The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-05-22
OUR SCHOOL cuRRrCuLuM.
Views Of DR.. Fullerton in Reference to
the Management Of Our Schools.

1t 10 with sincere modesty that ven.
ture to make few suggestions in regard |
to our Union Schools, especially as feel |
inclined to partially disagree with both |
DIR. McSurely and the editor of the News
HERALD in their published opinions.
I Ibelieve that the course of studies to |
be pursued in our High Schools should
include at least the rudiments Of the
Latin and Greek languages, and should
be extended 80 far as to enable graduates
from our schools to enter the Freshman
II not the Sophomore class in any of our
western colleges. The want of ability to
receive such instruction at home obliged
me few years since to send my eldest
son to college at least year sooner than
l would otherwise have done, he enter.
ing the Senior Preparatory, whereas could
he have received instruction in the class.
les here would have been saved several
hundred dollars. I cite this merely as a
sample of q number OF similar cases.
Now, however, by retaining the present
curriculum, our graduates are prepared
to enter college year further along, the
parent is saved the additional expense
and the money is not sent away from
Hillsboro.
do not, however, believe it to be ad-
visable to have German and French in
struction in our schools. The time was
when French was the language of the
courts OF Europe, and the universal
language" of the civilized world. This
is no longer the case. The English Ian.
guage is now the universal language, and
the French tongue is rapidly obsolescent.
As to German it will never have world
wide use until the Germans discard their
old black.letter type and adopt the fonts
of other nations. 1t is we'll enough to
attain knowledge of these two lingos IL
one has the taste and leisure to study
them as accomplishments, but here in the
United States we should not require our
school children to study accomplish.
ments at the public expense.
The knowledge OF Greek and Latin,
however, is of vast assistance to correct
knowledge Of the English tongue, as the
latter is 80 very largely composed of
words derived from those languages. A
person having the meaning of Latin or
Greek word will from that meaning oh.
tain far more clear and forcible idea OF
an English word derived from it than he
could possibly otherwise secure. He
will thus obtain more vigorous, concise
and clear style in writing and speaking,
and by choice OF the most suitable word
"clinch" an idea in the minds of others
better than can he who never had the
advantage of knowing the full force OF
our language through the study of its
sources.
Again, if one wishes to study German.
French, Spanish or Italian, he can lay
the foundation for knowledge of these
by acquiring first knowledge of Latin
and Greek, for these four, like English
are to great extent composed of words
derived from those dead tongues. Lei
then these tongues be taught at oul
schools not only to give the scholars {
clearer insight into the English, but t.
enable them if they choose to be far OF
the road should they wish to acquire
other Europeon languages.
do not believe it advantageous, how
ever, even in our colleges, to push th'
study of the classics to the extent Il
which they are pushed in English insti
tutions OF learning where scholars mus
be able to turn out Latin odes and son
nets, or Greek dramas. Such a course o
study was desirable when English book
were few and the best thoughts of tn
world lay wrapped in the manuscripts o
Greece and Rome. Now the best thought
of the old authors have been translate,
and embodied into our literature, leavin
but the refuse to be raked over, and tn
laborer is rewarded for his search b,
little excepting the filth which soiled s.
much OF ancient literary work.
Indeed the charter of the Hillsbor
Academy requires that its premise
should be occupied only by an institu
ton where instruction can be imparte
in scientific, classical and other branche
of learning such as are ordinarily taugh
{ in high schools and academies. 1t woul
/ he a violation of the charter were tn
r Institute building leased for other pul
poses, and as one chief object of tn
Board of Education was to offer create
; facilities to students OF the more ad
vanced classes, they were, in my opin
ion, singularly fortunate in securing thi
building which is SO aptly suited to thei
purposes.
While member OF that Board wa
. persistently opposed to the admission Q
, nonresident pupils, on the grounds tina
they occupied time of the teachers tha
should be devoted exclusively to ou