The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-17
ExTOLs SAvANNAH'S SCHOOLS.
COMMISSIONER GLENN COMMENDs
MANY FEATURES.


Building a MOdeI-GeOrgia's Indus
trial Revival Must Begin In the
Schools, the Commissioners Says.
He Is Strongly in Favor of Indus
trial Instruction in the Schools.
State School Commissioner Glenn left
for Atlanta last night, after having spent
the last two days in Savannah, during
which time he made thorough inspection
of Chatham's school system.
When seen yesterday at the Office of
Supt. Ashmore at Chatham Academy, Mr..
Glenn showed at once that his inspection
of the Savannah schools had been no per-
functory matter, but that it had been thor
Oughly and searchingly performed and
with very satisfactory results.
Il saw an item in an educational journal
sometime SINCE" said Mr.. Glenn, ito the
effect that there were more cultured peo-
pie in Savannah in proportion to the pop
ulation than in any other city in the
United States"
Supt. Ashmore did not express any Oh
rect opinion upon this statement, but said
that he thought Savannah could her own
in this respect, in comparison with any
city in this state at least.
Anyway 1 have found very pleasant
and satisfactory evidences of culture and
refinement during my stay here" contin-
ued the commissioner. You have a very
lovely city. Although 1 had visited Sa-
vannah before had never mad the oppor-
.1F ToroDprlW and II
has been very pleasant to me to make
closer acquaintance with the old city.
There is an atmosphere surrounding Sa-
vannah and her people which differs from
that of any other city in this section, and
which evidently has its effect upon the
schools You have an exceedingly interest
ing school system here. Some or these
schools are not surpassed anywhere IN the
country. l found here a school building
which is the best l have ever seen any
where, and which combines more good Tea
lures in it's arrangement and construction
than any other school building with which
[ am acquainted This is the Anderson
Street School. Its arrangements as to light
and ventilation are IDEAL the arrangement
of the rooms is the best that could be de-
vised and the sanitary arrangements are
perfect. do not believe a more admira-
bly, constructed building. for school pur-
poses can be found anywhere"
There is one thing which the people OF
Savannah need TO understand and appre-
ciate," said Commissioner Glenn, and
that is the fine disciplinary training which
their children receive in the schools. The
children are taught TO control themselves.
l have never seen more perfect order any
where. 1 was agreeaby surprised. The
secret I found to be that the teachers keep
the children constantly interested. 1t re-
| quires teachers of a high order to do this
| and indicates admirable training and intel
| ligence 1 was very much interested in the
/ work of a lady teacher in the first grade
! at the Anderson Street School. She had
a large class of little ones which she had
! divided into three sets, and she managed
to keep each set busy all the time.
watched her work for some time with
pleasure. This sort of thing runs al
through the schools. and is one of the
| chief characteristics of the system. The
! secret is that as long as you keep the
| children interested you will have no trou-
BILE in holding their attention and keeping
them busy. Savannah's school system vii
compare favorably with any in the state.
1.-The people outside of savannah" SAID
Mr. Glenn, do not understand how the
children of Savannah are controlled with
was announced at the last state teachers
convention some of the teachers were
| hardly willing to believe it. 1t is only re-
Gently that corporal punishment was dis
continued in the High School in Atlanta
and it is still in vogue in the grammal
schools"
On the general subject. of education
Commissioner Glenn discussed a very i'm
portant matter. Some change should b.
| in, al, ct-c ON col ba
that will aid the development of indus
trial instincts in our youth. We are ap
| preaching an industrial period and some
thing should be done to prepare our chill
dren for it. 1 have studied this question
in connection with education and l believe
some change might be made in the edu
catonal system that would advance oul
Industrial development. Massachusetts s.
years ago did not have the wealth tina
| Georgia had To-day with one-seventl
our area she has seven times our wealth
She has taken our raw material an(
stamped her intelligence upon it. She hal
made her laboring classes very intelligent
She spends 1913 head on every child II
the state every year. For years ant
years she has been adding one industrial
feature after another to her public schoo
system. AS a result the laboring classe.
| of Massachusetts have become producers
the savings banks of Massa chusetts TO-DAY
belonging to the laboring classes alont
would be more than sufficient to buy The
whole state of Georgia. The labor O.
these intelligent people is expended fol
the most part upon raw material from
Georgia.
at is a curious fact that those children
who are trained in the schools TO d.
something with their hands rarely becom,
bad citizens. Switzerland not so very
long ago was land of brigands. To-da,
it is one of the greatest wealth PRODUCING
countries of the world. Every child il
Switzerland receives an Industrial educa
ton. Among other things they are laugh
to make watches in the schools Crime /,
| almost unknown. Do you know tina
| Georgia is spending more money ever,
year on jails and courts and court houses
and peniteutiaries than in the educat iof
of her children. Such is the case. 1
would be a great deal better to spend NOR,
money in educating them to be self-sup
porting than to continue spending 81
much money on crime. Statistics SHOW
that of those children who are taught +,
do something useful not one i'm 1000 be
comes a criminal There are l. 900 inven
tons patented from Massachu