The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-05-01

|: A DAY At THE HOPE Street H|GH SCHOOL. s


Ing the signals, the recitations were
again under way.
4 expressed a desire TO visit the senior
English room, presided over by Miss
Doage, and Miss Devereux piloted me
10 the door, leaving me with an intro
duction. Miss Dodge's class In English
was about To recite, and. with the text
book before me 1 kept track OF the re-
citation, which was upon the literature
i'm the eighteenth century. OF neces-
sty, the author discussed the different
movements OF the times, social, reli-
gious, and political, as bearing upon the
character OF the literature. and the
thoughts brought out were suggestive.
This lesson was also put upon the
board I'm topics. by diflernt pupils as
they recited, and copied by the class IN
note books.
Following this recitation came the
brief recess, during which period the
pupils eat lunches brought from home,
or bought at the counters in the build
Ing. Miss Dodge took me into the
lunch-room in the girls department.
and IL was busy scene. Girls TO the
right OF us and girls to the left OF Us
and girls by the hundreds buying or
eating lunches. Seats In the gymna-
stun and in the hall were full OF girls,
all intent on getting the necessary fuei
TO run the wonderful human machine
aboard before the signal calling them
To the recitations should sound. At the
other end of the building the boys wer
similarly employed. l saw the neat
kitchen i'm which the lunches are pre-
pared, and noted the bulletin giving the
bill OF fare with the prices. which are
very moderate. While there j was IN
troduced 10 Mss Parker, one of the
science teachers. and from her appear
ance, should judge she is what her pu-
uat In haF
line. Following the teachers and pupils
up stairs made my way to the lecture
room OF the principal and soon the Sc
nior class filed in, and Prof. Jacobs APP
peared. i Wa coureously asked 10
take a seat wnere 4 should have good
view of the class. The subject under
consideration was psychology. ana the
lesson discussed the laws of sensation.
The suggestions and illustrations given
i'm the course OF the recitations were very
interesting to the visitor. who confesses
TO a leaning toward that line of study.
BY the time the lesson was concluded,
signals sounded for the close OF the ses-
sion OF school for the day, and before
long the class rooms were being
emptied and boys and girls in out-of-
door attire suitable for the rain which
fell most persistently. were hurrying
through the long halls and making the
walks on the streets adjoining the
building. very lively for the next ten
minutes.
The neatness and order In the admir-
able new building the perfect order OF
the pupils. the interest employed by
the teachers. impressed me with the
conviction that in the Hope Street
High school at least, the city of Prov
idence has an institution Of which IL
may we'll be proud!
And. speaking OF teachers methods
reminds me of another recitation To
which listened with great interest. IL
was that of beginning class in Ger
man, taught by Miss Annie Weeden
Miss Weeden, who acquired the lam
guage by study i'm Germany, and who
has taught IL, heretofore i'm private
schools in the city, uses the most GER
tain method of obtaining good results.
She speaks in German from the begin
ming 10 the end OF the recitation. and
requires her pupils 20 do the same, ex-
cepting when giving the English trans
lation Of a passage read. The conse-
quence is. they are beginning TO under
stand the language when spoken and
are learning To speak IL. while learn
ing its grammatical construction, and
To read It. Many college students. who
can read and translate readily, cannot
speak and understand German so read
lily as this beginning class in Miss
Weedens care. I did not have the
privilege of hearing the French classes
but | am assured that that language.
too, Is taught in the most thorough and
satisfactory manner.
In short TO put il in words of mem
ber Of this years graduating class, I'VE
have fine school, and fine teachers!"
+. a. X.