Litchfield enquirer., 1873-10-16

Robbie Cstlin. (not absent, but marked taldy twice..
 HARRIS PLAINS DISTRICT, S.tmmef Farm.
 Lottie Mason. Guernsey Hill. Winter 1erm-Ahelia G. Morse, Edwin Gilbert, Ernest Wakeman, (are not marked as hay ing been absent.) Summer Term-Burdet Morse, (not absent, tardy only once).
 NoRTHEIELD CENTRE.
 None absent or tardy.
 N EAST CHESTNUT HILL,
 .Winte. Term.
 Ella E. Perkins, Almond Perkins.
 GUERNSEY HILL,
 Wintea 1erm-Burdette Morse, Sum- mer-Amelia Morse.
 NoRTHFIELD CENTRE,
 Winter-George Didsberry. Summer Robbie Guernsey
 FLUTEv1LE,
 Wiater- Willie H. Austin.
 Last year the report named only one scholar who had gone through term of school without having teen either absent or tardy. This year we name several. We may indeed hope that in the future these instances will not be SO rare.
 The register indicates that very many more parents have visited the schools than during the previous year. This is very encouraging sign. There is still, however, great room for i'm provement.
 The school visitor while desirous to rouse greater interest in parents, and in our citizens generally in favor of the con- mon schools. are conscious that some very great faults exist in the schools themselves. Prominent among them is the more. con- mon mode oi teaching, consisting as it almost entirely does. in exercising the memory of the pupil to the neglect of the other faculties. I cannot Ill any better way express the idea than by quoting at some length the language of a late writer on this very point
 .'That the prime evil of the prevailing method of teaching consists in the careful cultivation of the memory to the neglect of the thinking powers. Commencing with the teachers, even of the highest grade. down to the youngest child in the school, there is an almost slavish adher- ence to the text books. Teachers do not trouble themselves to study over the Ies- song to comprehend thoroughly thsir full significance, but on the contrary only too frequently go into the classroom and have to depend upon the book in order to hear the lesson. In theory this is not allowed. but in practice it is pretty general. Such being the case, the teacher, having no higher sense of respc instability than the ne- cesslty of going through certain form in order to secure the quarters salary. is very well content to find the scholar per. feet Tn the mere language of technical1ties of the lesson. The scholar, finding noth- ing further requised, is only teo glad too perform the comparatively easy task of committing so many lines or paragraphs to memory, leaving it's comprehension se- verely alone, or to follow blindly rules without any pains to discover their scope and value. As consequence most school children have their minds choked with dates, facts, and the mere language of laws and principles of which they have To un- derstanding whatever, and aside from the routine of the text books know absolutely nothing. and have not made their own. by mental digestion. any appreciable portion of the knowledge they have spent so many hours in attaining"
 The experiment of Free Schools in Con- necticut is of so recent date that no school report is complete without recur- renee to that fact.
 The argument in favor of Free Schools is short and decisive. Every person recog- nizes and will admit the duty of society to protect the lives of children. Our law protects the lives even of children unborn. And this for the reason that it is for the benefit of society that children should be born and reared. If then, society may for its own benefit preserve the mere animal existence of child the obligation irresist- ably follows that society must see to it that the life so preserved shall develop in- to useful, intelligent and moral citizen and not into rufian and curse. The logic is impregnable; society should either destroy all children or guide and protect them up to careful citizenship. Establish infanticide or some system of free in- struction.* But the time for argument on the abstract question of Free Schools in our State is passed. Various legisla- tion since 1856 has fully committed us in their favor. AS good citizens then, we ought to endeavor that there should be no failure. We ought to use every effort that the system so inaugurated shall be success to bring the time when all teach. CTS shall in fact do what the statute of a neighboring State makes their duty 'sto exert their best endeayors to impress on the minds of children and youths commit ted to their care and instructian, the grin ciples of piety. justice, and sacred re- gard to truth love to their country, hu- manlty and universal benevolence sobri- ety. industry and frugality; chastity. mod eration and temperancel; and those other virtues which are the ornament of human society and the basis upon which repub- lican constitution is founded and it shall be the duty cf such instructors to endeav- or to lead these pupils. as their ages and capacities will admit, into clear under standing of the tendency of the above mentioned virtues to preserve and perfect republican constitution and secure the blessings of liberty. as well as to promote their future happiness, and also to point out to them the evil tendencies of the op- posite vices.''
 That so happy time as is shadowed forth in this language may speedily come Tn our own beloved State, let us pledge our best efforts to the success of our Free SchoOla