The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-04-30


TIE New York City Teach
erS association. known as HOi Schol-
astikoi His address after the BAN
uuet touched on many points of pub
lie school education. He gave full
praise where praise was due. alike to
methods and instructors. He spoke
as clearly with regard to deficiencies
in method and lack of results that
should be attained Some of these
last. the chief deficiency indeed. is OF
so great Importance that we repro
duce the pith Of it here. largely in his
own words
After saying that there are condi
tions which bring him personally. like
ether men engaged in active business.
constantly in touch with the schools:
that every business man. every pro-
fessioral man. is supplying post grad
uate courses for the boys and girls
sent out from the public schools, and
that Of a score Of successive office
boys whom he has taught and trained
the most have turned out we'll: he
says: II am also bound to state that
nine -tanths of these boys have come
to me--and what employer will not
make the same report?-straisht from
the public schools. with characteris-
tics, varying according to their respec
tive wits and origins. that for time
have been sure to call upon ones re-
serves Of patience or profanity--as the
case may be.
a -
lads to possess some knowledge Of
arithmetic, and quick in getting hold
of figures and bookkeeping. That is
good and needful. But scarcely one OF
them has had a clearly formed hand
writing. Few of them have been even
tolerabe. spoilers. Lastly, and surely
| most important. only those from the
consciousness of their extraordinary
proficiency in wrong pronunciation
bad grammar and command of slang
| Now. ii is very hard in our heterogene-
Gus city to do away with this kind OF
proficiency in a boy after the age at
which he leaves the public school. I
suppose the majority of your pupils
, consist of those who have to take an
| early start i'm the work of earning a
| living and getting on in the world.
| If so, the largest use of our schools is
| to give such boys and girls the best
| equipment Obtainable for that pur-
| pose before they start. Curiously
| cnough.I have found that many of my
| BOYS have spent a good deal of time
|
| ideas about arts ologies and so-called
| studies, that might serve as electives
| in a seminary or collegiate course
! MIR. Stedman continues Now I re-
! aliae the charm and Use of object
! teaching in the kindergarten and
schools for manual trainins and
| schools of design are among our great
est gains; nor will YOU. believe, think
| me insensible TO the sweet influences OF
| art and beauty, or to any manifesto
| ton of the ideal But surely the first
| thing 10 do. in "A limited term of study
is to give youth the one equipment
the one instrument through which. as
| he grows older, he can. for him
self make sure that all these things
| shall be added. That equipment, thai
! instr,ment--of this l make no Doubt
lis the correct knowledge, the prac'
teal mastery, of language; and this
means, i'm America, first and last ant
always. of our own peerless, inclusive
expressive. world d-pevading English
tongue. This gives your pupil his owl
master key 10 the entrances by which
all kinds of knowledge can he obtained
in maturer life
| In closing he said+and We stu pre-
fer to give his own words-"If I were
not king-but with power to determine
the bent of our public school instruc
ton, | should pay extreme respect 4
the ancestral doctrine of the thre,
RS reading, writing and arithmetic
and would add TO them an s. tn,
practice of correct speaking-for ther
is truth in rare Ben Johnson's opening
definition of English grammar. 1t 4
the art and practice Of. speaking tn
English language correctly. This art
and that of spelling and writing cor
rectly must be acquired, like any othe
technical facility. in the growing
years To master them in late adde's
cence has proved just az hard at OX
ford as at Columbia"
The complaints that Mr. stsdmal