The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-12-23
gAa1EteILillsttel1.


and mind. W
In q recant letter from Boston, ,allu,
sion Is made TO this address, sayInp
that the people OF Boston do not seem
Appfehehsiye Of any such evil results
from the altempttol edueat 10 their chill
drenj and that the writer can desIrt
nothing better for his native State than
q systeLn OF Instruction equally vaida.
BILE. q a7tFId flTiff n
Not 10 call In question the extent OF
the writer's observations, nor the accu-
racy OF his Judgment, II would atill be
O source of ofRtatihcati0p could we know
the opinion OF the MassRch usettS school
men themselves upon the results ol
their system and modes or instruction.
The State Teachers, Association oi
Massachusetts has recently held It's an
nual Convention, October 10Th, before
which was delivered an address by Mr..
Harrington, Superintendent OF the
public schools OF the city Of New Bed.
ford, upon "0nr. Grammar Schools
why do they not furnish more and bet.
ter material to our high schoolsf"
Mr.. Harrington commences by say
Ing:
There 10 growing uneasIuess in the
AhNhAn vi Wv HoHllG Nv ttkAH EtHuAEa OI
our Common School System. Few de.
ny It's value few full to acknowledge
the lnestimable benefits II has con.
ferred. But II Is felt that II Ia fur from
producing all thatit ought to produce;
oil that Is reasonably 10 be expected
from It's enlightened organization, It's
splendid equipments and itsr vast ex-
penses Those who'graduate. although
all their childhood may have been
spent In school, possess very little OF
what may be comprehensiYely termed
available Intelligence aud mental re-.
sources. And the ecommonsense Of the
community, aroused 10 the conscious.
ness OF serious defect, Is imperiously
demanding whether such results are In.
eyltahle, Or Whether there IS q, ,possibll.
ity OF belterithlnks. y 2 JtFif m '3H.
This very essay originated, In part,
In a question put by prominent High
School instructor Ia my hearing some
time ago. Said he, In accents OF the
deepest interest and concern, "Oan we
not have, at the meeting Of the Teach
ers' Association this year, in some
form or other, a consideration OF the
causes why the material that comes to
our, High Schools from the Grammar
Schools, is so misefably incompetent
for the studies OF the High School
course2" It Is not that the scholars In
question may not have pAssed!the pre-.
scribed examination Tor Omission with
credit TO themselves, nor that the exam
lnRtion may not have been based on u
high standard ofrequirement, accord.
ing 10 caaTeat notions Of high require
alent. .c.s.' la.., s,l.,
The defect may be stated, In brief, to
be Tack Of sufficient meItaL develop.
nleflt 10 comprehend he subject matter
Of the new fields Of study that he is nut
upon in the High School, and too great
ignorance Of language 70 uttderStdnd the
phrdSeolo0y Of his netp tert books.
Take for illustration, the working Of
the Boston Grammar Schools; and In
stance them particularly, because the
school System OF Boston Is regarded as
standing ut the head ofthe school or.
Ranizations of the State, and Is the OBJ
Ject OF special inquiry and emulation;
and because, moreover, the Boston
Grammar Schools, on account oftheir
unusual size, exhibit In a very striking
hiuhheIi tho flClOun LeHulLs vi HulCu 1
have spoken.
1t Is "a related fact that the total I'D.
mitted to the Girls Hlgh aud Normal
School from all the Grammar Schools,
Is only two hundred and one per an.
mum, ont of an everage attendance on
the Grammar Schools OF nearly twelve
thousand, 20 -gif,. s7i
(And this, as Mr.. Harrington else.
where states even after retaining the
girls two and a half years longer In the
Grammar Schools than the allotted
term:)
And, with due allowance for differ
ance of circumstances, these lamenta-
BILE results Of the strained and artificial
examinations for admission 10 the
High Schools Of Boston, may be assert
ed 10 attach more or less to most Of the
school systems of the State at large.
(As 10 the manner in which these
strained and artificial examinations"
affect the modes of teaching, wesare
grAtified TO have the opinion OF Mr.,
Phllbrlck, the Superintendent of the
Boston school, +.
Mr.. Philbrick writes: ''hIost teach.
ers feel obliged not only 70 conflne
themselves tothe text books, but TO
teach everything In them; or rather TO
require the pupils 10 learn everything
in them. By this III contrivance the
best teachers are hampered and cramp-
ed. They are constrained, against
their better judgment, 10 teach many
things which they deem useless, and
TO teach in a manner which they deem
not the best manner. Some are driven
by 1t TO perpetrate the tUo grave edIed-
ttondt offences Of crantpialg and high
pressure, which generally 20 hand In
hand. The Master who 10 bent on se-
curing u high percentage on the test
studies, must either neglect the non
test branches or overtask his pupils"
Mr.. Harrington continues: ~.
Thus II is that our Grammar Schools,
SO excellent In most respects, are In
part mistaught; that the scholars are
crammed with much that IL useless,
and deprived OF much that is needtul
10 well rounded culture. I.have
shown the prozimdte cause Of the evil.
There Is II Tem0ter cause; for our High
School examinations have not become
what they are without Interior, shaping
Influences; aud those influences must
be thoroughly considered II we would
tuhkANult LuhlGhl GuIo lDE Lht bNllS
The root OF tho whole matter IL this.
There has prevailed In Massachusetts,
from time lmmenorial, very false
notion rs to IUhdt he Odject Of Sludy is,
and also as 10 the rekGtiUe values studies
usually pursued In our Grammar
Schools. sl % II
Mental Arithmetic, az now appor.
toned, l believe,
1 am therefore all the more gratIGed
TO be supported by such d mathematl.
clan and educator, AZ President Hill, OF
HarvaTd,UniverSity. Ina note received
from him few days ago, he says,
"When went to Waltham, boys began
Arithmetic at tho age Of six or seven
years, und studied II about twelve hours
a week for eight years. kept them
back until the age Of ten and then let
them study II eight hours Il week for
i've years. Thus reduced the time In
the ratio OF Minety.siE 10 FORTY"
"The COnseq quenCe WAS, that the schol
nra, ut the age OF ilfteen, knew u grent
deal more OF Arithmetic than they did
formerly. The change was principally
In beginning with tho mere counting Of
beans, etc; then taking WrILten Arlth.
metlc, and finishing with OOlburn's
First Lessons, Teserving this last book
to the aye of from thirteen 10 fiiteen."
in the next place, how much time
shall we take away from Grammar, M
now AtudisdH 1hnswer dn tic time
given 10 1t aA n Systematic text book
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