The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-01
STUDIESOF The STUDENTS.
Report Of the Educational ASSOCia-
tiOnS Committee.

It is One of the Most Important Edu-
cational Documents Ever Published
in This Country-Early and Con-
tinued Study of Latin and Greek
accommodated Radical Change in
the Teaching of Arithmetic Recon-
mended.
Washington, Dec 30,-W. T. Harris,
the United States commissioner of educa-
tion, to-day made public the report of the
committee of ten on secondary school du-
ties, appointed at the meeting of the Ma
tional Educational Association held in
July, 1892, at Saratoga, N. Y. This COM
mittee of ten consisted of the following
well-known educators: Charlie w.
Elliott, president of Harvard University,
hartman William T. Harris, committee of
education, Washington; James B. Angel,
president of the University of Michigan.
Ann Harbor; John Tettle, head master Of
the girls high school and the girls latin
school, Boston; James M. Taylor, presi-
dent Of Vassar college, Poughkeepsie (;
Oscar D. Robinson, principal of the high
school, Albany; Richard II. Baker, presi-
=
Richard H. Jesse, president of the Uni
versity of Missouri; James c. Mackense
Headmaster of the Lawrenceville school,
Lawrenceville, N. j., and Henry c. King,
professor in Oberlin college.
"The recommendations of this report"
says Commissioner Harris, in his letter Of
transmittal, will draw the atten tion of
a great number of teachers to the ques-
tion of educational values and this will
lead to a better understanding of what
the pupil should study to gain the most
from his work in this school. In this re-
spect consider this the most important
educational document ever published in
this country"
THE STUDIES UNDER DISCUSSION.
The committee, after an extended pre-
liminary discussion decided to Organize
the conference on the following SUBJECTS
l. Latin.
2. Greek
3. English.
4. Other modern languages
5. Mathematics.
6. Physics, astronomy and chemis istry,
and natural history biology, including
botany, zoology and physiology.
s. History Scivil government and politi-
cal economy.
8. Geography physical geography, ge-
ology and meteorology.)
They also decided that each conference
should consist of ten members. They
then proceeded to select the members of
each of these conferences, having regard
in the selection to the scholarship and ex-
perience of the gentlemen named, to a
fair division of members between the col
leges on the one hand and schools on the
other, and to the proper geographical dis
tribution Of the to tai membership. A list
n aH nA
guide for the discussions at the confer
ences, which were held on Dec, 2S, 1892,
each in different city.
ELABORATE REPORTS.
Elaborate reports and recommendations
are made by each of the ten conferences,
a few of the more important features Of
which are given as follows: An
important recommendation of the Latin
conference is that the study of Latin be
introduced into American schools earlier
than it now is They recommend that the
translation at sight form a constant and
increasing part of the examinations for
admission TO colleges and of the work Of
preparation. They next urge that prac-
tice in writing Latin should be carried on
with equal steps. The conference desire
the schools to adopt greater variety Of
Latin authors for beginners, and then
give good reasons against the exclusive
use of Cssar's Gallo war
THE STUDY OF GREEK.
The conference on Greek agree with the
conference on Latin, recommending the
cultivation of reading at sight in schools,
and in recommending that practice i'll
translation into the foreign language
should be continued through the school
course. They urge that three years be
the minimum time for the study of Greek
10, al gir.I I,aF 4 -,
be studied four years. They would
not have pupil begin the
study of Greek without a knowledge
of the elements of Latin. They recon-
mend the substitution Of portions of the
Hellenica for two books of the Anabasis
in the requirements for the admission to
college, and the use Of some narrative
portions of Thucydides in the schools.
They urge that Homer should continue to
be studied in all schools which provide
instructions in Greek through three
years, and they suggest that the Odessy
is to be preferred to the Iliad.
STUDY OF ENGLISH.
The conference on English are of the
opinion that English should be pursued
in the high school during the entire
course Of four years; but in making this
recommendation the conference have in
mind both study Of literature and train
ing in the expression Of thought. To the
study of rhetoric, they assign one hour a
week in the third year Of the high school
course.
To the subject of historical and system
grammar, they ASST Rn one hour week in
the fourth year of the high school course.
The conference claim for English as
much time as the Latin conference claim
for Latin in secondary schools, and it is
clear that they intend that the study
shall be, in all respects, as serious and in
forming as the study of Latin.
One of the most interesting opinions ex-
pressed by the conference Is THAT the
best results in the teaching OF English in
the high schools cannot be secured with
out the aid given by the study of some
other language, and that Latin and Ger
man, by reason Of their fuller intellectual
system, are especially suited TO the end"
STUDY OF WORDS.
They say that the study of words should
be so pursued as to illustrate the politi-
cal, social, intellectual and religious de-
velopment Of the English race, and they
urge that the admission OF a student
should be made TO depend largely on his
ability to write English, as shown in his
examination books on other subjects. 1t
is a fundamental idea in this report that
the study of every other subject should
contribute to the pupils training in Eng
lish and that the pupils capacity TO write
English should be made available, aud be
a nd L., x,fl. Iona ~