Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-04-08

Another evil, and most undemocra-
tlc one IS that the best teachers, the most
hlghly educated and the most highly paid,
are not put into the primary schools,
where all the children have the benefit of
thelr culture, but into the high schools,
where only three or five per cent Of the
children come i'll contact with them.
That is, instead of giving the best advan-
tases to those who have the most need of
them, we give them to those who have the
least. The child who can devote only the
few years of early infancy to mental pur-
suits, we put off with half educated or
not educated teacher, while the best gifts
are bestowed upon those who can be fur
nishcd with the best elsewhere The
school commission in Ohio, in some ex-
celicnt remarks on high schools, says that
three one-hundredths of the public school
teachers of Ohio who are in the high
schools receive one-ninth of the money paid
for instruction.. In Boston about one
ninth of the teachers are in the high
school teaching about one twenty second
part of all the pupils and receiving about
one-sixth of all the salary. The average
number of pupils to Il teacher in the high
schools is 25.1; in the grammar schools
1913; in the primary schools 45.4 No
one can deny that as the pupil approaches
the teacher in character and attainments
the pleasure of teaching him increas es
and the trouble OF teaching him dimin-
ishcs. it requires far more vitality TO
engage and direct twenty little children
than twenty boys and girls of fifteen
years Yet we put nearly twice as many
little restless bodies and fresh unframed
minds into the care of the primary teacher
as we put of taught and trained pupils
under the high school teacher. And then
we give to the high school teacher the
higher salary and most fatal of all we TO
not think it necessary for the primary
teacher who has the first and widest and
deepest work to do to be furnished with
all the resources which education can gro
vide but fancy that any woman who can
read and write-cspecially if she have
touch and go at the normal schools
abundantly able to manage these little
ones. -
And may add that she speaks from
much experience.
70 follow this thought a little farther
in what would be called the ordinary
country school only the rudimentary edu-
cation is taught. Reading, writing,
geography, arithmetic, grammar, little
history, if desired, and perhaps morsel
of algebra. Elaborate division and sub
division of grades, music masters, draw
ing teachers, military precision and Del
sarte calisthenics are reserved for the city.
And yet with all of its superiority of
science and methods it is doubtful if the
results obtained at the city school can be
considered better than those of the little
country one.
| say, and l believe that l am right
that there is less mechanism in the small
school, more individualism, more intense
desire on the part Of the energetic scholar
to conquer in the race. They learn this
rudimentary education thoroughly and
well, their Delsarte exercise consists of
hard manual labor. They go into the
world to take up the fight at the lower
round of the ladder and to mount up.
wards. They arc not waiting for some
occupation, delicate enough and worthy
enough to be presented to them on
silver salver; it is not necessary to chroni
Gle of one of these that she has accepted a
position as saleslady. no, she is glad to get
work aud to do it in the same persever-
ing, faithful way in which she earned her
education.
And now this brings me to the con-
sideration of the high school. | would
not have you suppose that l am in any
way, manner or shape opposed to the high
school; but | am democratic i'll the be-
lief that instead of considering the high
school the school of the greatest i'm
portance, it is of the least in our local sys
TEN. | am not a believer in class lcgisla-
ton and | believe the present course of
study in high schools is for favored few;
/ believe that the vast majority of our
people are not encouraged to give their
children a high school education for they
believe that no real good comes from it,
unless the child is to teach school or go to
college The wrong commences i'll the
lower grades, where, too often, the eduCa
ton is shaped not to give the greatest
good to the greatest number, but to fit
the needs of those who design TO enter the
high school, and this wrong is continued
through the high school in making it
what? A place where a scholar may OBJ
tain good, practical, English higher
education: or d fitting school to prepare
a few for college2 Answer these ques
tions for yourself. and then logically put
10 yourself the question Why should not
these scholars go to college at public OK
pense.
do not believe that ;but maintain that
instead Of shunting off the average child
Mt ii or II years with the education OBJ
tanned at the grammar school. and max
ing parting of the way ut the entrance
of the high school, there should he a CON
tinuation of tho worl; day scholar who
has no intention of going to college, and
that he may be certain that If he go to
the high school 70: one or four years, and
elects to take an English course he may
have the same attention paid him rs is
given to the classical scholar bound for
college; that his parents may know that
every hour at the high school is to be
valuable to him as an education in the
business walks of life.
How would / attain such a result? you
may ask. Let me say that people often
ride hobbies; u matter of comparatively
little Importance to one man is noun
tain to another With all due reverence
we are all too apt to magnify the i'm
portance of those things which interest
us most. A wcil-read man cannot under
stand another's indifference to classical
learning; why subject that absorbs his
interest fails to arouse the least cnthusi-
asm in his neighbor. Continued atten-
a. ic MT Tn