St. Paul daily globe., 1892-06-19
The Young Prepared to Spend
the Summer Months in
Ease.
A Few Pertinent Remarks on
the Public School Sys-
tenn.
Favorable Comment Se0n
Mayor Smiths Very Lib
eral Policy.
The Tremendous Number OF
Children Who Attend the
High School.

The summer months arc state OF
Edenic bliss to the American youth.
Not because June has come with its
birds and blossoms. A thoroughly young
American doesn't care penny for
spring, only as he can go fishing and
later watermeloning; but, oh blessed
time, no school It'll the leaves begin to
turn! He tosses those tOrmented books
into the farthest corner, breaks forth IN
unbounded hilarity, goes off to some
stream where the fish are as numerous
as officeseekers in Washington and much
more successful in getting bait. His in
structor in ideas wouldn't know him in
his quiet intent attitude, and he comes
home at night tired but very self-sat-
istied youth. 1t is so much more fun to
hook fish and play hockey than to study
the three RS.
Every man has a feeling within him
which says whatever has the possessive
pronoun "my'' pretiXed is the very best
possible.
rs the Key
TO patriotism and progress. st. Paul
labOred for long time under the dis
advantage of city school board, chosen
for political reasons and as a means of
the administration for securely in
trenching itself in its position. But
whatever offices still belong to the spoil
system and will be used by the new
administration for feathering Its nest, it
is to be hoped that the broad and liberal
policy pursued by Mayor Smith in Sc
lecting men of culture aDd education to
direct the educational affairs OF the
city will be followed. There is no
city in the Union whose school affairs
are run by educators. instead of poll
ticians, and their marked success has
put our schools in the front rank.
Neither has religious sect anything to
do in determining appointments, as
there is professor in Catholic semln-
ary, a president of Methodist univer-
sity, and the popular pastor of the Peo-
pies church on this nOnparell board,
and they work together harmOniously
as when "little birds in their nests
agree"
German is a study which has caused a
great discussion this year, but it has
come out with flying colors. In town
where the per cent of the German pop
ulation is so large it would seem nee
essary part of the curriculum. and let
| tiers are frequently received by the
board from members of this nationality
| thanking them for their retention OF 1t.
But 1t is rather as a part of a liberal ed
ucation that it is retained. 1t is the
most universally spoken Of the modern
languages and the one which any stu
! dent will most likely continue. The
| matter of expense is to be considered as
| it always is by this board. They have
| not expended a penny without careful
| consideration, but any education should
| be liberal. especially that where the
poor boy gets his impulses for life.
| The joining Of the manual training
school and the high school year ago,
was wise move, as it enables a boy TO
prepare himself in the fundamental
principles underlying many trades or
| for scientific causes
In Technical Schools.
Joinery, wood carving, moulding and
machine construction are all taught,and
may be elected as part or the regular
| high school course.
The incorporation of kiudergartenS as
a part of the public school system is a
| plan which will mature next year. 1t
| will insure an equal distribution OF
| these infant schools, and the children of
| all classes will be able to 60. The city
| will have charge of the salaries and
give permanency and stability to the
| movement.
The high school is under the manage
ment of Prof. Carman, and last year has
witnessed decided advance.
The end for which Prof. Carman is
working is to individualize the work of
| the high school as much as possible.
| The student has too long been con-
| sidered mere machine, and the con-
ventional school curriculum was planned
on the basis of exactly similar men-
tai caliber in the future civil en-
gineer and the future theologian.
Work was required of him which was
unprofitable to the individual, and
served only in getting diploma. The
course was cut-and-dried one of so
much Latin, English, mathematics and
smattering of the sciences, until, instead
| of knowing what he wanted to do when
leaving his alma mater, he stood
Staring Into the World
with no tool in his hand with which to
make his way, only vague knowledge
of the heterogeneous mass which
made up the curriculum. President
Angel, of Ann Arbor. and his efficient
helpers were the first to see all the pos
sibflities of elections some ten years
ago, and it is here that Prof. Carman
came upon this right way. Prof. Eliot.
of Harvard university, has enlarged
upon it, and tas gone step farther in
urging that even the grammar school
should develop the student as an indi-
vidual instead of a part of a whole.
Leland Stanford university, and
the former president of the
S tate University of Indiana, is
one of the leading advocates of this
departure, and has put it into his new
field with marked success.
1t is not designed that from his baby
hood the civil engineer should study
nothing but mathematics, drawing and
mechanics. Such course would make
him one-sided. He is to know something
of everything and everything of some.
thing" Every month the parents of
the students of the high school
are notified of the progress
made, and twice year slips
trend of the pupils mind IS, and con-
sultation is held and his future course
directed. By this means he has a
foundation on which to build COM
plete structure of some thing, and
The Mournful Spectacle
of seeing a young man, the day after his
graduating, asking "What shall L do?
for the way l know not" will be a
thing for the schools run under the old
regime.
Neither should the course of study be
such as will fit him for our own
state university alone, as st. Paul
sends a large number annually to the
Eastern colleges and universities.
There has been growing discomfort
with the public school system, in that
the student was considered as a ma
chine capable of doing just so much.
The plodder had to fall back in his
Greek, and the bright student who
could master everything was held back,
or else, by virtue ~ of this very versa
tility, ended in Jack of all trades and
master of none. There was tremen-
dous waste of student force in the old