Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1861-03-02
Prom the Cleveland Leader.
OUR PUBLIC

SSN S4AAS
MrssRs. EDlrORs:-witbi a few years past l
think there has been much moro change than in'-
improvement in our public schools, and that some
important changes are now needed. Our scholars.
especially the younger ones, are over taxed, not
only in the hours they have to study at school, but
they have so many studies on hand at once that
they are frequently obliged to study two or three
hours Of home besides, and their extra efforts to
get all their lessons compel them TO hurry from
one to another without giving any one lesson as
thorough attention as they should do, orif they
succeed 10 getting them Ill, it IL by excessive men
tai effort, which, sooner or later, generally leaves
them with less than their usual vigor to pursue
their studies, or their business after they leave
school. hH
Would it not be thought an unwise and cruel
system for promoting the physical strengthen the
rising generation, to compel them to carry, elk
hours Or more, of the day, burdens composed Of
as many different articles as they could possibly
grasp in their arms, and the aggregate weight of
which should be all they could well stand up I'M
deri Yet this is Just about what is being done for
promoting their mental strength in our public
schools, and though many may DO able to endure
it without serious or permanent injury, very many
are not. But even If they we're, it is not the best
, plan for conducting schools. On this subject I
will quote an excellent article from the Scientific
American, the correctness Of which my own expe-
j rience as a teacher fully confirms.
A GREAT REFORM CoMMENcED.-We are pleased
to find that the practice of having the scholars
( learn all their lessons during school hours, has
q been adopted in a portion of our public schools,
Il I'D Il yr;l donbtIaos ho ovfandad ~ than ali =
r We hope that this step is but the beginning of a
great reform, and that the whole practice Of stuf-
: fug the mind with a mass Of undigested matter
will be abandoned. An eager desire to make a
l great show for the time, or for the money expen-
9 ded, is the most perniciOus vice Of our educational
r system; it leads to n hasty slurring over the les
soma half understood. and begets a habit Of beiog
r satisfied with vague ideas, which is very apt to
continue through life. Tho most rapid mode of
If teaching is that which requires every lesson to be
thoroughly mastered aud comprehended before il
is passed by. A scholar with this habit Of study
will soon overtake another who is far in advance
with crude and superficial notions of bis studies,
If parents or teachers are very anxious that n child
q should learn rapidly, let them insist that the les
g sons shall be few and short; no more than the
child can lea IN both thoroughly and easily"
d There is the true secret Of success in teaching
especially young scholars. When they find they
have Thoroughly mastered one lesson. they viii
commence the next with ambition, but set them a,
y several a, once, and they become confused and dis
Outraged by excessive study and the extern. of theil
tasks, or become SO before beginning them.
But the scholars are not the only ones unneces
y sally taxed. During the last four years ! have
b sent three scholars, and part of the time four, and
in that time I have accumulated a lot Of school
books, now out of use, large enough to make a
9 respectable Book Auction" some of which were
e hardly used long enough to soil them, before they
d were laid aside for others, little or no better, and
II in some cases not as good as the discarded ones
On the whole | think the changes have been much
more beneficial to book publishers and sellers thar
re to the schools, and the expense has borne heavily
N on those whose wages have been their principal Of
only resources for supporting their families.
b, 1 would add some remarks on the quality o
k some of the school books in use, but for the fac
en- that they would make my article longer than l in
tended it to be, and will conclude by reference /
or a single item.
ly In one of the various Arithmetics in use in tn
ss. intermediate departments Of the schools is the fol
it lowing question, and solution oft, which to youn
ct scholars must look very much like "~confusio
at worse COMPOUNDED" and hardly anything else t
~ many older ones.ea
t a ''How many times 2-5 is 3-42"
Ter "Solution.-l is contained in "a, ga times; ant
Ter if l is contained in "a A times, is is containe
ev- in "a s times "a times, which are 1874 times, an
nat 2-5 is contained IL of 1914 times, and 2-5 is col
lite tanned IL Of 1874 times, which is 1873 times"
'sa The whole of the above is just about as INTEL
ca gible to young scholars as the Chinese characte,
for on the sides of tea chests, and will be Of Just abol
as much practical use to them in after life. Z
time, study and explanations, they may be made
understand either. but | think the time and efor
might be much more proftably employed on 9th
studies, a gentleman to whom | spoke ia refe
ence to that question, said that il and similar que
ing tons were probably intended for mental disciplil
rather than practical use. / think scholars can
furnished with sufficient mental discipline in sol
en- ing questions which may probably DO of practic
use, at present or in the future; but go far as th
per is concerned, studying that and similar questioI
'he is worth just about as much as studying to asce
o"' tain the component parts and specific gravity
:" moonshine. II. NJ. A.
ub-
my as 7aH LOST MOMENTS.
Tn ~ threw a bsuble to the sea,
the 's A bilIow caught ii hastily;
D." Another billow quickly came,
- #.. - n. 4. H..H..