Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-28
Trustee Bfrney Answers Trustee Love.
joys Interview.

| DISCUSSION.
Trustee Birney Answers Trustee Love.
| joys Interview.
ibid you read Mr. Lovejoy's statements in
THE STAR Of the 21st?' said our reporter to Gen.
! Birney.
| A. Eyes, they are plausibly made. The general
reader would probably accept them as correct"
O. what comments have you to make on
| them?'
A. ITO some of them don't care to object.
| When Mr.. Lovejoy says that educators from
the states have visited our schools and highly
commended Them have no reason to doubt
| the fact. But it does not weigh much. Visitors
are generally polite when a departing guest
assures his host that the evening has been most
| delightful, the latter must not take the phrase
| as If 1t were sworn testimony.
| ment that methods originating here have been
| COPIED elsewhere. 1t Is true, l know OF no
| method which originated here, unless it be that
OF having all the little tots OF six, seven and
| eight years of age celebrate Walter Scott's me-
| mortal day. II that almost incredible absurdi-
y mas Seen copied ELSEWHERE it has probably
Gy men who have never brought up children.
| 1t Is more probable, however, khat it was Dor
| the celebration was confined to older children.
III any other educational method has been origi-
mated here, Mr.. l.. should specify it. for origi-
nality of that kind is new thing under the
SUM-
| public schools
| ICED, are they not?''
| A. If conducted as they should be, they would
be attended by about three-fourtbs of all the
| children of school age. In 1883, in Cleveland.
| Ohio, there a good deal of dissatisfaction
| with the routine methods of the public schools;
gu. OF 4S,244 children between Sand L years of
| age, Doth included, there were %, 357 enrolled
Ia the public schools: In 1880, the United
states census shows in this District 47,T27
1t Is probable that, three years later, the num-
| peI between and Il, the school age, was at
M Yeast 1000; But in November 1883, the
was only 26,061, falling short by about 21 900
OF OF Inc Whole school population! That is. the
| Cleveland schools take in about 1900 more
| than half the school population and the Dis
trlet of Columbia schools take i'm only about
Zoo more than half Cleveland is man ufac-
| turing town and large numbers OF children are
at work Washington, manufactures hardly
anything, and nearly all the children might 60
private schools supported here is very
great, many parents preferring To pay tuition
| public schools
And why are so many children taken out of the
| public schools during the school yeare Between
| November, 1888. and the following June the
| FALLING OFT in the number enrolled was ASA,
| ana IN the number in attendance 2,209. AS the
~ oa enrolled was only 26,Oe1 the showing
agement brought in good deal less than half
OF the children of school age. and could not pre-
through a sieve! On the facts, modesty would
| be the virtue in order for the managers The
scnooi system needs overhaultng thoroughly: it
| can't be helped by new school houses newspa-
! 10 remedy abuses
| Q. care not the teachers good? Mr. Loveioy
says they ARE, as a class, cultured, conscien-
tious, Industrious and progressive"
A IF he had added that they are angels and
| the present very low prices of sugar toffee is
cheap But the best teachers are helpless
what they are told
| Q. What about exacting pledges from school
A Nobody proposes that, think: and no.
| body proposes that a trustee should make it
| MS business to go among the children and
encourage them TO take the temperance pledge.
| nor could we permit lecturers 10 GO through
| the schools tor the purpose of forming bands of
mercy or other societies. But the main BUSH
character of the pupil That has been SO since
| the days of Cyrus, when youths were taught
TO ride, shoot and tell the truth She has
| constantly recurring opportunities to teach, by
| example, truthfulness, frankness tenderness to
| the young and weak, humanity to brutes,
respect for the rights of all, moderation and
bearing elevated the pupils to high moral
plane. Under the influence of such an one, if
| parents cooperate, young people soon wish to
suppress in the school, profanity, filthy Ian
guage, rudeness, cruelty, and other vices too
eommom among ,sos the young believe in
| their good work. Let them organize if they
viii; let them have their mutual pledges, if
they choose. They will grow up better men
and women for it; and every parent will saw
amen. In building up the moral nature of the
child the teacher aids the parent: during school
q. What do you think of Mr.. Loveiov's
answer answer to the charge Of great multiplicity of
>. A. In my opinion he has not answered
II or attempted to do so. In substance, the
s is that there are eighteen different
| branches of study pursued in that grade
Mr.. Lovejoy neither denies the charge nor de-
tends the number; but says that there are but
e1g1 subjects In which the pupils are examined
other ten without notice In that connection
| The eight he gives are English language, arith-
metie' geSography u history drawing vocal
| not gie are physical and vocal culture, spelling,
reading, composition, penmanship, map draw
Ing, intellectual arithmethe word analysis,
the best teachers, three leading and
three or four subordinate, studies are
have loaded down the pupils and teacher with
more than double that number The surplus
studies are gaiiy described by Mr. Lovejoy "as
serve that have not split up peTmonship into
seven studies, or arithmetic in 81 or geography
into into i've. as sarcastically suggested by Mr. L.
| The studies are separate and each student
taxes nearly all of them-there are one or two
electives.
out word about the introduction of the study
| Of Greek in our public schools after Cornell,
Michigan university, and Johns Hopkins had
| cropped It, and Harvard was getting ready to
drop it from the list of obligatory qualifications
for admission; or about the old fashioned, obso-
lete textbooks we have, such as that wretched
| old Campbells US. History, or that Hottie s
physiology, which has no chapter, no paragraph
| even, on narcotics and stimulants, Just the sort
to teaching temperance in Schools Let me add
| that have never known the time when any re-
| form of abuses in the schools was looked upon
az seasonable by those who run the machine.
For any judicious reform, regard all seasons,
| summer"
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