Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-01-04


arc "lsarning to keep their eyes open" as
they never did before. During Christmas
week, or rather the week before, q great
manv of the teachers, under instruction
from some of the seven supervisors to
whose orders and direction they are sub
ject, were required to devote he whole OF
one, two or more half. days to making
Christmas presents and gifts for their
children's friends. Tissue paper aud jap
anese dolls were sewed on to broken PALM
leaf fans to make shaving paper cases, ola
pasteboard boxes were re-rampsd by the
help OF crepe tissue, -four paste and "gum
rag" (as one poor little innocent called
gum tragscsnth,) into "jewel cases." ny
traps were evolved from crimson, blue and
green glazed papers, small Thermometers
were stuck on to pink and white ribbons
with Spsulding's or LePsge's glue, and
cent Dap calendars were fastened onto cards
that were "desorated" with sutu mn leaves
and dried bsgs. This was bad enough Tor
should one say "beautiful" enoughf) in
school the parents of whose pupils were
able and willing to give their children
10 or 10 cents to be- wasted In this highly
intellectual pursuit, but how was 1t In
that 81 hool of AZ pupils whose united sf'
forts succeeded In raising the munincent
sum of 90 cents, and whose teacher, her
honest INDICATION at the imposition thus
placed upon her exceeded only by her gem
uine love and affection for her little
charges, took a portion OF her own mag
niticient income OF ga a week, for 40
weeks, not 81 200 year, and bought some
calendars, and Thermometers. and other
"helps to learning,"so that her little ones
might not suffer in their own minds by
an unfavorabie cot parison between what
was "m ade in their room"and what was
made by other and more highly favored
childreni How was II with that other
teacher who sat up till almost twelve
O'Clock one night popping corn, which
she bought with her hard earned money,
not q 200 year by any means, and kept
on "popping" till she had q pillow-case
two thirds full, so that she and her chill
dren might be able to trim the Christmas
tree that they were required to have set
up in their roomf How much solid BEN
eft and intellectual growth was derived
from this tissue paper and glue and paste
business, from this pop corn land sich,"
by the boys and girls In these identical
rooms who go to school only twelve
weeks year, and who would not be al
lowed to 60 even that little unless the
!
In such state of things that one teacher
honest, conscientious, anxious to do ell
she can for her pupils so ss to have them
learn something, sh oul d say, In comment.
ing on the fol- de-rol and nonsense above
described-"I have become so tired OF the
hurry and worry and rush from one
thing to another, that lately, in self de.
tense, l have called a halt, and decided, IL
n IN ha q mn ri IN ahOnld
In more worthy cause" or that an
other, equally honest and earnest, should
write-"One OF the worst features of our
present methods is this: the children are
so used to being entertained, and shear
ing stories," that any lesson requiring
real work on their part Is task not to be
undertaken without q protest, and as
making up misused time or neglected les
sons IL considered q relic of barbar ism,
the result Is exactly what might be ex-
pected, they learn nothing at ALL" or
that third, not seeing how she was to
give to the 81 children in her room any
very extended or valuable instruction in
"History" in the ten minutes which the
"Approximate Time Limit" allots to that
branch of study, should we'll nigh despair
of accomplishing anything OF value, and
should tell friend, with tears In her
eyes, that she almost "hoped she should
never 60 into a school room again AZ long
as she lived?" These are not trumped up
nor exaggerated instances, but almost ex.
act reproduction (as exact as circum-
stances and lapse of time will permit), OF
actual occurrences, name, place and date
OF which coui1 be given IL 1t were desira
BILE. Is IL economy, or common sense, or
advanced ideas, or downright foolishness,
that spends e, 800 for system OF ventila-
ton to keep rooms fresh and clean, the
air pure and the heat equally and uni
formlv distributed, Uhe operating OF
which system uses up l50 tons OF coal In
one building in one sesson), and then
puts into these very same rooms, to
sweeten and perfume (?) them, an ar
rangement or contrivance thst no right
minded house mother, possessed OF nose,
would allow anywhere except out In
shed or down behind the barn, and that,
without constant care and attention, Will
become in 4S hours like the offence of
King Clsudius In "Hamlet," except In its
directionf Possibly, when this "care and
attention." by the help ola stick, has
been given by the teacher, W no Of course
has time enough and to spare, the 80
minutes appropriated In The mathemsti
caliy exact approximate Time Limit"
aforesaid to "miscellaneous uses" may
have been somewhat shorn of its fair
proportions.
The writer would be the very last per-
son to say or do or even suggest any
thing that would have a tendency to
cripple the schools, or aprige or limit
their usefulness. He knows that the
thoug htfui men and women OF Pawtuck-
ct are fully aware that the future hope
and salvation of our country lie in the
school rooms. He appreciates as much
as anyone can the liberality, the un-
stinted generosity, that has always char
acterized the town and city in giving
money to support and maintain good
schools and good schooling. He is glad
to live among such people, and to be ono
OF such a community; but he thinks, and
he knows he is not alone In so thinking,
that the limit OF generosity and OF for
bearance has been reached. He believes 1t
Is time to cry a halt, and he sees but one
way of doing II. ONE HUNDRED AND
TWENTY thousand, ONE HUNDRED AND
NINETY. NINE DOLLARS AND NINETY
TWO CENTs are not needed for Legitimate
school ex xpenses for the year 1894 "Mil.
lions for defence, not one cent for tri-
butel" was ringing watchword In its
time. Thousands OF dollars for earnest,
honest, effective teaching, bnt not
penny for glue pots, gargoyies and tom
fooleryl" may not be much out OF the
way today. A smaller amount than that
Al H.. It..t..