Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-01-22

school interests. w ~ al
public schools should be oVer,ooheu,
Our desire for au 'fiicieht sys'e'' VI
schools leads US TO make 'n'ee ''e
Our Young people should be taught
from a very early age 10 act WIN al su
d, finite object In view SON, ~,
course Of study should be heiu Wy w
Nil. aud each one encouraged 10 coni
nlrt. that course The boy VINO KNOWS
Al nm early az. that his father in'enus
10 give hun "A collegiate edurat'oli mas
constantly before hi na dei1nite ouJtc.,
Inn lie poor boy whose fatler canno'
give him such a course has no ouyec..
He simply drifts through MS pupio
school days. load.
We hand you clipping from ieau'
ing educational paper whicn we nopo
van viii publ,sh. IL Is self-explana-
iorv. Nothing would crafty us more
lhnn 10 see "a clause engia tea ,hto
ON. new school law providing
that the state superintendent 0i the
=, at. board Of education, or some otheI
competent authority, shall Tx iour
Years course Of study, leaving OUT lnc
preparatory course. upon tne cohip,e
lion of which students snail DE ehti
tied to IA public school diplomas, signed
nv their teachers and managing School
officers OF their county.
For many years IL has been apparent
that some of our country schools
lacked a common object towards when
To work. To be sure the laws OF al
most every state III the Union, to Set
words, specify "A grea, object; but many
a al
singular faulty, ignore the statutes anu
iuu their schools as II were WllhouV"
definite programme.
For ius ance, nearly all states agree
tina the q mmun schools should t.ach
ortho. raphy, reading, wrl'ing aiith-
metic, go iaphS, grammar anu ms
tory, amu Ihe obvious iniere nee IL ihat
"a these BRANCHES should be taught 10
all pupils But our courts have TOO Of
ten allowed choice OF studies On me
part Of parents ana pupils ana teach-
ers have lerforce yielded to the
same choice without struggle. Ihus
many pupils III our country schools are
allowed To uriit along from year 10
year according 10 the current OF lheir
own fancy instead OF steering their
course by IA clear chart.
4 he result, AS we all know, IL FAR
from satisfactory to thinking cduca-
tors. AS "a rule, teachers are not To
blame for this state of affairs, but the
system il at fault, or rather there Is II
lack OF official state systems. The
tendency of educational legislation is
happily towards renedying the evil,
but as the actual progress Is slow
While the evil is continuous, IL be-
hooves teachers and scnool officers to
do what they can voluntarily To Inn
prove the existing condition OF things
That great improvements can be made
is seen IN various parts of the United
States where the graduate system Tor
country schools IL In operation.
This plan and its first application
were the work Of Alexander l. Wade,
of Morristuwn. West Virginia. The
idea IL Ia have fixed grade and course
of graduate studies for common schoUls
uniform for each county, or better
sill, for the state. Give say four years
To this course, ranking all lower pupiis
IN the preparatory department"
Then upon completion Of eacn year Of
this c0urse in the common branches
there should he Il public examination,
IA promotion to HE next elias, the he
slOwal OF diplomas upon the graduates
with public ceremon es, and the is
suing of "A county catalogue containing
the names of graduates, and alumni
meetings ofgraduates for the sake OF
keeping up Tie Interest. According 10
this plan "a cas1 thus graduated in
1876, in West Virginia, and since then
scores OF classes have received their
diplomas In other sections. So that
the scheme has already passed from
the domain 0l theory into the realm of
established facts. It's success has been
amply demonstrated, and its results
are known.
The following are some of the points
in its favor: q, IL clas,ifies the
studies laid down I'm the law to be
taught In our public schools. ~ The
course contains such studies as the
pupils should pursue. (3l II enables
teachers to accomplish more than they
can by the usual arrangement, by
which the studies pursu, d are deter
mined LARGELY by the judgmen mt of the
parells or the pupils. AZ There be-
ing an objective point, pupils will
work more faithfully, attend more
regularly and remain longer in school
s'"h 'iNJ "oulu blHfI Wise no. lDl
IL induces pupils to 20 through The
entire course Of study, which great
Inans would Otherwise not do. (6) IL |
arou'es the ambillon of the pupu to
excel. ~ The schools can be gov
erheh more easily and by better means.
~ III interests tie people Themselves
aud thus tends to advance the whole
cause of education. 90 The tendency
y TO make the teachers tenure 81
Dihce more certain and lasting, and
Ihus 10 Induce Persons OF ability TO re-
mat IN the profession. (lO) A better
standard of protest. nal SUCCESS will
ne esiu blished. QD a necessary
sep Is thus taken To supply the "niiss-
ing link" for connecting common
'ch"ols, high schools and universities.
~ Puplls moving from one place 10
'hnthrr IN the same county or state
WI mi In" the new school with less
iIilicnlly than now.
III salso To be understood that the
'rIgihhl Wade system, or any other of
'1ua value, does not specify the actual
books and studies for ench wear. but
caves all those details To the skilled
'Ihcers who have In charge the direct
supervision of the schools.
J. NJ