed. 



The number of non-attendants at the Schools in the City of New 

 York has become so great as to arouse the citizens to see the necessity 

 of some remedial measures. In the beginning of 1857, a special report 

 on the subject was presented to the Board of Education, in which the 

 chief recommendation was that existing organizations, so far as 

 practicable should be used for lessening the " great mass of truant, 

 vagrant, begging, and idle children." The report contains the follow- 

 ing sentences which show what these organizations are : 



Though your Committee do not believe that force is the best motive to be ap- 

 plied to the poor to promote education, still they would respectfully recommend 

 a more stringent application of the Truant Law on the part of the police and 

 magistrates of this City. 



By this act, on complaint of any citizen, a child between the ages of seven and 

 fourteen, found vagrant, may be taken before the police magistrate for examina- 

 tion ; and the parent or guardian can be compelled to enter into an engagement to 

 keep such child from vagrancy, and send him or her to school " at least four 

 months in each year." The act provide? also for the punishment of the parent if 

 this engagement be broken. It further makes it the duty of all police officers who 

 shall find truant and vagrant children to make complaint, as before described. If 

 this law were at all thoroughly applied — if the existing organization were brought 

 into cooperation with this Board — if a new series of Industrial Schools, together 

 with visitors and appropriate ways and means, were opened — your Committee 

 believe that a vast proportion of this vagrant class might be brought within and 

 under the reach of educational influences, and immense expense and disaster saved 

 to the City from the punishment and offences of such an ignorant population. 

 They are aware that these recommendations, if adopted, will bring after them 

 many new expenses to the Board and to the City; but they are convinced that 

 nothing in the future will cost this City so much as ignorance, The true economy 



