The Wilmingtonian., 1884-12-13
THE SCHOOL-BOY'S MENTAL
CALIBRE.

the piopriety of exactng a tax Of five hour
mental labor upon the child Of school agt
The ordinary parent, or qua, dim, or mem
Der of school board, considers it not in ex
cess OF the mental calibre of the school boy
or girl-otherwise there would have beei
some modification, ere this in scholastic re
quirements.
There is no doubt however that our com
mon school curriculum, as regards the mum
Der and choice of subjects authorized by til,
Board of Education of Wilmington is an en-
inenty fitting and just one. No bette
curriculum could be chnsen in order to ap
the opportunity of the attainment to al
intelligent educational standing in the com
muniiy.
The time has arrived however, in this
nineteenth century to inquire whether the
term 'school" as it applies nowadays worth.
| lily covers the idea that it should or that it
embraced in more expanded and intelligent
sense many centuries ago.
| 1t is claimed in these columns that the
demand made upon the mental capacity of a
child Of school age, let us take, for exam
ple's sake that of lad of tn 'rtcen years of
age, in one pal ticular branch of study math-
ematics, were the problems required by his
teacher dgested to such degree of intelli-
| gent efficiency, that the principles involved
were not only readily demonstrable but That
| their intelligent application in any direction,
indicated full and firm mental grip, clear
and adaptable on demaud,-t is claimed
that fifty per cent of the allotted daily school
hours would be not overmuch time for their
study in order that the degree of efficiency
described might be attained.
In the case of the exact sciences, the
worthy study Of any problem calls for tile
strictest mental abstraction. No simple ac-
statement of formula or answer is sufficient
The true logical value of any problem
given to be solved, it is believed, is not in
its individuality alone or in its solution, but
more in the evidence OF easy aggressive or &C.
centric application of its principles in corol-
larry, deduction, or in any of the wide ranges
of accidental or incidental inference it may
be likely to touch or have affinity. 1t is in
this nimbus or scarf-skin of the nutshell Of
education in which the real gold, the refined
gold, of scholastic results IS to be found
Ofcourse it may be claimed that this is
what is essayed, How is it then that the
major portion of the mathematical recitation
does not and indeed could not evidence these
intelligent results. Too wide field of
school-book text is required to allow for
mental assimilation in its proper share,
which should always be the more prominent.
Almost the whole term of recitation is nee
essarily involved in the elucidation of exam
Piles in order to obtain correct answers and
comparatively little in investigation of the
principles involved. 1t may be questioned
whether it is judicious, in the light of the
fact that dozen or more examples being
required of the scholar, whether, the strict
demand of an efficient mental grasp of them
all in their varied application, fully and
clearly, does not entail excessive task upon
the mental calibre of the child during any
school day, it being borne in mind that
there are other studies required though not
of that degree of mental strain as in the case
of mathematics.
According 10 the current ideas that OBJ
tain nowadays, the work done in our schools
| is efficient, that is to say the superintendent
of schools faithfully and successfully car
ries out the ordinances and theories of the
Board of Education. But even with the
conservative curriculum that we have per-
haps it would be moro judcious to go slow
Ell in the amount of textbook page travel
and apply effort in the direction of more ex-
pansiye elucidation and digestion of princi-
pies, more emphasizing and dwelling upon
their application than upon the attainment
in the scholar OF a creditable tally of fright
answers Many a pupil will through the
deceptive iteration of formulae give his
teacher an absolutely correct statement O
the probleml But is this sufficient? Does
it ensure an understanding of the principles
The ability to give correct formulae at rec
itation is usually taken for granted in ou
schools as sufficient, and SO far as tim
allows and the allotment of supervision b
the teacher, justly so. The result in Viii
mington Public Schools in this respect show
well for the faculty. Conditions limit ther
. to no more expansive work.
, But is not real school wolk after all nc
+ the acquaintance with principles but thei
diversified application. Would it not |
more fruitful to dwell full hour upon til
investigations of the bearings embodied
i one single principle than to race over do
n en- examples with correct statements an
answers in order that each pupil in tt
a class may score successful recitation