The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-03-25

| the reading book.
The public schools Of Boston have long had
| high reputation but DR.. Rice does not lind
that this IL now justified By the facts During
the last ten years there has been great sdu-
| cational revolution in this country, nearly All
the good schools now existing having been de-
| veloped within that period. II would seem
that the Boston schools have been dulescent
during this period. meanwhile allowing the
progressive institutions to run ahead OF them.
There IL the less excuse for such state OF
things because the conditions under which
school work in Boston IL carried on may he de-
scribed as exemplary. The school system
there IL not machine. hut on the contrary.
both principals and teachers are allowed sum
Client liberty to develop Individual powers.
Then. again. the appolntmen Of teachers and
PRINCIPALS Is determined mainly by merit and
only to a slight extent by political Influences
As to the teachers. although the graduates OF
the Boston Normal School seem TO be prefer
red, others are selected when they are found
better qualified than the home candidates. 1t
should also be noted that no teacher receives
q permanent appointment until she has taught
In the public schools OF Boston for four years
and even aiterward. should she become neell-
gent she 10 liable to lose her place II should be
mentioned, lastly, that the cost OF instruction
per head 10 exceptionally high in Boston. New
erthelsss. the author ofths book was Convinced
By his personal observation that the schools
OF the Massachusetts capital fall far short OF
what they ought to be. Their weakness was
II seems conspicuous In the primary grade.
the grammar schools attaining much higher
level OF efficiency. So marked, indeed was the
difference between the primary and the gram
mar schools that they scarcely appeared to be-
long to the same system. or to be In charge Of
the same superinten Tents and principals
Still, even the grammar schools turned out to
be very uneven, the unevenness being dis
closed not onft In the kind OF instruction
given in diffsrtht schools. but also In that I'm
parted In the different elass-rooms Of the same
institution. In Dr. Rice's opinion, the primary
schools OF Boston must be characterized as be-
longing to the mechanical drudgery class. It
is true that the pupils are not obliged to sit
motionless in q uniform position. but the
teaching 10 highly unscientinc and the teach
ers. though not actually severe In the treat
mont OF pupils, are cold and unsympathetict
In the nrst school year there IL Very little OBJ
jectivs work. what there 10 being limited to
drawing. paper cutting. and modelling. In
the lower grades the sciences are not taught
at a. and in the higher ones but little Is done
in the way OF science teaching No unilcation
OF studies 10 attempted In any OF the Boston
no material advance can be expected in those
institutions until effective m sasures have been
taken 10 enliGhtsn and slim late the teachers.
The public schools OF Philadelphia illustrate.
We are told. the evils consequent upon
school system conducted without . RESPONSE
BILE head. 0 circumstance which gives rise to
constant conflict among hundreds OF irrespon-
sible principals and teachers. who. In strug-
Cling against each other for the purpose Of
80 49,.
Of them has any rights. seeing that all rights
connected with primary education belong to
tho children for whom the schools exist. Until
1888 the public schools OF Philadelphia were
left without supervision. Before that time. the
most chaotic condition prevailed. for the rea-
son that each individual school was conducted
according to the within OF its principal who.
though simply Q class teacher. prepared the
course Of studies and regulated the examina-
lions and promotions without regard to what
was going on elsewhere. When DIR. MacAlister
entered upon the duties Of School Superin-
tendent In 1883. the condition OF things viewed
collectively was dsplorable. sing-sonR concert
recitations were In vogue and mere nom
orizing was the order OF the day. In
two ways the Superintendent sndeavorsd to
bring about order and improvement: first
by constructing q course OF studies to
bo followed by all the schools. and. secondly.
by conducting regular somi-annual examina-
lions for promotion Although such sxami-
nations are now look cd upon as unscisntilc
pedagogy. DIR. Rice comedies that they were
probably UNSUITABLE In Philadslphis under tho
circumstances and at that time It Ia also
acknowlsdged that the course OF studies con-
structsd By Dr. MacAlister, although not with
out certain flaws. was In general founded upon
scientific principles. Blu. since scientific
teaching was unknown to the vast majority OF
the teachers. they were unable to carry out the
new plan OF studies In the spirit as we'll as In
the form. The former concert recitations and
mechanical rote work have. In tho vast ma
iority OF cases. been broken up yet. at the end
OF ten years OF supervision. the public schools
Of Philadelphia are far from exhibiting scien-
tihc methods OF instruction. Aside from tho
general weakness OF the teachers. the cur
riculum is very narrow 1t includes neither
music nor the natural sciences. In the autumn
VI 1892 clay modelling was added to the
course. this being the first serious attemp t to
introduce manual training Into the elo-
mentAry schools. Until very recently the Phlla-
delphia public schools did not have u single
special teacher OF drawing. or course DR..
Rice's criticisms are applied to the system as
whole. He willingly admits that there are some
excsptions-for instance. the Lincoln School.
the Robert Morris School. and the Mcclellan
School The author also has only comm enda-
zion for the Manual Training High School.
which Is pronounced one Of the ost interest
ing and thorough institutions OF the kind In
the United States. Some remarkable work Is
also done at the Public Industrial Art School.
the aim OF which is to instruct tea chers and
pupils In the arts OF modelling and tree hand
drawing On the whole. DR.. Ries does not ex-
psct any signal change for the better In Phila-
dslphia until certain fundamental shortcom-
ings OF it's school system are made good. The
shortcomings are the want OF a responsible
head. the lack Of thoroughly trained teachers. |
the appointment OF teachers BY political infiu-
sncs instead of for MEG and an inadequate
number Of assistant supstintsndents.
v.
Let US pass to Baltimore. the citizens OF
which pride themselves upon possessing some
OF the best public schools in the country II lis
l. 4 -. A. d i