The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-15
EDUCATION FOR THE MANY.
The indianapolis Public Schools Open
with a Large Attendance.
The High-School and It's Prospects
Classical School for Boys and Girls
Notes About Pupils.

The public. as we'll as several of the private
schools of the city, opened for the season yester-
day with very large attendance.
Superintendent Jones was met last night at
the close of what he declared the busiest day of
his life. He was in excellent spirits and humor.
He reports the schools we'll filled, and both
pupils and teachers eager to begin the work of
the year. The work is so we'll laid out that the
regular daily class grind will begin to morrow.
Mr.. Jones stated that to morrow evening the
principals club-reallY pedagogc club-would
organize for the work of the year They meet
every Tuesday evening, thirty principals and
supervisors, to exchange courses and knowledge.
In these meetings the best thought of each be-
comes the common property of all. Mr.. Jones
has had this class in one form or another for the
past years, and it is this kind of work that
has really given him the strong hold and
power that ne has in the city
schools. The teachers are with him
in thought, and work as unit, and of such
union the result is harmony and power to an ex-
tent never before known in the conduct of the
city schools. Another club of teachers of ad
vanced grades is to be formed soon; they will
study Bain's education as science, spencer on
Education" and kindred works. The outlook,
on the whole, is good one; the schools are wen
organized, and there is no devils plot or
scheme brewing which will antagonize the object
of the public schools. If the money holds out
they will run as usual the entire year, and if
there is shortage of funds the board will hustle
round and borrow it rather than cut wages
shorten the terms or take any action to impair
the efficiency of our excellent system.
THE CITY HIGH SCHOOLS.
The High school moved off yesterday like clock
work. Whatever may be said about the quality
and quantity of the June grist delivered at the
Opera-house annually, there is no doubt as to
the perfection of the machinery which grinds
and molds it. Every pupil in the High-school
met his teachers yesterday morning, in three
classes where lessons were assigned, and in
many cases subjects discussed.
All the work of classification was done during
the summer by Principal Grant who excels as a
systematlst. Mr.. VIM. Bass acted as clerk and
master of ceremonies, and showed the new class
es to their rooms. There is large attendance
for the coming year; many outside students are
coming in, and number from out of the city.
The new buildings for the High-schools
have done much to stimulate attendance
of the classes are crowded. the rectations and
exercises are forty five minutes in length; stu
dents are not allowed to take but three subjects
without permit from the principal, and it is not
often encouraged. Glasses in zoology. botany,
geology, chemistry and physics have been newly
formed. The opportunities for laboratory work
in chemistry are excellent Most of the science
subjects are optional WITT students The En-
glish course is required and is made the leading
course in the school, languages, mathematics
| n c,,hn
Hlgh-school No 2 Virginia avenue, Prof I.
G. Afford, principal with Misses Roda Selleck
and Demree, and Mr.. Hoffman, of the State Uni
verslty, assistants, opened up with 100 students.
| takes pupils through the junior year, and will
| add botany and geology to its course this year.
High-school No. 2 is the special pet of DR.. STRAIT
ford, who was on hand at the opening yesterday,
High-school is substantial addition to the pub
lie school facilities, and is one of the finest-ap-
pearing buildings both outside and inside, in the
city.
CITY NORMAL SCHOOL.
The City Normal School, Miss Mary Nicholson
principal. now has course of year and a half
year of theory and art Of teaching, and half
year in the practice schools. In the practice
schools they get $50 month. Most of the nor
malites graduates of the High-school, which
has furnished three-fourths Of the city teachers
Two of these normal graduates are put under
the care Of a supervising principal, and there are
eleven of these supervisors. The schools are
furnished with twenty-five new teachers from the
normal school annually. This is probably as
good way of securing teachers as any that can
be devised but it still has it drawbacks and does
not always secure the best talent, physical
strength and kindness of disposition school
teachers should have.
THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
Indianapolis has the finest school buildings of
any city in the West They challenge compet-
ton for convenience and excellence. Models
and plans of them are often sought by school
boards and architects from various and distant
parts of the United States. Building Agent
Hendrickson reports the % school buildings in
frst-class order, and the schools never in such
apple-pie order as this fall The stoves are all
up, the wells have been examined sanitarily, and
| everything possible done for the comfort Of the
1900 pupils who are to inhabit them the next
ten months. School No. 16 has had a room added
this summer
THE CLASSICAL SCHOOLS.
The Classical Schools for boys and girls both
opened with an enrolment considerably larger
than that of last year. Over twenty five new
names are registered in the boys school, and in
the girls building there are few vacant seats A
larger proportion of the students at the boys
school are working with the definite aim of pre-
pairing for certain colleges than ever before
Among them are aspirants for Yale, for the Shelf
field Scientific School, for Harvard, and for
other of the leading universities. In both the
boys and girls schools the scientific courses are
being worked up to the high level already at
| tanned in the classical departments; the courses
in modern languages have always covered five
years of advanced grammar, translation and
reading of selections from the classical authors
I1c% I1& L.,
sides the primary work done in both. New cx-
ercises are being arranged for the gymnasiums
of both schools. The boys gymnasium has
been put in thorough repair, and
of the Sergeant system promises to increase the
efficacy of the schools in promoting the health
and strength of the pupils. The advantages of
the lower primary department are, for the
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