A Separate School Tax Necessary 21 



cratic means of paying for education which has grown out 

 of the originally democratic method of imposing a tax on 

 everyone who possessed a house, a home or lands. This 

 system arose from the first school educational tax, imposed 

 in Massachusetts in 1646, when practically everyone was a 

 householder. To-day in seventeen states there is an 

 educational poll tax. We should have such a tax in this 

 State. It would interest all people in education. It would 

 make them more keen about the administration of the 

 schools, more insistent that they should be kept free from 

 all influences except those making for the greatest welfare 

 of the young. 



The American Museum in 1917 took a leading part (see 

 Forty-ninth Annual Report of the President, under the head- 

 ing Patriotism and Public Education, pages 19 to 

 Repeal of 24), in the movement which led to the repeal of 



Education the iniquitous law passed by the Congress of the 

 United States on September 8, 1916, taxing all 

 bequests, legacies, devises and gifts for education, phil- 

 anthropy and religion in equal measure with expenditures for 

 industry and for luxury. This tax fortunately was repealed 

 in time to save intact for educational purposes in the United 

 States the superb bequests of Andrew Carnegie, of 

 Margaret Olivia Sage and of Henry Clay Frick. 



We are now prepared to throw our entire support in favor 

 of a tax or of some other method which will give the muni- 

 cipal authorities of the City of New York suffi- 

 Separate cient funds to erect, equip and maintain its 



Education various educational buildings, as well as to 

 pay adequately its great corps of teachers. 

 We believe that the Mayor and the Board of Estimate of 

 the City of New York are deeply interested in the education 

 of our children and will support a well-considered movement 

 to secure adequate funds for education, provided it can be 

 shown that this movement is in the interest of the 900,000 

 children of our public schools. The present Governor of 



