Daily Republican., 1880-08-31
EDCCATlONAL.
The Session OF the Board or Educa.
ttOu Last Evening 80 COnsl 4 erinE
the Question of the RevisiOn OF
Studies.

Iuoub monty VI SVhIaus hop', pIoSluou
DR.. Grimshaw, chairman OF the com
mittee on the revision Of studies, sub
mitted the following report:
"The Committee on the Revision o.
Studies, to whom the FIRST report wai
recolLmitted, desire 10 state that 1t was
not intended by the resolution appoint
ing the committee, that q schedule oil
lessons for different grades or classes
should be submitted, but that the com
mittse should point out what studies
should be introduced, and what kind
substituted in case Of any change being
necessary.
The undersigned do not believe thai
the course Of study at present In use il
the public schools Of this city is in all
respects such as will prove beneficial te
the pupils, when they enter upon theii
duties in life.
The Committee report that the time
required by the present course o.
studies is too long. There are in oul
schools an average of 1868 pupils, com
msncing in the Primary schools. Only
eleven Of these pupils graduated in the
High Schools in 1880.
Dat of the whole number of pupil;
enrolled in 1876, S3l--only 2s3 pu
pills were enrolled in No l and it is re-
ported that "the standard of admission
to No. has been raised q little each
half year" In other words the mass
of children attending school and press
ing out into the busy ranks of work
ing people have been gradually forced
back.
Many of the pupils in the so-called
Primary Schools should BE- olssssd as
secondary pupils, and the course o.
study regulated accordingly.
Many of the pupils in the Primary
Schools leave before they can reach the
standard now set for their promotion tc
the Grammar schools, of which there
are seven mixed schools on the list,
some being styled Grammar and some
High and Grammar, and one Grammar
and Primary School.
The study Of spelling and definitions
is neglected. Under the present sys.
tenn In most classes tho definitions of q
few words selected from such reading
lessons are all that are attempted to be
taught A text book should be intro
duced which will com bine both spelling
aud definitions.
The committee recommend that all
that part named Course Of Instruction
for the Primary Schools of Wilmington
1878 70, and titled Language, be
stricken out and that some book
having Definitions therein be intro
duced and that each pupil be taught
writing on every scheol day instead
Of the use Of the course, title, Drawing
and Writing, and that at least in the
ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth
grades an elmentary Grammars hall be
used daily.
In the course of instruction for the
Grammar Schools, strike out all under
the title or Oral instruction in Natural
Science.
In accordance with the action Of the
Board at the meeting Sept. lst, 1879,
the teachers iu the High School de,
partments shall be instructed to dis,
continue the study of Latin, and sub.
stitute Rhetoric and English Compost
tion, and the study of a text book on
the Constitution OF the United States.
In the girls department of the High
School strike out Trigonometry."
DR.. Grimshaw moved that the report
be adopted. lie asked that the com.
mittes BE- not discharged but be enlarg-
ed. School Nc. l, he declared, was
running itself. He desired that the
Board (not the schools) would get up
some system whereby the pupils Of the
High School would graduate when they
we're IL years old instead o when they
were IS or 10 years OF age.
Superintendent harlan stated that
the arithmetical and number of other
studies might b. shortened.
DR.. Grimshaw said tina. the study Of
Latin was mere pretencs. To think
that child would learn anything of
the language in two years he contended
was folly. AS for trigonometry, he con-
sidered that it was utterly worthless.
DR.. Gr!mshaW's motion to adopt the
report was seconded by Mr.. Hazlett.
Mr.. Belts amended the motion by
asking that that portion of the report
which says that the teachers in the
High School Department shall be in
structed to discontinue the study of
Latin be stricken out. lie stated that
there had come to his knowledge saw
eral instances Whereby graduates of the
High School had been benefited by the
study of Latin.
The amendment was not accepted.
Mr.. Baird took the chair and Presi-
dent Conrad said that he did not agr e
with all of the report, and that he had
some hesitation in voting for it. Hei
would like to see something done
the High School might have
more graduates annually. He thou sht
that eleven graduates ont Of more than
six thousand pupils, originally ente ed,
was bad showing. He declared that
the report, as every other report yet
presented by the committee, was in
complete, By the present system be
thought that the boys graduated too
late to 60 to a trads and too early to 60
to college.
He suggested that the pupils grsdu-
ats earlier-at the age Of Ii instead Of
10 years.
DR.. Grimshaw for some moments re.
Piled with much bitterness to Mr.. Con-
rad, and motion to adjourn was i'm
made and lost.
Mr.. Baird suggested that the last
course in the High School be omitted,
and allow the pupils to graduate
earlier but if any Of the scholars
wished to continue longer at school let
them pass through the course in ques'
ton.
At the suggestion of DR.. Shortlidgel
Harlan was heard. He
that there were not enough |