New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-01-24
A young lady may havo

tory are the subjects usually taught in the lower grades
aueht the children would gain least year in their
education Has any one ever calculated INC enoI
wear First over sSOOOOOO: and second, one years
labor of 5000 young men aud women added 10 the
without overwork lu or out OF school, without I'M
wholesome forcing OF the intellect II is quite possible 70
establish such system az would enable child OF Is
wears OF age TO be as FAR advanced in studies IA one OF IA
at the present time. The single subject OF geography
Under vicious system OF textbooks it is studied 10
desultory and quickly forgotten ~ mas peo ~
the rope of sand" There Is no end 70 the reviews Vi
geography: and is doubtful II onefth OF the tOwns
rivers, &C. ever remembered IN aterlio %, sOo'
with the imperfect teaching OF fractions and simple num-
bers teachers the upper classes are constantly COM
PEELED review Deficiency in these panChes
Is found terrible stumbling block throughout the cntfe
course and leads difficulties at every step rms ll-
perfect teaching of the first principles causes mort loss
of time in the advanced classes, and more young pcoPe
to leave school and go to work than All Otner CAUSES
combined But i needs ss to R qrSss a absoey
sary 10 make provision for the training Oh teaohers luz
1t must be forgotten that above ana Deyohu al
intellectual culture professional training I'D te ncoiJ
and practice of teaching should be the graf am, oi
technical instruction requisite for this purpose should 10
literally supplied by the Board
PUHCTUALITY, ATTENDANCE, DEPoRTMENr &C.
Taking into account the fact that the students come
from all parts Of the city, the punctualty and regularity
OF attendance have been most gratifying There were
DAYS during last Fall wheD out OF register NUMBER Oh
over OOO there only about 80 absent ana ate
and on several occasions there were only three ate SUI
dents The attendance of school Is sort OF odlOoVo
indicating the amount of interest felt by the scholars
and the amount of good teaching performed by the in
All that could be desired During the three years
that the College has been IN existence noI slhgl SUI
dent expelled not one suspended ana not one
reported 10 the Board to the Committee specially III
charge of the institution Not more thah nan uono
cases for discipline have ever been reported 10 Ie
den and these were trivial in their nature that hoy
were easily disposed of. The students have been 70
great extent self-governng because Inei IS 81 sre
been properly respected When the principle Oh Sslre
specti once established order ana goo9 sOvGtn I
naturally follow TOO much ordering. the multlpllca-
ton OF rules ana regulations, ana the 700 rsu cniuoc
ment OF unnecessary physical consornti may
students into human mac hines MOVING nHe th an
but they are at war with true intellectual grOWth gnu
have a most pernciOus influence on bodily health rue
wide experience OF Miss Lydia Wadlegn tne Iady gu
perutendent may oe found Doth uselu anu 'cie'nS'
We Judge Of results by comparison and we can best
estimate present condition OF the College IN Odas
and discipline by contrasting II with the past. no
annual reports of the institution since It's organzaoh
have shown constant and satisfactory improvement
operation OF the instructors who In connection Win IN
eectua culture have soug Int 10 develop ahd iose so
higher nature of the students. The inharmoniOus
element which nj the outset composed the CoegS was
very difficult To methodze OF 10 reduce 70 any %
order The habits OF discipline had been 50 unlike that
il was almost impossible TO secure any satisfactory do-
cree az method Indeed there seemed unaccOuntaDle
perversty i'm TO conform to any disciplinary
TeQustiOn Very different IN TINS respect arc me aC
cessions which made To the college,. Inefo Is
Generally Willingness observe rules and Judgment
in discerning the adaptation OF things when shOws -
higher degree of fitness for the College, and reflects
great credit on schools from which they come Tho
order and discipline OF those last admitted have been
very commendable. The embarrassment arising rom
crowded and from other local inconvenience con
ced greatly with the quiet and graceful order deslfa-
he The change of classes and the general assembling
of the College conducted under great disadvantages
but considering all these aud the absence Of any drl
or these purposes | think the order generally very
good since the result Of secontrol and far more
satisfactory than more exact order secured ny stilct
The two literary societies belonging to the college have
exerted most beneficial influence On me STUDY OF Ian
guage. The essays aud debates have shown tho young
ladies' the necessity aud importance OF history rhetoric
and English literature The weekly meetings. conducted
sOlslv by Themselves have taught them the value OF
order, and the power OF law. Feeling the necessity OF
rule they readily conform TO the regulations OF
their Instructors As future teachers they must derive
great benefit from the facility OF expression ana tne
upon all kinds of subjects. Already 1t has been dsc0v
cred that the best eOcutiOnsts as Wen as tle aDest
cnseachers are the yOung ladies who took the most
active part the exercises OF the two literary societies.
Every hing possible should be done by the Board ana
The Committee Normal College to sustain these soco-
Ties for they in themselves sort OI preparatory
| normal schools for professional training
THE NORMAL COLLEGE CURRICULUM.
The nature and extent of the work performed in each
department OF study been set forth by the different
professors and by the instructors whose duty 1t is to re-
port directly the President The course is not as ex
tensye as appears its face, because little more than
the elements of some of the branches OF natural
Is ever taught and this chiefly by means OF lectures and
without the aid of textbooks or home study Inc IN
strncton i'm drawing and music is given for the
purpose of enabling the future teachers to perform ei
Gent work In the schools than 10 develop afISts or
musicians In the study OF language particular stress is
LAID on a thorough command OF English aud this, the
mother tongue together with the Latin perneae5 tho
toste in the selection Of words and accuracy
aud simplicity in the construction OF sentences
all so essential TO correct teaching-have been
constantly and carefully inculcated by all the
instructors There are CERTAIN branches Oh stuay wGn
any these is fatal to promotion or graduation no
matter how perfect the student may have been
in other respects These studies are the necessary links
in the chain of liberal educatiOn ana they lneu 10
Engs nnse dranr and some Of the natTa
sciences, which may he pursued somewhat independ-
entity estimated at the same value as the former
According TO this system OF values, the course Is
specially adaptpd to teachers for intelligent work
would take a whole lifetime TO make scientific geologlst
but that is 10 reason why teacher should not know
enough OF the elements of geology TO enable him 10
be a thorough teacher OF physical geography. In
common reading lesson illusions are often
made TO many things, clear explanation OF
which demands the part OF the instructor
* great mistake suppose that teacher should
he required to know much more than is taught In The
class The influence OF teacher having full mind is
felt by all the pupils II tells on class IN hundred
ways and all inspires the young with respect
and confidence The teacher who brings the powers OF
trained intellect to bear upon his work will teach the al
phabet much better than one whose mind has not
ceived this cultivation feel that these are rusms
would allude to them were II not for the fact
that some think that the educational requirements
for the primary schools are too nigh believe II would
be a mistake to lower the standard OF qualification,
and that your Board will never consent TO do
Perhaps too much attention is gwen IN the Normal Col
ege TO mathematics but II s hoped that the present
devote time in .he future TO the study of language
The mathematical course should be completed in tho
third grace, OF az inc GSu VI na Inc tdee years
lectua and moral philosophy, logic and literature,
subjects which impart mental acuteness and comprehen
sveness OF grasp. The in history commences
with the ancient empires Of Western Asia, and with
Egypt, chiefly by means Of lectures, after which
Greece is taught in the first grade, Rome in
the secOnd,s andAEngland in 1.-THE third. 1t would
be very desirable to institute course of lectures upon
the United States and cOempOraneUus leading events
iu Europe M termination of the historical studies
but want Of time prevents this at present great deal
valuable time is consumed in repeating the
in three four different classes OF precisely
anaafF hAgQ faGen
ton bring them all together Lecturng however,
a method of teaching is nearly useless