Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1875-05-21
Letter from Craoklin District.
UNITY, Nd May 18Th, '75.

UNITY, ND May 18th, 10.
Mr. Editor The public schools OF Mont
gouery county cost her tax-paying citizens
this wear The round sum of fourteen thousand
dollars, (Sl4, 900, besides the same sum from
the State. in which they are proportonally
interested This immense outlay has been
scarcely Of any practical benefit. September
LIST, 1875, will find the major portion Of the
scholars attending The schools just where they
were in September 1874, or a little worse off.
The interim from April to September is fatal
10 the preceding advancement. No practical
school man will dispute this assumption. No
argument is necessary to establish this propo-
stion. This outlay being solely for The adj
vancement of said scholars the unpleasant
truth flashes home to us, hatMis Is a todSte.-
Are our people in these moneyless times will
ing and prepared for such prodigality2 How
many men in The county are in favor of a school
system run and managed in such manner?
Parents of Montgomery county, is il at best
thorough and practical SYSTEM There are three
in dspensable juncts to an efficiently conduct
ed school-a teacher (no jainby mandy quack)
strict dsciI lne-regular attendance.
firm that this system is not conducive to
these ends Now dear teachers do not rise in
arms against me. know there are very many
worthy gentlemen and ladies' good and thor
ough teachers in this county, no disparagement
10 you, recognizing yourselves you VIII lake
no umbrage at my remarks, but whene'er tue
cap fits, wear it, drawn down to your ears
| He or she, who occupies the chair of the
teacher unworthily is a pensioner upon the
treasury ofthe county and robber ofthe dear
est heritage bequeaihed 10 the innocent chill
dren. But back to my original affirmation
1 concerning thorough teachers-strict discipline
regular attendance.
| 1t is no very difficult matter to glide through
J a
aminer is a thorough scholar one of the finest
malhematicians in Maryland, but he is kind
hearted. A certificate in hand the door OF
every school-house in the county is open 10 this
! fedgLing, with no one TO walct over and guard
his meanderings. You ask where are the an
nual organizations of the Supervisor? an
swer, this young pedagogue aware some weeks
| of his approach, meets him with an eiisy grace
and a glossy school. Where the District
Trustees2 There are very many in the county
who never see the interior of the district
school-house, and alas many more who are
/ altogether unconscious of the dignity confer
red-haye entirely forgotten their appoint
ment What is everybodys business is gen.
orally attended 10 by nobody; and this en-
bryonic schoolmaster, however good his atten-
lions may have been in the onset gradually
/ lapses into--well, il nothing worse-lazIness.
When parents were pecunariir interested,
when they paid three dollars per capita, per
quarter, from their own Golfers they saw to it,
! thai only capable, industrious and efficient
teachers occupied the neighborhood school
house, and regular advancement of the pu-
pills was requisite of his remaining, an ad-
vancement measured per SC and not by the
number Of new books purchased. That epoch
produced such teachers as Ridgley, Keefe
| Brown aud Grady. Who does this system
boast Of? Is there strict discipline in the schools
NOW ? One section of the school law antago-
uZes its existence. This system measures the
i sa larry of the teacher by the number of scholars
/ in regular attendance. Will not many teachers
allow the boys and girls 10 do liaie as they
4 please rather than give umbiage, thereby drv
ing off some scholars and decreasing their pei
! diem again the kind of teacher whom we
| have described is no disciplinarian, hence
/ there is a slim chance for discipline, without
/ which a schoolroom is no better place than the
/ play ground for the installation Of knowledge.
But the most damaging feature of the sys-
TEN is the irregular attendance OF the pupils.
| A perfect teacher, brimful of discipline cannot
teach without the scholars They do not at
tend under this system because il is so cheqp;
il is costly thing to triae with the education
Of your child Need ! speak Of the evils Of
irregular attendance? The knowledge Of the
branches taught is patched the threads ever
and anon broken. What proper conception
can child have of grammar having skipped
or missed the chapter ON adverbs or conJunc-
tons Ask many of the school boys of this
day where is London and he will tell you be
wasn't there when the map of Europe went
around. Their knowledge is composed of
odds and ends patched and torn, shapeless
mass of nothing.
An exhibition consisting of oraiorical dis
play and dramatic rendilious usually close up
the scholastic year. an arrangement altogether
harmless, and perhaps, in some ways benefi-
| cial but no criterion OF the educational adj
vaucement of the children. ! attended one
some time since and carefully noted the young
orators, essaysts and dramatsts. some fairly
rivaled Charlotte Cushman and Edwin Booth
in their renditions; the audience was delighted,
! the teacher ovated to the skies. On the follow
/ ing day meeting some leading spirits of the
previous evening, curiosity prompted me to
ask some questions in the more common fields
/ of education. | desired to have fifty cents d.
vded between two persons so that one should
receive 81 cents more than the other To my
utter surprise and profound establishment,
these mighty actors of tragedy and comedy
were unable to cope with this lo,rly matter Of
simple disiSion. G.