Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1880-09-16
COMMON SCHOOLS.

Ouf puDllc schools Will be open on
the 10th inst, not to be closed, un-
less upon some unexpected emergen-
cy, until the Christmas holidays. As
usual, our youth are looking forward
to this event with pleasant anticipa-
tions. They are tired of play, and
long to renew their school associa-
tiOns.
Notwithstanding President Hayes
long essay upon education, and its
advantages and necessities, our schools
will be conducted, as heretofore, by
the same board and superintendent,
with nearly the same teachers as had
charge of them last year, and if any
drawbacks have hefetofore attached
to them, they have been such as have
been connected with the building in
which they have been taught and
which most excellent, as it undoubt-
edly is as far as it goes, has been out
grown. But even this deficiency is
being overcome by the addition Of
three fine rooms, each of which will
be as large, if not more commodious,
than those that have been occupied.
Our schools and building, however,
are but a portion, and very small
one, of the great system of education
in this country, it is our design to
call attention to. There are over
$50, 900 public schools in the United
States, supported at an annual cost
of from seventy to eighty millions of
dollars. No approach to any such
extensive provision for instruction
exists in any ether portion of the
world, and of none of their institu-
tions are Americans prouder than of
their common schools.
At this season all eyes turn annu-
ally towards these schools, and, as
a matter of course, everything relat-
ing to their conditions and methods
is examined and discussed from every
conceivable standpoint. The most
noticeable criticisms of them come
from physicians, scientists, religion
lists, politicians and taxpayers.
Physicians object to the crowding OF
youth into poorly ventilated and bad
ly lit apartments, as more than ordi.
nary conducive to ophthalmias and
nervous and infecgive diseases. They
declare that American children re-
auire larger amounts Of fresh air and
light than all others, and maintain
that if knowledge is productive o
wisdom, experience demonstrates thai
it onght to be impaired without inju
, ry to the physical welfare of its re
,, cipients. 1t is not so easy to compre
hend exactly what would satisfy sci
entlsts. They seem to advocate th'
= teaching of science upon scientific
methods, which they declare to b
applicable to all branches of study
t but which they assert is almos
, everywhere lacking in our publ
n schools to an extent that cripple
= their usefulness. They complain, also
that the methods in vogue are de
structive of individual and origins
{ development; that no attention
: paid to particular talent and capacity
: and that an uniformity Of mind is as
: sumed and enforced, which the il
equalltes of the human intellect d
}, not warrant. They say that the pr'
e scribed routine of our schools is s
!, apparently orderly, that it impart
: the false impression that it is til
!, most effective that could be adopted
e, but that in reality it is machine worl
n and that machinery takes no cogn
u zance of difference of ability, and th.
children, no matter what their C;
pacity and aptitude maybe. subm
to the same routine shaping process
= and that on that account their indivi'
o. uslity disappears that they grow L
,e without the habit Of independe1
it thought and investigation, do n
O. thoroughly comprehend the rou
In they are forced to enter upon, al
20 70 are impelled by discipline and Il
n pressure Of the mass with which thu
); arc moving. Ministers and politician
n seem to accept what the scientis
r. complain of, provided the mould,
u. u, of youth is directed by them; but e
d. isting common school methods a
y, denounced by one class of Religions
,' y; as neglectful, and therefore, injurio
to manners and morals, and by a
70, other, because they ignore religio
in Political par.isans, especially of
" 'st republican type, complain that sou'
he ern school literature and teaching 6
IN, not favorable to republican polici,
Ib- and would, if it were possible, take
nr, struction from state management a
>' commit it to general and natie'
legislation, which they yet hope
F.. control. The taxpayers complai
are of different character. He
er- grets that ali theories relating to
of struction, no matter how impro
IN. ~ dent or utopian, are maintained
of his expense.
IN u As already intimated, we do
md recur to what is going on, with
'on hope of throwing any light upon,
en' en of suggesting any alteration or
yn, provement in the schools of Mexi
PEG . So far as VIC are able to judge, I
.ast schools have been as efficiently e.
the Quoted as any of our neighbors,
~ in some instances more so, and VI
Z: | o,,r b,,;I.1;,, 10 oolorrod ito accf