Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-01-04
HIGH PUBLIC SCHOOL STATUS.
Wilmington Curriculum Found to
be "Up to Date"


tion and Those of the Commissioner of
Education at Washington. the City
Public school Pupils Have as Good
Educational Advantages as Are OBJ
tainabie in the Country.
Parent and guardians Of pupils at
tending the city schools will no doubt
be glad TO learn that the course of study
their children follow has q standing
quite up, in every respect, to what
United States Commissioner of Educa-
ton and the National Educational AS
ISOLATION Committee consider should be
the educational standard.
The foremost educators of the country
have had their say on the important
question as to the nature and extent of
study that should be instilled into the
embryo American citizen and it is no
doubt matter of qualification TO Will
mington parents to learn that their
children are not in the least behind in
educational opportunity when tested by
the highest scholastic court of the
country.
The last day of the past year the
United States Commissioner of Educa-
ton, w. t. Harris made public the re-
port of the committee of ten on second
airy school studies, appointed at the
meeting of the National Educational
Association, held in July, 1892, in Sara
toga, N. Y.
There has been and probably always
will be difference of opinion among
parents as to what studies the child
should pursue and what certain studies
should be dropped. 1t would be diff
cult to suit everyone exactly SO the
I'd Nf &c ha
declared for a certain course to be fol-
lowed by all the pupils attending the
| public schools. AS stated II will be
gratifying to parents to learn, at least,
that the course of studies adopted
accords with the judgment of the lead
| ing educational men in the country, in
other words, that children attending the
schools here have opportunity of
gaining as thorough an education as is
possible in any city of the United States
In order to test the contrasted curricu-
lum, the recommendations of the ma
tional committee were shown to Super
intendent of Schools David w. Harlan
and that gentleman made his comments,
showing that under each study the
schools of this city stand well up in line
with the requirements.
The committee of ten appointed by
National Educational Association con-
sists of the following well-known edu-
Gators:
Charles W. Eliot, president of Har-
ward University, chairman; William L.
Harris, Commissioner of Education,
Washington; James B. Angel, presi.
dent of the University of Michigan
Ann Arhor; John Tetlow, head master
of the Girls High School and the Girls
Latin School, Boston; James NJ. Taylor
president of Vassar College, Pough-
keepsie; Oscar d. Robinson, principal
of the High School, Albany; James II.
Baker, president of the University OF
Colorado; Richard H. Jesse; president
of the University of Missouri; James G.
Mackenzie, head master of the Law.
renceville School, Lawrenceville, N. j.
and Henry G. King, professor in ODER
lin College.
The committee, after an extended
preliminary discussion, decided tc
organize conferences on the following
subjects: Latin, Greek, English, othei
modern languages, mathematics; physics
astronomy and chemistry; natural his
,, tory, biology Including botany, zoolog,
and physiology; history, civil government
and political economy, geography
physical geography, geology ant
meteorology.
An important recommendation of tn
Latin conference is that the study o
i Latin be introduced into American
schools earlier than it now is.
. The conference on Greek urge tina
8 three years be the minimum time TO
the study of Greek in schools, provided
!, that Latin be studied four years. The
i would not have pupil begin the stud
, of Greek without a knowledge of til
I elements of Latin.
Il The conference on English are of tn
opinion that English should be pursue
/. in the high school during the entir
y course of four years.
u The most novel and striking recon
mendation made by tho conference o
. modern languages is that an electiv
course in German or French be provide
/. in the grammar schools, the instructio
d to be open to children at about ten yeal
1t of age.
. The conference on mathematics recon
NJ mend "that the course in arithmetic /
:. at once abridged by emitting entirel
those subjects which perplex and e.
TX haust the pupil without affording an
ID really valuable mental discipline, an
ID enriched by greater number of exc
cises in simple calculation, and in IL
solution of concrete problems"
Us The conference OH the subject
a physics, chemistry and astronomy we
!. urgent that the study of simple natur
nj phenomena be introduced into elemer
6: tary schools, and at least one period
.; day from the first year of the primal
school should be given to such study.
ID The conference on natural histol
lk unanimously agreed that the study
m botany and zoology ought to be intr
* duced into the primary schools at IL
8; very beginning of the school course al
L; be pursued steadily with not less tbs
VI two periods week throughout d
an whole course below the high school.
Y. The conference on history, civil go
n, eminent, &C., believed that the time q
Y voted in schools to history and the ALI
S. subjects should be materially increase
The conference report on "geograph
makes that word embrace not only
ay description of the surface of the earth, b
as also the elements OF botany, zoolog
asst astronomy and meteorology, as we'll
u many considerations pertaining to Co
vs' merce, government and ethnolog
No. which they wish to have taught.
in MR.. HARLAN's COMPARISON.
US In regard to the first recommendatic
On Mr.. Harlan said "We introduce /
Sc, study of Latin when pupils enter I
en- high school, that is at the beginning
of the ninth year of the school course.
yn- Greek-"Greek is not taught in {
ere schools"