Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1868-05-29

The following is an Abrtract Of . paper
read by Prof. J. R. STEWART, Of Toledo, before
the Convention Of County superintsndents at
Marengo, on Wednesday, May 9th, 1868.
For the Republican.
THE HxcELLHN0IEsA AND DEFECTS
OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
GENrLEnEN:
In what I have to say on the subject assign
ed me. "The Excellencies and Defects Of our
School SYSTEM" have chosen to con6ne my
self to what seem to me few ofths prominent
defects, as anything might soy Of its excel.
lies would amount to nothing but repetition
Of laudations that are common on the tongue
Of oil who speak Of our system. That it
has done SO much in giving our glorious young
State such IN honorable educational reputa
lion, is proof enough Of many excellencies,
when We reA;,st that We had to compete with
the systems Of older States, on which years Of
labor and much mature judgment had been
expended, even before ours had broken from
its swadling clothes and toys,
And first, then l apprehend, that in few
things il our system 80 weak as in the pro-
visions it makes for . proper understanding
Of our plan Of free government ;'Man," it
has been we'll said, "is not man unless he
be citizen" And it is lamentable fact that
few Of our citizens have even . passable
knowledge Of the machinery Of our govern
ment, until they acquire it by the general
reading Of On adult man, in the search Of the
political news Of the day, or Of one who has
made some exertion in that direction in the
hope, perhaps, Of being called upon by the
people to perform the duties Of some civil of.
nee. To other people are so many arguments
presented for thorough under standiug Of it's
own system of governments as to Americans.
In other countries the people make study
Of government. In ours the people are the
sovereigns, while the lawyer and the political
wire worker are even so self denying os to
relieve the "dear people Of all this trouble,
and take upon themselves the whole burden
Of funderstan ding the government for oil and
thus, the cunning and craft Of the few
is liable to be set against the unwitting con-
scicntiousness Of the many. The schools ore
the surest and quickest medium for the ap-
plication Of remedy to this national error.
twas good step towards remedy when
the examination of teachers, and the branch
es to be taught in the common schools, were
made to include History Of the United
States. But this is not enough by half. BY
study of History we learn something of the
value Of our Government, from the treasures
of blood necessary to establish it but We learn
far too little Of the minutia Of . representa-
tive system by the study Of its history alone.
find that not more than one-fourth Of those
can name the officers represented in the Pres
ident's Cabinet the length Of time q Senator
serves in Congress, or the manner of choos.
ing them. Scarcely larger per cent. can
tell how often the Governor is elected. Out Of
forty to whom put the question I'm what
Congressional and what Judicial district do
You live r only seven have been able to an
swcr. 1t is fact, also, that many who have
not read the Constitution of our own State,
and have but a faint idea Of the leading fea-
ures of the Constitution Of the United States.
| maintain that it is not only wrong, but dan>
gerous to have children Of self-governed
people taught in this way, and that it is blind
ness not to make some provision by which
this state Of things cannot long exist. Tore
quire teachers to Be examined on the LEADING
points of the Constitution Of this State and
the United States, would, at least, set some at
studying them, who have not done so hereto.
fore. Wemight then hope that some knowl-
edge Of this kind would be impaired in our
schools.
But not only is our system weak, in that it
pays too little attention to the proper educas
tion Of our children as citizens, but, also in
that it omits to make provision for the devel>
opcmcnt Of the physical attributes, to do
which, | take it, is matter of great moment
to the State at large. There can be no doubt
that the mind perishes as the body decays
We have vast country scarcely yet devel>
oped, and We need only people with intellect
and muscle as we'll. These are the men who
hold out and finally achieve something in life
To this end teachers should have some general
knowledge Of the laws that govern the physi>
cal system; and be acquainted with the best
mode Of training and developing it. Nay, the
State should see to it that this is not
neglected A complete aud easy system Of
physical exercise should be prepared under
the direction ofa master in physical training
with each ofthe movements 50 fully described
that any teacher may be able to learn and cx-
ecutc them from the description alone. This
with the recommendation Of the Superintand-
ents Of Public Instruction, the attention Of
the County Superintcndcnts called to it. and
teachers required by the latter to give atten-
tion to the matter would soon work decided \
reform, even in the management and control
Of the schools, and go far towards educating
our people better physically, as we'll as men>
tally. tits undeniable that, the education
Of our children is daily becoming amore and
more puzzling problem, because we are begin
ming to understand that education means the
1svelopement Of the whole Of humanity; and
hat We are standing on tho threshold Of q
fearful, physical, and, consequent mental de.
ysneracy, from too long neglect Of that train
ing, both moral and intellectual, which is in
,tilled by An early cultivated taste for the