The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-12-11
Theschools.

To the l-dtor of the Journal and Courier: In the consideration of the school 1 question 1t seems to me that the only
 way to arrive at any results worth se-
 curing, is to consider the matter tenn
 perately and judicially. A properly
 conducted discussion in the newspapers will probably do more to promote good
 schools than a discussion before a spe- | cial committee, or, at least so much of a committee as is disposed to treat un- | fairly some of the citizens who appear before it, or who retire from the hearing when the majority of the committee prefer to treat such citizens with de- cency.
 It seems to me that every good citi- zen should endorse the protest of "Ob- server" against the ill-treatment of citizens by any member of the com mittee. There are too few of the best
 men of the community in the manage
 ment of public interests, and if citizens
 are abused at public hearings, it will
 tend to keep self-respecting men still
 more from engaging in them. The same result will follow if insulting caricatures
 are employed in certain newspapers
 and correspondingly abusive matter is
 printed after the fashion of the vel
 low journals It is, therefore, greatly
 against public policy that discussions
 should be degraded into abuse.
 The writer is one of those who be-
 lieves that there is truth on both sides
 of this controversy. He was favorably
 impressed with much in the communi-
 cations of Mrs. Schwab, "C. W. B." and John Kerley, and the remarks of
 MT. Fowler. At the same time, he be- lieves that the administration of the public schools Is not so perfect but that it may be improved, and he be- lieves that it should be means to- wards such improvement If these ques- tions are considered carefully and with out bias.
 The writer will not attempt to add to the discussion of supervisors and art but he believes that the pupils in our public schools should be taught to read and clearly. This is some thing which a very large number of them are not at present able to do. Possibly the very large proportion of them who cannot read decently are thus deficient because they cannot be taught to read well, but the writer does not believe this to be the fact. Many of them pronounce indistinctly and slur their words together to such an extent that some of the shorter words are hardly distinguishable at all.
 The writer thinks favorably of having the pupils in schools of all grades taught as many useful things as they can be without neglecting those things which are indispensable. If the teach ing of water colors or of botany or of insect anatomy prevents the children from being taught to read decently, I should favor more instruction in read ing It seems to me that due regard should be had to the importance, yes the necessity. of things which will tend most to the happiness and usefulness of the pupil. If instruction in cooking will be more useful to the majority, than the same time spent in water colors then cooking should have the choice. Good manners should undoubtedly take precedence of art. Dressmaking may possibly be more important than al- zebra, sewing than Greek, and probably too much time ought not to be spent | on Latin, if thereby the pupils will be ! prevented from learning how to read | English in an ineligible manner. c.