Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1900-09-08

locomotive which is pulling hundreds
of people across country In fast ex-
press train Is well paid; the poor Orr.
entail, dragging bis single passenger In
a jinrikisha. gets barely enough for his
supper. Not only does the high.prlced
worker create the necessity for me-
, chanical improvements, but the me
| chanical improvements in turn aug
ment productiveness. The lesson,
then, for nations and for individuals
Is to make themselves worthy of good
| tools. Human muscles were made for
something better than the work which
few Jumps OF coal under boiler will
do more easily.
~9
Prof. Moses Colt Tyler OF Cornell
says that the United States of Amcri.
| ca Is the only country Of consequence
without a distinctive name. lie as
serts that the name America belongs
| to the continent and not to the most
important republic Of that continent.
However that may be. the name Amer
lea Is generally accepted everywhere
as that Of this country. and the figure
Of Uncle Sam in the cartoons now ap-
pearing in the foreign press on the
Chinese war IL labeled America" and
not the United States" The coun.
tries TO the south Of us do not dispute
the title, and those that do call us
NOrh Americans. America Is the name
OF this country for short ana we are
Americans. The United States Is a
part Of the name OF several countries.
while America Is that Of but one. There
Is. for instance. q United States OF
Mexico. a United States Of Brazil. and
United States of Colombia. Each Of
these countries Is known by the dis.
tinctive part Of It's ti,le-as Mexico,
Brazil or Colombia. So the United
states Of America Is properly called
America for short, and the designation
United States Is more used here than
abroad. Just as the United Kingdom Of
Great Britain and Ireland is seldom
called the United Kingdom except In
the official publications of the British
Empire. The name American has come
TO mean resident Of this country, and
even the Canadians no longer claim a
right TO the name. so Prof. Tyler's
criticism Is !nconsequent!al.
That there are too many studies In
the public schools, in all grades ana all
departments from the primary to the
high school, in nearly every State In
i In L. tha nj 1..1i AA "a
schoolmen who understand and COR
rectly apprehend the theory of educa-
fion. There are no new disclosures,
therefore. IN the report Of the element
airy school committee of the "citizens'
educational commission" appointed by
the Civic Federation to investigate the
Chicago school system. 1t Is crafty
ing 10 note. however, that the commit.
tees report aftirms what has already
been pointed out by progressive edu-
Gators. The committee finds that the
course OF study in the elementary
grade Is so extensive that 1t Is
physically impossible for the aver
age child 10 accomplish what is
required without overwork. 1t found
that the pupils who finish the
elementary schools are. as q rule, def
Client In English and can neither speak
nor write the language acceptably.
The committee Is also in line with the
most progressive educational sentiment
when 1t declares against the teaching
or foreign languages in the grades. The
TINE ana money thus expended could
he employed to better advantage In the
study of English and civil government.
The plethora Of books in the schools
results from two causes-the growth
of the examining system" In the public
schools, and the continuous and per.
sistent pressure Of the school book pub
fishers. One evil logically follows the
other. Having engrafted the examining
system upon the schools, the demand
for books Is constantly enlarged, and
the book publishers engage in fierce
competition TO supply the demand. The
result Is that the schools are loaded
down with books and the old notion
which regarded education as a "draw-
Ing out or the mental powers" instead
or packing the Uranium with useless
ana indigestible facts, has been dis
carded. IT Is not an uncommon sight
nowadays TO see a 10-year-Old with
spectacles on its nose, carrying to and
from school half dozen books. This
Is not education. The text book was
originally designed as an aid to edu.
cation. Properly used 1t Is a guide In
the mental processes that are neces.
sary to develop the mental powers of
| n child