, 1874-11-08

Defects In the Educational
System Of Chicago.
How We Have Undertaken to Do
Too Much.
Evils Of fhe Oral Course---Inhuman
Pushing and CroWding.


The Studying -at-Home Scheme. and tt
1neyitably-Bad Results.
Detects OF Our Sc1&ool-SYstem.
t. the Ed.tore ef The Chicago Tribune:
S1n There ID no problem before the people
to-day whicA carries more weight in it's practical
solution than the plain, homely ono Of public
instruction. It is i matter demanding but little
embellishment to establish its claim among
thinking people a. question worthy Of their
consideration, and callipg for their best judg-
much RI it touches not merely the pockets, but
tho final intellectual success, Of the nation.
Relatively. Chicago stands high among Amesi-
can cities in this regard; but that cur school
system has defects, and e1aring ones, We must
not presume to deny. It is cur purpose to look
= little on this side, and to point out few
Of these defects, even though Ho may suggest
no remedy, eave by negstion.
First, then, We have
UNDERTAKEN TOO MUCH.
The natural characteristic, to 60 ahead. has
outrun itself. and our little ones are falling by
the way. No grant that, in ali races, some must
lag behind but We inslst that when, day after
day, the brightest and beat take up tbs line Of
march with weary air and uncertain fest there is
something radically wrong. Shall we never
learn to make haste slowly7 Some years since.
the School Board Of this city, to give variety to
what else might be irksome. added to the so
called fundamental Misunderstanding Writing,
Arithmetic, Geography, etc.-whAt was designa-
ted as al oral course. This was not intended to
be special study,-a matter requiring textbook
drill but supplementary in chatncter,-an agree-
able side-isaue growing naturally and incidental
1y out Of the daily talks over lessons expanded
and expounded by the intelligent teacher, Tho
Intelligent teacher treated it ~ sucb,-wisely
proportioninx the extont OF her communications
TO tho capacity OF those under her eharge,-al-
ways aiming to incite them to think, reason,
and question, with the busy brain Of childhood
concerning the everyday phenomena before
passed by unhoeded. such = teacher by no
means endesTored to exhaust 3 subject; while
the fischer lacking resource or information
mado it = todious, dreaded task, by presenting
philosophy, physiology and various other
Natural Sciences, in cumbrous form, to children
whom they had never stimulated to ask the
1eason Of = single fact in Nature. As time grew,
the bugbeAr increased, until the knowledge that
tho teachers thoroughnesa OF instruction on
these points was to be
TESTED NJ cLAss-1ARKs,
led to removed e1cEtion On her part in over
whelmiug pupils whose ''oEai booka" already
presented formidable amount Of copied matter
far beyond their comprehension.
This was through fcar thnt,t by comparison.
the teacher would suffer; that. in her failure to
bring before Young children all possible iilns,
trations OF fsct, sho would be detected through
tue Argus-lke watchfulness OF . Principal, who.
sitting comfortably in his Office, WITH small
library OF NATURAL Science at bis elbow, and
grade-book in hand. makes use Of the means
which the BPard OF Education and the .re-s
searches Of otner men haye put into his hands
FOR >" flooring" class Of Small children, and
thereby humiliat.ug their Ioaoher. THIS fortiiy-
ing process. he has empIoyeo 10 o1ten that Ae
can balance himself beautifully on the line Of de-
ms1kstion between the gradee, aud WOO oetide
the uniucky sa1ofolnase a,a S;n sno nas not lecon
notered the field some distance IN advance
OF the spo. where tho natt1el Is 70 90 fought.
II Is tnis ploPouhol1H o1 host1uce ecient'aG
puzzles that has wrought tho mlschlef. until
what was INTENDED as recreanon. whlie really
eoucaune tno cnl4d: ~ scno,nf LIS onsy
thoughts out INTO easy and natural channe1s, has
degenerAaed into
A POSITIVE INJURY,
making the question of It's total re1ecaon one OF
recent agitation;
And this fairly 1uustrates the errors OF our
whole school-system from beginning TO enu.
Our teachers are, TOR tue most part, sell
educated, selt-supportng,h hafd- ~of2!ng women,
who cannot auofd, tnrouen Ianc4eo ahemeency'
to lose their positions IN tnls c!ss' anee 6ucn
d!sm1asal would SERIOUSLY AFFECT tholf ADVANCE
strength, adopt means dlrectl. contrary TO what
they oeheve Tor tha nest lntetes.e Of tne1s
pupils, and go nome. nlSht AFTER nlens, Kno"lhR
that they haVe cone an aosolute wrong 70 toose