Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-08-11
Cramming In tho Pablo Schools
f.. +. Chronicle. |

The undue cramming OF pupils
with host of what may be called
the adornmeuts of education, to the
neglect If the essentials, is the
great defect of our public school
system, which is every day becom-
ing more pronounced and conspic-
uous. Too many subjects are taken
up and too great haste Is made to
cram them into pupils. A smat-
tering of many things and a thor
oughness In none results. Injury
to both the mental and phy steal de-
velopments of the child also flows
from this unhealthy forcing sys-
tenn. rhe opening and enlargiDg
of the youthful mind, and teaching
it how to think by a gradual pro-
cess, is really the truest kind of ed
ucation. A few weeks ago boy
iu one of the grammar schools
in New York died of cerebro.spinal
meningitis, which was directly
treacea ole to overstudy III and out
of school hours. He had been
studying for months to win II place
of honor in the shape of his picture
in u publication for boys and girls.
He went straight from his desk in
sch ool to his bed ut home, where
he lay, in his deiirium, reciting
lessons II grammar and geography,
and penclliug arithmetical prob
lems on his pill ow until he died. In
the leisure which followed the
funeral, the father, looking over
the list of the boy's studies, found
that he had been studying branch
es which had not been put upon
himself until he entered college,
and that the curriculum of the
school required perilous amount
of cramming, IN which lat
ter opinion the Principal of
the school concurred. In the
same column in which the facts ara
set forth, there is also given the
case of girl who for three success.
sive years failed TO pass the special
examination for entrance to the
normal college. She was an indus
trious student, and made good
grades throughout the year, but on
examination her courage seemed
to desert her; she became nervous
aud fell below the required per
cent. and below her own class re-.
cord. When the other day she
failed for the third time, she went
from the school where the grades
were announced to the East River,
where she tried to drown herself.
That she WAS rescued does not make
the circumstance less tragedy, or
blunt the moral to be drawn-which
moral is, that our standard of study,
If not too high, is at least too full.
Too much is required in a little
time. The Principal of the school
in which the boy first mentioned
was a pupil declared that he had
other boys in his school whom, if
he had his own way, he would
send home for absolute rest, but
that he was between two 1res-the
local Board of School Trustees aud
the Board Of Education. They
have fixed the grade and every
school must be kept up 10 it If the
| Principal desires to send any of his
pupils up higher. The real trouble,
however, lies back OF the teacher
who urges the pupil, the pupil who
overworks, the parent who permits
it, and even the Boards of Educa.
tion that would seem to be the
arbitrary first cause Of the evil. The
real trouble lies in our own breath
less American life, in the pub.
lie opinion which demands Of a boy
that he shall have his education
completed and be ready for busi-
ness life at time when he should
still be nationally and industriOusly
studying. "Life is short" Ia ouI
excuse for cramming in school and
out of it. So it is; but it will be
shorter If we continue to light al
our candles at once aud burn them
at both ends. This Is the sort o
haste that makes waste. 1t doei
not make the best kind of men ant
women. 1t does not produce
healthy, robust thinkers. 1t IL
rather responsible for generation
Of weakliDgs. IF u foundation
were slower, surer and broader
laid, we should have superstruc
turs of more manly men ant
womanly women.