, 1878-11-09
THE Urgent DEMAND ron GRADED
PIBLR SCHOOLS N rHis ClrY.
Lecture delivered ty f. J. Calvin in Unity church.
last Sunday evening

I
city do 81 with 4 deeper interest than
before. The harvest is past, the summer
ended, but we have not jet taken active
measures to adopt a better school sys,cn,
than that which has obtained for manv
years and been found wanting. But I
do not think that We ought to Weld Ia
| any encouragement On the contrary.
1t Is my honest conviction that the cause
Of graded schools has gained in favor
during the past six months. and that our
people are more united than ever before
! iii their desires to secure thorough e,luca-
tlonal advantages for their children.
Ii surely need no lengthy arguments
now t" prove 81 you the utter made
quacy oi the present system OF district
schools. | d" not hesitate To say, friends,
that every added term which your bows
and girls of over ten or twelve years of
age spend III these mixed, mgraded
schools is Just so much precious time
! taken out of their proper educational
drill. 1t only tends to diminish their in
terest in study and their powers Of men
| tai application. As matters stand now
there Is no proper standard to work up
To no established criterion of intellectual
| progress.
q" Under the district system, Incentives
are wanting To- secure either cun>tancy or
Punctuality III the scholars attendance at
| school. Not Il few Of them who enter
at the beginning of a term drop off entire
L or are sent I" some private school be
fore the term is half finished Other
pupils come Struggling in at intervals all
| through the quarter Now, what, l ask
you. is the natural effect Of such irregu-
larltles upon a school /, is thoroughly
dls"rganizin-, not 10 say demoralizing. 1t
| Is dlsheartenirg To teachers and IN eticc
tual stumbling block in the way of every
pupil who is diSpoSed 10 punctuality and
industry.
In the second place there are no strong
! incentives To study under the present sys-
| TEN The reasons for this are obvinus
| lSt. The classes are of necessity To nu-
( merous. and hence the teacher cannot
| devote but very small portion of time
! I" each one As = consequence of this
| the pupils can neither =" over inneh
ground in any branch Of study nor can
| they be as thorough as they ought to he,
| and might he under a graded system.
| ID. Even in the same class the scholars.
as a rule. have not the same qualiiica-
| tionS for learning Some are far in ad
| vance Of others, hence their progress Is
very materially hindered by the slower
! pupils.
| 10 keep a smart lad skir,n;sll;ng among
! fractions, when he might he in the froht
rank attacking cube root. or TO require Il
bright, active minded girl to tarrv among
the simplest definition in geography when
she might as well have gene nearly
through the hook and had before her
! minds eye ever country of the world is
very serious cheek 10 each.
When rou s"c in'owhat small fragments
the teachers time for hearin. recitati"ns
is broken, doyou wonder that they have
no better results to show for their labor }
| As well might you expect t" witness great
speed III a sackracc as L. find thorough
scholarships produced under such great
| disadvantages.
We look about us in our city to-day
and what do We find Between one and
! ;wo hundred youths whose mental ad-
| vanc"mCnt from t;iis ia, i eHCc.T:ai'y
barred in our public schools, because
there are no ways and means Of carrying
them forward into higher branches Of
study Scores Of parents are anxlously
concerned about their childrcns educa
| ton, and are saying I" What shall we d."
To secure better schools I
There is no doubt as To wilai that rem
edy is II is IN the power Of orr citizens
to provide thai remedy tomorrow Again
| would urge yen to unite AL your efforts
to secure a graded grammar school syS-
tenn There is no other sound basis upon
which To build MP The educational inter
csrs 81 this growing city
I 1t seems 10 me that cvcry citizen Who
| has the welfare and prosperity Of our city
at heart, might lay aside all mere local
and party feelings and look at this subject
in It's hroadest light. Every thing de-
pends upon our harmonious and united
action This alone can secure SUCCESS.
| Why should We recognize any sectional
interests, or any boundary lines IN this
matterl The demand for higher educa-
ton is felt throughout this city and in
all the surrounding country. The time has
come. II sec,;is 10 me, friends, when the
district system should he abolished L"
still retain the two separate and distinct
| districts aad vet undertake /" establish
| Graded grammar schools III each one Is
! open I" strong objections. Ia the tIrst
| place II would involve 4 much lar-,er ex-
| penditure OF money, and Ill Tie second
place 1t would not prove efficient and
satisfactory Such plan would necessi-
| tate the erection of tw" new sch""l-houseS
| instead Of one, and hence the employment
Of double corps of teachers Bat still
greater objection than that Of the m
creased expense Of maintaining such
| schools. is that there would be no bond
Of union between the twr districts. Each
one wonld pursue an independent conrse
and one which might be quite the OppO-
I: site cf the other. Thus, instead of
awakening q generous spirit OF emulation
in the different school in FAIR, open field
under common government, and IN the
same list Of studies, it would probably
awaken jealousy and discomfort.
| Rather let Us seek TO combine ali our
/ interests and ali our efforts to inaugurate
high standard OF public schools IN our
city. Let there be one hoard of school
! directors chosen, who shall have in charge
all the public schools. without regard 10
| their location, and who shall feel as deep
an interest in the welfare and progress OF
the youth Of one section OF the city as IN
that Of any other section. And here let
lie say that neither political nor sectarian
prejudices should be allowed to have IN
| thence in the choice OF such committee.
Choose men, or men and women, too, Tor
believe there are women who are emf
nently fitted to serve this cause well, who
are deeply interested in the subject Of