New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-10
NOTES ON EDUCATION.

M, o,o Ok ooses of corporal punishment III
A.. ,,;,,uan,oo schools during the past month. IL
q a dispraceful record, and shows tna' 'noio 80
something wrong in the system or the 'enp
the teachers.
.,.oter NJ nm institute recently held at Norris
town said that the greatest mistakes MADE py
teachers were: That of examining for examination
not consulting frequently enough with the board OF
directors: not properly governing their pupils
using the bell too much giving all their time 10
school :; combining themselves too closely 10 tne
textbook, and doing for child what ne eau uo
himself.
A committee of the Albany School Board recon-
mends that chd's magazine, or paper, be used as I
additional reading matter in the primary classes
All the classes it is suggested should daily commit
to memory and rehearse short quotations, and IT 10
further recommended that the course of study be
amended by extending the use of the language les
sons through the seventh year. and by conhning the
use of the textbook on grammar to the elShlh anu
ninth years.
The income of the st. Louis public schools for the
past year was 1905, 1913 SO. The expenditures
amounted to 1911, 157 81. The expenses have been
reduced over $4,000 since 1879, notwithstanding
an increase in attendance. No material reduction
in teachers salaries has been made since 1877 Inc
cOlored citizens have asked that the Kindergarten
system should he extended TO teir schools and the
president of the School Board regards TINS request
as just and reasonable.
Lord CaIlingford, in recently distributing prizes
to some successful candidates in the Oxford local
examinations, advanced very revolutionary opin-
ions in regard to the maintenance OF caste IN the
British schools. He thought that different classes
might very well send their children TO the same
schools provided the schools were good lie saw no
reason wiv children up to a certain should not
ell together on the benches of the same elementary
school. This is enough to make the BLUSH non ro"i
amaln.
At the session last week of the New-Bcdiord |
Teachers Institute Agent Hubbard, of the Massa-
chusetts Board of Education, said that he thought
not too much but too long arithmetic was taught IN
the schools. If it taught less pupils would
know a great deal moro. He would teach compound
numbers little progression not at all; The reason
why many advanced scholars conld not go 70 a |
store, purchase number of articles and calculate
the proper change, was because they ianeo 10 MAKE
O practical use of their learning.
The incoming Ohio Legislature is to be asked to |
consider the question of abolshng the present sub
district system of country schools and adopting
the township system in its place There are said to
be hundreds of sub-districts in Ohio that contain
only dozen or hslf-dozen pupils, while others are
overcrowded. In county there are two adjacent
sub-districts, of which contained eight pupils
last winter while the other contained forty; Inc
school fund was distributed equally among ne SUD-
distrcts-$200 to each for tuition-thus making the
unjust allowance of $50 per pupil III the one us
trct. to So per pupil III the DINER.
Professor w. H. Niles, of the Massachusetts, Insti-
tnte of Technology says that geography should be
taught mainly without books. except aliases.
Globes are valuable aid. Facts should be the first
thing Causes and relations should be deferred for
a later course In the first part of the elementary
course which may do for term, definitions OF OBJ
jects as mountains, seas, rivers and BAYS may DC
taught Part second may be a teaching OF charac-
teristics of the notable individual mountains, etc.
And so on. In rural districts, q small school may
be taught geographical lesson from the school
house windows If this is impracticabe. excursions
may be planned for extra hours For these the
class should be divided, not more than ten gong at
once The scholars may have good time on the
way but arrived at the place selected for the les
SON order and discipline should be enforced study
from nature is worth more than study from BOOKS
The scholars may be told to observe different por-
tions of the country about the school-house vii
iage so that collectively they can make rough
map Of It. This T teac4 ,s m aSs sD Oi obSc Of
maps. Freehand map drawing Is an Important
portion of the study.
That Superintendent Macmillan, of the Utica
schools is a man of good practical sense is shown as
much in his fourteenth annual report just issued as
by his preceding In nothing Is he wiser than
in this statement q" The theory that any person is
qualified TO teach in primary department is very
erroneous one. As stated in a previous report it
Is in these departments children receive their first
and most lasting impressions for it is generally
conceded that during the first ten years of life the
mind is more receptive than at any subsequent pc
nod. consider that there is person in our corps
of teachers who holds difficult and important |
position as the instructor in the lowest primary de-
parment Indispensable requisites for success, and
rare as indispensable in this most trying of tasks
are aptness in imparting knowledge devotion to the
work and full recognition of the great responsible
ties and issues involved. When teacher possessing |
these rare qualities is found sufficiently strong in
ducements should be offered to retain her III the p0
sition. would suggest that such teachers be paid
a salary higher than that received by envy other |
teachers in the ward schools except the principals"
Mr.. MacMillan's admirable suggestions are COM
mended TO the school authorities of other cities.
The Medical Society of Cleveland recently dis
cussed the effect of our system of education the
health of girls. The general conclusion reached
was that the effect was not injurious. Inquiries ad
dressed by one member to some of the most dstin-
guished physicians in the country had evolved |
their opinion that there nothing detrimental to
the health of girls in the ordinary going up and |
down stairs in the city schools circular was
sent by the Cleveland School Superintendent to the
parents of the High-School pupils asking exhaus-
tive questions as TO the time given to school work,
the effect upon the pupil, the amount of exercise
taken, ETC. The answers show that about four
ffhs of the parents satisfied that their children
do not spend too much time out of school with
school work that their minds are not overtaxed
with school duties; that they have sufficient time
for exercise social culture recreation, general read
ing. etc; and that they do not recommend a reduc
ton of school work A large number of Superin-
tendents and teachers were asked: Can you re-
CALL you aware of, any instance of mental
breaking down by any pupil of the public schools
during your connection with them. clearly attrib-
utable to overworkf" The answer has been in the
negative in every instance.
Disguised father writes to q Philadelphia Jour
nal saying that the other day he heard his little
girl sobbing q rule which she was trying to
commit to memory, in the following words, to-wit:
Rule for short division rule dash one write the
divisor at the left of the dividend, semicoon begin
ut the left hand, comma, and divide the number
denoted by each figure of the dividend by the