Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-07-13

prise Will supply it. and forthwith the public
schools win Ind themselves deserted by three
fourths Of that energy and spirit which now sustain
them, for the very men by whose interest in these
schools they have been advanced and maintained at
their present high standard have sons and daugh-
ters now grown up to that point when they need
higher tuition and if they obliged to leave the
public schools to find it, the parents interest will
leave also. We say this much by way Of preface,
because, a. will be fully evinced by our report
there is no lack of able and experienced teachers,
nor of advanced scholars in our CITY,. The only
thing wanting to give every boy and girl in Mus
catine the advantage Of Il good, complete and
thorough course Of study, such as will fit him for
business or prepare him fully for college, is a
proper division of the scholars according to their
proficiency, and the opening Of high school for
the whole CITY for the most advanced pupils out Of
all the schools
We first visited School No. l, which ia under the
superintendence of DR.. Goodno. In the lower
story We found Miss Mary Williams, Miss Ella
Williams and Miss Eliza Scudder as teachers IN
charge of the primary school. In visit staid
but short time in each school, and our examina.
ton of the classes was limited to those which hap
pened to be reciting at the time of our entrance,
and. therefore, while we will mention the names Of
some scholars whose recitations pleased us we do
not wish to be understood as instituting any COM
parison of the merits of the different scholars for
of that we would not be capable of judging, but
merely Us mentioning those whom we happened to
hear whose recitations gave evidence of attention
to Study ambtion, intelligence and good training,
to their manners. This department of the school
numbers $50. The room is pleasant and neat and
quitss we'll furnished. We listened to a spelling
clas1 which we thought that the quite young
misses, Ella Garrettson and Della Coe, and on the
boys side, Frank Petit. Patrick Carroll and
Frank Mahn exhibited quite an unusual proficiency
in this very important branch of education. In
reading class "B.," We noticed Henry Cadle, Fred
Wsshburn and all the girls as good spoilers. And
here we will say that good readers and spoilers are
among the rarest productions of our schools; in
fact, good reading is so unusual an accomplishment
thatwe never meet it in cur schools without ar
| agreeable surprise. This will account for the
prominence which we give to these two branches il
this report. @ ~ -
We next entered DR.. Goodno's room. The very
first peculiarly that arrested attention at once
was the perfect quiet and good order that reignet
through the whole room. This is the pleasantes
and most neatly arranged, and best furnished
schoolroom in town. Eight lack-boards, occupy
ing every available foot of room and made by tn
private enterprise of DR.. Goodno himself, shov
that he 10 one of the few teachers who are full,
aware Of the usefulness of this appliance in schoo
room. These boards are painted in a peculia
manner, which renders them much more agreeabl
to the eye and more lasting than the ordinary
The corps of teachers IN this department are DR.
Goodno, Miss Caroline Barrows and Miss Nell
Barrows. We could have spent the whole day i
these rooms with pleasure and profit. The onl
classes. however, which we had the pleasure G
hearing were the 5th Reader class in Miss Barrow:
recitation room, in which noticed Miss Eiz
Prosser as a good reader, having q correct emphs
sis and distinct enunciation and the Algebr
class composed of Miss Martha Barrows, Mis-
Harriet Barrows and Miss Mary Davis We wer
highly pleased with the clear and intelligent name
with which the class demonstrated their problem:
We did not omit taking hasty tour of the room
to inspect the black boards. on which were draw
with surprising accuracy and taste maps of variou
countries, Will tnelT ldtltuuS duO lOuSltuuc COl
rectly marked, the courses of the rivers and mour
tains laid down, and the political boundary line
portrayed, all with neatness and taste which W
have never seen equaed by scholars of thei
advancement. We noticed particularly map
Asia and Africa by c. Ogilve and Thomas UfforG
and map of South America by Julius Molis an
: Theodore Stewart. One exercise which was we
performed in the primary school was what
termed Emotion singing" This, under the tuitio
perform with great JUNCTION and propriety. A curly
headed chap. named John Bishop, seemed to partie
ipate in this exercise with great gusto and energy
Our next visit was to the colored school, unde
the charge of Miss Hswley. There are 20 scholar
in this SCHOOL The room is not very we'll adapte
to school purposes, but the school appears to b
making good progress
We then went to School No. 2, which is unde
the superintendent of Mr.. Ingalls,. We we're NOR
than usually hurried here, and had only time t
listen to the recitation of an Algebra class which
from former examination, we had known to be
more than usually bright and intelligent one. TIL
class is composed OF audleyJ Butler. Dana Robin
Frederick Brldgman, Charles Nealley and Horac
Robbins. On previous occasion, we took occasion
to examine this class quite closely, and we wer
much surprised at the thorough and familia
acquaintance which they exhibit with the subjec
so far as they had studied it, and which was con
vincins proof of the excellence and completeness
of the drill to which Mr.. Ingalls, has subjecte
them. We did not visit the recitation room in thi
department. time forbdding.
| T. I I,
Mr.. Humphreys, who has charge of one room will
81 scholars. The changes made in the schools hav
rendered Mr.. Humphreys charge a more Difficult
one than usual. He has effected great improve
ment in the school, and there seemed to be quite
spirit Of emulation in the scholars. This room il
not nearly as well furnished and fitted the others
This, of course is in the province of the director
and not of the teacher. We noticed Miss Fanny
Mason and James Daniels as good readers ant
spoilers.
| Mrs. Upham's room was the last in our tsur
We had for some time known Mrs. Upham through
some scholars whom she has trained as one of tn,
best teachers of reading whom we have ever known
We heard class of beginners with the chart jus
mastering the alphabet by an interesting process
much superior to the old 4 B G and birch rod plar
Mrs Upham's efforts are not such as will make a.
much display as those Of others, for her scholar.
are removed as fast as they advance to higher
rooms and raw recruits continually filling thei
places, but she is deservedly regarded as one o
the most efficient teachers of the city, and we know
that she has not her superior as teacher o
| reading.
We have one criticism upon the grounds around
our school houses. They are without exception
bleak and forbidding in their looks That peculiar
look Of desolation which has become so common
with school houses in the county that decent one
seems unnatural, pervades the appearance of ours
A few trees, neat fence and little paint would
remove the whole deficiency and surround then
with cheerful, home like look, which would ado
much to the pleasure of going to school. -
OF our schools themselves, think that they are
IN no danger of being praised too much W.