Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-01-16

lie believes sit viii be ultimately adopted
10 priacip.e If not in detail" Principal
E. r Payne. Of Ringhampton. n. T., is
quoted as saying tbs. our grammar
school scholars are ''slaves" to reading,
writing and arithmetic" whom he com
pares wi,hthe boy Of fourteen or fifteen
years Of age who has graduated
from the Germsn gymnasium. who
can accomplish great deal
more intellectual work than his
American contemporary of the same age.
The German boy probably knoEs as
much Laiia as our American boy of
seventeen or eighteen; has some Greek
and French; has learned great deal
about the myths, ltgsnds, history and
prominent peEsonages of his own eoun-
try, together with its special geography,
has srudind geom:ry and ALGEBRA and
has learned by heart more masterpieces
Of his native literature than cur boy
ever lFarus" Numerous other educa
tors are quoted who give uniform test
mony to the opinion that elementary
science should be taught In grammar
schools, TO the exclusion Of grammar.
geography and arithmetic" One OF these
is the venerable Prof. Dwight Of ale
College who says that the ehilarcn Of
our households today may gain the same
thing that We gained az five and twenty,
and indeed far more than We gained,
when they are ten or twelve" Another
ls F. A. Hill, head master Of the Cam
bridge, mass y English high School,
who says that ''elementory science
should have place in our grammar
schools, and scholars should be trained
to observe and think. Other eminent
educators are quoted in Prof. Wells
article. all of whom uphold the idea that
a change or advance Is needed in the
courses Of study in the Grammar schools
Of New England; one which will do
away with the more elementary teaching
now given, and stimulate the best that
is in the scholars to greater exertion, and
that will make it easier for q Grammar
school graduate to get ready for college
than under the present system.
1t may be objected that this scheme
will demand higher grade Of teachers
and cost more than at present. If
it follows, as it naturally does, that the
proposed change Of curriculum
will require higher grade of teachers,
then the teachers must be obtained. If
it is objected that the plan involves
greater Capitalization of control, it may
be answered that if Capitalization is an
Indispensable condition of better schools
then we must have greater centraliza
ton. In educational systems there
must be advance. If there is no advance
there is stagnation, and stagnation is
almost as bad as retrogression. Moreover,
Prof Wells shows that at Quincy, Mass
where are some of the best grammar
schools in New England, the authorities
have ascertained from actual figures
tibet efficient schools have cost less per
cabita than inefficient ones. each
generation in America says Prof
Wells, "cannot continue to lose three
or four years out of Its life without com.
parative national retrogression, primar
lily in intellectual matters, then neces.
sarily in practical atfAirs A poorly ed
ucated people canno. compete with one
better educated, for all supremacy is,
after all, spiritual and intellectual rather
than physical. 1t is beginning to be
acknowledged that good teaching must
be profession, rot a makestift, that it
is an art, perhaps OF all arts the most
difficult, and certainly OF all arts the
most important The proposed reform
will be eagerly discussed by educational
experts, and there can be little doubt
that some change towards the scheme
proposed may be gradually attempted
by school boards.