Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-01
From Rev. Thomas Hiil, .. D.. eK-presi-
dent OF Harvard tniversity.

Before | can say intelligent.y anything
understand what is meant by that name; for
! IL varies almost as much As the words college
and university.
While | was on the School Committee in
wsltham, Mass. lS+s-ls60. we divided the
schools into four grades according to scholar
ship The grades may be less accuratel,
but more briefly described by saying that in the
sub rlmaries the pupils were almost all I'M
der uine years. in the primaries under IL. in
tn Grammar under 10, IN the Hugh School
over lG. We heightened the recesses in the
p imary and sub primary, and cut of the last
half hour each day thus shortening the
daily confinement in the schoOlroom for
those grades about 20 per cent. At the same
time we banished spelling, oral arithmetic,
and fractions. The children in these grades
being thus relieved from those useless. and
mis- chievous modes of torture, learned to
read and write, to draw upon the blackboard.
TO recognize and name the plants of the
neighborhood and to cipher in addition, sub
trAcuon, multiplication, and division of
,hole numbers and decimals with marvellou'
rapidity and accuracy. Ne more efectual
way of preventing children from becoming
expert at figures has ever been devised than
shAt Va iahiiihi 1hS she" "'N' "'s"' h'o~
tions before they are acquainted with deci-
mails and teaching them to spell is equally
etsicaclous IN retardlng their learning to read
Soon after our Waltham children had
entered the Grammar School, At the age OF
~ or Is years, they passed To vulgar fracl ions
aud be gan to spe II and make extraordinarily
rapii progress. The sessions in the Gram
mar School were of the same length As in the
lower grades, but the recesses were shorter.
At the age of Is or Is the minority Of the
scholars had received all the schooling they
wished. The phonetic mode of learning to
read, the postpOnement CT the torture OF
fractions and spelling until the child was Old
enough to endure it; and the conseq lent
leisu to take up the instructive diversions
of drawing, geometrcal puzzles, analyzii
D ants. &c had given the children such a
healthy imp, tus, that in the three years OF
the Grammar School they were able TO get
a really good knowledge of all the ordinary
school : u lies.
Our High School was thus rather small
select school The pupils were mostly above
Is years, and were studiously inclined. we
gave the m one long ,essioh daily, broken bs
several short recess.s. | do not think any
harm ca ne from it,
The recesses we're long enough to allow
room, and the eating OF lunches by those
Who chose rhe scholarship VAS remark
ally high | have twice heard the la'e
George b. Emerson publicly testify that
with the single exec ption of one young la :.
who had been taught at home by her very
distlngul sh, d ia her, the seven most h'ghis
educat, d Young women " no had ever entered
h $ school were the seven who came from
the High School at Waitham. let~e never
heard any complaint of overwork or long
sessions. and the gradua rs of That school
were persons of more than average good
health.
The change that is needed is not in the
Ter 9Th of sessions. hut in the mode of teach
/ ins. Pupils over 10 years of age are
/ certainly able to endure q IL or even .
/ hours sessions daily (with two or three ahor'
r, cosses) provided they are taught in ra-
/ { onal way that ia. hsvIngs simple curricu-
lam of few fundamental studies, and being
required only to show that they have grasped
/ The essential facts and principles in each
But if they have a variety of petty studies
and are required to commit 10 memory every
detail and even TO repeat the language of the
text books, no alteration of the length OF
sessions will answer. Dismiss the teachers,
or turn out the School Committee unless
they will submit 10 be inoculated with com
mon sense. And if a Legislature is guilty OF
requiring the introduction of new study
7 .. ct u legislature with common sense, 50 As
to have the Law repealed.