The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-10-31
Our schools.

| While | think there is always room for i'm
provement am surprised at the proposition to
throw out French and drawing and to bring
the studies down to the "three Rs" with few
additions. 1t is more than forty years since
Rembrandt Peale and others began to urge the
Introduction Of drawing into common schools.
and it was curious to note how long it took to
have so sensible suggestion adopted. We al
ready begin 10 feel the effect of il in raising the
artistic taste of the whole people in common
Things. This is matter in which America is
notably behind Europe, and our excuse has
been that this was new country. Let US be
thankful that beginning is made, and encour-
age it all we can. The same thing is true
about the languages. Chaillu speaks of a din
ner party in Norway, where seven languages
were spoken, all but two OF the party using at
least three, aud some the whole seven. French
is here taught in the High School, and does
not interfere with the common branches.
hold that our public schools are as thorough as
schools have ever been in our past history, and
have children in primary, grammar and high
school. had recently an excellent opportu-
nifty to judge. One of my boys was called up
on at brief notice to face difficult examias-
ton in the elementary branches, and review
ed him carefully at home. As he had been en-
gagged on the higher branches for two and a
half years he had had ample time to forget
them If not thoroughly grounded. I found
him easily at home on any of the problems of
Arithmetic given in the school book, prompt at
parsing sentences aud explaining any question
in grammar, able to draw map of the world
from memory sufficiently correct for all practi
cal purposes of enquiry, giving boundaries
capitals, principal cities, rivers, bays capes
and islands, mountain chains, aud to name the
conspicuous peaks, excepting those OF the
Himalayas which think would puzzle even
the editor of New York paper to remember.
He was also able to write, punctuate and capt.
taize correctly from dictation, but his High
School training had been in that direction.
find the same thoroughness in the child now in
the Grammar school, and / am convinced that
the system is better than when was a scholar
in Portland Primaries, Westbrook Seminary
and Boston schools between 1910 and 1850
am ashamed to say that have never been into
enc of our city schools since was a pupils al
though think parents should go often to fam
iliarize themselves with the methods, yet l
have watched the effect of the teaching upon
my children for twelve years very carefully
and satisfied that the schools are improving
as rapidly as journalism, manufactures or
trades. | am convinced that twenty years hence
there will be AS many men on the jury who
can make up the account of partial payments,
as today, notwithstanding the time that was
put into arithmetic in the old red school house
and think it will not harm them to have
learned 30 draw, for constantly hear meehan-
les regretting that they cannot do it. But
drawing helps the writing nearly as much as
the time It takes Music is an extra, but it is
also a relaxation and relief from the studies
The other extra studies in the Primary and
Grammar schools are simply oral, and serve to
interest pupils without imposing additional la
boz. If you will consider how many stop short
of the High School, you will admit that there
can be no objection to allowing those who de-
sire to cultivate literature, astronomy, botany,
physiology, history and the Languages to
| go on. 1t is true that some High School schol-
airs may have forgotten something of the gram
mar course, but so did we in the elder days.
/ fancy many gradu ate of the old red school
house If he We're to apply for place in the
| Custom House by competitive examination,
would grow pale if he we're asked to sail in
Imagination around the Mediterranean-sea and
name each river, bay, CITY, island and cape as
he passed it. That was one of the questions
asked my boy, and confess that l took the
| map to follow him.
! Isuggest that our teachers set day In each
| week 10 receive visitors, and urge, BY public
| invitation, parents to go constantly to the
schools to see the result actually done. Let us
| have real criticism and suggestions. There are
| plenty of things to be improved in text books
and in methods, and that is the way to reach
il r.