The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-17

A Tax Payers Uprising.
We find the following dispatch from
Davenport, Iowa, in the ChicOgo Tribune
Of the 18th:
DAVENPORT, IA, February lathe Tax.
PAYERS Association OF this city, having 200
members, is making war on tue teaching
OF the German and other languages in the
public school, there being eleven teachers
employed for that purpose. A commune
cation WIS sent by the association 10 Inc
Attorney.GGneHl, Smith MCPHERSON, ana
his reply was received to-day. lie says:
''In my opinion, Sec. l,763 in still In force
lind no statute OF 1880 that repeats 1t,
either bycxpress repeal or by implication:
In the absence Of any statute being called
to my attention, ! do not understand how
Il can be claimed that Sec. ,1G3 Ia repealed.
am further Of the opinion that to direct
the teaching Of extra branches, languages,
etc, should not be regarded Us for IN in
definite time, but for the year only" This
opinion makes the action Of tho School
Board illegal, and the tax association to,
day passed resolution, on the strength oil
the Attorney Generals letter, THAT the
School Boards action is tyrannicll and I'M
called for in teaching the foreign languages
AT the public expense.
We have always believed that those who
persisted in fastening on the public school
system complex curriculum Of education
were not the true friends Of the system
but were rather those who invited just
such uprisings as this one at Davenport
Their disposition has been to ignore the
true and fundamental idea involved ii
common school education, and substitute
for it something advanced, elaborate ant
expensive, thus doing injustice to the mas
Of the youth irequenting the schools ant
to the tax payers who support them. /
can not be too often repeated that the onl!
true system Of common school cduca
ton that will DO justice to the chill
dren and to the tax payers is on,
that will realize the fact that thorough
instruction in the elementary branches o
an English education is all that was eve
intended, and all that can ever be success
fully accomplished by the system. Tn
school years for the masses are few, mn
hence the necessity for condensini
thorough instruction into those years in til
ground work of education. To learn t
spell and read. write and compose well
and to become expert in figures, and to sc
fair knowledge Of geography and history
are not requirements that can be pickec
up in year or two by any means, as i
shown by the large numbero poor spoilers
poor readers, miserable letter writers ant
crude arithmetiCians who come out OF thu
schools after years Of half taught instruc
ton therein. Some Boston people waket
up to u knowledge Of the fact u year ago tina
their school children could not writea cred
table application for business situation
They could neither spell correctly nor ex
press themselves in belltting phraseOlogy
They were mere smattcrers. This was til,
legitimate fruit Of the superficial system o
crowding the children with lot Of hodge
podge in the shape Of diversified education
that they could not assimiIate in their un
disciplined minds. The motto Of the com
mon schools should be, lay the foundation
stone Of education deep and solid and thu
superstructule will take care OF itself.