Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-12-14

and liberal minded citizens, sYmmetri-
cally developed and fully equipped to
meet the trials, the struggles and the du-
ties of active, useful and honorable lives.
In fact the lamentable deficiency In pre-
paration and preliminary qualifications
becomes painfully evident just as soon as
the pupils leave what are called the lower
grades, (the grammar schools aud under),
and attempt to enter on the work OF the
high school curriculum. At one time,
(and am not aware that any change has
yet been made), these teachers, I'm the
performance OF their duties, arduous and
exacting as they must ever De, were ham
pered and restricted by having to take
directions from, and In measure by be-
Ing subject to the orders OF, seven differ
ent and distinct persons-the superinten-
dent, the principal OF the training school,
the principal OF the building, and the
special instructors in music, drawing,
gymnastics and natural science. Now we
have II on high authority that no man
can serve two masters. In the name OF
suffering womanhood, how can tencher
serve seven supervisorsl To their credit be
1t said, and l sincerely hope they Will
have grit and determination enough to
persist therein, verv many Of them do
not try, and l am delighted to be able to
say that In the large majority OF cases,
the supervisors never find II out. l be-
lieve In progress and improvement, in
new methods and better results when at
tainable, in kindergsrtens, music and
drawing, In healthy and systematic
growth and development of body and
mind, but when bright, intelligent, ac-
tive boy, years and a half Old, who has
spent year IN the kindergarten and 3
months in the primary school, don't
know his letters and can't read or spell
single word, even IL he can write on his
slate, from a blackboard copy, a sentence
OF which he cannot tell one word or letter,
! there Is surely sonnet hing rotten, not in
| far on Denmark, but right here I'm Paw
! tucket. We are told in one OF the "Out.
lines" that "lesssons In paper folding
will do much toward bringing about
cleanliness on the part Of the pupils. Un-
| DIVIDED attention and prompt obedience
can be secured through paper folding"
We find I'm another place I'm these "Out.
lines" so called, instruction IN clesnIl-
ness OF the person, hints at civility, obe-
dience, respect for elders, and an implica-
tion at least that a knowledge OF arith-
metIc, grammar, reading aud geography
are worthy Of some slight notice, and are
not to be knocked out in one round by
number work, language WORK, science,
gymnastics ct cetera. Yet when Il year
old boy goes all day long without wash
ing his hands, cleaning his nails or brush
ing his hair, calls his sister chump and
his brother kid or a Gully, contradcts
his father point blank, never goes any
where but "skins out" "gits" things or
says he "haint got none," declares one
third of one fourth to be one twenty
fourth, whenever he doubts anything
shows 1t by inqulrng CAV, what yer
givin us!' and, when advice is offered
him by his elders, usually receives 1t with
the highly intellectual rejoiner "Hey,
| sonny, come of the perch!" neglects to
| lift his hat to lady on the street for the
| Ito him) perfectly satisfactory reason that
| "Ho! ! know her." commits to memory
Holmes poem of "1he One-Hoss Shay"
yet is accustomed to quote from ID only
the elegant extract
| Then the deacon swore. as deacons 10,
with an 81 du YUM" or an 81 tell yeou,"
| and interlards his daily conversation with
| a choice vocabulary OF Holy Smoke!
| Great Scott! Christmas! j. e.. Moses In
the Burning Bush! BY gosh Confound
| It'll and Hully Jel--when this highly in-
teresting state of things obtains in the
daily life of a bright, stirring, wide-
awake, intelligent II year old boy, in the
| ninth grade of the public schools, we may
indeed pause In our everlasting Dragging
| about the perfection OF our Great Ameri-
A., can Common School System and, in the
4 words OF the celebrated MIR. Flanagan of
Texas, Tor some other equally we'll known
I wortry), inquire with bated breath and
| awe stri cken faces, "where are we att"
And nov possibly he reader, II he has
| had patience TO read so far through the
article, may inquire-"Well, what is the
| remedyg The object OF the writer at pres
ent Is not to point out remedy, (though
| IL is due TO his unlimited self conceit TO
say that he sincerely thinks he could sug-
gsst what would, at least in n measure,
meet the demands OF the casc), for this
| duty is imposed on other shoulders and
| Is required at other hands. II Is the pros
| ent design only to call attention to what
| IL believed TO be a crying evil, shameful
misuse and neglect of golden opportunl-
ties, wasteiul, extravagant expenditure
OF the public money, an imposition OF
silly and dculous tasks upon a body OF
faithful hard working public servants,
and an outrageous injustice and wrong TO
| the 5000 and more young children who
are hereafter TO be the men and women OF
uawtucket, and to give 1t character ana
sn anding, or to make IL laughing stock
a, long its sister ,cipauties. "Ihese
he hard words" do You say, gentle readerg
loo K into the subject for yourself, and
see "A they be true. X