The Delta independent., 1897-12-31

Is tue puTpOee OF llIeI Answers WILL vokys
but perhaps as brief as any aud - good
is found in the word usefulness.
In the story Of Eden it is related that
Adam was put in the garden and coo-
manded to dress it and keep it. A little
later his defendants are found cultivat-
ing the vine. attending focks. forging
metals, building boats, making brican.
preaching righteousness. Thus ve o.
serve that life means work-such Work =
the world needs It 10 said Of the Norway
rat that it must gnsw. OF the growth q
its incisors will cause its death.
Piutarch declares the purpose q si3u-
cation to be to produce q virtuous No..
A definition both brief and compeshsa-
sivc.
Ny contention ia that the school - p
10 does not accom- plish the puspaa
named-thAt it is. as q whole, . machina'
OF which the teachers, or many Of tAsnx
arc mere operators; and that the succon
of the boy after leaving school i nos
reason oi its aid but in spite of it, ~
nschaaical orasal.
Its incentives are 0orks. pronotions.
per cents and diplomas. A required
number Of square inches Of book print
must be paased within q required time.
Energy ID therefore bent by teacher and
pupil toward this end, With little refer
ence to the wcightier objects Of character
and power.
know 4 girl who sits up late with five
branches Of science and 10 in constant
agony lest she may not pass. to say
nothing Of her physical condition from
loss Of needed sleep. Thus her vitality
is stunted or dried up. So with the
teachers. The one thought Of teacher
and pupil is necessarily OF the next grade.
or il in the high school. the diploma or
the college-which 90 few ever reach.
Commencement day arrives, the pub
lie assemblies, parents and friends are
happy. the directors are gravely COZ.
scious OF their responsibility. the superin-
tendent is kind and ubobtrueive. fifteen
young people pass in review and receive
the coveted diploma.
But by another way FIVE hundred boys
and girls have passed out with little
lump in the throat.
II 10 not % much the branches at
tempted a. the way in which il is done.
and the amount OF non essential rubbish
still clinging 10 them. II is not 80 much
the teachers fault as OF the system. Our
language should be learned OF course.
but why complicate it under four or i've
branches. each with a multitude Of ru.es
and arbitrary termss
Under language We may clAss grammar.
Tor which there are usually two TO ave
text books; spelling. one text book. read
ing. five to ten text books. writing siH
text books; total average sixteen text
books and about 1900 pagcs OF pratt
And yet how few learn to read.
II the time limit permitted ~e might
examine them in detail and consider the
Importance of the little Il year old being
thoroughly familiar with pronominals
appusitive adiectives. adverbial obiectivO
casual conjunctious. factifivc or object-
i've predicates. or root infinitivcs; or in
writing. q direct ovale. stem oval oapi-
tals. the six principles, four movemeutA
and - many positions.
Shall we have numberss Asurrily.
But 800 to 800 paees oe book work. oss
half q which hes no value in prac;icel
life. proves . source of discourAsemese
rather than help.
We ned little history of our owo
COUNTRY bat sAould il be pe<--~ sary -