Evening star., 1895-06-08
STRAIGHTFORWA CRITICISM.
A Colored Guardian Discusses Studies
at the Colorcd High school.

ColOred Guardian Discusses Studies
at the Colorcd High school.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
Please permit me. as one racialy and
personally interested, to make few re-
marks upon subject that has caused ME
much thought for some time.
There is entirely too much work in the
primary and grammar grades of the color
ed schools The pupils are required to
learn SO many different things that they
learn nothing well; consequently. instead
of there being pretty good foundation
upon which to build from grade to grade,
there is an ever-increasing amount of half
learned matter, as wefT as a lack of real
interest in learning. When this accumu-
lated ignorance reaches the High School
language fails in the attempt to describe
its magnitude. -
The school authorities lave caused the
edict to go forth that the two high schools
(colored and white} shall be alike IN every
respect. Now, right on its face. that order
scarcely seems TO be the result of deep
thought. and it demands fraud, dishonesty
and kindred evils in the colored schools
to bring about seeming likeness. Every
body possessing grain of common sense
knows that the average. colored child with
his lack OF scholastic tendencies. Of intel
-,
possibly compete with the average white
child in educational attainments. The mat
ter needs no disc ussion; the plain fact con-
fronts Us. Many of the teachers nave tod
me their opinions on this subject, and ad-
nit that they tired trying to keep up
the farce of attempting to carry out the
order.
In the high school for colored children
there is more time allotted to subjects
they will never use than is given to sub
jects of vital Importance. In the first year
academic there are five hours per week
given to Latin and three hours devoted to
English; in the second year academic, four
hours to Latin and two. hours to English.
1t is a known fact that the English used
in this sc he oil. in spontaneous written work
and in recttations, is oftener than not con-
structed upon no authentic rules of syn
tax. Would it not be better to devote four
or five hours to English construction and
actual drill in correct expression and do
with fewer hours in Latin? Let us hear
from the parents on this point There are
not many of the pupils who understand
the fundamental principles of mathematics
well enough to make ordinary computa-
tions correctly without the aid of text
book. Would it not be better to devote
less time to geometry and trigonometry
and more to actual knowledge of the cal
culations and business forms used in real
life among ordinary people? Such knowl-
edge is So much needed in a race like ours.
The parents of the majority of these
children, hard-Working people, who have
no time to leave their places of labor to
look after the educational training of the
children, intruSt their welfare to the teach
ers; supervising principals superintendents
and trustees; and think it actually crimi-
nal for those in charge of schools to
manifest no more interest in the pupils of
their particular schools or to exhibit no
more comprehension of the gravity of the
situation than smilingly to acquiesce in
measures that are of no possible use to
their schools. Our school authorities would
command the unbounded respect OF their
iva hn rtNNI,
tude of parents. teachers and pupils if
they would earnestly and honestly look the
situation over, and instead of blindly
following the work of the white High
School, would, after duly considering the
limitations and needs of the colored pupils,
arrange course of study adapted to a
class OF people trying to lay a foundation
upon which future generations may build.
knowing that We cannot jump where 9TH
ers have crawled let us have the wisdom
to say So and then live up to our knowl-
edge.
Then, see how unfair the present ar
rangement is to the teachers. Some of the
classes in our High School, I understand,
those in political economy, Greek. trigo-
nometry, French and some in German,
botany, advanced history and chemistry
have from three to twelve or fifteen pupils,
while the teachers who nave other classes,
Latin. English. algebra and physics, have
full classes, some sections reaching the
number of forty
Any teacher who has four or five full
Classes IN English in our High School
should be regarded as a MARTYR, and a
special act should give her a promotion in
salary each year she is fortunate enough
to survive the deadly work.
II the thoughtful among us could have
our way We would Instantly establish an
English high school, with a classical an
mex for the one or two pupils who go to
college, in place of classical school, with
pigeon English annex.
Let US have a solid foundation of the
essentials: let US have good business work;
let us have first-class mechanical work.
let US have the best of these thinGs-the
things that make character-so that our
pupils may earn an honest living and not
be standing on street corners waiting for
something to turn up or astonishing the
neiShbors with Latin quota tions while their
aged parents support them Let us ask for
what we need at the present time to make
men and women of real character, then If
we fail We ought to, and the sooner the
better. A GUARDIAN