St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-03-16
The Rudiments Of Right
Education.

scpcAAc0iy SCe Aottu.
The defect arises from the fact
ibat the high school is intended 10
give a sort of college touch to the
pupils Of the lower sch'mls. aud tile
lower schools are simply tenders Ia
the top aud work downward, while
the true idea Of educating or leading
on the mind Is from the foundations
upward.
A few days ago, at banquet
cf The Merchants Club. " Chicago,
several gentlemen spoke ON the de-
ficiencies Of the public education 81
that city. 1t was held that thehigl'
school graduates did not really take
TO business, but seemed u have An
idea that the professions only wer.
worth their attention, and one OF the
most prominent merchants in that
city said tina; the hest boys who
came Into the service OF his firm
came from the country.
The fact in this connection is that
the public schools Of small towns
and villages and the country dis
tricte generally are organized on a
simpler and more practical basis
than are the city schools. The great
est attention is paid to spelling,
reading, writing, arithmetic, geogra-
plly and history. The beginnings
of u knowledge Of these matters are
drumme6 into the children's minds
by persistent routine. Spelling
and the multiplication table are
learned rs mechanical exercise,
a, d 1t il only after such rudimentary
knowledge becomes imbcdded in the
minds Df the Children iha: any at
tempt is made 10 explain them and
chow their application.
The result is that the children
who come through the country gram
mar schools are good spoilers; they
can work all problems in arithmetic
which can come up il the ordinary
business of life; they are familiar
with the atlas aud know III. bnunda-
ries of the various countries, The
capital and other Ch'rf cities of sucl
countries. aud the rivers, bivs OI
other auc!i waters hear which theS
are situated. and The names AID
situations Of the great Sci<, lakes
rivers and ranges of mountains %.
the globe; they have soma definite
ideas of latitude anl longitude, and
OF the tropical, temperate aud po.aI
| ESgioh> Va ouL V0t sh- AhCy nuON'
too, in chronological order, til.
chief events in tie history of the
United States.
The minds of children SO taught
are not confused aud perplexed Will
smatteriDgs 2f things which are tor
complex, or too far removed from
the sphere Of youth in country life
to be readily absorbed ana under
stood, and the result il that sucl
youths are able to use and apply il
8 practical manner and with read;
ness, such education as they have
Then, II the country hoy SO laugh
should 90 into the villsge s,nr. o.
workshop to learn the business car
ried on there he is in th. proper coli
6iuon mentally 10 learn The simple
practical processes II. use there, ant
such knowledge is of the utmOs
value
In the country store you'll
learns 70 handle many sorts If mel
chandise, and to become acquslnte,
with the varieties and qualities ant
! values If tile several articles. Ii
the village foundry, or otlIe. work
shop. the youth learns every par
OF the business, from the making q
molds and casting of metal in theu
10 tue use OF iathes. boring ant
planning machinery aud all the me
cllanisms essential Ia sncil bust
nes.. In all uiner handicrafts tn
bushes, 10 learned practically i
ev.ry department whereas, in
great city Enlistment, a DO
would grow up in some par,icula
department. becoming expert i
some specially While rem,ining iynO
rant of ihe creates: number Q
operations III the business in whic
hc was engaged
4 II well established fact tina
many If The greet merchants en-
prac,icai men Of business in GScry
department came up from th
counlry schools, country stores an,
country workshops, equipped will
all the rudimenis of mental an,
practical Information OF the creates
vslue to them, with minds ready t.
receive and build upon such educa
tiun as they already possessed
whatever might be necessary to ei,
able them to reach higher position
in the calIings to which their atten
t:cn had been turned and in whic
they had been primarily educated
II should not he forgotten tina
the real object Of public education
in s. republic il to Git each youthful
ucnersfion for the duties of citizen