Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1877-07-26
Inemcient Schools,

IL Win surprise many OF our readers 10 DC
informed that in Massachusetts,, of all States
in the Union, there is decided and increas-
ing dissatisfaction with the Common School
System as there administered. Thirty gentle
men met to consider the system in Boston
last Friday, and some Of them said hard
things about it-that children trained under
it ''could not apply practically what they
learned" 80 that some Of them, in frst-class
grammar schools. ''could not read ordinary
matter, such rs may be found in the daily
newspapers. One gentlemen described the
education of the present day as .'a poor arti-
Gle purchased at a high price /" Another
spoke of .the case with which teachers could
deceive committees in the absence of proper
tests" The complaint was made also that
''much of Whist was learned was learned by
rote, and was useless to the pupils while the
head Of Normal School asserted that many
pupils came to him without proper knowl
edge Of the common branches Of education"
But if this meeting was dissatisfied with
the present condition of the schools, it was
not at loss for remedy, viz: "a system of
county supervision by trained specialists -
who should stand between the teachers
and the school committeeman, the latter hav-
ing exhausted their capabilities of carrying
forward the work, and the time having come
for scientific educators to have charge Of the
schools. The dissatisfaction seems to be
mainly with the school committees. We sup
pose to some extent it must be admitted that
these officers are not what they should be-
that they are frequently ignorant and unintel-
ligent, and that too often they are selected
for personal or political reasons and with but
little regard for their actual qualifications.
At the same time it should be remembered
that the common schools Of Massachusetts,, as
well as Of many other States, have actually
accomplished work the magnitude of which
it would be unfair to underrate. 1t is a great
fallacy to deduce the inefficiency of the sys-
tenn from the ignorance betrayed in individual
cases. The result of the Massachusetts
school teaching must be found in the average
intelligence and enlightenment of the public
Public education is not designed to make
whole body polite of profound scholars, but
to promote the highest possible degree of gen.
eral culturs.
The Massachusetts, critics may say what
they please of their own people within their
own borders, but they would hardly acqui-
esce if outside fault-fnders should assert that
the inhabitants of that State are generally ig-
norant. Indeed, to say SO would be to utter
sn pntruth. We are far from supposing that
there is no opportunity of improving these or
any other schools; but when the best has
been done, it will be found that district
school is not university, and thlt majority
of those who go through either school or uni
versiry will be remarkable less for special
scholarship than for requirements which we
might, although not in by any means bad
sense, call mediocre. The public schooli Is de-
signed to promote general learning, and not
profound and exceptional erudition. This
comes only Of the devotion of lifetime to
special study. Our systems Of teaching uncj
doubtedly lack scientific method, and If this
want can be supplied by. the experiment
whichis proposed, the friends Of education
everywhere win be glad to zee it tried.-TN.
Y. Tribune. 1-sF -ttl