St. Paul daily globe., 1890-07-13
ACCUSATION ANSWERED.

A Correspondent Taken to Task
for His Utterances.
To the Editor of the Globe.
l was surprised to read in Monday
mornings GLOBE a communication
signed ''R. Fl. Dr." which contains the
following sentences: Take our own
city schools. | will venture to state,
and l will undertake to prove, that in
these United States poorer results can
not be shown" If the writer means to
say that the educational results accom-
pliShed in our city schools are poorer
than those gained in other schools OF
this country, l think l am safe in defy
ing him to perform the task he volun-
teers to undertake.
For twelve years have been close
and constant observer OF our city
schools. and for a number of years
prior to that time was more or less con-
nected with and interested in the
schools OF other cities, and my expert
ence prompts me to say that the
schools of st. Paul to-day are far
above the average in the facilities
they afford for giving the children of the
city thorough and useful education.
/ think those who have had children
educated in our city schools during that
period will very generally concur with
me in that opinion. AS for the failure
OF fifty out Of siXty-tWo applicants to
pass examinations and obtain licenses
to teach, if it proves ianything at all, it
must certainly prove that the superin-
tendent does not propose to employ in
competentS. If | am not mistaken,
however, these applicants were not the
product of our city schools, but persons
who came here from abroad, and pro-
posed to obtain positions as teachers
within the city.
AS for the incident alleged to have oc
Cured in the training school l cannot
say that no such thing ever happened,
but if it ever did happen the only feat
ure about it that can be criticized un-
favorably, is, perhaps, in the reply Of
the scholar. If | am rightly Informed,
such illustrations are not given from
paintings, but from the animal itself, and
pray, what else should the teacher say
when showing a muscle and tendon
than that 'thlS is a muscle" and ''thiS
is tendon?" As for their reveling in
the lore of past greatness in that school
and their eXpositionS of the laboriouS
methods pursued by Adam and the
Athenian youth to acquire a little
knowledge, your correspondents re-
marks are nonSensical. They dostudy
the history Of pedagogy. and have their
attention called to improvements that
have been from time to time introduced.
do not guess who your correspond
ent is, but am inclined to think that
he has written about what he knows
little OF nothing of, and can assure him
that the teachers of this city have no
idea that they have discovered a royal
road to learning. What they are hon
estly endeavoring to do is not only
to educate the youth i'll the
knowledge gained from text books,
but to teach them to think,
and for my pa 1T / cannot but feel that |
am under heavy obligations TO those of
their number who have been instructors
of the pupils in whom l am personally
interested.
may be permitted to mention one
fault in connection with this subject,
and that is the failure of parents to sec
ond the efforts of teachers by inculcat-
ing in the minds of their children re-
spect for them, and such willing obe-
dience as will lead to their becoming
attentive scholars. A child taught to
disrespeet It's teachers will not be likely
to receive the benefit which it might
otherwise obtain from it's attendan ce
upon the school. Excuse me if sign a
nom de plume, lest l might be thought
to write for purpose. I. >. u.