The morning call., 1891-09-16
1T Is PERNICIOUS.
Judge COffey on the Present Sys.
tenn of Education.
Interviews With Prominent Persons on the
Prevalence Of "Cramming" Youthful Minds
in the Public Schools.

VI CihuuluR SluuicS, uOW III
vogue in the public schools, not only of
this city, but elsewhere as well. 1t has set
strong minds thinking, and here are opin-
ions from several men of experience:
Judge }. V. Coffey of the Probate Court
has pronounced ideas on education. He
holds with Herbert Spencer that the mind
of the scholar should not be loaded with
facts, but that he should be taught how to
discern facts.
"When 1 was a boy" said the Judge, 81
was taught Euclid as it was taught then and
is probably taught now. knew and could
demonstrate every proposition in the book,
but confess that l did not understand it.
Loading the mind as 1t is loaded in the
schools clogs it and impairs its usefulness
for thinking. 1 see little boys and girls
coming from school with their arms full of
books whose contents they may by hard
labor memorize, but which they cannot
possibly understand. l believe in the public
schools, but our system of education is per-
niciOus"
OPPOSED To sTUFFING.
Deputy Acknowledgement Sanders. who
was once a pedagugue, thinks that child
cannot be taught too much. but is opposed
to stufing the sprouting intellect with iso-
lated facts.
Attorney J. C. Wallace says that the pres
ent system is not practicable, because the
children are compelled to swallow more in
formation than they can sssimilate. The
result of it is that mostof them are suffering
from mental Indigestion.
Justice of the Peace Cook. being Inter-
viewed on the hool system, said: at is
abomination. We are asking too much of
the children, and their minds are becoming
oil k,,-,
and girls TO master useless statistics, such
as the attitudes of mountains, the length of
rivers and the dates of historical events.
There is not one man in ten who can answer
the questions that nine and ten year old
children are asked every day in school. The
reason is that we forget that which we do
not use, and our children will do likewise"
Deputy Postmaster D. S. Richardson-I
believe that our schools are about the best,
and have the best standard, yet I believe
there is tendency TO Oyerdo. | do not like
the "home work" the children who are
growing have to do.
CHILDREN ovERwoRKED.
Commissioner Sawyer. Of the United
States Circuit COurt-I believe more in
having healthy children than learned sKele-
tons. / often have 10 take my children out
of school, because they are overworked.
do not favor home studies.
sl
have no children in the schools. but those /
see there are OverwOrked The young girl
graduates of to-day are not physically aOle
TO cope with the world to the extent their
knowledge should allow.
United States Marshal W. G.. Long-The
students in the High School seem to be over
worked, but not more so than the teachers.
As TO the lower grades, l believe that there
Is very little system. In some the pupils
seem to have too much, and in others too
10 fO Do Do NOT F,r~ r,,1,- H.,
home.
NEEDLESS STUFF.
Colonel Southland Hoffman, Commissioner
of the United States District Court-I am
Of the old school, guess. as l had to study
hard when boy. and [ don't think any boy
will allow himself to be overworked to any
alarming extent. Perhaps, the girls have
too much study put on them. l do think,
however, that there is vast amount of
needless stuff of a archaeological sort
embraced in the curriculum that might be
eliminated with advantage. Why a ten
year-Old boy can stump person In minute
with his questions in the unnecessary de-
pGrIments Of life.
Colonel Eldridge of the Special Agency of
the Internal Revenue think that the
girls Of from u to Is, and perhaps older, are
very much imposed upon in their studies.
They take more branches than most able
minded men would care to prosecute. OF
course they do it to their harm. The boys
how.
WANT OF SYMPATHY.
Deputy Superintendent Babcock thinks
that many patrons Of the public schools
have a mistaken idea OF the subject OF
'cTamming" In nine cases out of ten he
thinks Pupils lack of progress is not due
to any such abuse, but rather to the de-
pl0Table absence of sympathy between
teacher and pupil. An iron clad, cold
blooded teacher-and there are many such
in the department who has absolutely
nothing in common with his pupils, and
whose only claim to the position he holds is
the fODtngs of his class examinations, may
be Justly accused Of despotic examining the
year round to accomplish those footings;
while another teacher, in complete SYM
pathY with every pupil, will 90 over the
same course and accomplish vastly better
results without having left behind him the
slightest consciousness of cramming. Pa
rents should hear that fact in mind and not
be too ready to condemn a course of study.
John a. Stein bach-There is too great a
number of studies in the primary grades,
where it might be limited to four or five.
The study Of Latin, Greek, geometry, ETC.,
do not think should be allowed in those
grades That this is so seems TO be the
fault Of those persons, the Superintendents
and teachers, who come directly in contact
with the pupils. They are better able than
most parents to see the evil effects of the
system now In vogue. The school system
the lower and placed in the higher grades
and others eliminated altogether. am not
opposed to home work, but think too much
harmful.
DIPAIRs THEIR HEALTH.
A. T. Hatch-I am opposed to the method
In vogue of stuffing children with lot of
information that they cannot remember and
which would not benefit them il they did.
Health is above everything else. and no
child of tender years can study hard ana re-
tain its physical strength unimpaired.
Judge Van Reynegom-As for the boys.
/ am of the opinion that very little injury
can bedone by any attempt to "cram" them,
for the average male youngster is too full Of
mischief to allow himself TO be overworked
at school. The girls are much more con-
seientiOus. however, and there is no doubt
of the fact that great many Of the latter
class suffer serious results from oyer-study.
The course laid down is entirely too conf
prrhensive and difficult in my opinion.
Ex-Governor Zulick-I am satisfied in my
own mind that children are overworked in
the public schools. and one thing would
condemn in particular is the offering of
prizes and medals. The little folks are am
bilious, and will do more work than they
should in order to succeed. Contests of
this kind should not be allowed.
TOO MUCH THAT IS USELESS.
General James Montgomery-One half Of
the instructions given in the public schools
/ should say was useless. An effort has
been maQe Ic cTONu 100 nuc0 INTO small
space of time, and the result L have OBJ
served is nearly always disastrous to the
bright and ambitious pupils. They try to
master it all, and IN many cases break down
entirely, or seriously impair their health.
Thomas Riding-I don't believe in the
eternal system of cramming. Too many
studies are crowded upon the children at
one time. My child is compelled to study
three hours every night in order to keep
up with her class. In laying out the lessons
the teachers expect too much OF their pupils.
II children must be compelled to do some
studying at home l think it would be better
70 make their present task much lighter and
more agreeable In any event, scholars
should be taught the bulk Of their lessons
at school, where most OF the time is now
taken up in recitation.
TOO MUCH HOME WORK.
John w. Shields, sergeant of polce-I am
opposed to the present method of over
crowdiDg the studies in the public schools.