The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-27

| pairing any pupil in any subject for an!
sort of test having scholastic standard
| Fourteen years ago the white high school:
| enrolled AT pupils: in the year 1899 tn:
| number of pupils was 2579. This is al
increase of 246.lT per cent. The atten
| dance on the white schools as a whole dur
ing the same time increased 81. sS per cent
! the population of the city increased 80 pei
cent
The rapid growth of the high schools
! land it may be shown that the grammar
grades have grown propoTtionately large)
has been brought Gbout under our plan oil
| promotion by the retention of pupils 70;
/ further study, who. under a rigid exami-
ration in every branch of education pur-
sued, would have been deprived the privi-
lege of further education and forced out OF
/ school. This is giving opportunity to the
! child for which, first of all. the school
! exists We have taught school first. to
make tie boy broader and better person,
! loving the things that make for higher
ard more useful manhood. realizing him
| self as unit in o broad, enlightened social
, whole. and sub0rdnately rot incidentally
/ by drill and processes OF routine work to
! secure such definite knowledge and skill in
| its use as to serve him a useful purpose in
the affairs of life.
Results Sought to BE Obtained.
! Those results fer which the Senate Clm-
mittee instituted y search. the power 10
do sums, TO spell all the words properly,
| and 10 use punctuation marks correctly,
under my supervision we have mad slbor-
diIate. and the higher Thugs, manhood.
courtesy. obedience by self control, without
punishment OF any description. power to
do, willingness to make the effo!t, con-
tinuity OF purpose. and strict integrity in
representing work, all that make for that
higher citizenship, which every patriot
would have characterize cur nationality:
! for these that l have sought to make the
chief characteristics of the schools CT tie
Capital, the Senate Committee made no en-
quiry.
Cheerful rooms, happy faces, the most
charming relations between pupil and
teacher that it is possible to find, charac
terize our schools as a whole. No scGldiag.
TO brpwbeatirg. no task-maS.ers are found
here except in rare instances.
And yet an examination only in the
three RS did not show bad result. On TIE
contrary it proved to the country that the
way to teach the three RS thoroughly IS
by the new education This is the more sp-
parent when it is considered that the pu-
pills had an examination sprung en- them
this after having their minds diverted Tor
nine months by new assoc;at oEs and scho-
lastic aims and ambitions, and under new
and strange conditions.
DR.. Lanes Letter.
I'm this connection the following letter
from DR.. Lane to Jesse H. Wilson, Chair
man Of the High and Normal School Com
mittee, Is Of interest:
May s, 100,
Mr.. jesse II. Wilson, Chairman of the High and
Normal School Committee:
My Dear Sir: ! respectfully call your attention
to the following facts III connection with the re-
cent examination OF frst-year pupils OF the high
schools by the Senate committee;
!. Upon the return OF the examination books.
principal. were requested, with the aid OF Ensis!
and mathematical teachers. TO examine them care
fully. TO secure intimate knowledge OF the
'lessoE OF the examination
= 1t was found thar the separate questions OF
each paper were marked with fairness by the
liners, and that the credits obtained were SET down
clearly opposite each.
j. In reporting the total results in history a
seeIiiE. injustice has been done the large number
OF pupils who, following directions printed on
the question sheet-.Bu not try to answer all the
qucst:oEs. but write connected story in each
case-answered but three OF the five questions,
setting aside the other two. not from ignorance
but by explicit direction Of the Senate committee,
reinforced in many instances by the instructions
Of teachers in charge Of the examination.
As result of the practice Of the examiners to
awar. twesty credits 10 each properly answered
question and to deduct twenty credits for eaei,
emitted question. many Of the best students in
each school have received percentages Of from
20 TO Go. when those marks should have been
two-thirds higher, c. 4, mark OF 81, the /
scale Of 90 credits, should have been REPORTED
as 20 per cent
The statements of principals submitted here
with, also sufficient number Of representative !
books to show that these assertions not mat
Ter OF opinion bu: OF evidence.
Very respectfully,
F. r. LANE,
Director Of the High School |
1t should be known, what here assert |
that that thoroughaess demanded by the |
Senate committee in spelling. sum doing. |
punctuation and technical grammar. has |
never yet been secured by either the old 4
or the new education, and Furthermore. |
that it never can be viii: masses of peo- |
pie until human capacities no longer differ |
and humanity ceases to be frail.''
At this point the Superintendent quoted |
from the course of instruction at length |
and also from several of his annual re-
ports showing that the nature OF work in |
schools was in no sense the teaching OF
the sciences. He continued:
An Alleged Erroneous Statement.
In Senate report No. Ill. Fifty-sixth
Congress. first session. page 3, it is said
There is another matter which sccrns to inter-
fcre with primary training in the schools, and
hat is the tisuse OF text books. The children
compelled to rely almost entirely on oral in.
structious by the teachers. without the us. of
books. Very few books. If any, placed in
the hands Of the pupils of the lover grades from
which they are required 10 learn lessons.
This is an erroneous statement.
Believing that this opinion obtains
elsewhere | show herewith what books
arc used in the schools grade by grade. |
The half sets OF books shown by the
exhibit mean that for lack of
money it has been impossible in each case
10 furnish book for child. but as by
rule Of the Board Of School Trustees.
children in the lower grades arc not ex-
Dected to study at home. half sets of
books were furnished. that is. half as
many books of each kind were furnished
school as there were children enrolled.
As the rules of the Board of Trustees
provide and have provided for twenty
Years that each school shall be divided
nto two sections, the furnishing Of half
'ets really provides all the books that are
necessary for use in school, for the Lu-
1ils Of one class study from one kind Of
book, IL it is desired, for instance, arith-
netic while the teacher is hearing a
-ecitation from another kind of book. as
'eading Except for the matter of health
lalf sets of books. unless they are to be |
aiken home for study, are better Il an
ull sets, not only as a matter of economy.
nut as matter OF school management"
A list of text books in use in the schoolJ
It the time of the Senate examination was
cad by the Superintendent which indi-
ated that text books were extensively
sed in eight grades. Il
Regarding the course Of spelling In The ;
chocls. Mr.. Powell gave detailed acc5u.t ,
# the work that was done In each ;;-ade,
%