The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-03-26
EDUCATIONAL.
BY NC. D. w.

The spring term is short one,
only eight weeks. This lets us
out of doors before warm weather.
Next week we have a rest until
April 9th. All who have worked
hard during the two long terms
past will certainly enjoy it.
The high school will probably
be small during the next term as
the farmer boys will be needed at
home and a number of the girls
already have schools engaged.
There will be just as many classes
as at present.
We have added to our reading
table the following papers: Scieaa-
ttf6c american, Toetth's Compm,-
ION, -Horper's Weekly and st.
Nicholas. Our philosophy has so
far been to get the pupils inter-
ested in clean literature. If some
enterprising editor would publish
a daily and not fill it's columns
with suicides, smuggling matches,
base ball news and scandal, politi-
cal and social he would be filling
an important sphere to which so
far as we know none have aspired.
Such sheet ought to meet with
the hearty support of all.
We give below a little selection
from the report of our State re-
form school:
Most Of our boys come from the large
cities. In the majority of the cases
there has been an utter lack of home
training. They have been permitted
to wander. the streets at all hours of
day and night, earning a few pennies
by selling papers and shining shoes,
with which to buy cigarettes and visit
the low places of amusement. Parents
are blinded to the best interests of
their children in thus allowing them to
pass from under their care, and the
authorities are largely responsible for
their sins when they permit such the
atrical performances as 1.-THE Stowa-
way ''The Boy Tramp" etc., in their
midst. All children are creatures of
imitation and their associations largely
determine their character. If children
are allowed to hang around the street
corners during the time they should be
in the public school and spend their
evenings in places where such PERM
cious examples are set before them our
penal and reforatory institutions will
never lack inmates and the public will
have no right to complain.
No comments of ours can
strengthen these bare facts coming
from those in authority. If we
were to 60 at the matter in a logi-
cal way would we not establish a
reformatory for the parents?
Surely the children are to be
pitied
According to the opinion of At
toney General Clapp, the State of
Minnesota stands free on the text
book question. Mr.. Merrill has
held of late that the text book law
held until 1894. State Superin-
tendent Kiehle held that the con-
tract with Mr.. Merrill would ex-
pire in 1892. If Mr.. Merrill were
right the present legislature must
take action in relation to the sup
plying of text books. AS it is,
however, the legislature will pro-
coed with the bills providing for a
text book commission. Although
the ''Merrill contract" has long
been a dead letter on our statutes,
it has been a great draw back to
our rural schools to whom it was a
source of annoyance and fear. It
will have expired Aug. 18th, 1892.
In spite of all that may be said in
opposition to the text book law of
Minnesota it has. certainly had a
marked effect in reducing the
price of school books, not onlv in
Minnesota but throughout the CEN
trail states.
What shall we have next?
Gree bool1s'' is the only feasible
solution of the problem. 1t must
come to this sooner or later. But
let us not be rash. We may we'll
60 slowly from one form Of "com-
pulsion," which has had many and
insurmountable defects, to another
the conditions and effects of which
are almost wholly theory. For
the present at least free books in a
free market seem to us to be in &C
cord with free schools and a free
country. Let us give no one or
half dozen book firms a monoplv
OF our book trade, but leave the
matter in the hands of districts or
counties severally.
At this time of the year, when
SO many of those not Initiated and
among them SO many pupils are
thinking Of joining the rank and
file of teachers, it seems fitting to
consider some of the necessary
qualifications of the ideal teacher.