Smyrna times., 1892-04-06
For the Smyrnd lines.
The Old and the Present Sch6ols

VI" anu Cne FreSenC SchHols.
Mr.. EDITOR:
have noticed, for some two or three
months past, announcements in the
papers of public exhibitions of what
they are pleased to call the Deestrick
oE~te, OF half century ago. have not
gone to see these exhibitions. and 7
doubt whether they were calculated to
instruct or profit in any way those who
ala go. The design l suppose is to
amuse the present generation with the
loea that they are far in advance of
thelr parents; and that the old folks
were all fools, while their children
have climbed to the summit of the hill
OF Knowledge. Even if the criticisms
10 winch the public schools of a gener-
aIlon ago were warranted, the public
e1nlOitlon OF their defects, as u matter
OI amusement, and to excite ridicule
WOuid De contemplate business
But 1t may well be questioned whether
the schools which our parents attended
ana from whence have arisen onr
statesmen and other distinguished Dub.
TIC men were not as a general thing
well conducted.
1t was formerly quite common
Chlng for the students in the coIIooar
TO go out occasionally, particularIv in
winter, to teach term or two in ~
District School to meet their exnersaa
1t will hardly be pretended that tboU
were incapable OF teaching. Manv
young men VINO were anxious to obtain
Soou euucatlon were poor, and had
TO earn their way for themselves
Inc teachers were not as well maid
tneu as they are now, but thev did
much more work. They taught more
days for a term, and more hours for -
quarter, and eight hours for a dav
seventy two days were required for a
quarter, and eight hours for a dav
ana all lost time to be made IN. will |
not now crltlclse the discipline of mod. |
erh schools, but | will say that do |
not know, and have not known of
single district school in which is main
Valheu the order and discipline that
prevained in the school that 7 attendaJ !
sixty years ago. o'i'eu
we did not have Normal Schools tn
provide teachers, nor State Sunerin
tenuehts 10 examine aud license them
ouC aS a general thing we had faithful
cor ccUImPetent teachers who have since
niIed the most important and resnonsi.
PIE . stations in public life, some stat
had small school fund. and orbars
had none; so that the teachers bovine,
charge of the children were resnonsihiee
to the parents.
l have witnessed more nroE,,i,,,.,,
smoking among scholars in
IIinsle uay OF late, than | would then
nave seen IN whole year. Children
are not under the discipline at home
CnaV Uhey were years ago, and teachers
a! al nOt encouraged to maintain tho
llsGlpllne in the school 1t will go
",'houC saying that children do not
3uVahee anything like as fast os tbo,,
l'd years ago. The parents seIactod
'ne DOCKS and the branches of stud,
ihd the elementary branches of stndy
tnd the elementary branches received
his first attention. 0''oO
NOW there are various new fashion
Die studies introduced and less intoroe4
; taken IN those elementary branches
)end ""9 u ue-
NOT very long ago l inquired of a
Gnool commissioner if thev considered
heir teacher IA LADY, qualified for ber {
work. 20 yes" he saws. "sbe Ino,na
almost everything but what the IJ%9 ob;t {
iren want to learn" presume That
ne idea is conveyed, in theseexbibitionS
nat the teachers of former times Sid
lot know how to spell school or how
o pronounce District, and that tbeir |
Gholars We're not taught anv better
!. ms Is rather too thin. Such an exbi.
lton ought to be on the first dav of
lPrII II at all. could show sneciIans l
the handwriting of teachers of 6ft~ I
M sixty years ago that very few r
eachers of this day could come nm to /
VIII just say in summing nm that +
hother generation will succeed The
resent and they will be Just as self.
onceited and vain and siIlv witbaI 90 .
pose whose places they take. So we !
iay expect exhibitions fftv years a
ence as amusing to the gaping crowd 5
anything that can be cot now on tba
asst IL is not the wisest who are vain a
their attainmenta, but a degenerate i
ON. F''0U WIS = =
A TEACHER OF THE OLD TINE t