The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-28
Newspapers in Schools.

Ef6sSi us N Y. Tribune.
1t is said-but how shall we believe it p
that the school officers of Philadelphia have
resolved to substitute newspapers for the
reading books now used in the public schools,
and that many intelligent people approve of
the plan. 1t is claimed that such course of
study would interest and improve the youth
full mind, which is apt to grow weary of the
history OF wars that ended hundreds of years
ago, and Of kings whose tombs are unknown.
Congressional debates, State affairs, wars and
their causes, accidents, floods, and fires, great
public improvements, we are told, ''are sub
jscts upon which the youthful mind will feed
much more proftably than upon beautiful
orations or pathetic fancy writing" This is
hard on Cicero and Irving, but very good for
Marble and Brick Pomeroy.
In Philadelphia, where all the newspa
men are graduates OF the high School, and
write English with an elegance that would
have astouDded Addison, no doubt this exps-
riment would be a brilliant success. Pupils
in the grammar tchools would find opportu-
nifty for profound meditation in the local re-
ports Of some of those journals, while the
younger children In the primary schools
would be delighted with the simple Saxon Of
Mr.. "Occasionai's'' letters to the Press. But
We have some little doubt OF the propriety Of
introducing the New York newspapers into
our city schools. II would be impossible to
expect the World, and the Herald, and the
Democrat to print expurgated editions daily
for the use of schools and academies, because
an sxpurgated edition of one Of these journals
would often be blank sheet. Yet, il they
should not be carefully pruned, bigoted and
narrow minded parents might object to
sending their children to the schools in
which they were used. How would it
do for the head boy or girl in the
reading class of a public school to take up
the AeraId and read for the information of the
other scholars the fellowing:-'lf the young
lady in blue dress, in Fifth avenue stage,
who winked at the gentleman with a
black moustashe last Monday, wishes to
make his acquaintance, she will address N.
B."H Or how would this do for the youthful
mind to feed uupenf "Answerasome iron
says Ito whom because of y: Good for the
hinkey pinckies = and gratefully rejoices." +"
Turning to the editorial page of the World,
the youthful mind, naturally interested in
sugar, would read:-"Strength of mind dis
dams the aid of sugar, and milk is for babes,
in the welfare of which the strong minded
female takes no interest, having long ago de-
voted her own mammary glands to the process
OF facetifoatOn invoked by Lady Macbeth But
there can be no real discussion Of the question Of
woman-suffrage without Oopious tea" Pass
ing to the democrat, the youthful mind would
learn the theological reasons for believing that
Abraham Lincoln is now bathing in fire and
birthstone. The Express would inform the
student Of ethnology that the niger is a kind
of monkey, found wild il Africa, and tanned
in America. And in what terrible distress
would be the boy fond of his arithmetic, if
such boy there be- to read the World on the
Presidential election and to learn that six
skies are seven hundred thousand mines, and
that eighty-eight vulgar fractions are de-
Quoted from, or added to, or multiplied by
seven thousand square decimals, Seymour has
a popular majority of six millions, and Demo-
cratic principles will triumph. Such reading
as this would certainly inform the youthful
mind, but would not little ignorance be as
welll