Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-08-06

to raising the standard of the grammar
schools and thus obviating the Necessity of
providing an additional high school build
ing, a greater degree OF excellence was re-
quired to obtain an average of seventy five
per cent, and rs a consequence fewer pupils
will be promoted to the high schools this
year. The whole number OF boys who
reached the average is -, and that OF girls Is
whereas by the standard OF previous years
there would probably have been l2 of the
former and ~ OF the latter. The only practi-
cable way OF relieving the pressure In the
high schools, which are now filed to their
utmost capacity, and OF raising the standard
Of the grammar schools, is TO keep the pupils
in the latter long enough to get Il moro
thorough knowledge of the branches taught
CHARGES oF ovERwuRk.
The ear of your superintendent Is attentive
tn all complaints against the system of public
instruction now pursued in this city, and he
has therefore to report that there are a..
casioual charges OF overwork required of the
pupils in some of the schools As far as
these are well founded they refer to teachers
who do Hot carry out the instructions of your
superintendent or are due To the auNious
desires of parents to have their pupils
rapidly advanced from grade to grade To
remove any causes of complaint due to the
system, every child in our schools is supplied
with report which must pe signed 10y its
parents every month, and which contains the
following note on its face
Parents Will please EXAMINE and sign TINS
report erery month, and then return II inn
medistely TO the teacher. should any chlld
be overtaNed, or not have sufficient 10 do, or
Should there be any other cause of COM
plant, they will please communicate Al once
with the teacher, the principal, or the city
superintendent
Here is way OF relief pointed out to every
parent and yet do not believe that more
| than six or seven have called on me for this
| purpose during the six years that | have
now been connected with your schools. The
| truth is that study is essential to progress
| and that the pupils most likely to he injured
| 10y oyerstudy are often the children ot
| parents who gosd them ON to efforts beyond
| their strength and when harm is done en-
| deayor 10 cast the blame on the schools W e
| have the children but six hours of the day,
| three OF which are given TO recitation and
| but three are left for study the remaining
eighteen hours they belong to their parents,
| and II then properly cared for, the amount OF
| study required al school will not in jure them.
| Another class OF complaints Is directed
against the UuUthtr OF studies introduced
| into the schools Now, the truth of this mat
/ ter Is that no more studies are pursued now
| by the pupils in the schools below the high
| schools than the rules called for nj least
seven years ago. Additional subjects are
| taught in the primary and intermediate
| schools but no books are required 10y the
| pupils, as these subjects are taught orally.
| As TO the high schools, 1t is notorious that
the pupils there boast of their having less
| studying to do than they hal in the schools
that lead up TO it No doubt, the most COM
plete refutation of all these charges Is the IN.
| creasing popularity OF our schools, and the
| large number now attending them, together
| with the intense desire 10 be admitted TO the
| high schools A system of public instruction
| to properly meet the wants of a community.
must change with it-must look TO the future
| rather than to the past-must ask not what
| did ITe or our fathers dp, Dat IrhIt ursTif uuT
| childrcH do TO tit them for the life into which
| they shall enter 1t was undOub btedly from d
| conviction Of this kind that the board ap-
| pointed a committee To report on the intro
| duction of industrial education, with ~IeCla
| reference TO sewing in the girls schools. L
| has seemed TO me for some years that in
struction in drawing could be made more di
| rectly useful to the boys, II the system wer,
| changed so TAR as they are concerned to me
chanical and geometrical drawing, thus lay
| ing the foundation for skilled labor, not II
one or two, but in al trades. l would, there
fore, most respectfully recommend that thi
change be made as soon as possible as tn
first step towards industrial education.
Very respectfully.
| Your Obehient servant,
| r. X. BUEHRLE.
| al