New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-09-24

gOurO-snapCu cup lutIc dIt ISui'o ts'h'h i-''''
life, but we do not learn whether the worm
that smote the gouTd is represented. 1t
should be to make it complete.
4 RETGLUTION IN QUINCY.
The town Of Quincy, Mass, has in the last
four years effected reform in primary odu-
cation which it is possible may serve as
staIting-pointin the reorganization Of the dep'or-
able American system. This reform, described
in n plain and practical manner in a pamphlet
by Charles Francis Adams, jry provides
that children shall be educated, and not
simply taught ike so many parrots. IN 1873
divers clever and thoughtful citizens of the
Quincy school committee began to realize that
there was 10 pcIccptible progress in thcir
schools that the majority of the pupils Who had
finished the grammar course neither spoke nor
spelled their own language perfectly, nor read
nor wrote it properly. At the public exami-
nations they appeared in their best clothes,
attended by their parents ana hiendsj the
committee sat silent on the platform, and
"the teacher conducted the exercises over
"safe and familiar ground to a triumphant
conclusion in some peculiarly unnatural
hit of childish defamation" There were 10
tests Of understanding ind assimilation
"the whole thing" says Mr.. Adams, " was
sham" The Quincy schools, in fact, were
OH the same dull road which more than
nine-tenths of the American schools are now
painfully travelling The pupils were taught
to repeat their lessons, not to understand and
opply them. The Quincy committee looked
into the matter thoroughly excluding the
instructors from the work OF the exam
..4so..- tbo., cc,,J r1r4oI il fbptn celv.a poch
taking a special branch OF studies. The result
was the natural one" the schools went to
"uioces.r The a and grammar scholars.
who could parse and construe and correctly
repeat the rules of grammar, were found
wholly unable to write ON ordinary letter;
they could neither follow any rule of compo-
sition nor apply the rules and principles they
had learned from their grammars Nor could
they read without absurd bulgling any Eng
Hsh book which they had not seen before,
their reading Of familiar pieces in their own
Readers" being glib enough. 1t was "all
"smatter. veneering and cram." The teach
er,s chief object was to see lis pupils pass a
creditabe examination, and in pursuing this-
object he had turned them into a prosperous
collection of parrots.
The committee resolved that the schools
should not go on In this fashion, and that the
remedy should not involve any increase of
the Taxpayers burden. They were busy men,
and not able personally to conduct the work
of reformation. Accordingly they determined
10 employ n competent superintendent the
town agreed, and in 1875 they engaged n
man peculiarly fitted for their purpose-one
who had been a teacher, and who, realizing
that he did not understand the science of
teaching, had gone to Germany and studied it.
The committee approved the plans he submit
ted to them, and left him free to apply them
in the primaries. The theory-too completely
adopted in this city, by the way-that
vast numbers of children should be
taught az trains on railroads are run, on a
timetable system, was emphatically dis
missed The alphabet was no longer taught;
the little ones surrounding their young
teacher at the blackboard learned to read as
they had before learned how to speak. not by
rule aud rote and by plecemeal, but alto
gether and by practice. Plays and various
physical exercises kept them from feeling
their work to be irksOme. 1t was harder for
the teacher, but it was also pleasanter, and
gave her Il pride in her work. The four
years trial of this method has proved it a
complete SUCCESS, and won over even the most
soothing of Old-fashioned teachers.
In the several grades of the grammar
schools the committee provided that their
own ideas should be carried out. They de-
clared against the multiplicity of studies
learned uncomprehendingly, which too often
make of American school life ridiculous
farce. They demanded that to children should
be given thorough grounding in the ele-
ments of knowledge instead of n superficial
preparation for smooth examination. Gram
mar, reading, spellingboOk and copy book
were thrown away, and reading at sight and
writing off-hand took their place-the seven
studies taught before were reduced to the
three RS. Instruction in reading and writing,
grammar and spelling, In history and geog-
| raphy, were combined In two exercises-read-
| ing and writing. 1.-THE old reader having dis
appeared" says Mr.. Adams, :" the teacher was
cat liberty to put into the hands of the class
Biographies, or histories. or magazine
"articles, and. having read them first, the
"scholars might write OF them afterwards, to
show that they understood them. Their at