The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-06-01
DAILY PRESS.
Forty Millions Of Damage.
PORTLAND.
THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1871.

=" J"u' nlouuay issue observe That JUS
tice" comes to the defence OF Father Green.
ieaf'" taking Tor the text OF his discourse the
following words from The report of an educa.
''ohai address delivered by myself:
"Gieenleai's Arithmetic, with its useless
puzzles, mas done the State more than fortv
millions OF damage. rejoice that N hos No.
thrown out OF the schools of the State'1
Now, never said anything just tlike the
above; but have often said upon speaking of
the study of Arithmetic in the common
schools, very nearly what follows:
"Of course do not know, but venture TO
assert that the valuation OF Maine would be
forty millions OF dollars greater than it is to-
day,if Greenleai's National Arithmatic, which
has very properly been called the Mount Ka-
tahdin Arithmetic, mad never been introduced
into the public schools. do not object 10
Greenleat's National Arithmetic alone, with
Its multitude OF useless puzzles and its multi
tode OF rules which have no business applica-
Ton whatever. l object to all the other huge
aiithmetics; but mention the Mount Katah-
din, because it is the chief sinner, More bows
anu s'fis have wasted their precious time over
its pages than over the pages OF any other
sions." Ns"
The above, in substance, have said many
times, and am resolved to keep on saying it
until all overgrown arithmetics, overg-own
biographies, overgrOwn grammers have been
thrust out of the public schools. know that
to-day the schools are very few in which
Greeneafs National Arithmetic is found.
During the last two years it has gone out
rapidly. On the other hand, "Greenleafs
Practical Arithmetic" as it is called, though
not made until after the death of Greenleaf.
is used in large number of schools 1 do not
remember that ever urged the expulsion of
that from the schools though it would not be
hard to find a better book among those al
ready published, while it would be easy TO
make one much better adapted to the wants
OF our State.
The only advice 1 have given with refer
ence to the selection OF text books in Arith.
metic has been this: For mental work use
Colburn's First Lessons; for written or slate
work use the smallest book to be iound.-
These two books are enough for all the
schools in the State. Such is nv Judgment.
not hastily formed, and believe 1t would be
endorsed by the most intelligent educators
every where.
The central idea of all my common school
work can be stated 10 these words: The
common school should teach sohat the boys
and girls will have occasion to use in after
life. and this it should teach as they will have
occasion to use. That is, the course OF study
should be practical, and the method of in
struction should be the method OF actual lie.
Testing Arithmetic by this rule we find that
instruction need be given only in Notation.
NumeratiOn, Addition, Subtraction, Multiple
cation, Division, U. s. Money, Compound
Numbers livery little), Reduction (very little),
Fractions, Percentage in its various forms OF
Interest, Loss and Gain, Partnership, with
few other similar rules, and Mensuration.-
Thus much of Arithmetic will meet the
wants OF nearly every man and woman. You
may add, il you choose, Proportion and
Square Root but away with Cube Root. Po-
siliOn, Allegation, Chain Rule, Progression.
Formulation, and all the other impractical
rules which have been stolen from the hiober
mathematics.
But it is urged by "Justice" that these
impractical parts OF arithmetic are good
for mental discipline, and therefore
the boys and girls should study
cipline can be got from the study of things
which are useful. Indeed, the four funda-
mental rules, when properly taught, afford
discil line as good as can be got from any por-
ton OF arithmetic. That these rules have
not been properly taught is evident from the
fact that only one teacher out OF four in the
State OF Maine can correctly add column OF
figures containing twenty-five items, like
$685., 1925. l have tested, pethaps, thou
sand teachers, giving seven minutes to add
the twenty five items, seventy-five figures in
all, and only one in tour has obtained a cor
rect result. BY far the best result have se-
cured anywhere, was at an institute held in
EastpOrt, several weeks ago, where four-fifths
Of the teachers gave correct result. But
than the EastpOrt and Calais teachers who
were present. have for some time been re-
quiz ed to give the most thorough instruction
in the four fundamental rules, aud they
showed the good effect in themselves. II
seems TO me the height Of folly to resort to
useless rules of arithmetic for discipline,
when the elements have been thus neg lected.
Granted, however, that there should be
more mathematical culture than business
Arithmetic affords, ihen 60 at once to Geome.
try and Algebra, to the unadulterated sources.
Aside from its discipline, Geometry would be
OF great practical service to large numbers.
IC conclusion: When master builders tell
me that not one carpenter out of twenty can
comprehend a working drawing, when SUPER
intendents tell me that of the best machin-
lists not one out of eight can do this, when
ship builders tell me that, ii they had suita-
bly, educated wOrkmen they could build ships
one quarter less than at present cost, when
men acquainted with the business tell me
that not one saiLmaker out OF eighty knows
enough Of eeometIical drawing to cut the
sails Tor a vessel, and when l know that all
this could be readily remedied by suitable in
struction in the public schools; when further
more know that hundreds and thousands of
farms in the State OF Maine have been aban-
doned, when know that nine-tenths OF those
now occupied are less productive than
they were thirty years ago, and when
know that the elements OF the
natural sciences, which are to re-
store our agriculture, il it is ever restored,
can be easily taught in the public schools, in
deed even got a loot held there twenty five
years but were afterwards crowded out By
Greenleai's National Arithmetic, feel fully
justified in saying that this Arithmetic has
cursed the State to the extent of forty millions
OF dollars. Isay this because educateu labor
is more productive than ignorant labor; and
labor to be educated must be educated in the
line of its effort.
To-day we have not so many things taught
in most of the public schools as were taught
twenty-five years ago, but much more is at
tempted to be taught in the different branch
es, yet to-day more things are required than
formerly to meet the wants OF the age.
C. B. STETsoN.