The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-14
PUBLIC SCHOOL ENQUIRY
The Board of Trustees Before the
Senate District Committee.
An Investigation of the Complaints
Concerning the Present system OF
Instruction-Too Much Supervision
Senator Stewart on OId-Time SPELL
ing Bees - Faulty Tcxt-Books.

HeIu yesterday afternoon 10 investigate
the complaints that have come before
it in regard to the system of teach
ing in the public schools of the Dis
trict. The hearing was in the nature
OF an investigation. as there was not
single Senator present who had not
on the subject. Senator Jones, who
few days ago introduced the reso-
luton calling for the enquiry, stated
that he had received large number of
letters setting forth what the writer's
| deemed to be defects in the present sys
sem OF instruction.
Mr. Stewart presided at the meeting
yesterday. and others present were Sena-
tors Mcmillan, Carter. Galllnger. and
Clark. The members OF the board present
were Gen. Ellis Spear Judge Job Barnard,
Jesse II. Wilson. J. w. Whelpley. George
| ii. Harries, DR.. A. ID. Hazen. Rev. s. NJ.
Brown. DIR. q. II. Richardson. Mrs. Miriam
| da Tulloch. and Mrs. Elizabeth Francis.
The hearing proceeded along informal
lines. and each one of the Senators mani
tested the keenest interest in the subject.
1t was not denied By members of the
board that there might be more Of what is
known as the common branches al
though they did not admit that the style
now in vogue was any less practical than
that OF the last generation.
Mr.. Wilson was the first one to be Ques-
toned by the committee. He praised the
school system of the District in the high
est terms and said that he could see no
ground for complaints. He referred to the
high stand taken by the graduates of the
Lss.tx
educational institutions of the country
When Senator Stewart called attention
TO the fact that the criticism was not con-
corning the higher branches, but the low
er, Mr.. Wilson said that he thought the
best manner of teaching was pursued
there, the most natural, he thought He
explained the system Of reading before
learning the alphabet. and said that the
little ones were taught to spell before
they learned their A b C's. Senator Stew
art, with his usual cool. practical sense,
said that If they had any better way
to teach children the alphabet he would
like TO know II.
Gen. Ellis Spear, who next addressed
the committee. said that the children were
taught the alphabet. but not in the old
way. 1t was by associatiug each letter
with some idea, so that II would consti-
tute an object lesson. The present idea
was to cultivate the reason of the pupils
along with the memory. ard not TO compel
them to learn things altogether by rote.
The Multiplication Table.
Senator Gallinger then Itt number OF
pointed questions to General Spear. He
wanted to know If the multiplication table
had been abandoned, He was told that it
was not but the style of teaching il by
rote had been put aside. He asked about
spelling. and General Spear said that he
thought children spelled quite as we'll as
they used TO, and far more intelligently.
In former generation they used TO glibly
rattle off the spelling OF ''incompatibility"
without the slightest idea of its meaning
Now child knew the meaning of every
word spelled.
In regard TO grammar. General Spear
said that the children were taught the
English language with view to writing it
and speaking il correctly. While in pre-
vious years there might have been more
apparent attention paid to this point than
now. there had not been. in fact. No at
tempt was made now to burden the child's
mind with technical terms such as the va
rious sorts of verbs and adverbs. mere
sounding words which the mind would not
be able TO grasp.
Senator Gslinger asked several ques-
tons as to the system of supervision. Cen
eral Spear told him that the supernten-
dent was the head. and that he directed
the supervising principals. That meeting
was held every Wednesday to consult over
different matters: that the trustees gave
their earnest efforts without pay. General
Spear also said that he hesitated to inter
fere in the system, as it was a thing TO
which the teachers had devoted their lives.
while with him and the rest OF the board
1t was merely a side issue.
Senator Gallingor said that the complaint
which had come TO him was that there
was too much supervision and too little
consideration for the teachers. He asked
how the superintendent was appointed. and
was told that he was named by the Com
missioners He asked then If there was
not some friction between the board and
the superintendent. He was told that there
was not. He was also Informed that the
salaries of a large number of the teachers.
cspeeIaIIy in the lower grades. were made
auate and that the constant efforts OF the
board to have them increased had failed.
General Spear also explained that II was
necessary to have one teacher sign the roll
for a higher salary than she received and
gave the difference TO some other underpaiI
teacher.
Senator Mcmillan said that he had no.
ticed that nowadays children were turned
out with a good deal of knowledge, but
they were deficient in writing. composition
spelling: that boy was not taught the
fundamental branches. the very thing he
ought TO learn in childhood.
4 Radical Change.
Senator Stewart asked II the beard did
not think the change was too radical from
the old system. Justice Barnard sai1 ihat
he did not think it was. lie -ail ttat he
had been brought up under the ''go3d oid
style:" that he had received his primary
education in the district schools of the
country. He said that VIII N ne FIRST same
TO the District ne thought Iho pIar very
peculiar but the more he had studied 1t
the more he, became convinced of ITS wis
dom. He said that it was no; patented
process" as some people seemed to think.
'In regard to spelling" asked Senator
Stewart. don't you think l. uEwiSe 10 90
away with the excitement and stimulation
that used to come from the old spelling
match?''
Nowadays. said Justice Barnard, they
nut an idea into boys head, instead OF a
meaningless word into his mouth
General HarrieS was listened to With the
closest attention by the committee. He
said that he believed there had been some
Justice in the criticisms. and that the
board was striving 10 remedy the errors.
More attention. he said. was being paid to
spelling. and the system would probably be
modified to a certain extent in line with
the complaints. With regard to the COM
nIaint concerning grammar, he said that
The text book used was Kerls. One of the
committee then facetiously asked II there
was not such thing as Powell's pat