The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-05-22

think that the primary and lower gram.
mar grades are crammed with too much
study. IT. were to control the schools
! would turn out every "tot" under ten
or eleven years at noon each day, or else
let them attend only in the afternoons
and make mud pies, chase chipmunks
and play marbles the rest Of the day.
Iwould pay more attention to their
bodies than to their minds, and to the
teachers Of the higher rooms would
say, stake your pupils out to the woods
and fields now and then, let them learn
there from the book Of Nature-that
grand old book which never gets dog.
cared or greasy-let them study plant
and rock and tree, and breathe Gods air
and bathe in his sunshine. The knowl-
edge thus gained will stay by them
through life, and they will return to
their rooms and books more ready to ap.
propriate and retain the learning they
set before YOU" Socrates and Plato and
the philosophers OF olden days taught by
the wayside and among the haunts of
Nature; our word academy" indeed is
derived from the grove OF Academus,
in which Plato walked and talked with
his disciples. Greater truths than were
uttered by these fell from the lips of the
carpenters son among the mountains of
Judea or by the Sea OF Galilee; book
learning is desirable, but I would mingle
with it instruction in the greatest and
best of volumes, whose pages are open
and filed with exhaustless stores OF
knowledge.
AS to reducing the salaries OF teachers
in the interest Of economy would never
economize at the expense OF the child.
rem. Cheap teachers should be ruled
out. Buy "cheap" clothing, Cheap
buggies, "cheap" labor, "cheap" land il
you like, but do not tamper with young
minds by putting them in training under
cut price teachers. Pay good, liberal
salaries for good instructors. 1t will
pay. Their minds will be more relieved
from care, and they can thus give more
attention to their work. They. will be
encouraged to labor for something more
than mere money. Above all they will
feel that they are appreciated, and that
will tend TO stimulate them to theil
highest effort. But for poor teachers nc
salaries. If they will not fit themselves
for their work let them dig or beg OF
starve rather than taint the minds OF the
ysung with false ideas, false training
and perhaps pernicious morals.
In this connection am glad to bt
able to mention the action Of our presen
Board of Education in recognizing tn.
worth of several of our teachers by al
increase OF their salaries. A liberal view
of educational matters will never resul
in loss to a community. Money judi
ciously expended in this way is an in
vestment which will bring enormou
interest in after years.
Especially am gratifed in the recog
nition of the value as teacher of Prof
w. ]. Truesdale. which shows that tn
Board appreciates the desirability OF in
struction in the classics, of which h
has principal charge, as well as the ad
vantage derived by pupils from contac
with dignifed, refined gentleman Q
scholarly attainments and thorough dc
votion to his work.
But have perhaps occupied too muc
Of your space in expressing my opinions
formed mainly during the period of m,
official connection with our schools. M
sole excuse will be the great interest
have felt and still feel in the educations
matters of our community. H. S. F.
Hillsboro, May 18th, 1890.
Gilt Edu0 Strawberries.