The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-12-11
Political Tactics Applied to
Education.

have been Informed that one OF the present
teachers in the schools tried the "word
method" of teaching reading with her
classes, ten years ago, and so manifest was
the improvement that she abandoned the
old alpbabetic method and continued the
new. Others of the primary teachers,
hearing of the success Of the "new meth
3D." as IL was called, made themselves ac-
| quainted with 1t as far as they could, and
also introduced 1t. The "six or eight
years of the preamble TO the resolutions
unanimously adapted" should have been
ten. There must, however, have been a
reason for making 1t about eight.
But the pernicious effects of the "new
methods" must have remained latent four
or FIVE years, for we are informed by the
| Republican that this deterioration" began
only five or six years ago. Either the di-
rectors miscalcuated their time, or the
deterioration" kept itself purposely con-
cealed from them four or five years.
The preamble asserts that the "pure
word method so.called" was adopted. The
pure word method can mean but one Of
two things, namely either that only dis
connected words were taught, or all words
simply by sight. But since neither of these
as we are told is true, the,assertion has
much the appearance of a falsehood.
| The preamble also states that the ''pure
word method so-called" was adopted as
the proper one. This at least insinuates
that some one considers this method as the
| proper one but as the directors have fail
ed to answer who it is, we shall regard
this also as savoring of an untruth.
To show that some of these schools could
not have deteriorated much below what
they were eight years ago, and that the So
called deterioration was really an improve
ment, we would state that we have it upon
| good authority that at that time two gem
tlemen of experience in school work, vis-
tied number of the rooms. but not of the
primaries and found much of the teaching
antiquated and irrational.
One of the same gentlemen, in company
with other educators, has since visited
them twice, the last time, we believe, two
| years ago, and he says tina. each visit
showed an improvement on the preced-
| ing.
That the views entertained by these VS.
TORS have also been held by other persons
| appears from the following /. AT the
| time Ex-Superintendent William Sny-
| der, then Principal, held his exhibition of
| the schools in the Opera House, after DR..
| Higbee's address, one of the directors,
| being called upon for a speech, spoke of
| of the advantages the children had of ac.
quiring an education, adding that it had
been question with the directors whether
| the course of studies should not be extend
| ed, but that some had opposed it, believing
| that an extension would injure the atten-
| dance at the Normal. 2. Mr.. Snyder
while principal of the schools, frequently
| invited us to visit them, saying that the
teachers were doing good work, and that
| the schools were improving. 3. Mr.. Buck
| ingham, Mr. Snyder's successor, also in-
vited us to visit the schools, invariably
speaking well of the teaching and of the
progress of the schools.
According to the foregoing opinions, the
| schools have not been retrograding, or de-
| teriorating, but improving. Since, how
ever, one OF the directors only few years
| ago spoke of their excellent condition and
! now says that they have been deteriorating
| for the past five or six years,w should like
| to have him reconcile his two statements
| Will he be kind enough to tell us which of
| them to believe. Both of them cannot be
| true and since there is no middle ground,
| one must be false.
| 1t appears from what has now been said
| Q) that the "word method" of teaching
reading was introduced into the schools
ten years ago, instead of six or eight (2)
that the "pure word method so.called" was
never used and (3) that the schools have
not deteriorated, but improved.
| In our first communication we showed
that the word method of teaching reading
is philosophical, being based upon well es-
tablished psychological principles it can
not therefore be erroneous. 1t is, too, the
method employed by the large majority of
intelligent and successful primary teachers
in the United States the only exceptions
being those who use either the phonic or
the sentence method-both of which are
more difficult than the word method. The
assertion made in the preamble, that the
word method of teaching reading is fail
ure, is consequently a mere invention and
| without the shadow of truth and since
the directors did not express any doubt as
to the qualification of the teachers (because
| they could not, there remained but one
party to whom shortcomings could be
| charged, if there were any, and we do not
| doubt that they existed. Can those of the
directors who preferred the charges, see
the point ?
1t can make little difference to any one
who Justice" is, as long as he seeks moth
ing but truth and justice. Frothy articles
headed Methods of Instruction, New Meth
| DDS, or anything else, and containing igno-
| rant assertions, Misrepresentation, and
evasions, do not irritate him even the
| truth would not do so. Those who write
| the articles in question, need not worry
| themselves about the feelings of Justice 4;
but he would gently remind them of this
fact, namely, that If they continue to make
| such unfounded statements as they have
been doing he will not hesitate to show
them up iu their true light, whenever he
feels like it,
| The Republican of Nov. 10 contains an
| editorial, headed Methods of Instruction,
which in every one of its statements plain
| ly exhibits the methods of the politician in
stead of the educator. Its writer seems
"stirred" because we have said that the
| directors are incompetent to criticise meth.
| ods. Our assertion is based upon their
statement that the word method of teach
| lnB IeuuluG lS u lulluTe, ana lnelr SuDStltu.
tion OF the most stupid of all methods fol
| 1t. Could anyone want more conclusive
evidence of the justness of our assertion =!
The writer says, too, that the eminent
| educators we have quoted, advocate the
method we pronounce unphilosophical
| Will he have the goodness to point ou,
where we have pronounced it unphiosoph-
ical. What we said was, that if the teach.
ers had taught as the directors alleged they
had-but which we did not believe-their
method would have been unphilosophical
and that this would have been satisfactory
| evidence of their unfitness
We are told, further, that the graduates
of the Normal have always had the prefer.
ence in the Bloomsbury schools If giving
them inferior positions, such as those of as
sistants, is considered preference, ther
truly they have, until within a few
| years, had the preference. Wonder
full preference One of the director,
for the past "six or eight years, whenever
an opportunity was afforded him to do so
spoke in opposition to what he called tn,
new methods, and yet we are told tha
these methods were TO have fair trial, ant
that the directors come to their 'carefu
examination" unbiased. Remarkable as
sertions
But the new methods are so impractical
/ ,h