Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-05-02
THE HALLIDAY "sYsTEM.-
A View of Its LawfaIness and Its
Expediency.

A View of Its LawfHIness and Its
Expediency.
At present the children of the primary
department Of the Eureka Public School
are being taught according to the halliday
system )" that is, they are divided into
squads for school purposes, one of which
is taught in the forenoon and the other in
the afternoon. The SENTINEL has had
occasion once before to discuss this SUBJ
Ject as a matter of great public interest.
There seems to be but little reason for
such a ''system." There is no system
about it, and the word is a misnomer. It
can only be resorted to in emergency.
There is no other apology for it. When
children are started in school their work
should be continuous. The young mind
should not be severely taxed, but it should
be occupied wholesomely during as much
OF the day as it continues fresh and active.
A few minutes devoted to each child per
day is not enough to excite or to keep up
its interest. A child taught to write three
or four short words, and to read a little
paragraph in the morning and then be
allowed to run wild in the afternoon, may
60 to school for a year without making
any advancement in its studies. Thus the
best season for learning may be wasted
and no good ground be laid for
education until the child has possibly con-
tracted slovenly habits of study 80 as to
vitiate its whole after course. 1t is not
unlikely that the child may acquire a
disgust for its books that cannot be over
| oonoo Mnraovnr in tho baphovor NC "
of teaching that it is subjected to the child
is liable to become confused and acquire
false notions which it will be more difficult
to unlearn than it would be to start from
the very beginning in q, b, c's. Too high an
estimate cannot be placed upon the i'm
portance Of a proper start in its studies
for q young child. More than that, there
are many, a great many, children who may
lose their opportunities altogether for &C.
quiring the rudiments Of q plain educa-
ton if they are not advanced as rapidly as
possible from the day they enter school.
Again, as to the legal view Of the case,
we beg leave to call the attention of our
School Trustees to No. 3348, Section 20,
Clause 3, of the Compiled Laws Of Nevada:
cit shall be the duty of the School Trus-
tees to divide the public schools within
their district into primary, grammar and
high school departments n n pro-
0ided, there be sufficient means for all
such departments, and if not, then in the
order in which they are named, the pri-
mary school having the preference" This
language is plain and the spirit Of the law
is unmistakable. The purpose of our
public school system, an institution of
charity to a great extent, is that reading,
writing, arithmetic, ETC., should be taught
first, then if there is money enough the ex-
~traordinary branches may be taught in the
higher departments but that the younger
children shall or no account lose their
rights for the sake of still further ad-
vancing the older ones at the public
expense. The law has a generous and
commendable scope in offering all the
advantages to advanced pupils that can be
offered, but it does so with the proviso
quoted. There is a good deal of dissatis-
faction and complaint among parents;
and they are not without reason to be dis
satisfied and to complain. The public
have every confidence in the present
Board of Trustees, and it is expected that
they will give this halliday ''system" their
attention, as to its expediency, but more
especially with regard to the law involved.