The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-11
THE HIGH-SCHOOL WORK
Is FREELY DISCUSSED BY CITY AND
TOWN SUPERINTENDENT.
Three Sessions Are Held with Profit
to Those i'm Attendance-A Paper
by DIR. Stanley Coulter.

more than two hundred men and women in
attendance They began the morning ses-
sion with the discussion of the report made
by the special committee in reference to a
course of study for the high schools of the
State. Those who discussed the matter gen.
orally approved the report. A great many
of the speakers dcplored the tendency of the
high schools Of bringing into their work the
work OF colleges and CT transferring the
high school work to the grades. State
Superintendent Jones said the child in school
Is liable to revolt and that therefore great
attention should be given to the child's
morals
There were several speakers who followed
Superintendent Jones and they were all of
the opinion that the physical breakdown of
the pupils could not be laid at the door of
the high school.
AFTERNOON PROGRAMME
The programme of the afternoon meeting
OF the town and city superintendent yes
terday was very interesting. Before the
regular programme began a motion carried
to postpone until this morning the general
discussion Of the report on the course of
study in the high schools. Aside from this
the regular programme was carried out
DR.. Stanley Coulter in his discussion of
part: There are some mathematical prob
lens in which either of two answers may
be correct 1t is a possible thing that there
are educational problems of the same sort.
Inc Inc attempt to secure uniformity and sta
bility in school curriculum is a useless
one until civilization ceases its advance.
Local conditions and traditions very decid-
study and methods of presentation.
Il have before me the courses OF study or
a dozen high schools and as read over
Ia aradI in frQQ am
i have TO continually turn back 10 the
title page to assure myself that / am not
or. at least, high-grade college. There
Is growing ambition in the teacher TO 40
high-school work in the grades, and in
in the high schools. The tendency is nat
ural: 1t appeals to local pride and attracts
attention from neighboring municipalities,
but II IS none the less reprehensibie.
Another general criticism. although not
of such wide application, touches the man
ner of presentation, All unconsciously there
Is an attempt made to have the work IN
science comparable with that in the some
what indefinite group or studies known as
the humanities. Such an attempt must of
necessity fail. The end in view of the two
end sought is appreciation, the method used
that of self,injectIon. In scientific =, work TX
rigid determination. 1t was suggested In
a recent conference that much OF the. un-
was due to premature teachers"
In conclusion the doctor said: THE work
in the first year should in large degree be
knowledge needed before equipment can be
handled. Laboratory work should be large
~ miscroscopic. and 1t should be more large.
ly experimental, and, these experiments
should answer definite questions.
After DR.. Coulter had finished, SuDerin-
tendent r. A. Ogg, who was on the pro.
gramme for fifteen minutes discussion OF
the same subject, said: Il do not agree
with the committee that the study Of botany
should be followed by zoology, and l think
the committee was wrong when 1t placed
the emphasis ii did upon indirective meth
DDS. The mind is fundamentally deductiVe,
and our mission is not TO make discoVerefs
The subject was further discussed By Su-
perintendent j. w. Carr, who disagreed with
the committee on several subjects, saying
during his talk that he thought the study
OF three sciences was enough for any Nigh
school mind. ,
Superintendent ]. A Wood then made the
concluding talk of the afternoon. He said,
in part Pedagogical interest has recently
passed with emphasis upon classics maine
matics science, English and now upon MIS-
tory This is evidenced in late years oy
the report of the commission of ten In 1872
~ S,i S9S' of the New England history
teachers in 1897. In point OF supJe9t mater rea
the schools of the State practically agree;
and English history / agree with the com,
mittee as to the order in which they SHOULD
be presented. General history gwen roa nFsr
comparison, less prejudiced opinion ana
more logical generalization BY S,st the scb na
treatment should develop the comparative
organizing and generalizing powers OF the
child The work Of the high schools sho4Iu
be extensive. rather than, intensive: by
the extensive work the pupil gains knowl-
edge of the relation OF events IN the pros,
ress of the race. He sees clearly cause anu ~
affect and becomes the better prepared 10
a ssume the duties of intelligent cltizensmp
and adjust himself to the insututiohai ire
of his time
IN THE EVENING.
At the evening session, which began at
| o'clock. Dr. William l.. Bryan spoke on
| cart in the Public Schools He SAID IN
mart: 1.-The scientific work In our nlgh
| school is determined by the best sclentihc
work In the world The pupil has before
him the masters, and he should pront py
them believe that the pupil should be
taught to do something definite. When one
has learned to do something-for instance,
has mastered a language-there has grown
| up in him a series Of systems when can
never be eradicated. To accomplish ereat
things outwardly one must nave sstt,s
things within him. When one mas m SIehar
adaIcation he has an incentive for better
| things. The greatest teacher Is society a. d.
| its best When you nave TINS you ,eanbers tn
| fnot toUard the masses, and in seeking
| them we must lead them into higner tnlnss.
We must make paths TO lead the chiioreh
| TO a higher education. . -,
| At the conclusion OF the discussion oy
Jr Rrvan the subject of The Relation OF
| Schools TO the National Life was taken
IN nv Prof John l.. loves, OF Hanover
| Collage who said: Art in education comes
| in touch very closely with national thlhss:
| 7 believe with all my heart that unless ART
| az taught i'm our schools touches the nigner
| things in Is worse than worthless. The Ma
| ton must be itself. and ii must express IL
| self through itself. Behind and through
| this country there stands the living NEAR
| nation of an ideal. The best OF wnat nhe
| Nation Is finds itself expressed In ART; why
/ have we as yet no great nationdl art:
| There must be great art before there cdn
l be a great nation. Every country must
| have its epic, and IL does not necessarily
| follow that IL must be poem. Rome ndd
/ its great epic poems, but 1t had greater
/ epics in the cultivation of the fertile val,
| leys. in the strengthening out OF crooked
/ roads And all of this Is living, breath
/ ing part of her history.
| 'sWhy should we not teach our children
i that the beauty in art lies around them
/ The life that a man leads when he is young
/ he Invariably transmits to the canvas when
| he Is old. Is IL only the grandeur that be-
| longs to Greece, the glory that belongs IN
1 Rome2 Have we no life of our own? II
| art Is not an Interpretation OF national life
| i don't know what art is: All that we do
/ must have the stamp or duty upon It, our
\ schools should see TO II that the child
/ should be taught to love his own national
life The greatest monuments OF Europe
are of the people, by the people and for the
| people why should not ours be The same