The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-06
WILL TALK VERTICAL WRITING.
Normal Glass VIII Discuss the New
System,

System.
There will be no meeting of the normal
class of the public schools of the city to-
morrow afternoon. 1t has been customary
for the meetings of the class to be held
Friday afternoons, but the meeting this
week has been postponed until Saturday
morning at II O'clock when most, if not
all, OF the teachers will gather to hear the
agents of the vertical writing systems des-
cant upon the merits of those which they
represent.
There have been something like a dozen
or more of these system before the teach
Ners for some two weeks. The board or
education some time ago requested that
the teachers give, the matter of the verti-
cal writing system their careful consider
alton, in order that they might be able
to make a report upon the merits as OPP
posed to the old system of slanted charac-
ters The several systems have been
placed on exhibition in the office of Super
intendent Ashmore, and many of the
teachers have given them careful inves-
tigation. 1t was the desire of the board
that the opinion submitted by the
teachers should be unbiased and rendered
only after the most searching eXamina-
ton. 1t is likely that such judgment will
be given the board, as many of the teach
ers have exercised much patience and put
themselves to considerable trouble in the
examination of the systems and compar-
ing their respective advantages. Nearly
every afternoon some of them have been
on hand and have been kept busted in
looking over the several methods.
The board desires the opinion of the
teachers in order that it may judge Of the
ACCESSIBILITY of substituting the vertical
for the present Spencerian system of writ
ing in the schools. Many of the teachers
are in favor of the change as is well
known. There may be many who do not
desire to see the old method set aside in
favor of the new, but if so, they are not
so much in evidence. The present indica-
tions are that the old method of slanted
writing will be discarded and that the
children in the schools of Savannah will
be taught the vertical system.
At the meeting on Saturday morning
there will be some five or six agents of
the publishing houses that are introduce
ing the new system in attendance, and
they will all be given an opportunity to
lay before the teachers the merits of their
respective methods Some time ago these
agents were in the city, and they would
have then visited the teachers individually
to boom their methods had not Superin-
tendent Ashmore suggested that it would
be far the better plan for them all to
meet together with the teachers at
specified time. This time was set for Jan.
8. By this arrangement considerable IN
convenience was saved the agents, and
the teachers were relieved of the trouble
of receiving many calls that would other
wise have been paid them.
| 1t is probable that the teachers VIII he
| in session on Saturday for some three
hours Their attendance is not COM
pulsory, the board not having demanded
their opinion but simply requested 1t. me
SUPERINTENDENT has asked them to be on
hand to hear the merits of the methods
presented, but has explained that 1t is
not obligatory upon them to attend. The
opinion of the teachers will not be rem
dered Immediately after the meeting. They
will be given additional time for them TO
decide what method appeals to them as
the most satisfactory. The first two hours
| of the meeting will be turned over to the
! agents. They will then be allowed to
make their talks about their methods, and
| the remaining hour will be employed for
the discussion of the teachers. 1t is ex-
pected that the meeting will prove very
| interesting.