Evening star., 1896-11-13
PUBLIC SCHOOL INSTRUCTION.
A Reader Who Prefers the Old-Fash.
Toned Ways.

toned Ways.
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
Noticing several communications lately
on the subject Of our public schools. beg
space in which to say a few words. 1 can
not understand why our children, In their
infancy you might say. should be brought
into contact with the sciences Of botany
and geology. I mean the study of the
various portions that go to make up a
plant or flower and the piTgrimages they
make to the country to study the forma-
tion Of the earth's surface and it's compo-
nent parts. When your humble servant at
tended the public school all the informa-
ton upon these subjects was impaired i'm
what is now called the eighth grade, where
we had Gray's Botany and Warren's Phys
ical Geography, and where a boy or girl.
having passed through the lower grades
was intelligent enough to understand these
advanced studieA
The lower grades in those days were de-
voted to spelling, reading, writing and
geography, and grammar, arithmetic. his
tory and the Constitution of the United
States were added to the studies as a boy
or girl advanced. In these grades we got
the fundamental principles of an English
education. Something that every boy and
girl is justly entitled to.
Now it is quite different. 1 understand
the spelling book has been tabooed. What
Is the result? 1t is simply this: We are
making our children miserable spoilers
and this is not confined to the lower
grades, either. Reading is not given the
attention that was once given to it, and
the result is we are making poor readers
A friend Of mine in the printing business
wanted a boy as q copyholder, and after
trying several of our school boys, gave uu
in despair. He was finally SO fortunate as
to get boy who had been taught reading
In a country school.
AS grammar. until the na aSt vaar
understand it was tabooed, too Now the
boys tell me they have fifteen grammars
for forty-five pupils. Why is this so? Can
not each pupil have grammar? What is
the result Of throwing out the grammar?
1t is simply this: A large number Of our
children do not know a noun from a verb
and have little or no knowledge of the diff
ferent parts Of speech that go to make ur
the queens English. AS to history, / un.
derstand some of the schools have six OF
seven different works. but only a few OF
each-not enough to go around. Could not
better results be accomplished by adopting
one of the six or seven and providing each
pupil with a book?
1 do not know If the Constitution is
studied or not. If it is not, why is it not?
1 do not know but l think we got better
results out Of the old system than we are
getting out Of the present one. This is the
way 1t looks to an OLD FOGY.
''Pater Familiar Again.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
"Floret's" reply has been carefully con.
sidered, but, SO far as can perceive, con.
tains no reason why we should not .sim.
plify public school instruction" or course
I am aware of the use Of flowers, fruits
and insects as a basis Of language work
and, in fact had several bottles of grass.
hoppers picked in coal oil on hand few
days since. "F1oret'' sums up by saving
that If the child has been attentive and
understood the lesson, the nthere is no
need of dictionary to help him, or of the
There can be no question that If the child
Of seven years understands the botanical
lesson and can SO charge his memory
Herewith as to retain it through many
games of marbles, ETC., he will not need
a dictionary or his parents help thai
night in writing out the several sentences
Is not the teacher talking over the aver.
age child's head in such scientific dis.
courses and could not the time be bette,
employed in teaching the three RS now
so sadly neglected, especially "readin' and
ritin'.''
The immediate occasion Of my former
article arose as follows: was busy going
over The Star to find out just what Nc.
kinleys majority was, and was deeply en-.
| crossed therein when q voice at my left
said: Papa, give me a sentence with ray.
| horet in It" I looked up and asked him tc
repeat the question and spell the word
which he did from slip of paper Then
| asked what ray-horet meant. He did no,
| know, and as I had never heard of tht
word, 1 had to get down the dictionary
e In the tmeantime, I was still full of the
election returns and anxious to get bach
| to The Star, according TO my custom ot
| thirty-odd years. Well, no such word cculG
be found, SO I looked up ray and ''doret,
| and for the benefit Of some reader who
| may be as ignorant Of botany as your hum
| BILE servant and not have a dictionary con
| venient, the meanings are as follows
"Ray-A radiating part Of a flower OF
| plant; the marginal forets o. a compound
flower. as an aster; one of tbs pedicels O.
| an uubel or other circular flower cluster