SCHOOLS, NEWS-PAPERS, AND MORAL CHARACTER.
May 1661, Charles Debevoice was recommended by Gov. Stuyvesant as a suitable person for schoolmaster of this town, and also for clerk and sexton of the church, who was employed and received a good salary.
Immediately previous to the revolutionary war, that part of the town of Brooklyn which is now comprised in the bounds of the village, and for some distance without those bounds, supported but one school, of 19 scholars, five of whom were out of the family of Mr. Andrew Patchen. The school-house was situated on the hill, on property which was then owned by Israel Horsfield, but now belongs to the heirs of Carey Ludlow, deceased.—The teacher was Benjamin Brown, a staunch whig from Connecticut.
District School, No. 1. This school was organized at a public meeting, held Jan. 2, 1816, at which meeting Andrew Mercein, John Seaman, and Robert Snow were elected trustees, and John Doughty clerk of the school. The trustees were appointed a committee to ascertain a proper site for building a school-house, and report the probable expense thereof. At a meeting held January 12, 1816, the trustees reported that they could purchase four lots of ground on Concord street, of Mr. Noah Waterbury, for $550. The meeting thereupon resolved, that “the sum of $2000 should be raised by tax on the inhabitants of the said district, to purchase said lots and to build a school-house thereon;” and that in the mean time the “Loisian school be the common school of the said district;” and that “the trustees of the district be authorized to exonerate from the payment of teacher’s wages all such poor and indigent persons as they shall think proper, pursuant to the act of the legislature;” and that “it be recommended by this meeting, that the common school to be taught in this district, be on the Lancastrian plan of instruction.”
In the school of this district, which includes the village of Brooklyn, upwards of 200 children are taught. The price of tuition does not exceed four dollars per annum, and from that amount down to nothing, in proportion to the abilities of the parent. The School District No. 1, at present contains 1607 children between the ages of 5 and 15 years, of whom 1157 go to the public or private schools.
In 1821 there were eight private schools in the village of Brooklyn.
In 1823 the town received from the state $418 13 for the support of common schools.
The present officers connected with the common schools of the town are—
Commissioners. Jordan Coles, Robert Nichols, Josiah Noyes.
Inspectors. Charles I. Doughty, Evan Beynon, Robert Snow.
Trustees of District School No. 1. William Cornwell, Joseph Sprague, Charles I. Doughty.—Clerk, Ralph Malbone.
Newspapers.
Four Newspapers have been published in this town in the following chronological order:
June 26, 1799. The first number of the “Courier, and New-York and Long-Island Advertiser,” published by Thomas Kirk, Esq. This was the first newspaper established on Long-Island.
May 26, 1806. The first number of the “Long Island Weekly Intelligencer,” published by Mess’rs. Robinson and Little.
June 1, 1809. The first number of the “Long Island Star,” published by Thomas Kirk, Esq.
March 7, 1821. The first number of the “Long Island Patriot,” published by Geo. L. Birch, Esq.
In the month of November, 1810, proposals were issued by Benjamin F. Cowdrey, & Co. for establishing in Brooklyn a weekly newspaper, to be entitled “The Long-Island Journal, and American Freeman.” For some reason unknown to the compiler this paper was not published.
During the month of May, 1820, Brockholst Livingston, jun. issued proposals for publishing a weekly newspaper in this village, to be entitled the “Long-Island Republican.” Not meeting with sufficient encouragement, this attempt was abandoned.
The only two papers now in existence in this town, are “The Star,” published by Alden Spooner, Esq. and the “Long Island Patriot,” by George L. Birch, Esq.
Moral Character.
It is a delicate subject for a writer to treat of the morals of a people among whom he is a resident, lest by telling the truth too plainly, he awaken unpleasant feelings in the breasts of some whom perhaps he would not wish to offend. On the other hand, if glaring faults are slightly passed over, or palliated, it calls down on his devoted head all the envenomed attacks of malicious criticism. The compiler, however, flatters himself that neither will be the case in this instance.
The people of Brooklyn, it is true, cannot be considered as rigid in religious matters as the saints of Oliver Cromwell’s army, whose very cannon had on the inscription of “O Lord, open thou our lips, and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise!” But they are far from being irreligious; the churches are well filled, religious societies are liberally supported, vice discountenanced; and for the more effectual suppression thereof, in 1815, a society for the suppression of vice and immorality was formed, consisting of many of the most respectable inhabitants of the town. By the exertions of our Sunday school societies, attached to the different congregations, the morals of the younger part of the community have been greatly reformed; and it is highly gratifying to observe the improvement made in the general morals, of the town, in consequence of their benevolent exertions.