The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-02
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
Our School Svstern.

| Vur SCHOOL SysGcms
10 the Edltor of Indianapolis Journal:
1t will be sorry day for our school system,
ana Tor every other public interest, for that
matter, when the common people fail to exam
Inc IT; lind fault, If need be- praise when they
can, and suggest amendments when needed It
must not fall into the hands of mere profes-
SIGNALS, to be run by them after some ideal
model What may be best in Boston may not
90 best in indianapolis. In any place the ques-
ton is many-sided. Teachers see 1t from one
standpoint, and pupils from another. Some
parents are one side and some on the other,
according to their methods of listening to the
earnings of their children without taking pains
to investigate, while the stolid taxpayer may
be expected to become a chronic grumber on
principle. Give full license to all these, the
true system will be Appropriated by and by.
And now comes the suggestion to attach a new
department to our High-schools, to be called the
industrial branch" At first blush this smacks
OF the manual labor humbug which had quite a
run Tor quarter of a century, raging at its
highest about fifty years ago. 1t died because
it was not fit to live The economy of the
system was its central idea But this ";ndus-
trial branch" when you get to its true inward
ness, means only an additional elective study
added to the present curriculum, without any
aim at teaching an art or trade. 1t means only
to teach by actual handling the properties of
woods and metals-how brass, and iron, and gold,
and wood. and stone may be polished, and
chiseled, and turned, and otherwise utilized and
beautiied. In all this there is eye to apply
ing the knowledge thus obtained to real life any
more than thare is problem in algebra or
geometry or lesson in Horace or Cicero. 1t
may como in play sometime to advantage. but
the mental discipline is the chief end Of the
study
Now it may be admitted that the mental dis
cipline of handling a piece of brass, or iron, or
wood, with tools in hand and under the instruc-
ton of a scholar who is also specialist in iron
or brass, is quite equal to an equal time devoted
to Latin or Greek, or even to mathematics, but
it does not follow that, therefore, we are pre-
pared to introduce it into our schools now. Let
us maintain firmly, as against the outside world
and all inside croakers. that we have as complete
public school system as is to be found in
America, all things considered, and that we in
tend to keep it abreast the age In all respects,
still it does not follow that we should now. ex-
tend its curriculum. There are many luxuries
that only the very richest can indulge in with
propriety. To say the least of 1t, we are Lot
now in condition to enlarge on our system.
Better make better accommodations for the mill
ions than for the few At best only few can
be benefited by the High-school, while the
swarming juveniles need more room and more
teachers, and some other things that will cost
money. Besides it is not certain that the High
school and the college are to remain permanent
part of our public school system. They al
ready anachronistic. U. l.. SEE