Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1881-11-05
eureka Dailp Sentinel.
SATURDAY ...... NOVEMBER 5. 1881
ORR pu.IrC

It is conceded throughout the world
that the public school system OF the
United States is excellent. Interesting
reports on the subject have been made
by French and English educators, who
have come to America within the last
eight or ten years for the purpose OF
making a critical investigation OF our
methods and practice Of teaching These
learned men have invariably said much
to our credit. Their reports have, IN
fact, brought about many changes in the
conduct and policy of their W schools.
Our public schools have not been ham,
pered by old forms and prejudices, as
nave those of the old world. They have
kept pace in the march of progress with
other institutions and have, on the
whole, grown better and better with
every improvement of the age. The
cobwcbs Of routine and old fogyism nave
been swept away almost entirely. Hence,
the pleasing effect of our public school
methods of instruction and discipline on
the minds of foreign educators who nave
been hemmed in lily the ding-dong OF
European primary training. They see
youth, vigor, spirit. in our teaching as
opposed to antiquarianism, drudgery and
wearisome plodding in theirs. Yet it is
not well to cheat ourselves by an over
estimate of our much boosted institu-
tions. The training of the young mind,
according to the English, French or
German methods, does not carry about
it that sort OF attractiyeness which makes
the school.room a cheerful resort, but it
is characterized by work, hard work,
t~horoughness. If we could rid our
schools of some Of the novelties that
have i~nsidiously crept into them under
the guise of progress and modern i'm
proveulents, and make our pupils masters
of a few things rather than dabsters in
many, the training received in them
would be infinitely more useful, though,
of course, less snowy. The shafts of
criticism aimed against our public schools
are most often sighted at this vulnerable
point, and the critic need not be an ex-
pert marksman to score a frequent bulls
eye in this field. If in our public schools
we should accomplish thoroughly all we
know that we can accomplish in prepar-
49,
ing our boys and girls for the actual and
ordinary duties of life, and sink out of
sight and out of mind every study that
we are not sure may be taken down and
wholesomely digested by the rising gen.
Grafton, during the short space of time
allotted to public school education, such
cranks as DR.. Livingston would find less
to feed on and get thinned out to their
proper minimum. At a meeting of the
Social Science Association in San Fran
cisco this iconoclast took occasion to
pronounce the public school system q
failure, and urged that the only way to
redeem it was to infuse elements Of pri-
vate enterprise. This he proposed to
accomplish by leasing the public school
houses and furniture to the highest bid
der, who would undertake to keep them
open as private schools, with a fixed
charge for tuition, the revenue derived
from the leases to be used by the Board
of Education for building more school.
houses and to pay for the tuition of
those who are unable to pay for their
own tuition, and for furnishing such
pupils with a cheap midday lunch. The
subject was afterward discussed by the
association. The report goes on: every
one admitted the faults in the execution
of the theory of our public school sys.
tenn multiplicity of studies, over anx-
iety Of teachers to make a show of
superficial. knowledge of abstruse sub.
jects, resulting often in hopeless con.
fusion.-ED. SENTINEL. They suggested
remedies; and they all, of course, agreed
in scouting the proposition of DR.. Liv-
ingston as impractical and unsound."