The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-05
OLD EDUCATIONAL WAR
CITY AND TOWN OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
DISCUSS LAST WINTERS FIGHT.
Bill introduced at Last Session In
dOrsed-Mr. Study Talks of
State Board.

IN the agricultural rooms at the state
house. President w. d. Weaver of Ma
ron, presided and the large room was
crowded. The time of the convention,
which will be in session to-day and to-
morrow, will be very largely taken up with
discussion CT the course of study, but the
topic Of interest last evening vas the great
educational fight in the last Legislature.
1t will be remembered that a general edu-
cational bill had been prepared by a joint
committee of the Teachers Association and
the various allied bodies, but when it was
presented the sectarian colleges of the State
made it the football of their warfare upon
the state colleges, and it fell by the way
side.
The subject was brought up last night by
]. N. Study. superintendent of the Fort
Wayne schools, who was member of this
legislative committee, and during the course
of its work became a member of the State
Board of Education by virtue of accepting
his position at Fort Wayne. He was chair
man of the special committee school
economy. In the course of his report, Mr..
Study said:
Your committee on school economy has
interpreted that term to mean that which
is needed in the way of legislation to per-
feet our school system and to transform it
from its present indefinite form into
unified and systematic whole. Since 1873
the only important school legislation, that
is, Legislation particularly affecting the
school itself, has been the laws relating to
the enumeration of school population and
the distribution of school revenues, and the
compulsory education laws passed in 1885
and 1897. Much yet remains to be done be-
fore the school system of Indiana shall be
justly entitled to be called an ideal system.
Among the things lacking in our school
system may be enumerated: /. Reasonable
length of school year. 2. Township high
schools, or an equivalent In the payment of
tuition in high schools already established
of pupils who have finished the common
school course of study. 3. An arrangement
for the consolidation of school districts and
the abandonment of schools which no
longer have constituency of a size SUI
ficient to obtain good work. 1t is probable
that not less than 20 per cent. of the rural
school districts OF Indiana contain school
population too small to secure the best re-
suits, or to warrant the employment of
skilled and efficient teachers. 4. a change
in the examination of teachers by which the
papers of the applicant shall be examined
by some central authority and the licenses
issued shall be made valid throughout the
State. 5. The separation of the civil from
the school township, and the requirement
that the township school trustee shall pos
sess educational qualifications sufficiently
great to enable him, under the direction of
the county superintendent, to supervise the
schools of his township. 6. The establish
meht of a general library system in con-
nection with the public schools of the State.
"A bill, known as Senate bill No. SO, was
introduced into the last General Assembly,
embodying most of the reforms that have
been mentioned, and other bills were intro
duced providing for the consolidation of
school districts and the establishment of
bill, Senate bill No. SO, provided for the
following matters The establishment of
township high schools; the making of
minimum school term of six months; the
examination of teachers by a central body,
and the making of licenses valid through
out the State; an educational qualification
rfr1fC obi
qualification for county institute instruct
ors; the extension of the term of county
superintend5.eants to four years an educa-
perinteLdents, with term of four years.
THE FIGHT IN THE LEGISLATURE.
After closing his report Mr.. Study spoke
more at length about the fight in the
Legislature He said the committee might
have succeeded in getting the bill through
by accepting the offers of compromise, con-
templating the reorganization of the State
Board of Education but they did not feel
authorized to enter into any such deal. He
said the association ought to give some at
tention to the question of general library
system. He spoke of the bill for this pur
pose introduced at the last session, and ex-
pressed the view that such a system, when
established, should be under the control of
the school authorities.
Reverting to the matter of the general
educational bill, Mr.. Study declared that
any reorganizatio of the state board that
contemplated making it inimical to the in
terestS of the state institutions would be
wrong He said the public school interests
ought to be in the hands of professional ed
ucators, and teachers should stand together
and demand that this board be made up of
public school men. There had been some
talk of making this board UP of men not
connected with the schools. AS well might
they think Of making up a medical board
without physicians. He said they should
get together, know what they wanted, and
then make their demands felt in the next
Legislature
educational bill somewhat broadened the
powers of the state board, but it said moth
ing about its composition. The things in
the bill were generally admitted to be right,
but they had been subjectedto a "hold-up'
by people who declared that the bill should
not pass unless 1t also provided for a reor-
ganization of the state board that would
leave off it the three college presidents. He
declared that there had been a studied eff
was the offspring Of the state board, but
there was no truth in the charge.
The committee was continued, with in
structions to follow the same line during
the coming year, and a resolution was
adopted complimenting the work of the
Legislative committee and indorsing the
general educa tiOnal bill.
The rest of the evening was devoted to
the reading and discussion of the report of
the committee mapping, . out a course OF
made out course, which it thus described
in a general way:
THE outline of work in nature study is
rather comprehensive. Many lines of work
are suggested with no attempt to determine
or suggest>ther relative values 1t was not
thought by the committee that all of the
work here suggested could be accomplished
by any one grade. The best judgment of
the local supervisor and of the teachers of
the grades must determine the selections
fiom the work which are adapted to the
conditions under which they are working.
The successive steps in the green lines
are, We believe, sufficiently set off to en-
able the teacher at any stage to see what in
that line has been done in the grades below
and what is to be done in the grades above.
The study is not book study. The truths
and observation The first step in the pres
entation of the work is observation by the
pupils; this should be followed, whenever
practicable, by drawings and descriptions,
and this, at a safe distance, by the reading
of selected literature. First see next pro-
others have found out regarding it is, in
the main, safe guide to the teacher as to
process. 1t is believed that all the lines
here laid down should receive some atten-
ton in every school. and if, whenever pos
Sible the work is pursued by a study of
type forms as suggested in the report,
much more can be done than at first seems
possible.
Work in geography, which shall occupy
separate place on the programme, is out
lined for grades after the middle of the
third year. Up to this point it is believed
that the nature lessons, tending. as they
dc. to develop the power of observation,
imagination and Interpretation, are really
fundamental lessons in geography. and that
no special emphasis of the subject is
needed.
From the middle of the third year on,