The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-08
WILL 1T SLANT OR BE ERECT +?
FUTURE CHIROGRAPHY OF CHILL
DREN WILL BE FIXED TODAY.

| eFS on MOnuay Night.
| The teachers Of the public schools of
| the city will meet to-day at the High
! School, for the purpose of discussing and
hearing discussed the relative merits of
the vertical and sianting systems of PEN
manship. A preliminary meeting was held
yesterday afternoon. This was the regu-
lar time that the meetings of the normal
class are held. 1t was known that the
weekly meeting of The class had been call
ed off in favor of the meeting of to-day,
but the superintendent had sent out a
call for the preparatory meeting.
| A number of the teachers responded to
! the call, and an order of conduct for to-
days meeting was agreed upon by the
teachers themselves. They had everything
to do with the settlement of this matter,
| the agents of the systems of vertical writ
| ing in the city and the superintendent
having nothing at all to do with their de-
cision. The meeting is to be for the teach
ers, and it was concluded that the proper
thing would be for them to settle all de-
| tails pertaining to it. The Board of Edu-
cation has requested the opinion of the
teachers upon the matter and it is to ia
cilitate matters that the meeting will be
held
| By the programme mapped out by the
teachers the meeting will last some two
| hours and a half. The agents Of verti-
Gals systems and the teachers themselves
will have opportunity to talk, and there is
no doubt that all of the allotted time will
be taken up. The agents will have fifteen
minutes each in which to lay before the
teachers the merits of their respective sys-
TENS as they understand them. The
agents will have the first hour and half
for this purpose. There ares six of them in
the city, though fourteen systems have
been submitted. These have all been ex-
amined, and the teachers viii not enter
the meeting without a good ground work
! of knowledge upon the subjects that will
! be discussed. The time OF the teachers in
the discussion will be limited ten minutes
for each. Their discussion will follow
| that of the agents. The agents
will be present while the teachers
| are discussing the various systems. 1t
| will not be a matter of ascertaining what
| system of vertical writing they favor that
| will primarily come before the teachers.
| What is first to be ascertained is whether
| or not they desire to have vertical writ
| ing introduced in the schools This will
| not be put to vote, but will only be APP
| parent, if apparent at all, from the talks
| that are made. There will be no vote as
it is not desired to have the matter tes-
| ted in this way. What the Board of Edu-
cation asked for is the opinion of the
| teachers, to be submitted at the meeting
| of that body next Monday night The
| opinions will be in writing the teachers
| preparing them after leaving the meet
| ing to-day. One of these opinions has al
rT~I-s
| yesterday by the principal of one of the
| colored schools. 1t was very neatly
| framed in vertical writing, and was in ia
| Vor of that system. More of the colored
teachers may send in opinions, though
none of them will be at the meeting.
The meeting viii offer good opportunity
| 10 the members of the Board of Education
| to acquaint themselves with the principals
| of the new system of writing, and Super
! intendent Ashmore has written them invit-
| ing their attendance. 1t is not improba BILE
| that some of the members will avail them
| selves of the invitation.
Some of the leading questions that are
to be considered in the comparison of the
vertical and slanting systems of writing
| may be found in the following suggestions:
| Which is more legible? Which is easier to
teach? Which is easier 10 use? Which con-
forms better to hygienic principals? Which
is more pleasing to the eye? 1t will be the
the teachers that will determine whether
the children of Savannah will discard the
| old method of writing in favor of the YER
teal system. 1t is unlikely that in the
| event of the consensus of opinion among
the teachers being unfavorable, that the
| board VIII decide to adopt the change so
that the matter really rests with them
In deciding among the various systems
OF vertical writing The following points
| are to be considered: Simplicity in letter
forms, relative nights OF letters, size OF
letters and graduation in size, guide lines
horizontal and vertical educational
| principles upon which the steps in grada-
ton are based, help given the teacher in
| copy books manuals, etc, thought ex-
| pressed in the written copies, shape and
size OF copy books economy in price con-
sldering space, quality of paper, etc 1t
IS the desire of the superintendent to have
full and fair discussion in order that all
concerned may form a safe and intelIi-
| gent judgment upon the subject
For the last three weeks the table in the
ante room TO the office of the superintend-
ent has been covered with specimens Of
| vertical handwriting in the systems that
have been offered for the inspection of tha
teachers. AS has been stated. there are
fourteen of these systems, though agents
| for only six of the houses publishing them
are on hand to present their merits. While
| the systems have been at the office of TN,
| superintendent they nave been carefully
| inspected by nearly all of the teachers
Many of them have made the matter a
study, and these have the respective
claims of the system well in mind
Some of the agents do not think that the
! allotted fifteen minutes is sufficient time
for them to give the details of the min
ciples underlying their systems but thew
will have to manage the best way thew
can. Each of them is. of course. anxious
| to get the board to adopt the system he
| represents. Such adoption will mean con-
| siderable in the course of year for mis-
publishing house The copy books cost 10
| cents each. Something like 10000 of them
VIII be used during the course of the year.
! If the agreement is that the board will
accept the books u particular house. il
will probably be in existence for a num-
Der Of years. 1t will thus be understood
that the prize is one the agents will spare
| no pains to win.
P0MP THOMAS IN JAIL.