The San Francisco call., 1898-09-10

Councilman, Cuvellier issued the follow ing to-day:
 To the many citizens of Oakland who have come to me since the publication of. my open letter to the Board of Education and taken by the hand, expressing their approval of the stand which I have taken in this matter, certainly gratifying to a man who has es- poused a cause which he feels to be right to know that he has the almost unanimous sup port and approval of the community in which he resides. It is an incentive to others to go and do likewise.
 Now to all who have come to me with their expressions of approval, 1 desire to say that you should not stop at this, but you should go to the School Director representing your ward and express to him your frank and hon est opinion Of the manner in which our schools
 If you cannot call on these Directors then address letters to the board and to the Su- perintendent of Education, but best of all go to them in person.
 If you have grievances against the schools you have a right to lay them before the Board hearing, which l am confident they will grant
 And to the honorable Board of Education I repeat what said to them last Tuesday even ing: Make 1t your business to ask every parent what he or she thinks of the methods of in- struction and the manner in which the children work if you really want to learn the truth. and; having learned It. have the courage to apply the remedy. B. c. CUVELLIER,
 Oakland. September 9, 1898
 pr. J: K. Mclean, president of the Pa cific Theological Seminary, has made a statement in which he says:
 I have served on school boards in three coming here l have been connected with the schools. While have never made critical with those of other cities have seen enough of our teachers during the last twenty-six inc hundreds of children of my own conSres gation, many of whom have gone through the whole course from the lowest primary grade assurance that our schools have been well equipped. and that the work done has been of the highest character.
 In a published statement Henry A. Schulze of East Oakland says:
 He has made a statement which many. if not all. who send children to the public school Hno% as 1Ly to9 true: IL IS expressed with characterized neither an abuse, an outrage insult nor t!rade obviously intended only to right wrong; 1t affords wholesome food for meditation and basis for correcting a system which has many clements of error
 The High School Aegis in an editorial says:
 covery made that the Oakland High School was being conducted upon too expensive a plan. As is usually the case the teachers reduced. The reduction accepted without any decided remonstrances, and the system of four periods day, with four recitations a week. was continued with satisfaction to both students and faculty.
 During the summer vacation however the discovery was made that the school was still an expensive institution. Since the same dis covery was made a year previous this latter one may be httingly dubbed "Dr. McClymonds' New Discovery The New Discovery was an ailment to be remedied. however, and after a careful diagnosis prescription was filled which called for the reduction of the teaching force and the fve-perod system.
 The system was faithfully tried six weeks and proven a complete failure.
 Rev. Dr. Coyle strongly defends the present methods and in a signed letter says:
 AS a patron of the public schools of Oak land will you allow space for just word Three of my children are in the Lincoln School now: the eldest two were there and in the High School until two years ago, when they entered Mills College, have watched their progress, Interested myself somewhat in their studies watched the Influence of the schools upon them, and have only words of praise to write.
 Certainly my children are not. and never have been, oyertaxed. They have very little home work to do; only a. few minutes a day, and the oldest is in the eighth grade. I have felt sometimes that it would not hurt them a bit to them little harder.