The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1882-10-27
The Decline OF Schooling.
Scientific american.

The Decline OF Schooling.
Scientific american.
At the recent meeting Of the New York
State Teachers Association, the report Of
the standing committee on the condition Of
education showed that, Notwithstanding the
steady increase Of the population of our
State, the number Of children in daily at
tendance upon the public schools is declin-
ing. The decrease was attributed by the
chairman Of the committee to "ths increased
demands made by manufacturing interests"
by which was meant, We presume, an in
creased employment Of children in factories.
The lesssning number Of children In
school Is not peculiar to New York State or
to factory towns. At other teachers gather
ings this summer the same condition Of
things has been noted and vsriouslv COM
mented upon As being more or less visible
throughout the country, and more or less to
be deplored.
The general feeling seems to be that the
schoolmaster Is losing his grip, and that the
country is likely to suffer In consequence.
That the schools are or can be in any way to
blame for the declining popular interest in
schooling, the school authorities are natur-
ally not disposed to believe; nor does 1t
seem to occur to them to think that their
apparent loss Of influence may really be an
indication of the spread of juster views thar
formerly prevailed of what is proper for
youthful culture.
To say that fewer children "of school age'
in proportion TO the school population, are
now to be found any day in school than was
the rule twenty years age, Is very far from
saying that proportionately few children are
being properly educated now. The legal
"school age" begins in this State at three
years. Formerly the custom was to send
little boys and girls three and four years
old to the public school; and such is largely
the custom still among the poorer classes
With we'll to do people, we are happy tc
believe, the sending of such small children
to school is becoming more and more the
exception. The growing feeling Is, thai
even when the school house Is kept in . con
dition sanitarily fit for the reception Of in
fants-which, we fear, 10 rarely the case :
the beginning Of school life had better, TO
the children's sake, be put off until the!
are six, eight, or, when home conditions ar
right, ten years old. For this reason vas
multitude Of children, whose educationa
prospects are the brightest, are now KEEP
from school. II the school work were differ
emily planned and regulated, It might b.
better for some Of these children to be II
school little every day; but not unde
present conditions. The fact that they ar,
not In school, however, must not be take
Is evidence that popular interest In educs
tisn 10 declining, or that popular education
is likely to suffer FOR it. As rule childrel
who begin serious school work at eight 0
ten years Of age are as far advanced In thei
studies At twelve as those who begin at thre
or four, and usually they are both PHYSICAL
and mentally in better condition for In
ssruction.
Not 30 satisfactory Is the frequent cuttin
of Of the other end Of the period spent /
school; and yet even that Is not An unmixe
evil, as the schools are usually conducted
When the free school system was frst deve
opsd tho belief was general that schoolin
was the one thing needful to enable youn
people to get on In the world; and IL was
common thing for parents to make gres
sacrifices to keep their children year afte
year in school, only to find In the end th,
their sons were too old to do boy's wori
and too proud to begin at the bottom Of an
trade or other industrial calling and wor
up. They must do something more gentee
and crowded Int the towns and cities 1
pursuit Of clerkships and quasi professions
engagements In which little present salar
was accompanied with extravagant expecta
ti0ns seldom or never to be fulfilled. Other
q unwisely pressed on in their schoc
course, mortgaging their future to prepar
themselves for learned professions, vainl
seeking to win fame and fortune in place
for which they had no real fitness. The cor
dltion Of much schooled but Ill educate
girls was, II anything, still worse.
| A natural reaction against this misdiret
tion Of youth and natural result Of the fall
ure Of the public schools to shape thei
work to meet the practical wants Of th
multitude is the disposition TO cut short th
school period early to begin in earnest whs
seems to be the real business Of life. Thong
ninety-nine In every hundred youth cannc
hope to 60 to college, their education,
needs are largely sacrificed to make th
school possible tributary to tbs college
Time which the majority Of youth need "a
practical preparation for their life work
thus very largely given TO studies Of valu
only In their relation to . subsequent Co
lege course which IL never 10 be enjoyed.
10 no evidence Of popular unwisdom, I
most teachers seem 10 think, that there ID =
increasing popular indisposition to surrends
80 much Of youths precious time to sue
impractical work. There is nothing 20 VI
uabls TO youth . education, but unhappil
schooling and education are yet far frol
being Synonymous; and II the schools n
!. declining In favor, Il Il because the intell
gent public see this fact moro clearly ths
ths mass Of school encials do.