Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-03-01

Az AIIhhiAAllNE AND AKlIlNhL NOlllE
OF THEM ny VETERAN FRIEND OF
EDUCATION.
Dessrs. Editors ALLOW me to say
through your columns that an old cham
pion Of free schools, and Of graded schools |
before they were common even In the large |
cities of New York and Pennsylvania, |
spent nearly school day iu the public |
free schools of your city with great in |
terest and full conviction that the merits |
of the public schools In Wilmington are |
by no means known. Having visited the |
best schools of several large cities ia diff |
ferent States, including New York, was |
not expecting to find In the State OF Della !
ware, even in its chief city, schools of |
sueL high order as ii was my privilege to |
visit through the courtesy of a member of
your educational board, who Is deeply
interested In the work of education.
can only speak of the schools visited,
Nos. 4, l and Z, but from these samples,
| have no doubt OF the exeellency of your
schools. The order ir each of these
schools was Of that easy, home-like char
aeter which made you feel that it had be-
come habitual, not through fear of the
rod or Of degrading punishment, but from
a sense of the nobleue's of good behavior,
/ saw in one, II not more Of these schools.
An implement Of greater moral power in
maintaining order than the "dunce block
or FOOLS cay" the leather strap" " fer
rule" or "rattan Still to be found in
many of the country schools OF the Da-
mund State, to the disgrace of civlliza-
ton. 1t was The simple 3" Roll of Honor''
and of " Demerit." ! read the names Of
each OIL these rolls, the former with plea
sure, the latter with pity and hope, ior
have seen the worst become the best of
SCHOLARS. The noble and enviabls dis
tinction of having the name gu that roll
of honor has a more potent and Gu
nobling power than the fear of the rod
ever possessed, and renders the rod
almost, if not entirely unnecessary, aud
hence in these schools, it IS seldom or
never used, The training up of those
boys and girls under IL healthy discipline
without brute force | regard the strong
point in these schools.
The teaching was good. The presence
of visitors did not disturb the continued
correct and clear analysis of examples.
There was no apparent interruption in
any exercise as we went from room TO
! room The teachers, very generally,
seemed, as they should TO be masters OF
the situation, and hence went GU with
their work without furry or being discon-
certed, and the Influence was visible on
! the pupils who gave ss close attention to
= their studies US though no visitors were
! present.
The reading in one of the primary
, rooms was very tiue for pupils of their
grade, showing that they had been taught
TO observe pauses and infections with
, great care, while the spelling exercise was
! calculated both to interest aud to cultivate
u the habit of tiSiug the attention, one great
end in education. The names of thu
months in the year, for example, were
= spelled No. gave the mouth, No. 9
, said capital j, No. gave q, No. gave n
u No. pronounced the syllable Jan, No {
u gave u, No, pronounced Janu, No /
gave a, No. 8 Janua, No. 10 gave r, No
II Y, No. ~ pronounced the word January
Nc. The closest attention throughout tht
exercise was thus secured. Composition
y on the slate, written In their seats, on tn,
pictures in the school book were eminent,
u calculated to cultivate habits of observa
o tion and also of description. clnno
l. even allude to the singing In all the room
n though worthy Of special notice. No
IL the physical exercised or calisthenics
e which though not made hobby were yer,
o creditable. The object teaching, subject
% cork, was sensible and educational 10 il
n use. judge that object teaching ia no
y here, as have often seen it, carried I,
d such extremes as TO disgust sensible edu
10 Gators. The sword method" / notice,
d, was adopted In teaching children of tn
At lowest grade.
le And here | must notice with regret tn
l. lack OF suitable appliances To save tn
ID labor aua strength Of the teacher in teach
Il, ing the letters There were no cards o
g tablets from which the whole elass G
c. twenty-five or Thirty might be taught o
N this plan with the same east, and NOR
10 rapidly than one scholar alone. lheteacht
"a was forced to the drudgery OF copying III
= eason on the black board This copying = a
Y as beautifully dShe as have ever seen IL
III tt even for Il Autograph plate, but IN
IN time used to do this unnecessary an
luborious work could have been mne
le more usetully employed had these lesson
been painted. There are tablets extet
y s5ely used, issued by the publishers of III
o. reader used in The school, A. 5. Barnes ,
n Co, containing many of the words
5. that reader, printed in large type that ca
~ be read distinctly from the most distaI
a pant Of The room. Then tue same lesso
t. Is put in a cheap book form to he Studio
lg in the seats. A vast amount of time ca
be saved IN a graded school by these tablet
a Twill only add that came away from d
| schools with a feeling of great pleasure ar
nj satisfaction that their were la one of OF
hc cities at least, Institutions of learning
q, which every citizen of tie Diamond Sta
a may well be proud. The public IA
schools Of Wilmington, from all | ca
nc gather, are the best and NEST thorough
lg all the schools in the city. They are I
le strength, aud mus, control the Stat
Teachers Of Il different type from mar
is now encu.Dbcring our country schools a
here being prepared. VnToR.