Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-10-05

To Correspondent.

An election for school directors from ten
wards In st. Louis this week has been made a
test of popular feeling in regard to the ques-
tion OF instruction in the higher branches of
knowledge in the public schools. The study
of German was the leading issue OF the strug-
gle. Five German and five anti German can
didates were elected. Those who wish to
abolish the language from the schools claim
the victory. The wards in which elections
were held were in most cases overwhelmingly
German in population. Nevertheless the ag-
gregate vote against the study was greater by
373 than the aggregate vote for it. AID in the
two wards where the issue was distinctly
made and the contest was most bitter, the
anti German candidates were successful. The
Globe De3,Ocg at says that the election means
the death knell of costly, unnecessary inStruc-
tiCn in our common schools" As the board
still stands 16 for the German to L against it,
the crusade against the language cannot
afford to lose force if its study is to be discon-
tinued. 1t is seldom that a minor election of
the kind held at st. Louis attracts such in-
terest either among citizens or out
siders. School matters are receiving atten-
ton in other cities, however. and changes
and profeSsed REFORMS seem to be the order OF
the day. Boston and Philadelphia have abOl-
iShed the use OF text books almost entirely in
the primary grades, substituting oral instruc-
tiOn and object teaching. In the more ad
vanced classes grammars and spelling books
are discarded and composition, letter writing
and other means are employed to teach the
forms and actual use OF language while avoid
ing technica!itieS. The substitution of new:-
papers in part for the reading book, which has
been often advocated, has gone into actual
practice in Illinois and some neighbOring
Sta eS. The teacher reads over selections,
ms rt1in TO HON f1,ad ,1ft 80,
assigned, from the Geographic news, scientific,
educational, and agricultural notes, or other
parts of the paper, and anything Objectionable
Is rejected. A judiciOus selection of papers
from which to make the clippings is,
however, as necessary as a supervision OF
the clippings. While 1t is possible that the
tendency TO demand that instruction in our
public schools shall be confined to what Is
practical and OF immediate interest and USE
fulness may be carried too far, through mar
row views by the judges Of what knowledge
possesses these characteristics, there are
some of the reforms urged which are wOr-
thy OF consideration. The suggestion that in
arithmetic recltatiOns examples be taken
from the money, stock and market reports is
good ole. These columns of newspaper
from which not only arithmetic but the con-
ditiOn OF the trade OF the world may be learned,
are profound mystery to great body of
American citizens. Even where the study of
these every day applications Of text-book
knowledge are not formally declared to be a
PART of the regular course, it lies within the
discretion Of the teacher to Introduce such
topics into his verbal explanations and COM
mentS and to require pupils to stand examina-
ton upon them. Something of this kind is
already done in few schools; the tendency
Of the age is TO make the practice general.
Five cOnvicts have escaped from the new
state prison Of Massachusetts,. Their trunks
are checked for South Carolina Recent
events have doubtless given them the belief
that In the Palmetto state they will be safe
from the minions of Massachusetts law There
Is no positive assurance, however, that the
southern state would not heap Goals OF fire on
the head Of her northern sister by delivering
up the prisoners.