Evening star., 1900-07-09
Opinion Of School Methods Expressed
by New Superintendent
BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE
Advocates Thoroughness and Less
Objects Of Study.
ESSENTIALS OF EDUCATION

In his capacity as supervising principal of
the third division Mr.. Stuart appeared be-
fore the Senate committee on the District
of Columbia last winter. while the inquiry
into the public school system of the District
was in progress, and made a statement of
conditions. we'll giving expression to
the views he has so long entertained His
utteranCes then are regarded as valuable as
outlining the future policy in school mat
ters Mr. Stuart is fully cognIzant of the
power and influence of the superintendent
office, and the Importance of the directions
of which he must be the author. He en-
phasized the complete authority OF the
superintendent in the course of his testi-
mony before the committee, saying:
You will understand that the super
visors, known as supervising principals, un-
der the rules of the board. are under the
direction of the superintendent. In all mat
ters relating to the course of instruction
they do not take the initiative. They are
not authorized to take the initiative in mat
ters relating to the course of instruction. In
matters OfsdiScipline, in my own division l
would be held responsible and l might eX
ercise some original discretion of my own,
but in relation to the course of instruction
that must be followed out as it is approved
by the board of trusteees.
Teaching Orthogrnphy.
One of the principal factors in the de-
the District, contemplated in the legis-
latiOn creating the new board. was that in
regard to the teaching of spelling particu-
larly in the very elementary work Mr.
Stuart spoke of the change and his opinion
of the matter was given, follows:
THE change in the method of spelling
consists mostly in emphasizing the words
that are used in the pupils vocabulary in
the school: that is, insisting that all the
words taught in the textbooks and all the
words used by the child shall be spelled.
In the first four grades that is done with
out the spelling book: from the fifth to the
eighth grades it is done with the spelling
book The result Is that the children are
able to spell a large number of words-I
should say a larger number of words than
formerly: and if anything be neglected it
is the class Of words that are only found
grouped in spelling books-those words not
found in the geography or arithmetic. in
history in the home work-the class of
home words.
Il think there is a deficiency in that re-
spect in our schools. | think Ii has grown
out of the fact that the vocabulary of the
child has been very considerably enlarged,
as stated by DR.. Lane The vocabulary of
the school, of course, must keep pace with
the course of instruction. The course of in
struction within the last twenty-five or
thirty yearS-indeed, fifty years-has wild
ened. 1t no longer consists of the three
RS, reading, writing and arithmetic. That
was very narrow course of instruction
and very thorough one. 1t was thorough
because il was narrow The course of in
struction has been widened. it seems
to me, for the last fifty years. For exam
pie, the first addition made to the public
school teaching was music. Then came
Drawing Then came elementary science,
as it is called, or nature study. 1t is not
the technical study of botany or geology:
1t is simply the cultivation of the child 9
power to observe.
Geology and Manual Training.
Speaking further of the course of studies
in the Washington schools, Mr.. Stuart said:
In the eighth grade an elementary book
in geology is taught. This course of in
struction has been constantly widening. The
most notable increase or widening of the
course occurred when manual training was
introduced. The term manual training is
comprehensive one that includes great
deal Public sentiment seemed to demand.
fifteen or twenty years ago that the poy
should be taught to use his hand and his
eye Consequently. manual training has
been introduced into all systems of schools
throughout this country
Asked If he did not think the necessary
thoroughness to enable a child to start and
acquire an education in spelling, reading
writing and arithmetic has been sacrificed
to any extent for the wider range. Mr..
Stuart said yes necessarily. The course of
instruction was considered to be quite fun
fifteen years ago. but even at that day
there was an outcry against examining the
Child.
Mr.. Stuart said 1t was very important
that the children should have great thor
oughness in the few things they do learn
Teaching manual training" he said. teach
Ing the boys carpentering and the girls
cooking and sewing, was forced upon the
schools by public sentiment. 1t was
brought down into the lower grades. 1t is
not limited to the high schools, but every
boy IN our seventh and eighth grades spends
two hours in the shop using a plane, a
hammer and saw: every girl in the seventh
and eighth grades spends two hours In the
cooking school: and that means, of course
If the course of instruction was full before
necessarily 1t must be fuller today and If
the teacher was put to her wits end to
teach the fifty children all that they should
learn and do 1t thoroughly then her condi-
tion or situation now Is more serious and
more difficult. l do not hesitate to say
that the course of instruction is crowded
but 1t is not local evil
Mr.. Stuart said he did not hesitate to say
there might be an improvement by more
thoroughness and less objects OF study
Thus the child would get better drill in
the fundamental studies, but would neces-
sarily have to omit some things that he or
she is now taught Speaking explicitly Mr.
Stuart said: II believe it Is practically i'm
possible with the demand made upon the
teacher today q am speaking not alone of
Washington to have more thoroughness in
what are considered the essentials than was
formerly obtained without reducing to a
degree the course of instruction, or taking
more time ana more time is not to be
had. The element of time Is 1t seems to
me, the difficulty. because in the halliday
schools. you must remember the teacher is
very much overworked That is my opin-
ion. from my observation of schools in
Washington, a pupil. as a teacher. as
supervising principal and as a parent"
The EssentiaIs.
Mr. Stuart spoke also of the difficulty of
determining the essentials of education
If you were to present it to a body of
business men," said he, "or educators. or
another body of senators they could not
agree on what the essentials are Dr. Elliot
of Harvard and college men generally for
years have been advocating what they call
the enrichment Of the course of study The
business men for years have been insisting
that the boy should know how to spell and
cipher. 1t could not be settled in a day
because 1T has been discussed very widely
all over the country. When one good thing
comes in some other good thing must go
out. il the element of time is to be consid-
cred. and the element of time is a very
serious one"
Mr.. Stuart stated that children cannot
have the thoroughness they should have
with so many studies to be considered In
this connection he terSely said: lyon cam