Middletown transcript., 1896-04-11
TOO MUCH LEARNING.


grammar schools in New York cit
have protested to the Board of Edu
, cation against the present elaborate
system of studies, asserting that sun
der the burden of attempting The i'm
possible positive injury is done to botl
pupils and teachers" There is ne
doubt that an examination of the list OIL
prescribed studies in the public schools
of all of our large cities would show
that the system is virtually the same
everywhere. The evil has been grow
| ing for yeats, and although efforts have
been made to lessen it, no adequate
improvement Is yet visible.
The point, it will be noticed, which
has been made by the teachers in ques-
tion is not that the children are over
worked, but that they are given too
many branches to study in limited
time. 1t is not very common thing
for child to devote so much time to
its books that it Injuries itself; it is the
dissipation of energy. the attempt to
know little something about every
thing, the fitting from one subject to
the other and giving SO little time to
each which makes the outcome so un.
satisfactory to parents, teachers and
pupils.
Nowadays educational institutions
have weakness for posing for some
thing other than they are. Academies
and small colleges have studies which
rightly belong to the colleges and are
studied specifically. Post graduate
work and lectures which cover almost
every department of knowledge help
fill the catalogue and give it an impos-
ing appearance, but they really do not
give the student even smattering of
the various subjects. All this is bad
enough, but when it reaches to tie pri-
mary schools it is time to call halt on
such a dangerous craze.
The true function of the primary
schools is to give every child a thorough
grounding in those rudiments of know
ledge, acquaintance with which will
make him or her an intelligent and a
useful citizen. 1t is fact that the
majority of children cannot obtain more
than a common school training. The |
fierce struggle for existence and many
other of the conditions of modern life |
prevent them from enlarging tn cir
sphere of knowledge, and when they
do start out to learn they should be
taught thoroughly. If they learn to
read, write and spell, if they gain prac-
tical knowledge of arithmetic and an
intelligent understanding of greography
they will start out in lie we'll equipped,
and the very knowledge which they
have gained will lead TO desire on
their part 10 further explore the field Ut
learning.
A few branches thoroughly mastered
are better foundation for the work of
later life than sliati tIing OF many,
aud it does not avail 10 his benefit if
a boy knows Il little astronomy, a I'll. of
chemistry, something about botany,
musical science and hun
dred ether things all jumbled together,
If he is uncel tain in his spelling, doubt
full as TO his grammar and incorrec in
his arithmetic. II has been found that
even some boys in colleges, who are
deep in Greek and psychology, cannot
write correct English sentence or
solve simple arithmetical problem.
And if this is condition of things to
be regret ed, much more is it when it
invddes our common schools. Let Us
teach children to think ms cad of train
ing them to acquire facts; stop stuffing
them with an indefinite number of
things and see that they do few real
ly needful things we'll and thoroughly.
philadelphia Inquirer.