The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-03-26


chins who won't be suppressed, and re-
proving the idle who will not study be-
cause they hate it, and in "doing the
sums" of those who always, "get stalled "
Their senses remain inactive, their per-
ceptions blunted and their minds stupe-
fed by the habit all these years of study
ing mere words instead of things, There
are pupils in Cincinnati for instance who
can recite from memory an entire text
book on Geography, but who cannot tell
you which way the Ohio river runs. They
can-recite readily 1setables of "land or
square measure" but don't know how
many acres of ground each block OF
square of buildings occupies. Some OF
those who have studied-nay rather
memorized whole text books on Natural
Philosophy, can't explain the principle
by which water is brought to their houses
from the water works This is not the
fault Of the pupil. Let them study
senses and habits of observation. Train
their judgments by comparison of things
with concepts derived from them. Do
our scientific men deduce truth from
distractions? The extent that Natural
Science may be studied in our common
school, viz: Observation and fact.
That is legitimate question, and de-
mands candid answer. The public
school system costs the people of the
State of Ohio about $7000,000 annually
With the present population this would
be about 50 head Certainly the tax
payers have right to investigate this
This is one of the strongest objection to
our school system, namely, That it does
not pay. After spending hundreds of
dollars in educating our children they
are utterly unfit for business. Says one,
MY boy can't read newspaper intelli-
gently. He can't keep my farm accounts,
much less work simple problem in in
terest. He knows nothing about the
nature of the soil, the rocks, the water,
or about the growth Of vegetation. The
air he has heard tell of-but knows
nothing about it. He don't know which
end of COW would get up first when she
rose from the ground. And my girl,
she don't know beans She has no
knowledge of Hygiene or the laws of
health. She knows perhaps that, 'caloric'
is another name for health, and that
oxygen, nitrogen and something else
is another name for air. yet she has not
the least idea of their uses or abuses.
These complaints do not come from enc
mics of our school system, on the con-
trary they are its firm friends. No one
pays taxes more cheerfully than they do
Neither do they complain that the seven
branches are not thoroughly taught, nor
of q lack of discipline; nor of the indif-
ference, or incompetency of the teacher
but that our system lacks efficiency.
These new studies cover the ground
where the complaints come from, as an
additional expense, but incorporated
with it. 1t may be necessary to prove
the excrescent growth of the public
school system to make room for them.
This can be safely done, as we shall show
hereafter We claim that the increased
efficiency will more than compensate for
increased expense. If the efficiency of
the teachers of st. Louiss was increased
fifty per cent. in one year, will any sane
man or woman say that the children
were injured to the same extent, or not
benefited in any way? 1t is a good pay
ing investment! The people of Cincin-
natl pay $7,O0O,000 per annum for beer
and liquors, and no one complains. Why
should the people of the State complain
of the cost Of her public schools. 1t
costs less TO educate the children, than
it does to feed paupers, and pay the ex-
penses of crowded jails and penitentia-
ries.
HOW CAN ALL THIS BE ACCOMPLISHED.
In the first place it Will require time.
These studies must have place on your
daily programme. If you have not the
time, get it, take it. Make out your pro-
gramme so that You will have few min.
utes spare time. If that won't answer,
take the time wasted in spelling Why
should eight or ten years be devoted to
spelling and reading? More than half OF
all the matter in our average text books
on Arithmetic is worthless as far as the
practical details of every day life is con-
cerned. In the second place it will cost
the teacher little extra time and money.
These apparently are the strongest OBJ
tjections. Already you have to buy books
and stationery for your pupils. But do
you lose anything by that? You teach a
better school, and eventually get your
pay for all these things in increase wages
and usefulness. You may have to devote
subjects and experiments. But says
one, ''this would be Furnishing the teacher
in order to benefit the pupils. Well
what of it Don't we punish ourselves
every day in order to help others. This
is a law of our social natures, and the
true teacher will always recognize it.
But thirdly, in order to accomplish any
thing in this direction, it will require a
large increase of better qualified teachers
How are you going to get them? This is
the Gordian knot. Do you remember
how that knot was united? Did Alex
ander sit down and puzzle his brain over
that great piece of nonsense? He drew
his sword and cut it; and that is about
the only exhibition of common sense, on
the part of that man that history records
We will get better qualified teachers by
simply demanding them. Let the people
who have children to educate demand
this of every applicant for a situation as
teacher 1t will cost little more, but il
you want first class teacher, one quail
flied to teach these branches, you can
readily find one Have no fears that the
supply will not equal the demand. The
| law holds good in every case. There are
now large number of good teachers un
employed as such, who would gladly
respond A large number would at once
| begin preparations for making teaching
life work. And still larger number
of non-professionals would be. excluded
from the ranks. In the absence of any
written law upon this subject | assume
that it is the teachers right and duty to
use any means by which the monotony ot
school work can be broken up. 1t is
established beyond controversy that the
study of the Natural Sciences will eff
fectually do this; also that the minds o.
the pupils will develop more rapidly
under this tuition, than under the dry
distractions of Arithmetic and Reading
as commonly taught; and hence l urge
upon all professional teachers who have
any knowledge of the simple clements o