[40] Seth Low on "Municipal Government," in Bryce's American Commonwealth, vol. i. p. 626.
[41] Commenting on the Brooklyn system, Fiske says: "It insures unity of administration, it encourages promptness and economy, it locates and defines responsibility, and it is so simple that everybody can understand it. The people, having but few officers to elect, are more likely to know something about them. Especially since everybody understands that the success of the government depends upon the character of the Mayor, extraordinary pains are taken to secure good mayors; and the increased interest in city politics is shown by the fact that in Brooklyn more people vote for Mayor than for Governor or for President."
[42] The increase in the bulk of the city vote since 1877 is shown by the fact that the vote for Howell had been 36,343, as against 33,538 for John F. Henry.
[43] Joseph C. Hendrix was appointed postmaster of Brooklyn in 1886, and made a record in that office unequaled by any postmaster the city ever had. Indeed, his reforms and innovations made for him a conspicuous reputation at Washington. In 1892, Hendrix was elected to Congress. He has rendered highly important service to the city in the board of education.
[45] The history of the Institute is taken from the fifth Year Book, 1893.
[46] The Regents of the University of the State of New York, who had granted a provisional charter in 1889.
[47] The present building of the Young Men's Christian Association, at Fulton and Bond streets, has been occupied since 1885. It has a circulating library of over 13,000 volumes, a finely equipped gymnasium, running-track, bowling-alleys, and swimming-tank, two large lecture-halls, and evening classes registering 700 men. The fine building of the Young Women's Christian Association, at the junction of Schermerhorn Street and Flatbush Avenue, has been occupied since 1888. It has eighteen class-rooms for educational work, a library with about 6000 volumes, a lecture-hall seating 650, assembly-rooms seating 400, an excellent gymnasium and running-track, and medical department.
[48] See p. [165] of this volume.
[49] The practice of establishing classes for Chinamen in connection with Sunday-schools has occasioned many and prolonged discussions in Brooklyn, and has been strongly assailed, particularly in those instances where the teaching of mature Chinamen was intrusted to young unmarried women.