The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1883-03-15

Cannot our good superintendent himself
or In connection with the other teachers. OF
board of edacatiou, dsvise some metbot
whereby the taidy bell may be abolished
Or must the lives OF our more nervous AM
sensitive little ones be Larassed forever 10y
the internal changing tardy bells! 1t is the
home-life and arrangements that cause chill
dren TO be iardy, and the little ones them
selves are not TO blame. From the moment
they are out Of bed their worry commences
Food is half eaten, and their delicate and
tender organizations are put on mn eternal
strain. There IL not a day passes. hardly
that little tender souls may not be seen rush.
ing in the direction Of some one OF tie school
buildings, the tears streaming down their
faces and urged on by older brothers or sis.
tiers. crying in their distress for fear the tar.
dy bell will cease its brazen summons before
they reach the threshold. II is refined tor
ture and makes our blood boil when we wit.
ness it. And there are other things against
which we solemnly protest One OF them IL
the employment Of young and inexperienced
teachers in the primary grades, the place Of
L AL otutit bScutuS CABCitShtc anu hAothtsfs
intuition and understanding. Besides, the
| scholars In the advanced schools are allowed
| TO 20 out whenever nature commsnds, while
| in the schools where the tender buds we love
| 30 are huddied together, consent must first
be obtained. What the result is the doctors
and mothers OF Wichita can tell, but more
solemn answer comes from the silent little
81. Ill 80. loni oA
or UNDECIDED is followed, ever, by y dire PEN
atty. And n child unnecessarily punished,
or a sensitive nature humiliated. is more
terrible crime than robbery or the violation
of n oath. II is not the Wichita schools but
the schools of the whole country that are
open 10 these objections. Ours are probably
rs free of these faults as the most, but strict
rules, competition. enforced rivalry and en-
ulation are the curse Of latter-day schooling.
A great many teachers labor under the im-
preston, says some one. that TO achieve sue
cess In teaching they must enforce the strict
est discipline. They do not allow their little
charges, who are rs free AS air at home. and
ought TO be, TO move or turn In their seats,
or to converse with each other on topics con.
nectcd with their lessons even. lest they
make some commotion or disturb the school
or the nerves OF the teacher. The young
are naturally restless. naturally full Of act
i've life. naturally love to play and talk. and
any discipline curbing has depressing ef-
feet on their minds and Is 0dious. We speak
now Of little children. IL they are CON-
PEELED to remain in one position any length
Of time they become weary Of their labor
and their minds become confused and imper-
feet lessons, and nervousness. sleeplessness,
and Indigestion result An old and expert
enced educator says Those schools in which
the pupils are allowed the greatest freedom In
their action are the most succe sful Any
confidence in pupils is appreciated by them,
and they seldom abuse privileges given them
tits not that school in which the greatest quiz
etness prevails that makes the best progress,
it is quite the contrary because there is some
noise and confusion attending upon work of
nearly any kind, and the work of the school
room Is no exception. The pupils cannot
work and preserve quietness, and IL pupil
remains very quiet he is contemplating some
mischief or is Indifferent to his work. We
have no hesitancy in declaring If different
system cannot be maintained by our schools
then the board OF education should abolish
the primary grades, allowing no child under
ten years old to attend school. Such is the
feeling on this subject that two OF our pub
lie offices-one of them a member of the
school board, will no longer allow their chill.
dren to attend school, and two mothers have
told us that they understood the school fund
for the year was exhausted of which they
were 20 glad.
Many promising child has been hurried
to the grave or crippled in intellect and en-
feebled in body by over study. A little eight
years old girl In Philadelphia died a few days
ago from brain fever, in which her delirious
were all about examples in arith-
mctic. She had been in mortal fear Of being
set back grade by failure at examination.
Common sense in the school room IL one of
the chief needs of the period.
Our children are being made machines OF,
who must go at the tap Of the bell, and be
run through on time, held to an inflexible
track and rigid route, under the highest pos
sible pressure, their drivers forgetting or ig-
noring the fact that they are but tender hui
man plants and not insensate, tireless en-.
gines OF ribbed steel and roaring fires.