The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-07-07
THE SCHOOL QUESTION.

don. and denounced il for employ
ing expensive aud incompetent teachers.
The BULLETIN pointed to the fact,
that what the correspondents of the
Sun were complaining about was a
defect in the present school system
that the fault could not be laid at the
door of Prof. Alvord, who is known to
be an able teacher, nor could it be at.
tributed to any of the teachers of our
schools, several Of whom are most skill
full and generally recognized in this
community as among the very best in
the country, The Sun we need not
say, had no opinion of its own on this
question, but mumbled as if it could, IL
it only would, crush the board of educa-
ton, teachers, pupils aud parents
crush them all out of existence, with
out trouble.
After The BULLETIN had spoken
"A Parent" retired to the solitude from
which he had emerged, and Penn
taking in sail, commenced to follow in
our course. He began to complain, in the
language of The BULLETIN, that the
schools were being perverted ; that, in
,tead of teaching useful knowledge, the
friends Of the public school system
were seeking to make the schools col
leges, in which, at public expense, all
the higher branches of knowledge were
being taught to the neglect Of branch.
ss Of practical usefulness. The Sun
commenting upon this assertion Of ours,
says, that "the remark that Penn re-
fleets the opinion OF The BULLETIN
and Jane Aun' will be new to the
public, as a microscopic examination
Of the utterances of either Ia. failed to
establish the statement"
After the death of John Stuart Mill,
The BULLETIN, commenting upon the
manner in which he had been educated.
referred to the high.pressure, Greek
Latin mathematical, aud impracticable
method Of teaching that has obtained
in our schools, and condemned
II. In an article, on the common
school question, published 9th of June,
before Penn had written line, we
argued that the children of the poor
We're yse con eGnPealtssss TO sfE' school at four
trades, and in it condemned the nigh
pressure system of education, In con-
I Guiding the article we said The re-
medy for this manifest injustice lies in
reducing the school tax, which necessit-
ates reducing the expenses Of the com,
mon schools, and is arrived ABBY making
the common school course embrace Q
knowledge Of reading, writing, arith
metic and the rudiment. of other prac
tical branches. These, if well taught
will enable the children Of all classes tC
become well informed citizens, will lay
the foundation for liberal education
which may be acquired by other means
than at the public expense, and vii
reduce the school tax so that the poor
est man will feel it no burden and tn,
richest no injustice"
la the remarks made by US at tn,
graduating exercises, we took thu
ground now assumed by penn anC
disparagiugly commented, in the hear
ing Of the board Of education, upol
the high pressure common school sys
TEN.
Jane Ann, also, repl ying to "A Par
emit used language in consonance will
our ideas on this subject-lsnguag,
that resembles that now being en-,
ployed by Penn" Commenting upor
"a Parents" assertion that too man,
high priced teachers are employed il
our schools, Jane Ann" said
The reply TO this complaint 10 obvious
So many hIgh-priced teachers have beer
rendered necessary by the demand tina
has been made by foolish peopl,
to have our common schools exalted
into academies and colleges. Not sAtis
fed with teaching tho pupils OF tn,
common schools those branches thai
would be OF use to them in after life, tn,
high-toned education-loying people have
demanded that Latin, Greek, tn,
! higher mathematics, ana u lot Of rubbish
shali be taught in the high school. The
board OF education, being also perverted
In this regard, has compiled with that de,
mand, and consequently we have been com,
PEELED to employ principal and
two assistants to teach tn,
young idea how to shoot in the direction
OF ancient Rome and ancient Athens al
expense OF knowledge on the par
OF the young idea Of modern common
sense and modern useful knowledge
Tho board Of education should not b,
blamed. "A Parent should level hi,
guns Al a perverted public sentiment tn a,
has lead the public school system into Z
channel it should not flow in.
The Sun must admit that its cor
respondents have wandered from theil
! original purpose-which was evidently
to crush the board of education and