The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-14
cBhmMryg orr cHrLbREN.
The Lessons they nre Compelled TO study In
school Il ooms and ut Home.

Education demonstrated that the course OF
study prescribed In our common schools was
badly arranged, excessively severe on both
children and teachers, and defective In impart-
ing the practical education which should be the
great feature OF the common school system. A
number Of principals were called upon for their
opinions, aud all conceded that the poin's OF
objection were well taken. One Of them said
In the present too subjects Of study are
reqnred TO be pursued st one tine; Some OF them
should be put m, aud stu Others ought 70 De pursued
extent.
with regard TO oral instruction, upon which
great stress is laid. the same principal said
We are required 70 impart oral instruction upon
recommend that there should NC general requirement
for ora IN every grade u'on me sgojec! Of
confined "a a requirement, TO such su Jects
The course has been slightly changed since
that time, but Its evil features remain no less
conspicuous than then. The Board II Educa-
tons manual" for teachers, prescribes a GER
tain rut in which all must travel destroying all
individual originality and intelligent adaptation
to the requirements OF scholars, and tending to
reduce tutors to the rank OF mere machines.
The primary necessity In every grade of both
primary and grammar schools Is to push the
children through a specified quantity Of various
studies within a given time. This quantity Is,
10 nearly every grade, excessive, but Is especial
ly so In the higher grades Of the grammar school,
and the excess is made up, not alone OF over
tasking In necessary and advantageous studies.
but of impractical matter which there is neither
sense nor proprietv In TRUSTING into such
course. Yet. II class Is not put through the
stipulated amount OF nominal tuition within
the pre- criued dine. the teacher Is deemed
blamable. The result Il that IN the child
rcn's minds tho main thing acquired
is positive loathing for the mass Of
study imposed upon them, and when their term
0f ifn I'm IA mi frRu 1pnl Ia
ended they 90 through sham examination,
have their deficiencies patched over, nd pass
out into the world with their heads full of con
fused iumule of odds ana ends Of many things,
and not enough OF any one OF I'll to be Of any
practical value 10 them. Ihey know by ruto
the rules of grammar, yet violate them con
stantly In speech onu wrl Ing. for they have not
had time to learn bV proper study and expert
ence the actual meaning or application OF the
set phrases which they have been drilled to re-
peat with such parrot like gbness ana want OF
understanding. They have worked through In
Vulnerable problems IN algebra and ari hmetica
examples. yet they cannot gfappe with compar-
ativcly simple questions of figures IN real hfe
They have been studying notans, r. 0ogy, nlu-
erllogy, astronomy, and history, vet, from the
system to which they have been subjected, sta
MEMS sienite. surlans. pistils, gneiss. ana troy
lOdytes are mixed IN inextIicable confusion in
their rememhrances, " hiie probably not one out
adozcn of them would be able to say whether
Hardicanute Is "a constellation or Sagittarius was
u King OF not.
TEACHERS OPINION.
An intelligent teacher Of lons experience, and
sigh:
WORKING IN the wsy we have TO, nothing seems to
tucs Ia Ne OVls hes9s We sYit IA al We eau but
they work h lrd and asWcl a. they TO Keep M
minds hut. you see h " l. i. We are actual not
allowed Time enough ior nsiliing service BILE kno~i-
tenn. cram tnsm with iniorna ion bout oyon, and
AssNrId, aud Pnenlcia, anu that sort If tning.
That It mas DO fully understood that these
charges against the system aro not unfoundel.
let US view the work IN certain representative
Il hats .rls Nl.H
to do in the studies which are most important
for them. In the primary department, II is
avefred by the friends of the system, til ion Is
almost entirely confined to the school room, no
Gays tasks beng given out which ituuiTe more
than nall an hour of home work. Ihis esti-
mate OF home work -, however, sed upon
adults idea Of an ADULTS capacity more thaa
upon tender feeling u sympathy with the
III lie ones for whom small things SIM are great,
and the hi-ncr We 90 IN the Application OF the
system the more marked does THIS appear
A chiid In the lowest grades does indeed do
very little outside tue scnool, Tut before It
leaves the primary department. at the average
age Of ten yeats. II is expected to have acquired
q knowledge Of reading, punctuation, element
~ sOuncs, definitions aud speihng Of words,
such as are found in the latter h.lt OF "A second
reader, OF arithmetic so Tar as tue four d SIC
rules go. and lot OF tables of drv, cloth. long
surface, anu other measures geosrapnv, points
places. definitions OF the various forms OF land
and water, the shape OF the eartn, tine prime pal
countries aud their loo .tions, their PRODUCTIONS,
Inhabitants, &c &c; draw ng, OF uaralelo-
grams, neNagons, pentagOns, and other geomet-
!
matter learned from the so-called oral instruc-
! tion. about tue animal, vegetable, ana mineral
Kingdoms, their representative and properties,
outlines OF ph, slology ami hygiene, Ac.. &c. A
chilu cannot keep up with lis class as IL Is rail-
roaded along ~ the teacher whois acting under
tho compassion Of tho manual, without home
study. Normally tins consists OF AT most a
page ofthe Gcogr, phv to read over, aud Its facts
| times nigh a. twenty-seVeu--to learn To spell
ana define, aud rhaps some practice in writ
ing auu memoTizilg Of tables.
DAYS LESSON.
In the eighth grade, the lowest, Of the gram
! mar school, where the children average from
| eleven to twelve years OF age, here Is a days
lesson Geography about twenlv-tbree ques,
west OF North American" Where is the Isth.
mus Of Panama Z" Where is Ala. kal" What
is Flofdaf" Where is Melville Peninsulaff =
Where Is Bshiin y. seir "oi what ocean Is
sltuatedf' ~ nat strait connects the Arctic
Ocean with the Behrlng sea-" " What grand
divisions does that strait separatei" ~ hat
direction from Greenland Is Icel'nd T.
Where Is the peninsula Of Nova Scotia =
and or s "whef sI !. HUDSON sS,'i Strait
In what part Of Nor. b Carolina is exlcor
~ hat guii lnden.s tHe Western shUsei :" WHAT
Carioosan scar" Where is San sllvado ="
keading--Two pages OF the lie ider, with twelve
or fifteen words 10 learn the spelling aud delui-
tion. Arithmetic ables u weights and meas
ures aud possibly examples.
| III the blku EIAGt tue iSssbnS LOT nome study
In one day Will be, for Eek muie, as follows
| GEOGRAPHY, tining the bound mes OF fouIt en-
empires and states OF south Amtrtci, a. they
existed at the time "turnrlls lnteTmeuia q
Geography" was gotten W. AritnmetIc-D nui-
tions. rules, and statements OF principles ON
eignt or ten questions. SpelIng-Aho twenty
i've words, with tneir ueuui. ions; Tables Of
weights aud measures.
In the third grade: Geographical section
embracing, II thoroughly stuule about forty
essential facts out often necessarily siml fled
by the teacher TO resultant lretcnce OF suue. IL
cidl knowleug, OF hail "A DOZEN Spelling
Twenty-Five or thirty words selected from
reader, history, or "A selected list, with thelI
definitions. History-One or two new pages, OF
review OF four pages, embracing mas OF
such questions, IN one day, as "Wnat LED to the
taxation tue causeI' when did the StamI
act pass p "What were the provisions of mi.
actH How was the news Of It's passage
rcceivedf "Mhat became Of the stamps Z
&c., covering the wide ned Of American aIiairs
In that exciting PERIOD between 1865 and Sc
TENDER, ia. Or, ON another day Of tue week
grammc Tor home study as the following: Gram
nouns Tor lnstance-tO be learned verbatim
as seyenths md eigh hs; definitions AM spell
ing from .he Reader Of about thirty words.
OVERLOADED.
In the first grade, which IS overloaded by tn,
study Of general hist, ~, and cIamped IN H.
practically by not having ulge ora and book
keepiug started IN the sec ma grade. The Wotl