The herald., 1893-10-08
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

The public school is the standard ~
measure in the worlds estimate OF a
nations greatness. Russia may have q
vaster territory, China may have millions
more Of men, Germany may have the
most perfectly diciplined body of troops
the world ever saw, England may have
floating fortresees in every harbor and
on every sea, yet when the question Of
greatness arises the public school is the
measuring unit. This truth OF today
applies equally we'll in the past. The
leading nations Of all times have been
those that paid the greatest attention
to the education Of their people. They
may or may not have had q system of
public schools, but they possessed in
etrumentalities for education in the
family and in civil society, besides dis
cipline through the laws and their ad-
ministration and in the public service,
civil and military. eAnd yet the educa-
tional unit is never the same. Tho
standard applied in measuring Rome's
greatness ie quite different from that
used in defining the status OF the United
States or Germany. As civilization ad-
vances such advancement being made
possible by thsse educational factors,
these factors themselves are changed by
the very forces which they have created.
The education which has already been
given q people makes it necessary to
give them more. By inatructing them.
new powers have been awakened in
them, and this intellectual and moral
energy must be regulated. These forces
are spiritual, endowed with principle
of life and of progress which nothing
can quench.
Again, it is sometimes asserted that
the future of the peoples of modern
times is uncertain; that events are lead
ing society no one knows where; that
the conflict OF classes must come with q
result that no one can foretell. and that
our deHtinies are at the mercy of the
most unforeseen storms. This we do not
believe. There ia means of assuring
the futuree of peoples and of righting
all wrongs. The people must be
given an intellectual and moral educa-
ton which purities the soul and strength
ems character. But here let US guard
against the wish OF come sudden and
miraculous transformation. 1t will
never come. Everything here below is
accomplished by trifling and successive
notifications. Juet as the child grows
from year to year, so for nations, there
ia no other process than the action, slow
but sure, of q wise and rigorous educa-
ton for causing them to pass from vice
to virtue, from abasement to grandeur.
Every two weeks ON Sunday morning
this column will contain the discussion
of some question relating to the work in
our schools, public and private. Men of
ability and experience, teachers, busi-
ness men, professional men and parents
will be asked to contribute.
When there are two sides to q ques-
tion, men will be found to present each
side, go that the reader can Judge for
himself of the merits of the question.
Often the teacher thinks the echool
should do one thing for q child-the
patron thinks another. Let's have the
subject discussed, and thought about,
and in the end we believe it will do the
teacher good, the patron good and the
school good. Moreover. this is the way
all needed reforms have started. The
people mast think and then act. In
the discussion of these subjects no
writers will be personal nor will any
reader imagine or think that the writer
is hitting at anyone. All that is
asked is that the contributor will give
his best thoughts to the subject treated.
II be believes not in public schools, let
him have the courage to say so. II he
thinks Los Angeles should have man
ual training school, whore the boys
could be taught to handle their hands
as we'll as their heads, let him say go.
If he thinks that the girls should be
taught in the grammar grades to handle
the needle and how to cook and to be
help to her mother and not burden,
let him say so. All articles will be
brief. practical and to the question un-
der discussion.
The following questions will give some
idea OF the subjects of discussion that
will appear from Sunday to Sunday:
Should the girls in our public shoots
be taught plain needlework and cook
ing?
Should Los Angeles have q manual
training school?
What should be done with a poor
teacher?
Is compulsory school law advisable?
Do our public schools fit the pupils for
the practical side of life?
What advantages has the public school
over the private school, or vice versa?
What training should teacher re-
ceivs before being given certificate to
teach?
Haw should teachers be employed,
who should employ them and for how
long?
Who should discharge them, for what
cause and who should judge of the
cause?
How should boards of education be
selected, for how long, and what qualifi-
cations, if any, should be required of
them?
Should the state furnish text books
free to the pupil?
SCHOOL NOTES.
Present school year-July /, 1893, to
June 80. 1894
Assessment roll of 2-93-$S2, $780,
924.
Amount OF school money received
from state during school year of 1929
$3l0.22l; from county, $3.50, 1872. 80:
total receipts for schools last year, $44O,-
55362.
Number of children Of school age in
Los Angeles county, 27 ,402.