Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-19
EDUCATION FADS.
The Common Branches Not SIGHTED
in Our Public Schools.
AN EN- GLISH EXHIBIT
A Graphic Representation at the Franklin
Building Of the Mental Training of the
Children in the Public Schools of the
City-From Big and Little.

Perhaps now more than any time during tn
year the attention OF the public is called to tn
public schools Of our city. The last day is nea
at hand and on Wednesday the schools will b.
closed for the summer holidays In the house
holds where there are children attending tn,
public schools. and that comprises PRACTICAL,
all the households of the city where there are
Children OF school age, the topic of interes
is the schools and the closing exer
clses. The head Of the house, who il
apt to hand over the responsibility for the
education of his children to the school authori.
Ties at least for the greater portion of the year
and gives his entire attention to other matters
is at this season conscious that there is such an
institution as the public schools. He gets this
idea from the talk he hears at home from the
youngsters. and also his attention is attracted
| by articles in The STAR which. as has been its
custom for years past, gives what is going On in
! the schools.
PROMINENT BECAUSE RATHER NOVEL
There are certain picturesque features of
| modern education which are apt to be written I'D
at length in detail, and it would not be surpris-
ing if the hurried man OF affairs should get an
idea that the schools were mainly devoted to
giving instruction in these specialties Such a
man Is inclined to the idea that q good deal Of
attention is paid to what is known as mammal
training. The products of the carpenter shop.
the machine shop, the sewing and cooking
school are given a good deal OF prominence.
and no doubt some Of the children in their
talk at home convey the impression to parental
ears that the training of their hands
Is the main occupation Of the public schools
OF course such an impression could only be
made on the casual observer of the methods of
instruction adopted in the public schools Any
haa Ia IN init int
public schools realizes the relative Importance
OF these useful features.
As has been stated in The STAR, an exhibition
has been opened in the large hall of the Frank
lin school building, where may be seen some of
the results OF the manual instruction given to
the children. Manual training is bv no means
a fad that dominates the public schools This
fact is demonstrated by An exhibition which is
being arranged in the large room in the same
building, which has been set apart for the
teachers library. Here may be seen the
progress which is made by each pupil in the
schools In the acquisition of the three branches
which used to be known the three RS
In former years, and it has not been
long ago, either. that was the extent of the
education that was given. Now that other
branches have been added it is shown that the
instruction in reading. writing and arithmetic
IL not being neglected In fact. it is claimed
that better Ind more thorough instruction in
the English branches is given now than ever
before
AN INrEREsTING EXHIBIT.
What is meant BY this claim will readily be |
seen by visit TO the English exhibit. as it NAV
be termed. which will be ready for inspection |
In day or two. Arranged on tables which are |
around the room are specimens OF the /
work Of every child in the pubic schools. Be-
ginning with the first grade and ending with !
the high School graphic representation is
gwen by TINS exhibit OF tho mental develop
men; OF the children of the public schools.
lhe little tots in the first grade, who learn TO
read and to write before their parents realize
that they know their letters. begin at once to
express In language their thoughts. or course
they don I know much about hope or ambition
or love or any Of those abstract motives which
DO 80 much to pecplex and complicate life in
after years, and SO they are not asked to ex-
press their ideas on these interesting themes
But they do know what peach or daisy is. and
30 they are set to work to say some ing about
these familiar objects. 1t may not seem much
Tor child TO write that plum il roaud and
smooth and that II he has four and gives Susie two
he will have but two left. But when il il
that the child sits down and ex-
presses In good English its ideas about the
ruit or the flower. and thus cu!tivates the
aculty OF writing about wha: he or she knows.
hen these little papers with the characters verv
much up and down and very round. and per-
laps little straggly, and perhaps a letter
dropped out here and there. assume more sig
lifcauce. The child knows what he wants 20
ay ana says Il, and then stops. His spelling
nd writing. the ability to express ideas, are {
II involved in this composition.
MAY ALSO DRAW.
1t is amusing to note that they are not satis-
led with the statement that two from four will
cave two, but they give the mathematical
ormula. which Is simple enough and further
Illustrate their theme by drawing picture of !
our plums and then of two plums in groups 10 ;
now the division which would occur in the i
vent that Susie received her share They
nus begin in the first year Of their course
D learn to draw such objects as NAV be set
efore them. Tho same practical idea runs 7
through the paper exhibited as the work d
The pupils in the other grades. i
ne theme, OF course, becomes more complex as \
he child progresses, but there is the same I
over to express clearly in good English the '
feas that occur on given subject There is v
o attempt made to have the pupils write on !;
omethng that does not come within the range h
their daily studies. After while with this y
raining, when they get out in the world and =
ave some experience with ambition or hatred I
me art OF war or of FILTRATION. and il they
'ei called upon to say something on
'ch themes then the training which
hey are now receiving to express their {
ioughts intelligcntiy and clearly will be of s
reat Use. But just now all The children know 7
rincipally is what they see in the concrete =
l.,
id they are cultivating the habit of express \
x what they know. When a little girl or boy g
We or SIX years of age Uses the word cafvx or !,
amen In writing about flowers it is because =
ley are Just as familiar with those words as
icy are Win the words cat and dog.
PRACTICAL THEMES. S
1t is interesting TO follow along these tables t
st as you would watch the course of a deyel- Z
ping human life and see the rario1s stages of
'ogress. 1hey are all clearly defined in :,
ese papers as if the children were before YOU. :,
ut the system Of training remains the same.
Id the same practical principle underiies the |
hole. In every grade the pupils write about
at with which they are familiar and when the G
ork OF the last years scholar in the High h
'hool Is reached the prose in its riyor and
rength and the clearness of the thought will =
NIX these efforts in grade with the writings !,
hich grace the pages of our best periodical u
erature. That is one thing that This
Inhibition OF the work of our public schools ia II
,signed to show. Not that il is considered g
AT the highest aim Of public school course is !.
prepare writers for m entrance in the pages -
our leading magazines, but it is to dem =
lstrate that IN the schools the teachers are not =
rried away by fads of manual training "
what not. bat that now, 70 II
Claimed, better than il the past. the
lidren are trained in the knowledge OF En- ~
lsh and are put in the way 10 the mastery of y
cir mother tongue tor the uses OF life. a
In some OF the higher grades scientific studies a
= pursued where laboratory work ID done and az
periments are made the pupils choose these III
biects for the theme of '.ha,r as,,,, Nv,