The Indianapolis journal., 1883-01-27
EDUCATION AND VACATION.

lection as to methods OF lnStllllng knoWl-
edge into the youthful mind, the tendency is
to make the paths to learning still shorter
and smoother. Advocates of the highly
ornate and elaborate system of education now
in vogue, while holding that any child not
fool may easily become, under its workings
at least encyclopedia of facts if not
adopt any new labor-saving plan for the
benefit OF the pupil One book after
another has been done away with, oral in
struction being supplied instead by the
teacher; not that it is easier for the teacher,
by any means, but because of a prevailing
impression that study is injurious Daily
sessions have been shortened, intermissions
made more frequent, vacations heightened
and multiplied until, to the casual observer
school seems to be "out" good share of the
time. The youngsters are at liberty all sum-
mer, for two or three weeks at the beginning
of the year, nearly as long in the spring, and
have, besides, as many special holidays dur
ing the year as a congressman.
And yet with all this freedom. children
burdens, if their own and their parents COM
plants are to be believed. To many of his
elders child is an object of commiseration
because he must endure the hardships of
school at all, and the youth himself regards
school hours as so much unnecessary time
taken from the perusal of cheap novels and
Police Gazettes, or from his favorite recrea-
tions There are few old-fashIoned people
who remember when it was considered a
privilege to be allowed to attend school,
when children spent six hours day in the
school-room, studied hard there and at home,
and came to no harm if they were permitted
to play and made to work at proper inter
walls. So far as they are able to judge, too
the progress made under the old method was
quite as rapid as now, and in some respects
was more satisfactory than with the aid of
all modern self-acting labor-saying, war
ranted-not-to-rip Improvements.
This old-fashioned minority will hear
with some surprise, but without the
shock which it will bring to the in
ventors of the improved plan. cry of
another sort from Southern source. The
Charleston S. c., News and Courier is evil
IDENTIFY of the opinion that if school is good
thing children cannot have too much of it,
Where" it asks, lis the need of a holiday
NJ n, oe oF Nau Vaorie havopd tho ttu0
days themselves?'' why should children
whose time is so precious do nothing for a
whole week2' A suspicion may arise in
some minds that the writer has n personal
animus in this matter from having lately
had surfeit of juvenile society. He goes
on, however, with no uncertain sound and
puts his objection to vacations on financial
and moral basis. People, he says, are taxed
heavily for educational purposes, and should
see that they get the full value OF their
money. and that no time is lost by their
children. To keep boys at school, he thinks,
would be benefit to their morals as we'll as
their minds. Idleness does no good to half
grown lads. Not only is abolition of the
mdwinter holidays advised, but a shorten
ing of the summer vacation is recommended
Even this is not all. why" exclaims this
ardent apostle OF education, should the
whole OF Saturday be given as a holiday?
Think of III There is clean break from
Friday at 3 o'clock until Monday at 8; and,
in five cases out OF six the pupils show the
bad effect of lost time. In first-class schools
in England and at the North the exercises
continue until noon every Saturday. Per-
haps the teachers would object to teaching
on Saturday, but business men work until
late every Saturday night, and many of them
Sork late every night in the week, and they
go to their work as usual on Monday morn
ings. Why is it necessary that teachers
should have to themselves every afternoon in
the year. and every Saturday besides, not to
speak OF the long holiday in the summer"
This daring innoyator is doubtless unac-
quanted with the alleged fact that the aver
age child is a tender creature, whose mental
training is only to be conducted with great
caution and at the risk of his life. He is not
aware that physical culture is tho proper
matter to which attention should be devoted
and if the infant is to learn anything it must
take instruction in homeopathic doses and at
judicious intervals. He must be ignorant of
these things or he would not write as if
going to school and learning were as simple
as twice two, and not complicated matter
requiring much thought on the part OF par
ent or guardian He will find these things
out when the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children appeals to him. and ten
der-hearted philanthropists from the North,
where school exercises do not continue on
Saturday, deluge him with documents to
prove that he is a barbarian.
1t will be interesting to know if this prm-
tive view Of the object of schools. namely