Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-17
GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.
President Eliot, of Harvard,
Gives His Views.
HE ADVOCATES A SHORTER COURSE,

Some New Ideas of Their Conduct with
Replies to Objections - Propositions
That Less Time Be Given to Arithmetic
and Grammar-Early Study of Algebra
and Geometry The Assertion Made
That the Reasoning Powers of Pupils
Are Differentiated.
BROOKLYN, Feb 17.-TThe annual meet
ing the department of superintendent Of
the National Educational association open
ed at the Brooklyn Art association yester-
day, Professor Henry Sabin, of Des Moines
presiding. The first paper read was by
Professor Henry Raab, superintendent of
education of Illinois, being a discus
sion of school affairs in rural districts
j. b. Klein, Of the Washington bureau of
education, described the German rural ed
ucational system, and remarks were made
by Sellg Peabody, chief of the Worlds
fair department of liberal arts, on the pro-
posed educational exhibit, which he de-
scribed fully; Professor Harris, commits
sioner of education, Washing, and others.
The papers were all followed by brief dis
cussions thereof
President Eliot, of Harvard.
One of the most notable papers was read
by President Eliot, of Harvard The sub
ject assigned to Mr.. Eliot was the shorten
ing and enriching of the grammar school
course. There were two kinds of shorten
ing, he said-by reducing either the num-
Der of grades or the volume and varieties
OF the studies. He believed both were de-
sirable in most, if not all localities As to
the first he thought it better to make the
regular programme for eight grades and
lengthen it for slow pupils rather than
make it of ten and shorten it for the excep-
tionally quick. The greater educational
injustice was to hold back capable chill
dren. A great shortening could be eff
fected by permitting capable children TO
do the work of two years in one.
Would Cut on Arithmetic.
Turning to the second Kind of short
ening Mr.. Eliot said he believed the first
great reduction should be made in arth-
metic. BY this contraction algebra and
geometry could be introduced. There was
ample room for the introduction of an OPP
tional foreign language under language
studies, and nothing would be lost to Eng
lish by its introduction. In many schools
grammar still occupied too large place
on the programme. But there were now
the names and functions of the parts Of
speech and the meanings of the common
grammatical terms, and TODD this by ex-
ample and practice rather than by rules
and precepts
Time could be saved by grouping ply
steal geography with natural history and
political geography with history, and by
providing proper apparatus for the teach
ing of geography. Much time was now
wasted committing to memory masses of
facts of little value which could not be re-
tanned Again. some time could be
saved by striking out bookkeeping which,
as 1t was taught, was the bookkeeping
never found in real business establish.
nients. 1t was positive injury to a boy
to give him the impression that he knew
something about bookkeeping when he
had only learned an unreal system Fol
the diversification and enrichment or the
programme, Mr.. Eliot said he thought the
association of colleges in New England
had proposed the most completete pro
gramme.
A Programme Suggested.
Its recommendation were: 1.-The in
PRODUCTION of elementary natural history
in the earlier years of, tie programme to
be taught by demonstrations and practical
exercises rather than from books. 2-Tht
introduction of elementary physics into
the later years of the programme to bt
taught by the laboratory method, and t.
include the exact measuring by the pupil.
themselves. 3 and 4.-The introduction OF
algebra and geometry at the age of Il or
10. 5.-The offering of opportunity to
study French or German or Latin, or any
two of these languages, from and after tn,
age of 10.
SOME OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.