Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-03-07
EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT.
C0nduct1d by GEO. &. CABANIS

This column will be devoted 20 the discussion
| OF educational questions Of local ana general
I importance. It's purpose is 20 create a greater
I interest IN our common schools. among patrons
/ as we'll as teachers Correspondence is solicited,
hat the right 70 reject any article is reserved.
Mathematical puzzles, grammatical Quihbles,
! Nc VIII not be inserted in this column Lot
/ MS consider things of more vital importance Ia
our boys and girls
/ The true aims Of education are:
1. Physically. To tram the body
that II may be strong, healthy, Wig
orous, graceful, skillful snd respou.
slvely active to the will.
., Intellectually. 70 store the
mind with knowledge, develop the
love of knowledge, qualify for the
independent acquisition of knowl
edge, and give regular practice in
the use of knowledge
3. Morally. To, strengthen the
conscience and the will by forming
the habit OF carrying out pure feel.
ing and good thought into immedi.
ate activity, TO secure ready ODE.
dlence to law as the embodiment Of
right, TO implant love of freedom,
to give a consciousness Of individual
power and responsibility, and 10
develop in every child self-taith as
the result of faith in God.-,JtDles
L, HugbeS.
k2
The very practical paper on
"Waste in Elementary Schools" in
our last issue, should be read aud
re-read by the teachers of the
county.
H@
HOW SHALL WE RAISE THE STANDARD
OF OUR COMMON SCHOOLS?
The question, stated, presupposes
that the common schools are not up
to the maximum of efficiency. The
claim is frequently made that our
schools are not rs good as they were
twenty-five years ago. The Chicago
Dajly NerS, in a recent issue, show
ed by an array of statistics that the
schools of Chicago, while iuci easing
IN cost per pupil, were decreasing in
efficiency. Statistics cannot be taken
always as a basis of Judgment, yeI
1t is always worthy of consideration
Shirley Dare attacks the common
schools through the columns of tn,
Inter Oceda. He charges them Will
the grayest physical abuses Of pupils
The particular attention paid to th,
subject of the common schools Is,
Governors Hoard, Fifer and other
in their inaugural addresses indi
Gates much solicitude rs TO the pres
ent efficiency of these schools.
In our own state, ii is mqucslion
ably true, that the schools are not
up TO the proper standard. The
state does not receive sufficient re
turns for the money given to hei
schools.
1t seems TO us, that the general
organization of the public school
system can be much improved. The
control of the state over her schools
is too much of an advisory nature
Her administrative officers in charge
of the schools, to a great extent, may
only advise. They have compara
lively little mandatory power. They
are afraid 20 exercise what little
coerciye power they have, lest they
suffer political decapitation These
things are especially true Of county
aud city superintendents on whom
the principal part of school super
vision and management depends.
The state viii never have the adj
ministration of her schools effectu.
ally carried out, until the officers
on whom these duties dcyoIve are
freed from political dependence for
their tenure Of office.
A prime cause Of iueflioiency IN
our common schools is the lack Of
proper supervision. This is clearly
shown by an examination Of the
schools of the state. IN the cities,
the best schools are found in those
municipalities large enough TO en-
ploy suporintendents whose whole
time may be devoted to the super
vision and management Of the
schools, lu the small cities in
which the superintendent receives
only a nominal salary and conse-
quenty can devote but little time 60
supervision, the schools are ia gen
eral only second rate. They lack
system, uniformity, momentum The
same relative conditions exist in the
district schools. Those counties IN
which the supeuutcndeuts' pay eu-
ables them 20 devote thtiI whole
time to supervision and management
have lbe bcstscbDos In general,
superintendeDts are required to
supervise 100 much territory per
oHic er, a superintendent often being
able 10 visit each school but once a
year
discontinued.
a family named GaIbraItb, re-
siding AZ Forreston, was poisoned