The evening times., 1900-04-14

the history and Government OF our country
very large percentage Of pupils failed to
comprehend question five in regard 10 the
three branches OF our Government
-. There is apparent a lack OF training
in elementary principles; pupils work
shows weakness in elementary educational
foundation. due. no doubt, TO lack of drill
in elementary principles OF arithmetic and
in elementary and essential facts concern
ing the history OF our country; misdivisiOn
of words. incorrect use OF hyphen. and
misspelling of simple. ordinary words, due
no doubt. 10 lack of sufficient drill in SPELL
ing. The fact that pupils use from three
20 hye or more styles Of penmanship in a
single answer in history indicates that pu-
pills have been taught different styles Of
penmanship as they advanced to the vari-
Gus school grades. The penmanship. in
many Instances, showed a peculiar mixture
Of ali styles
History aud Arithmetic Markings.
by combining the markings in arithme-
tic and history this result is obtained:
First, Business High School. 6467 per
/ cent; second. Central High School. 56.49
! per cent: third. Business High School (col-
ored), 555 per cent; fourth. High School
/ (coloredD. 55l3 per cent: fifth. Eastern
High School, 52.N per cent: sixth Western
, High School. 51.45 per cent.
| The results Of the examinations would
! seem TO prove that the instruction in the
I lower grades of the District schools does
not teach the average pupil to use the En-
glish language correctly and huently, nor
/ does Il give him a good training in arith-
metic. In so far as English is concerned,
| the testimony given before the sub-cOm-
mittee went TO show that written exercises
were seldom resOrted to; that such ozer-
cises were not corrected by the teachers
| and returned to the pupils to be rewritten
The spelling book has been discarded. and
, the pupil has nothing in its place More
over. there would seem to be no uniform
tests for advancement from grade to grade
and for entrance 10 the high school.
Startling as the results Of these eXami-
nations are. similar results would be OBJ
tanned probably in the majority OF cities
East and West. 10 is only within the past
| few years that the colleges. by concerted
action have undertaken to insist on bet
/ ter instruction in English The method
adopted to secure the result is a demand
I that frequent written exercises be required
of pupils. and that every such exercise
whether in history. in physics, OF in trans
! latoins from modern or from ancient Ian
/ guages-shall be written in correct En-
/ glish.
Again. there is widespread revolt
/ uEdAhnb tAO LuLAAiblINl's VI ot"oi''s anu mo
I demand that the fundamentals of cduca-
/ tion shall be learned as a task-that the
pupil shall have definite work for which
he is to be held responsible. He Is to be
| taught self-reliauce. the economy OF time
/ in study. and the high value OF definite
attainment in knowledge. Kindergarten
/ methods and the amusement Of the child
( are not TO be carried through the grades.
| but definite drill and precise definition are
/ 90 be insisted upon
/ The report concludes with tables show
/ ing the markings Of the various eXamina-
/ tion papers