The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1879-08-26
The Primary schools.

For years an abuse has been growing
in the administration Of our common
school system, which has at last ripen-
ed into monstrous wrong. This
abuse prevails Throughout the country.
We allude 10 the practice Of neglecting
the primary department in our graded
schools, aud sentimentally pettlng the
high school. The practice has become
general to take away from the little
ones, the beginners, who really need,
and give 10 the advanced, well-to-do,
and fashionable students Of the higher
grades who are nearly or quite able to
go on and take care OF themselves. -
School officers act upon the theory
that anybody can teach little chill
dren." IL is with peculiar satisfaction
that we state that this part OF the evil,
at least, has become radically corrected
in the city OF Toledo; but We are speak
ing OF wrong generally prevalent.
But the high school-the finishing
department - oh that must be an
elegant affair. In the frst-place, II
must be held in no common, plain sort
Of building (the little old room with
the low ceiling will do for the chill
dren), but in an editice Of palatial pro-
portions. In nine towns out of ten,
two.thirds Of the money expended in
school buildings is for the high school;
the little fellows in the primary being
put off with almost any sort of struc-
ture. The salaries paid to teachers in
the high school very often equal those
paid in all the other departments. III
expenses are to be curtailed, the cur
tailment invariably falls most heavily
upon the primary department. II there
Is money to spend, some new-fangled
style in music, painting, or embroidery
is introduced in the high school, or
some peripatetic professor" gives
worse than worthless lessons there.
When the school year closes, nobody
seems TO know that the primary de-
partment exists; tie children are not
noticed, The show, the parade, the
grand exercises, are all IN the high
school.
More than this The student from
first to last is Taught to despise the
primary grade, with all that appertains
to it. As soon as possible after the stu.
dent leaves 1t, reading, spelling, and
geography are thrown aside, and be rs
told that those things may do well
enough for children, but il is quite an
other matter now; and so he goes on to
his graduation without knowing how to
write a correctly spelled page of manu-
script, aud without being able TO un-
derstand the geographical localities
mentioned Ia the morning newspaper.
For what do the people pay the en-
ormous school taxes that are raised?-
Clearly 20 give their children thorough
instruction in the ordinary, fundament-
al branches of an English education; TO
qualify them, in brief, to engage intel
ligently aud successfully In the ordina-
~ avocations of life. The school fund
should sacredly be devoted TO this end,
and to this alone; and the officers who
pervert them TO other ends, no matter
under what pretense, violate high
public trust.
What we insist upon, and what the
vast masses Of the patrons Of the pub
lie schools are beginning TO insist upon,
is a more careful nurture OF the pri
mary departments in our public
schools the Topping off of the extrava-
gances aud luxuries into which modern
school administrations have run in the
management Of the high schools; and
the devotion OF the money wasted there
10 the better maintenance Of the pri:
mary departments, as was intended
from the beginning. The education
that is real, the education that lasts. is
Invariably the education received in
the primary school, be il good or bad.
Then let that be genuine; let il be true
LET it be vigorous and wholesome. Let
the children have all the law intended
they should have. and let the money
60 where il was intended IL shonld go.
Then we shall have better schools. bet
ter scholars, and for the next genera
tion better men and women.
We speak for the little fellows who
cannot speak for themselves. The sd-
vanced students OF the high schools
cannot only speak for themselves. but
when the speak, all will listen. There
is no danger Of their suffering material
wrong. - Toledo Commercial.