Morning journal and courier., 1886-08-24
Elementary Education. From the Saturday Raview

It is an article of belief with many good people, largely by MT. Matthew Arnold's own fault, that they teach much better abroad,
 and so there was an obvious propriety in sending MT. Matthew Arnold to see how
 much better they teach. He went and spent
 eleven weeks in inquiring-for the most part
 in Prussia-and has reported on what he
 saw. For that large body of good people
 who hold the touching faith that knowl-
 edge of the three Rs is the cure of all hu-
 man vice and wrong his report will have
 an expressing interest. There are a few of
 us left who doubt whether knowledge of
 reading is of any particular good to read
 ing public, which never seems to be so
 conscious of the value of it's knowledge as
 when It has 8 good, sensational and excep-
 tionally indecent divorce suit to read about
 But these are obscurantist notions, and all
 good men are bound to be convinced that
 the power to read brings with it love of
 wholesome reading. That being so, and
 the foreigner having demonstrated it, as he
 notoriously has, the thing is to see how he
 has done it and why. Therefore MT Mat
 thew Arnold was sent abroad to inquire.
 It is 8 melancholy fact that his report
 seems to throw uncommonly little light on
 this great question If we had to state what
 Is the general impression produced by his re-
 port, we should feel constrained to say it is
 that things are pretty much the same every
 where. In Prussia, for instance, which, as
 every enlightened friend of education knows,
 won the battles of Sadowa and Sedan by the
 help of the three R's, there is confusion of
 system which would do honor to our own
 wonderful local government. The law, as
 contained in the constitution, seems to make
 primary education gratuitous and compulso- ry. As 8 matter of fact, however, it is only in Berlin, which is rich. Elsewhere the communes are too poor to bear the burden and the State declines to help. Consequent ly outside of the capital it is a universal practice to demand fees. We take it that as
 a natural consequence the children of pa- rents who cannot pay do not get educated,
 as it is called, and yet the battles of Sadowa and Sedan were won. In Saxony fees are generally demanded. In Bavaria it is the rule that they are. Switzerland again gives free education, but the parents have to sup
 ply school books. France has taken great step forward in these days. It has gone all the way to expenditure of ninety millions of francs year, and though Mr. Matthew
 Arnold does not say so, has materially added
 to it's now permanent deficit by lavish outlay on schools in which it trains thousands of children to read, who will never use their knowledge again, or will use it only to read opscenity, to the great and manifest advan- tage of their manners and morals. On the great question of gIatuitous education MT.
 Arnold himself speaks with certain vague ness. He Is of opinion that great deal is to be said on both sides, but as mere mat ter of argument he is inclined to think that the balance is in favor of the system of de- manding fees. Then he proceeds to show that it cannot be settled by mere argument, but must be influenced by political consider ations after the manner of the politics of MT. Matthew Arnold. Interpreting his words 8 little his judgment amounts to this: If education is not made gratuitous a great many very silly people will probably talk blatant nonsense about the endowments of Westminster and Eton. Now as this blatant nonsense may disturb the nerves of some not very courageous people, let us tax the whole community for the purpose of silencing those fools For our part we object to pay ing taxes in order that fools may be bribed not to talk according to their folly. We do not see where the practice is going to end and have a suspicion that surrender in this sort may make our old friend, the fool, proud in his own conceit, whereby he will turn upon the whole community and rend it. There is 8 fine cynicism in Mir. Arnold's ob- vious conviction that the business of govern ing mankind must be carried on with con tinual attention to the fool; but it does not follow that the safest way of dealing with him is always to yield to him. On the ques- tion, surely not subordinate unimportant, whether gratultouS education IS as good as which is paid for, the only pieces of evidence cited are wholly in support of MT. Matthew Arnold's conclusions when he is speaking as reasoning being, and totally against his deductions when he is dealing with those uncongenial matters-political Dr. Bornemann of Saxony, being questioned on the point, answered with excellent good sense that children who have no means of preparing at home cannot learn so we'll as those who have, and there l fore if the former must be admitted, which l is the with a system of compulsory gra tuitous education the whole system of edu- 1 cation must be brought down to their level. 1 In Nuremberg the experience of the authori- | ties is that schools where all pay are best; schools in which some pay are next best; 1 schools where none pay are not even good ] That is pretty much what might have been l expected Now after listening to Dr. Borne l mann and hearing of the experience of Nu- l remberg, the question ask ourselves is this-Is it worth while to lower whole sys tenn of national education and increase taxes in order to shut the mouths of silly spouters talking nonsense about the endowments of the public schools2 We think not MT. Matthew Arnold says yes. We think MT. Matthew Arnold has far too great a regard for fools.