New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-28
YOUNG AMERICA
WHAT IT is LEARNING.

4 Co
This modest little volume-a mere pamphlet IN
form and dimensons-contains matter to give sef'-
ous ,boucht to parents and teachers and IL is cas'
~ wav 10 drive home and clinch firmly every
demonstration il makes. 1t is addressed 10 inc
defects of the common school course. IL Is oocu-
ment which strongly reinforces sai the arguments
which have been made against the cramm'ns
methods employed in the public Schools against
the practice of filling children with vero'ase 10
which they seldom attach the rlgnt meaning anu
often no definite meaning; against the miscnieV-
ous or futile modes Of instruction which make the
obtaining of marks the chief aim OF the schooihle'
and which subordinate everything TO preparation
for so-called examinations and exhlbluons ooth
of which are entirely misleading as to the quality
and quantity of the knowledge required. Inc
author has produced singulary impressive results
nv alternate quotations from popular writers ana
teachers and extracts from the examination pa
pcrs of the children themselves These latter
citations are in many instances rresistibly absurd
but when the reader has paid them the unavoidable
tribute of laugh he will reflect upon the value
of the educational system which produces such re-
suits. and he will ask himself whether indeed the
minds of the coming citizens and rulers OF the Ke-
public are being so developed and disciplined by
for doubt as to the progress of national intelligence
Mrs. lie Row could not have framed her protest
more powerfully than she has done. The evil
dcnce which she adduces, step by step, on each
SEPARATE branch Of instructions is cumulative and
in mass it constitutes the most grave Indictment Of
the system Grown men and women may dispute
with one another to the effect
Of this or that educational method, in
terminably, and, unless they apply the crucial
test of the actual results Of the controverted
method, without any profit But these terrible
examination papers bring face to face with
realities They show conclusively what the cur
rent educational methods are producing, their
effect upon childrens minds, the extent to which
they evoke comprehension, the extent also to
which they encourage plrot,learning From
sucn evidence there is ne appeal The children
arc not swift witnesses, slow, suspect. Their
answers exhibit in every instance all the llnowl-
edge they can bring to bear upon the srecifc sub
ject, and at the same time throw light upon the
general tendencies Of the educational machinery
The inability of large proportion Of school text
book writer's to put themselves on the children's
level in constructing tteir explanations is one
Of the most fruitful sources of confusion. 1t is
rot so bad as in the period when English chill
dren were set 10 learn Latin by the aid Of that
Elton Latin grammar, every word Of which was
in the language to be acquired. In looking back
il is difficult to understand how so monstrous
an imbecility, so wanton cruelty as that, could
have been u lerated within half century. But
must not be too severe upon the past genera
ton, for if our successors read Mrs. Lc Rows
little bool, they will hardly avoid thinking rs
shghtingly of us as we now do of the people who
taught Latin in Latin
Following are some definitions which tNnd to
show how much some children ate oh to the hard
words they are compelled 10 learn by rote:
"Obelisl. one of the marks Of punctuation"
"DoXology, dropsy in the head
Evangelist, one who speaks from his stom-
Ironical something very hard"
Tccsin something to do with getting drunk
Epoch, q ruler or son OF a king" and can
it be possh'' that il is conscious and inten]
tional witticism p
Monastery. a place for monsters
The statement A te-magant is kind OF
goose" no on. will be fool sh enough to chal-
lcngc especially the victims OF the terma CANT,
and there is an indlsputable truth in the asser-
ton
A phenix is one who Sits ashes- il we accept
IT, description of the manner in which the
creature is supposed to extrcate itself from its
debris.
A sling is something made from an old shoe"
is evidently an original declaration and no' Dor
rowed from books but there is suspicious
spring medicine"
Truly as another pupil explains.
A definition is something you find out"
Sometimes it would seem to be something you
can't find out.
Here are some more illustrations and defini-
tons:
Ileadstrong is TO drink too much whiskey."
Frantic is something up in the garrett"
Language and thought are inseparable.' saws
Max Muller Words without thoughts are dead
will lords 10Th
The word is the thought incarnate,' as for
instance
proturberance is an efervescence'
Ethereal is something relating to the lower
regions"
!" A sonambulist is man that talks when you
don't know where he is"
We may sometimes find ourselves taken I'M
awares by such information as
A pullv is a sort OF chclxin.'
A rattle is kind Of gum
Ventilation is letting in contaminated air.
classification Is moving the jaws all round.'
AIkalie is acids mixed up"
rehearsal is what they have AZ funeral"
GladlatorS grow in my mas garden"
An incendiary is when you go round preach
ing and singing hims."
"Expostulation is TO have the smallpox and
" A turbot is kind of rhetorical STYLE"
The Romans had mad naval conquest
because they possessed no feet
The soldiers marched down the hill panta-
loon after pantaloon."
Carthage was taken by Cicero who set
on fire and continued TO rage for seventeen days
The Crusades were millinery expeditions
undertaken by the Christians"
" The c0ttOn-gln was invaded by Whitney in
I794'
d" At the close OF the last war the Federal
Army minateG and numbered one million men"
The Indians were of weak constitution and
morality was great among them
When the news of the Stamp Act arrived
Boston was muf'icd and rang funeral peal
What one young victim, with unconscious sar-
casm, called the sins of numbers has produced
and is producing far more than its fair share of
bcwilderment and torment among the young. 1t
would really seem sometimes though the max
ers Of arithmetics were kind of envenomed misog-
twists, who took malgn pleasure in setting
traps for the feet of the children and in confus-
ing them with problems the solution of which can
under conceivable circumstances be of future
use TO them. Here are some of the products of