St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1886-06-05
A MODEL INSTITUTION.
The New York Night School and the Good
1t Accomplishes.

/ Inc new AOrk Night SCnOOI ana tho SsOOO
| 1t Accomplishes.
Too frequently the night school is
only night session of the day school
instruction in the day-school studies
rather than in branches specially
adapted to the needs of those who have
fairly entered into the battle of life and
who have no time to give to the feeling
of their way through the many depart
ments of education. Often those who
| enter the night schools with enthusiasm
| fail to find that which is suited to the
needs of their lives. and SO they drop
| out discouraged and distrustful of edu-
cational methods generally.
In New York they have an evening
| high school. so-called, but which is not
a high school in the usual meaning. but
rather school for practical education
in special lines. 1t opens the first Mon
day in October and continues for one
hundred and twenty nights. The re-
quirements for admission are not Sc
we're. An applicant must read, write
fairly well, spell decently, and under
stand arithmetic as far as vulgar frac-
tions and their employment in the
transactions of ordinary business. The
applicant who is admitted is allowed to
choose his own studies. He has his
choice of Latin. grammar, political
science. algebra, geometry, penman-
ship. bookkeeping, anatomy and ply
siology. German, French, Spanish,
photography, composition, architect
ural and mechanical drawing, free
hand drawing, chemistry. reading and
defamation. He may take any one
study, though he is expected to take
two. Not more than two except in
special eases. The purpose, it is seen.
is to enable person to acquire knowl-
edge in that direction which he finds
essential in his work or aims, or i'm
which he is deficient. During the
course he may abandon one study for
another with the consent of the princi-
pal. If he has one study and thinks
he has enough of it at the end of one
hour, or if his occupations give him but
an hour. he may 60 away of the end of
the hour: or he NAV come at the begin
ming of the second hour. A student
may spend one hour in low class in
one study and his next in high class
IL IL.
attendance averages one thousand, the
pupils ranging in age from fourteen to
sixty-five years. The older ones are of
two classes -.those who wish to brush
up in long-neglected study with
which they have been familiar in youth,
and these whose business or taste
makes an acquaintance with new
study desirable-generally, in such
eases. foreign language. Some who
come to brush up are fathers of boys
whom they desire to aid in their stud
les. The majority. however. are young
men from fourteen to twenty years old
who are engaged i'm some occupation
during the day. An interesting ac.
count of the school SAYS:
''Of the LOCO pupils. fully one-half
study arithmetic and bookkeeping.
Not more than 40 take to Latin, %
each to political science and the al
zebra and geometry course, which
eventually runs into trigonometry
and thins them out still further. In
the three nightly grammar classes the
attendance is from l50 to 175. and
about the same number struggle with
penmanship. The students of anatomy
and physiology are comparatively few,
not averaging more than 20 in each of
the two classes. German is the most
popular foreign language for study.
engaging the attention of $50 students
nightly. Spanish comes next. with
probably two-thirds as many students,
but it is increasing in interest yearly as
young men grow to appreciate the
business probabilities of development
of our commercial interests in South
America and Mexico. French is not
much cared for, not half so much as
Spanish, taking the number of students
as an indication. About 175 young
men start out at the beginning
of each course with bright hopes
of becoming expert phonograph-
ers, but at least one-third of
them are brought to grief by the hooks
and circles and word signs. and aban-
don the study before the season ends
There are forty students in the lower
and thirty in the higher classes prac-
ticing architectural and mechanical
drawing. Free hand drawing engages
the earnest interest of an average of
125 pupils. The drawing classes are,
from some points of view. the most in
teresting in the school. and the results
of their labors being such as can have
tangible demonstration, enable the get
ting up of very pleasing and highly
creditable exhibition at the termination
of each course. Every thing that the
drawing students require in the way of
tools and materials is furnished 10 them
gratuitously by the city. The chemistry
class only numbers about twenty-five
students, all of whom are during the
day employed in businesses wherein
knowledge Of this science is desirable.
if not absolutely requisite. The prin-
cipal has one general assistant and
twenty-five instructors to aid him."
Lectures are given to the political
science classes on pertinent topics-on
labor strikes and other timely matters
and the instruction in physiology is
practical and experimental. = Nil
sCdukee Sentinel
.