The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-08-01


apart from the ordinary curricalum-in
word the Public School Is TO take the place
OF the Church that the moral well-being OF
society may be promoted. While one set OF
theorists is discussing moral instruction In
the Public Schools another class comes for
ward with the demand that the Public
Schools shall be transformed into work
shops, where the pupils may learn trades, or
''that the State as the guardian OF society,
shall come forw ard and incorporate into the
Public School system such course OF In
struction in the technique OF the
several industrial arts As would enable
the pupil to acquire the art OF gelf-supp0rt
when he leaves the institution" Manifestiy
it is right and proper for teachers to impress
upon the minds OF THAR pupils reverence for
goodness, truth. low Of God, home, parents
and country; indeed, such teachings ought to
be conspicuous in the school readers. Teach
ers ought to be distinguished for morality,
and therefore be qualified to teach by ex-
ample as well as by precspt. That is about
all the State can do in the way OF teaching
morals in the Public Schools, and that may
be done without disturbing the system now
in vogue. In the matter of school-taught
hsndlcrafts impractIcability and impossi.
bility at once stamp the proposition as
chimerical. The Public School rooms can
not be transformed into workshops, and
handicrafts can not therefore be
taught in any way that men
~
The supreme demand is that the youth of
America have a sound elementary education.
The school age averages. say from Sky ears
10 eighteen years-in all twelve years. 0rti-
srily that will give on an average six years
schooling. Take tbs average youth who goes
10 the Public School six months in the J ear;
IL he succeeds in acquiring a thorough
knowledge OF the rudiments OF an English
education in that time the State has fulfilled
It's obligation. The youth Is then equipped
TO learn trade. He can read. write and
cipher, has 8 fair knowledge OF geography
and history. can speak and wIits the English
language with q fair degree of correctness.
During his school age il he displays fond
ness for any Of the mechanic arts he should
be encouraged, and In various ways
the school may help him along, but the
idea that he can be made
mschinist, a blacksmith. shoemaker, cooper,
or be taught any other hsndicraft in the
Public School is simply preposterous, and is
not worth considering. 1t is we'll said that
eur Public School Curriculum hiss been al
ready expanded far beyond its egitimate linn
its; and, apart from that 1T is not soundprin-
ciple of political economy for the State to
tax one class Of people for the benefit of an
other class Our industrial system is best off
when left to the development which comes
OF natural methods. We recognize, to the
fullest extent, the duty of the State to main.
tain the Public School system, so far as il L.
indispensable to the masses for the oriir airy
qualifications OF intelligen, citizenship; but
beyond thst-its original limitStion-it ought
not to be permitted to 20. In many OF the
States, School Commissioners, who are usu'
ally the Offspring of the political machines
are seeking to incorporate the teaching of
the industrial arts, with high salaried pro-
fessors, as the expense OF the taxpayers
Technics are to be added 10 the foreign Ian
guages, and thus thu Common School of the
future IS TO turn out race Of graduates who
will be able not only TO read Greek and Latin
and the modern languages, but who, 'nira6ite
dicfs, will slso be adopts al shoemaking. tail
oring carpenteripg and what not. Could
anything be more grotesquely Utopian?'
The demand now is to keep wild theories of
education out of the Public Schools, but If
the indications are that imprsctlcable
chimes will be injected, productive of
trouble ard ultimate disaster.