The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-10
TO MAKE SAILORS
OF THE BOYS.
Captain W. L, Merry Sug-
gests a School Of
Navigation.
DIRECTORS DISLIKE 1T.
1t Would Require a Ship and
Altogether Be Very
Expensive.
THE UTILITY OF EDUCATION.
Present Financial Appropriations
Don't Sanction New and Costly
Experiments.

The latest improvement contemplated in
connection with the curriculum of the
public school system of education is a
class or a school IN which boys may be
taught navigation. The idea was sug-
gested few days ago by w. L. Merry, the
secretary of the Chamber of Commerce,
who addressed letter upon the topic to
Superintendent Madison Babcock.
Since San Francisco is one of the lead
ing seaport cities of the United States the
boys. in the opinion of Mr.. Merry, should
be given chance to learn how to box the
compass, reef topsail and navigate ship
or steamer across the briny deep. There
has not been any school of this class in
the City since the death of old Captain
McNevin some years ago, and, says Mr..
Merry, "why should not the State prepare
boys to go to sea as well as to train them
to become carpenters and machinists, etc.
They do so in New York, Boston and other
seaport cities of the East, and 1 am una
bic to see why we should not adopt SIM
liar policy in San Francisco"
T he letter of Mr.. Merry was sent by SUI
perintendent Babcock to the State Superin-
tendent of Public Instruction, Samuel T.
Black, who in his answer says:
az am quite sure that it would be perfectly
com petent for the Board of Education to
establish such a school in connection with
either one of your high schools or the Poly
techic School, or If deemed best, it might be
maintained as separate school. / call your
attention to section of article 8 of the con-
stitution of California, which states that the
pubic school system may include such tech
nical schools as may be esta blished by the
Legislature or by municipal or district author
ity.'
iPermit me to express the hope that your
Board OF Education will give the suggestion
of w. L. Merry careful consideration"
The school sages freely admit that naviga-
ton is a useful art and all that, but they say
there are many other equally useful arts and
the line must be drawn somewhere. The
finances, too, of the department are limited,
and it Is question not of what should be done
of what can be done, and of the many studies
presenting themselves, which are the most adj
visable.
"our system of public school education
said Director G. A. Murdoch, chairman of the
classification committee, sis not intended pri-
marily to teach trades or to fit our boys and
girls to earn Living. but rather to give them
an intellectual grounding, which will serve as
basis for any pursuit they may follow after
leaving SCHOOL,
Navigation, said Director Comte Jr., ais
unquestionably good thing; so. for that mat.
ter, is all knowledge, but the problem we must
study is the urgent needs of the School De-
partment. l accordingly conclude that until
all OF our schoolhouses are put in a sound SAN
itary condition we cannot consistently con-
slider the idea of establishing a school in naVi-
cation. Why. to do this should need
ship and corps OF special teachers, and the
expense would be considerable.
1--WE haven't bean tc spare" said Director
Knox, consequently don't see what would
justify us in introducing a new and expensive
study, no matter how useful it might be-"