The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882, 1881-11-11

minutes might be secured for the
Princess However, there were sew
eral of the class who sat dreamy-eyed
and passive, smiling in polite amaze
ment when the rest of us became ex.
cited over our reading.
/ have also Natural Philosophy
class. One day we learned that
''nature abhors vacuum" l thought
of the minds Of some of my noncha-
liant scholars concluded that nature
must abhor a mental as we'll as
physical vacuum. Still believing that
these young people were interested in
something, l set myself to find out
what that something might be. One
of my notions was that the way used
to write compositions was all wrong.
Like most children, my subjects, if
not abstract nouns, were reversed and
revised quotations from cyclopedias
and histories, Graded in few moral
Hing ideas distracted from my mother
or big sister. l spent much time
talking with my scholars out of school,
hours, and, as | like things that boys
and girls like--such as jig-saws, base
ball, china-painting, and the 81. Mith-
0las-I soon found what was nearest
the hearts of many of my boys and
girls, and / made them write of these
things.
| was still baffled by the same dolce-
far-mente scholars. Light was poured
in upon my dim understanding one
day in the shape of a pink. tinted, gilt
edged, perfumed note breathing words
of love from girl of fifteen to boy
of seventeen. | was no longer mys-
tilted. How could girl Of fifteen
have any room for the pyramids Of
Egypt when her mind was overlooking
with an absorbing passion ? Had we
not advanced a step further in physics,
and learned that no two bodies can
occupy the same space at the same
time? took observations, and con-
vinced myself that here was one
source of my trouble. Thought: aft
this matter begins in the high school,
| must find some way to nip it in the
bud" began to investigate. The
Grammar grades seemed familiar with
the sold, old story; it did not appear
to be new thing in the intermediate
departments. l had occasion to leave
the building one noon earlier than
usual. The Primary school had just
been dismissed. A group of small
boys, averaging seven or eight years
of age, were leaving several small
girls. One youth Of six, holding up
a scrap of paper covered with child's
scrawling attempts at printing, called
out, "Say, wbat'd you give for your
Iove-letter 2" A blushing maiden oil
fUe turned around and in somewha,
indistinct accents expressed her dis
pleasure. AT the same moment an.
other young gallant rushed up, tore
the letter from the hand of the first
boy, administering a vigorous kick,
and valiantly enquired f"he'd bother
his girl any more" Two other
small girls were walking lovingly side
by side. One was overheard to re-
mark: Whose you, beau,s Mine
is, 'setc.
T. Nhw l do not believe that this
childish nonsense" is harmless, and
that girls and boys get "over it,"
know that it will do no good for me
to enter the lists against my high.
school Cupid but won't somebody
with a wiser head, than mine try to
convince the fathers and mothers that
our public schools-of which we are
justly proud-are nourishing an evil
that it does seem 70 me i, one great
cause for great ht of the useless
lives and loose morals in the country ?
| mean the primary grades as at
present managed in many schools. |
have taken some pains to get statistics,
and in the majority of the public
schools i find that the most crowded
departments are the primaries, fire.
quently averaging sixty children from
FIVE to nine years of age. 1t is plain
no teacher has time to find out each
child's character. 1t is no new idea
that one knowing" child can in
struct dozen innocent children in
matters concerning which they should
remain in perfect ignorance until
instructed by their mothers. / could
give dozens of conversations that
have heard among the children them
selves that shocked me, and, cannot
but think, would surprise these babies
parents were they to become aware
Of what their little children were
talking about.
If our lowest grades were turned
into kinder-gartens, with a carefully
chosen teacher for every fifteen or
twenty children, who were with these
children constantly until they were
safe in their respective homes who
played with them, studied with them,
watched their talk, and, more i'm
portant still, found out what the little
ones thought about, would not that
do something towards making the
matter rightl Of course it would
make the school-tax larger, for larger
salaries would be required for such
fine work. But if there must be re-
trenchment anywhere, abolish or lower
the grade of the high school, think,
rather than spoil the children. Let
the cold E" teachers Of "wide ex-
perience go into the lower grades,
and let us girls fresh from college
teach where any mistakes we may
make will not cause irreparable harm.
L.