The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1900-01-25

botany and geology. The days thus
spent are picnic days, and they come
to pay their own car fare, no matter
how poor their parents may be. This
is as unfair as 1t is unwise. The chill
dren do not need botany or geology, nor
will they ever have need of knowledge
of those branches in after life. But all
of them will have need Of knowledge of
reading. writing, spelling and arith-
metic. And those studies are not
taught them.
Business men need not less than 1900
words with which to express their
ideas 1uently and freely. The average
high school graduate in this city does
not know more than 1000 words, and
does not know how to spell more than
half of those words accurately. And
journalism, or other literary pursuits,
these high school graduates are help
less, because they do not understand
the words spoken to them. any more
than they would understand the words
of a foreign language. These extreme
statements are made as result of per-
sonal experience in dealing with the
graduates of these schools.
Inasmuch as the boys and girls are
not taught to be accurate in their spell
ing, they carry through life with them
slovenly intellectual habits. Some of
them study law and medicine, but they
do not know how to spell the technical
terms used in their professions. One of
them, now practicing physician, re-
Gently gave receipt to patient, for
"fourty-nin dolls" Another, a young
lawyer, wrote to client: "Pleas cal
son as possible
Young men so educated cannot rise.
Scholarly men know exactly where to
place half-educated men. But the men
of limited or slovenly education never
can understand the completely educat-
ed men about them. Hence the high
school graduates of this city seldom
know how to choose a profession, or
how to succeed in one. 1t is an uncon-
troverted truth that no man ever made
an i'll figure who understood his own
talents, nor a good one who mistook
them.
The highways and byways of history
are strewn with the wrecks of the lives
of men who mistook their callings, or
who were not well equipped educa-
tionally for any calling. Many youth
who would have been a first-rate me-
chanic is forced into a learned profess
sion, and with all his blushing hon.
ors thick upon his vacant head" set
ties down to kill people scientifically,
pouring drugs, of which he knows little,
into bodies of which he knows less.
''Tompkins forsakes his last and awl
For literary sQuabbles;
Styles himself poet; but his trade
Remains the same-he cobbles."
Thus it appears that scores, if not
hundreds, of men and women become
teachers in the public schools, who
might better be in trade of some kind.
Thus it appears that there are superin-
tendents or members of school boards
who know little about teaching, but
have power to employ teachers who
know less. Consequently our public
schools are in need of competent SUI
pervisfon, which will result in COM
plete reformation of method and of
means for giving practical education to
our young people.
Upon whom to fix the responsibility
for the deplorable condition of our pub
lie schools the writer does not know. 1t
is enough for the present to state the
facts. The congress is the lawmaking
body of this city. and the facts herein
presented will be laid before the con.
gress by body of leading citizens
and legislation will be asked requir.
ing the public schools of the Distric:
of Columbia to teach reading, spelling
writing and arithmetic in the first, sec.
and third grades. After that, if chill
dren require higher education, they
may be taught something of the sci
ences. and maybe of the dead Ian.
guages. But reform must be wrought
in our public school system.
SMITH D. FRY.