The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-10-04


School is not the worst place in the world,
even In the estimation Of children, but it's
delights are experienced before and after
hours from the moment that the teachers
bell rings attention" until, few hours
later, IL dismisses the classes for the
day, school is, in the opinion of boys
and girls. the most detestable institution
on the face of the earth. And teachers
and parents somehow fail to understand
II. Children are interested, they say, by
any special question of geography or prac-
tical arithmetic that may come up at home
or on the street but give them a nicely
printed book full of similar topics, quiet
classroom to read it in and teacher to
ask them questions about it, and straight
way the same boys and girls become as un-
reasonable as a sheriff with judgment
against Weston or an bipartisan police
board when 1t is called upon to select
election inspectors and poll clerks.
Sundry teachers have tried to explain
that the trouble is with the school system
They have said, and truly, that when the
author of text book has stated fact or
question to his own satisfaction he has
done 1t in language which no child out
side Of the kingdom of heaven can compre-
bend. The same teachers have said that
the constraint OF most schoolrooms is
worse than that of ON army on drill, as it
is, and that no one can study when under
such q sense Of oppression. Private
schools have been organized in which all
these faults have been obviated and great
very fact has seemed to stimulate the
jealousy and narrowness Of the managers
of public schools. and any departure from
the old routine is fought as valiantly as if
1t were Q suggestion from the father of
sinners aud as if children were made for
schools instead Of schools for children. By
some strange oversight, however, the
teachers of one Of the public primary
schools in Boston have lately been allowed
to substitute the new method for the
old, and the experiment is said to be
working splendidly. The children are
taught by reason instead Of by rote
the home method of instruction--that
Of conversation-by which as much can
be taught in day as is learned in
an ordinary school in week, has been
adopted. Charts, blackboards, objects and
other means of illustration are freely used,
the perceptive and reflective faculties are
called into play, and the memory is ex-
pected to retain only what the pupil COM
prehends. The fact that next to the dog
an idiot is the most remarkable animal
for memory has been remembered and
memory relocated to its proper place
1t has been limited that some of the
teachers do not show themselves as
able as instructors as they were as
hearers of Rotations, but if the system
were to do nothing but weed out inoompe-
tent teachers it would be of inestimable
value to pupils. Finally the children have
suddenly exchanged listlessness for earnest
ness; they do not make excuses to stay at
home, and none of them need punishment
for restlessness or inattention. There is
nothing new or wonderful about any of the
facts given above, except that at last they
have been demonstrated in the public
schools, where nine out of every ten chill
dren 90 for their education. If one public
school has successfully broken the ice of
routine and proved the experiment to be
without danger why may not. the remain
der give the children the chances they so
greatly need?