The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-19

jeCt, then it could not be regarded as
essential, but would belong to the do
main of mental gymnastics. In the
latter case the question of introducing
technical grammar into an elementary
school course would be purely and
simply a problem of relative values /.
e., question as to whether it would
pay best to devote some thrty-five
minutes daily for four or five years to
grammar, or whether more profit
would he derived by giving this time
to matters of importance and interest
that are now crowded out.
As in language, so in arithmetic, the
question of mental gymnastics plays a
conspicuous part. Facility in cipher
ing, up to a certain point, is demanded
of every individuals; but whatever is
done in this branch beyond what is di-
rectly useful, such as drill in arith-
metical puzzles, must be regarded as
disciplinary in its nature. The inn
portanCe of such questions of relative
values becomes obvious when we con-
slider that thirty-five minutes a day Is
equivalent to an entire year out of the
eight years devoted to elementary edu-
cation Dr. Rice estimates that by the
exclusion of merely q part of the dis
c!pliEary studies, such as advanced
arithmetic, superflne penmanship, the
inOrdinate attention paid to parsing
and analysis, and the practice Of read
ing aloud simply with a view to ora
torical power, it might be possible to
save as much as the equivalent of two
school years. The subjects which. of
all, in his judgment, should be subject
ed to the most rigorous test of eXclu-
sion, are spelling ard penm9nship. He
holds that every moment devoted to
these subjects beyond what is actually
needed should be looked upon as vast
ed. At present nearly one-fifth of the
available time is M some schools as
signed to these two subjects, nOtwith-
standing their lack of educational
value. In determining the ground that
should be covered in spelling DIR. Rice
| deems it needful simply to secure an
agreement as to where a line may be
drawn between words that the average
| Individual ought to be able to spell with
| cut referring to a dictionary, and those
that might be safely relegated to the
latter. In penmanship it would mere
! ly be necessary to define what stand
ards of legibility should be deemed sat
| isfactory; the oVer-attentiOn to pen
manship for the purpose Of securing an
elegant chirography means the waste
| of an enormous amount of time. So
| too, in arithmetic; it would be we'll to
| make a careful distinction between
| those features with which everybody
ought to be cOnversant, and the meth
DDS of conducting the more compli-
| Gated calculations belonging to special
, lines of business, which need to be
mastered only by specialist.
| We pass to what DIR. Rice has to say
| concerning the studies of geogra PHI
, and history in our elementary schools
| He believes that a large elimination OF
| the cut-and- dried facts which properly
| belong to books of reference is here in
| dspensable. Especially does he con-
| denim that phase of geography, as ira
ditionally taught, which treats of the
| location of cities and towns the boun-
! darieS of states and countries, the
| length of rivers, and the height OF
| mountains. 1t is not denied that the
| number of geographical facts which an
! individual is required to know in order
that he may take an intelligent inter-
| est in the affairs of the world, is con-
siderable, yet it is very small wher
| compared with the number which q
child is compelled to memorize under
the ordinary system of instruction. In
deed, Dr. Rice deems it no exaggera.
tion 20 say that the traditional course
in Typographical geography might be
| shortened by 20 or so per cent. without
| negleCting what is useful. There is al
present a similar waste in the mechan.
ical study of history. AS in geogra.
ply, SO here would the preparation OF
list of facts, limited to what is help,
| full and to what an adult individual
might be reasonably expected to pos.
sess in the form of ready knowledge
! bring about an enormous curtailment
of the work imposed upon the memory
Just what the historical facts are that
| every educated person is expected L
know has never been determined; bu
1t might be. Nor is there any doub
that by a wise substitution OF histori
cal ideas for cur-and-dried facts o.
minor Importance, history might b.
converted from a mechanical study in
to most valuable and interesting one
How are these changes to be made
Who is to decide where and how faI
the process of exclusion may be ap
piled to the existing curriculum? II
Or, Rice's opinion the most rationa
mode of bringing about a desirable
| improvement would be to place The
matter in the hands of the committees
to be appointed, as he would suggest
by the National Educational associa
tion. lie thinks that, If a committed
of some ten members should be desig