The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1876-02-24

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A bill has been introduced into the
State Senate by Senator Halderman,
and has been reported favorably by the
Committee on Education, which con-
templates the introduction into the
common schools of the State, of some
of the useful branches of study having
special relation TO agriculture and the
mechanical pursuits. The bill estab-
fishes grade of teachers certificates
which shall embrace such studies, and
as All incentive TO teachers who shall
qualify themselves to teach the addi-
tional branches in addition to those re-
quired TO be taught in the schools, the
certificate is TO run two years. The
following extract embraces the changes
which this bill makes in the existing
law:
Certificates issued by the county
board shall be of three grades-first,
second and third-and shall continue
in force respectively, two years, one
year and six months, according to
grade. Those OF the first grade shall
certify that the person 10 whom such
certificate is given is qualified.to teach
photography, reading, writing, English
grammar, geography, arithmetic, Uni
ted States history, bookkeeping, in
dustrial drawing, the elements of en-
tomology, the elements of botany, and
the elements of geology SO far as re-
lates tc the manner of production of
soils and their adaptation to the pur-
poses of production. Certificates of
the second and third grades shall GER
tify that the person to whom such GER
tificate is given is qualified to teach or
biography, reading, writing, English
grammar, geography. arithmetic and
United States history"
This bill does not require that these
additional branches shall be taught in
all, or any of the schools, but leaves it
still optional with the districts to in
troduce instruction in these or other
branches, as they shall see fit. In 9TH
er words, the bill does not change the
course of study required to be taught
in the common schools of the State. 1t
is only intended to stimulate teachers
to qualify themselves to teach in dis
tricts where it shall be required, some
thing of the characteristics and habits
of noxious and of useful insects, some
thing of the classification and of the
laws of growth Of plants, something OF
how to keep common accounts, to make
out bills and draw receipts, how to
sketch the plan of the new building
proposed TO be erected, or to make
sketch of the homestead farm, some
thing of the history aud form of gov
eminent of the State and of the Uni
ted States.
This bill has been brought forward
10 answer in some measure the demand
growing out of the educational move
ment in The Grange, that a great deal
of what in our present plans Of in
struction is merely disciplinary and
abstract, shall be dropped, and that in
It's place shall be substituted instruc-
ton in what is useful, in what the chill
dren who are receiving their only edu-
cation in the common schools can
make of use in their occupations in af-
ter life.
1t is not proposed TO add to the la
bors of the teacher or the pupil, but to
put in that kind of instruction which
will be of lively and useful interest in
place of the dry distractions of adj
vanced arithmetic, in place of that
Kind of dull grammatical analysis OF
our English which only teaches how
TO tear sentences to pieces, but never,
in practice, teaches how to construct
English sentences, either in speech or
writing.-Ec.