The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1868-01-30
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
A Visit to the Education Factories OF
MaEit0WOc.


ed a great and good influence on the COM
munity, but we believe our public schools
can be made quite as useful in promoting
the welfare of mankind as any other
means. Some may not understand why
learning to read AID write and to solve
knotty problems should make the world
any better, but yet SO it Is. Some wise
man has truly asserted that in teaching
men to live we necessarily teach them to
die. The principles Of right, of virtue
and truth, can be impressed upon the
young mind so forcibly that time can
never efface them, and that teacher who
fails in his or her duty in this respect,
loses sight of the grand design of public
education Point out the instructor of
the young who makes no effort TO incul
cate good moral ideas as well as A B G,
and we can show you one who is utterly
unfit for his high calling, for the inclina
ton which the young mind takes it fol-
lows, in nine cases out of ten, all through
life. How important then that our
teachers should be of high grade, and
that no pains nor expense should be
spared in the erection of school buildings.
That our citizens may know the opinion
OF one who has no personal interest in
any of the schools further than to see
them in prosperous condition, we spent
considerable time during the first of the
week in visiting the various departments
of the Second Ward school, We took cop
ious notes and we print them with no
other wish than to create an interest in
that branch Of our public affairs which
really need the most careful attention.
If we have written anything which may
seem unjust to any one we stand ready to
be corrected, only we ask the one COM
planning to take the same round we took
and then if we differ there will be chance
for argument. One thing is absolutely
certain, parents are sadly at fault in not
visiting the schools oftener than they
do. The teachers are willing, aye more,
are anxious that the people should see
the schools they have to pay for. And
as to the scholars if they thought there
was an interest felt in them they would
be far more DESTROYS of acquiring knowl
edge. But we must give an account of
what we saw.
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. /.
The main building is two stories high,
built some eight or nine years ago, and is
poor affair 1t stands on Seventh St,
between Park and State streets, Second
Ward, very good location for the new
building which will probably be erected
during the next two years. The present
building is not half large enough to ac-
commodate the children of this District
nor has it been for long time past. 1t
is made to accommodate about two hun
bred scholars. The new one ought to
hold at least four times as many.
The Principal of this school is Mr. O.
H. Martin, gentleman of thorough
education He has now held the position
some two years, and we believe has given
universal satisfaction Very quiet and
transformations in his manner, he is still
systematic and thorough in his teaching,
He has faculty of being understood in
every word he uttcrs; obviating the nee
essity of scolding entirely. In fact some
might think he lacked huency of speech :;
he certainly does, but he makes up for it
by thorough knowledge of every study
that he is called upon to explain. His
great strength consists in his ability to
present obscure subjects in such a light
that dull inteliects can comprehend them.
| He seems to think that the smart ones
are not entitled the whole of his time,
and with infinite patience he solves diff
cult problems over and over again till his
class is enabled to see the point. He
maintains very good order indeed. We
have seen stiller schools, but they were
painfully quiet, and were kept so by an
iron hand-a hand which children hate
while they are forced to respect it. We
| do not think that Mr.. Martin is perfect,
! but we think if there ever was a man
who had just conception Of the high re-
sponslbilities devolving on him, it is he.
We spent a whole day in the different
departments of his school. On entering
the upper room we found an advanced
class in mental arithmetic reciting This
exercise was thoroughly practical and en-
braced questions met with in every day
life The object seemed to be, to make
the scholars think fast This was ac-
complished to wonderful degree; adj
ding, substracting, multiplying, dividing,
all In one breath, seemed a very easy
matter to them. A class in Higher
Arithmetic exhibited considerable prof
cheney, but they will have to study lit
tie before they fully understand their
text book. We heard one song, it was
thousand times better than no music,
but we should have been pleased if it
had been better rendered No books and
very little interest was the difficulty. A
cultivated taste for music in reasonable
degree should be as highly priced as a
knowledge of mathematics. The follow
ing studies are taught in this Depart
ment: Reading, Spelling, Mental, Prac-
teal and Higher Arithmetic, English
Grammar, Physical and Descriptive Geog-