New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-16
COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION IN MASH

reading. II would not, in fact, be going TOO
far to say that they are the dryest OF dry
public documents, and would never see the
hight or see it only in the most condensed OF
forms. were it not for the existence OF the
institution known as State printers. Now and
then. however-at rare intervals-Onc appears
which forms an exception to this rule; and
such an exception Is the just published Forty
third Annual Report of the Massachusetts
Board Unless we are greatly mistaken, one
portion of that document is destined to make
a decided sensation in educational circles
throughout the country. We refer to the
special report of George A. Walton. one OF
the agents of the Board, on the examinations
of the Norfolk County schools.
Norfolk County in Massachusetts, lies next
south and west of the county in WINCH Boston
is situated, and contains a number of the
wealthy suburban towns. 1t is not back
district county. 1t is next door to the Hub"
and there is not single town III 1t nifty MIN
utes by rail from the State House. Among
its towns are Brookline and Milton, which
annually for twenty years have spent more
ner scholar on their schools than any other
towns in the State and far more than Boston;
Omncv-of whose "new departure so much
of late has been heard Weymouth. Hyde Park,
and Dedham, all wealthy suburban places,
stirring with the best elements of Massachu-
sets life. There is an association OF the
school committees of this county, and, some
Guestion having been raised as to the actual
condition of the schools in the county and
the educational results derived from them,
a committee was appointed little more
than n year ago to get Mt the facts.
The burden of the work fell upon Mr.. Wal
ton, an agent of. the State Board OF Educa-
ton and not "a resident Of Norfolk; and a
heavy burden it seems to have been, involv-
ing the examination of over 200 schools ana
5000 pupils, scattered through twenty-four sep
arate towns. The actual result Is now pre-
scented by him in a form, so far az we know,
absolutely novel, and his report constitutes
one OF the most interesting and instructive
educational documents ever published Here,
at last. we have, not Mr. Walton's or any
other examiners personal conclusions and
general statistics, but the results themselves
1t is impossible to get away from them. The
workshops are laid open, and the quality Of
the article produced IS spread before u in
pitiless fac-simile reproductions of the clnl-
dren's own handiwoIk. The examinations were
thoroughly sensible in that they were limited to
the proper scope of common school education
the clements Of knowledge. They made no
attempt to 30 beyond " the three Rs" The
object was to show simply what results 80 far
"a teaching how to read write and cipher is
concerned. were now attained through the
common school system.
Mr. Walton. and he ia fully qualified to eX-
press an opinion, tells us that the Norfolk
County schools thus examined are fair spcci-
men of those of other parts OF Massachusetts,,
that they care not, as whole, better OF
worse than similar schools elsewhere.
Massachusetts is not supposed TO be behind
other States in the matter OF common school
education. While not wholly dscOuraglng,
and in some respects markedly encouraging,
the results Mr. Walton submits, and The facts
he states. are well calculated to excite sur
prise 1t is very apparent, for instance, that
in the outskirts OF Boston the old-fash0ned
educational methOds-methods which II was
supposed were abandoned in all civilized com
munites-are still fourishing in full yigor.
The writing of an ordinary letter of the SIM
tcsts-such a letter as no one can pass
through life without being many times sub
jected to the necessity OF writing. The chill
dren subjected to this test had been. on
an average, four years in school, and
would certainly be able to write such letter
if they were ever going to be able to do IT.
In some few schools, Mr. Walton tells Us.
they went to work IA if there was nothing
unusual in the exercise, and the ordinary de-
tails of letter-writing were attended to 10y
them as a matter of course. In other schools,
both primary and grammar, after the ma
teIials were placed in their hands and the
CORRECTIONS were given, the pupils sat in APP
"parent amazement, "a If the most unreason-
liable demand had been made upon them
"to some. indeed. the directions were at first
incOmprehcnsble and had TO be many times
repeated" In other cases, this simplest but
most crucial OF educational tests had to be
omitted, because the pupils were wholly I'M
FUSED to the exercise of letter or composition
writlng-in some, In fact, could neither
write nor make the printing letters" Mr..
Walton then significantly adds " In few
" instances the teachers objected to submit
" ting their schools to some of the tests, and
" their feelings were regarded" The result
however. we now have before us in the fac
simile exercises submitted with the report
If the specimens given are, indeed, fair aver
age specimens-and there is no reason 10
doubt it-they are certainly calculated to ex-
cite our special wonder. The last specimen
gwen represents an average composition Of
boy of thirteen. 1t is an unntelligble scraw
Mr.. Walton reports tn It " far too much
" reliance is placed upon oral spelling" He
found the usual results of this exploded
method of instruction. The commonest words
Were found msspct when used in composition,
while the most difficult words were spelt
with accuracy when dictated Accordingly,