The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-12-26
PROHIBITIvE INTERROGATION.

PROHIBITIyE INTERROGATION.
There is wild excitement in Denver over
the Introduction of McKinleyism into the
examinations for teachers licenses. Seven
ty-two candidates for licenses We're exam
iaed ana not solitary one obtained a
satisfactory mark for a license of any
kind. In consequence a protest has been
entered against the questions asked. which
normal school. The questions are certainly
tough ones. as may be seen from a few
samples. One was:
Draw a (memory) sketch of North
America. showing the amount of rainfall
IN the different parts.
Now, a school teacher ought to be able
TO draw outline map that would bear
a general resemblance to North America,
but why should a teacher or anyone else
be supposed ID know the rainfall in diff
ferent sections. unless he had been brought
up in the weather bureau? OF course there
are maps made which show rainfall, and
presumably they are Published - Physical
Biographies, together With those saaI5y
isothermal lines and colo-s showing the dis
tribution OF insane OF foreign parentage."
and acreage Of sugar beets," but the idea
Of expecting anyone to carry such stuff
about in his head is preposterous. 4
teacher who knew very much of it would
not be qualified to teach. But these in
quisitors We're not satisfied with investi-
CATION as to such physical details. They
fired at the ambitious candidates the
question:
Give an analysis of memory.
Think of it. You can define memory for
ordinary purposes by calling it power
or faculty producing certain results. but
no one can tell what memory actually is
any more than you can tell what life is,
or what mind is. And how can you analyze
thing when you do not know what it
is? Another question of the same charac-
ter was:
What is the true aim Of all art?
What is art? It is not definable because
it is infinite. And what is it its aim? 1t is
very doubtful if artists would agree. but
it is certain that they would not agree
with persons who are not artists. Probably
the questioners would have been satisfied
with an answer that it is the elevation of
mankind" or something of that sort They
appear to have been rather practical peo-
pie in some things, as, for instance, such
questions as:
What different grades Of courts has
Colorado? Give the functions of each
grade.
WHAT are the essential features OF the
Australian ballot?
What in brief are the requirements and
privileges of a national bank?
What do you mean by federal election
law. and what does the constitution Of the
United States say upon the subject2
What is your definition of socialism,
paternallsm, anarchy?
Possibly per cent. of the lawyers in
Colorado could answer these five questions
but it is doubtful. Probably more Of them
would fail disnally on the last one than
on any Of the others. Certainly not per
cent. of them could answer this:
Give a short synopsis Of the different
forms Of government found in the original
thirteen colonies.
The propounding of such questions to
candidates for teachers license is an IL
lustration of the distorted modern idea Of
school work. 1t is impossible to teach
everything in schools. The attempt to do
it interferes with the teaching of what
ought 10 be taught Schools-public
schools at least-were designed 10 give
children the elementary instruction which
they can grasp and hold, and not to Ill
their heads. or attempt to do so, with
things that even men in the higher walks
of professional life do not always know
1t is Of infinitely more Importance that
teacher should be able TO teach a child to
read, write, spell and solve ordinary prob
lens in arithmetic than to be able to
answer any OF all of the above questions
And 1t would really be unfortunate IL
teachers who could answer them should
try to impart their information to school
children,