The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-03-27
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL.
Its Use and Abuse.


great questions that leading educators are
considering all over the lsnd. Public
schools. in all of the states. have been the
pride of the people, and money has been
given more freely for their support than for
any other purpose. Magnificent buildings
have been erected, disciplined teachers
procured, and the children of rich and Door
alike have shared the benefits conferred bv
free education. But in many cities retrench-
ment is demanded by taxpayers, economy
must be begun even at this late day, and the
public funds must be more carefully dealt
out, for the treasury is growing BARE And
with this feeling the graded schools and the
high schools are being vigorously examined
TO see in which department the pruning
knife of retrenchment can be best applied.
In some states the question is resolved into
two parts, and each is vigorously debated,
whether it is better to reduce the salaries
of all teachers, and maintain the high
Schools or TO raise the standard of scholar
ship in the lower grades, without de-
creasing salaries, and abolish the high
schools" As yet the matter rests in
statu quo, and time is given to
the advocates of each plan to present their
views upon the matter. In this light paper
read before the association at New ALBANY
has an added interest as bearing upon one
side of the question. 1t is the one read and
prepared by Miss Kendall, principal of the
/ Madison schools, its title being THE Public
| 'School-Its Use and Abuse" We can give
but SYNOPSIS OF the paper. embodying the
leading ideas
Beginning with the public schools estab-
lished by toe Puritans, when reading the
| Bible, writing and casting accounts conf
/ prised the course of study, the writer comes
! 10 the time when the high schools and SEM
inaries became an abnormal outgrowth upon
/ the system, drawing from it its strength and
/ vitality to feed upon, and thrive out of pro-
| portion to the parent stock. She SAYS:
/ Yet we are an educated people-very much
educated at least we ought to be in consider
alton for the money expended. Unfortunate
! ly, we are too mich educated as to quantity,
and not enough as to quality; nor is our
/ knowledge of any practical value. So much
/ Teachers teach nothing, because tho time
which should be used for individual instruc-
ton must be taken for the class drill
/ system. There is no originality, be-
! cause methods must be uniform In ac-
accordance with the graded systems. This
STATE of affairs induces teachers 30 pour arbi-
trary statements into chlldrens minds and
I listen for the echo. As for the children, they
/ commit ana repeat q S1naJterl0g OF THIS, "a lew
/ technical terms of that, and the formulas for
/ something else, but they learn nothing and if
! Iney ana, the khoWleuge Woulo oe Oh no avail
There Is q sad waste OF money. force, and pre-
/ cious time. The first two may be renewed
the time never.
/ In 1913 Prussia started out with great -four
4 ish of trumpets to mount popular education
on pedestal. She established normal and
/ training schools, lyceums, gymnasia, second
airy ana primary schools, and challenged the
admiration of the progressive world. Like
the United States, she attempted so much that
years of the forcing process, Prussia declared
} her school system failure and returned to
first principles: The Prussian schools to-day
are not free. They are supported by fees from
each pupil, local rates and n small govern
/ ment grant, which is given only upon the
! most conclusive evidence that without il the
4 schools can not exist. Only the absolutely in
digent pupils are relieved from the fee, which
in that case Is added to the local rate. The
course of instruction in the common schools
looks like the famous ROzinante by the side of
our well padded educational hobby horse
reading, writing, arithmetic, the elements OF
/ drawing, vocal music and the catechlsm;
, these are all. some geography, relating
to Prussia, may be taught orally and
the legal requirements This is the COM
mon school system, and attendance is COM
pulsOry from the age Of six to fourteen. Ly-
I ceums and gylnnasia with small government
grants provided for those who desire to
/ pursue the higher branches, provided they
pay the fees, and this is as ii should be. The
common school fund was not Originated for
I the benefit of the few who have the time to
acquire a higher education. They who have
time generally have the means, and should
paw for all instruction beyond that which may
be taken by the great majority. "A town of
/ 5000 inhabitants will enumeTate 500 school
children who draw money from the public
{ treasury. Two thousand five hundred of
this number are actually enrolled in some
4 school, but only about one hundred
are in the high school, and not an average of
ten will graduate. In other words, of all the
four per cent enter the high school. anu only
twO-fifths of one per cent graduate. Other
statistics show that % per cent of all who en-
ter the primary grades do not enter the sixth
year. The high school consumes one-sixth of
the school money, and each high school pupil
receives five three thousandths. The conn.,
mon schools consume fve-sixths of the money,
and each pupil receives one-three thOusandth
of the whole; /. e., 1T costs five times more to
child in the common school, or, the money
spent on one high school pupil will educate
five for the same time in the common school,
and the cost of one graduate equals the cost of
l65 common school pupils.
Who receive this expensive education, and
who pay for it? As general rule the
rich mans children get it and the
poor men pay for 1t: A man may
bonds aud pay taxes on not more than 1000
in real estate. His school tax would be less
than $50: yet he has half dozen children
/ with nothing to do but to go to school, and
they do. go-the whole falnily-to the public
school, towards the support OF which the
| father has contributed a SUM equal to the pri-
waite tuition OF one child. But there are hun
dreds of men IN the same town who work
for their daily bread; and are not
loaded down with any bonds unless il
be those of poverty. They may own homes
worth from five hundred to thousand dol
lars, but that is all they own; yet they may
pay the same rate of school tax, one-sixJh OF
which goes toward the support OF a high
school whose portals are practically barred
against their children by want OF clothes OF
books, or by the necessity to earn money Oh
learn trade. more unjust AID oppressive
: law was never enacted than that which
perverted the common school fund for the
} support of high schools nnd enabled
) hot-headed refOrmers, so called, 10 expend the
. peoples money for quality on education mo-
needed by their children for the exclusion o
thorough INSTRUCT ion in that which is needed
If the people of this commonwealth hat
known what all teachers knew who had the
courage TO drop the reinS OF their hobby horses
ana look at the peoples side OF the question
well as at their own, that law would have
I teen eliminated from the statutes of Indian;
ten years ago. II takes about ten years to dis
= cover the weakness of a popular measure anC
/ another ten TO educate those mos
i concerned up. to the point of de
/ ctsive reform. Reference has been mao'
to the fact that the people demanded progress
and paid for il. vet are not happy over tine re
suits. They certainly pay for it In this state
u sin "a IN rn pN