Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1877-12-22
EDUCATION.

Mr. William White, one of the teach
ers in the Boys High School. has read
an argument before the Teachers Con-
vention in favor OF his calling, He is
courteous, even to the Argonaut, and
that is saying good deal tor a school
master. Schoolmasters seldom reason
they persuade by the ratteu and not by
logic. The usual cant and hapdoodle
of higher culture" systematic train
ing" PLASTIC hand Of learning" ''un
folding of the reasoning powers" I'm
dependent thought, "'mental and moral
training and all that sort Of nousense
ls INDUCED IN rs a matter OF course
A schoolmaster's paper upon" higher cul-
ture" would be incomplete without this |
style OF argument. Mr.. White says that
"our prominent citizens and influential |
men are those who have enjoyed the
large opportunities Of our higher
schools" We deny it, and assert that
the very contrary is true. For every |
name of prominence and influence in
this community that he will give who is
the graduate of a learned university, we
will give ten who have enjoyed no such
| large opportunities" We take the pro-
fession OF the law, and name four out OF
five supreme judges Wilson, McAllister,
Hoge, Casserly, Haight, Lorenzo Saw
yer, Ogden Hoffman. Dwinelle, Nor
rison. Wheeler, the leaders Of our bar,
are not alumni OF railroad magnates,
we name Stanford, Huntington, Hop
kins, Crocker, Donohue, Cotton, and
Milton S Latham; OF bankers, we name
Mills. Donohoe. Tallant, Sather. Burr,
Martin OF successful mine operators, we
name Flood. O'BrieD. Mackey. Fair,
Jones, Hayward. Sharon. OF miliiUnaire>
who have prospered in business. we
name Reese, Luning. OF men of charac
ter and influence. we name almost the
entire list Ui the members of the cham
b .r OF commerce. Our leading mechan-
les. our successful and enterprlSlng man
uiacturers, our successful politicians
Senator Sargent. Governor Irwin, Mayor
Bryant. He charge that the best. most
enterprising. most influential. and most
; useful of our citizens are the men OF
limited education; men who left OH
where our high schools begin, and not
one of whom could to-day undergo the
examination that would entitle them to
admission TO Mr.. VIM. Whites class in
the high school. MIR. White says, 1t
will be generally admitted that one edu-
Gated man is worth ten uneducated men,
i We do not admit It OF believe II. The
euucal ed man. in the sense of MIR. w hlte :
high culture is not the equal OF the
: man we'll grounded in rudlmentary En-
+. gIish education He is not as service
able TO his telloA men, and IS not as use
u iul he is not more moral, and is moi
u halt as Industrious. 1t does follow tina
) we NAV have too many educated mel
y and women. San Francisco has ever st
many. too many. over educated-that l.
> half educated smat,crers Our boys anC
girls that the high schools turn out d'
not become model citizens; the educa
l. t on does not eminentiy tit them for life
: Boys and girls are educated above thei
. station. Education OF the kind acquired
le at the free high schools makes children
T. ashamed of their parents. their station
their calling They won't work they ar
L. too proud to do manual labor. The edu
cational scheme is an eXaggeration
~ is run into the ground; it is expensive
IL extravagant, unreasonable; is swindl
on the poor and robbery OF the rct
IL There is no Justification for a tax tina
ie imposes upon the childless the duty c
l. educating boys and girls to the supertiu
81 they are crammed in the nigh schools
~ There are ten thousand poor chi!dre
ie tor whom there is no school aCcommt
ch a.,;nnS ond his !. hac,nse tho money
dishonesty directed 10 the maintenanC
III o: high-gridc schools. high-grad
classes, and to teaching the supertiuol
III and unnecessary. Give us prlmai
e. schools: schools for the ragged; nigi
r. schools; then A good. plain, simpl,
On honest course of English instruction
IT. the rudimentarv branches, and II thel
he is any money lett. teach mechanics an
Sc useful industries If anybody desires
on better education, or as Mr.. White won
put il. higher culture let them 2
is' it rs best they can. 1t the metal is
4e; them it will come out coin. This hur
hu bug of stutlIng ounces at the public e
e" pense, or educating rich men chlldr'
1h- by taxing the entire community, oug
le ',,, to be about played out. We do not
fiii derrate that thorough and perfect ed
"o cation that produces great specialists
science. philosophy. and art; that max
les great, distinguished scholars; that Civ
'ht; to the world statesmen, profession
ceu men, poets. priests. editors and scho
the masters; that furnishes us with historic
soldiers and statisticians. But we
not acknowledge that the American 5.
TEN of public tree schools is based up
recognition of the TACT that there are
III be no merchants, mechanics, farmers
oil workers IN the community. That eve
pen man can live by his brain and not
Ism muscle that it is the head, and not
Is hands. that should be educated. {
ood free school system is Intended to educ
Ter the children of those who are too p'
rect to give them such necessary instruct
ned AS will fit them for their position
DIV, society. The whole. original. sim
ana idea has been perverted by pedagog
tore and politicians. till it has grown 10
YES expensive and shameful abuse. 1t is
that extortion and robbery. maintained b
new sentiment OF pretentious humbugg'
re IL Its strength in San Francisco lies i'll
Ssed fact that more than million of dol
clu- are annually distributed to book-mak
mp contractors. officials, teachers, janit
tuN. etc., and that it comes from Bos'
not where it was transplanted from Berlin
now San Francisco Argonaut.
giti-