The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-19
TUESDAY, FEB. 10, 1901.
= DEPL0RABLE RESULT.

\ DEPLORABLE RESULT.
The condition of opinion which the
former superintendent of the St. Paul
public schools shows in his letter in
Sundays Clio to be prevalent in
Chicago regarding the scholarship of the
graduates of the high schools of that
city is worthy of general attention. Not
even the most unreasoning Of the pa
tr;ots who are ever ready to resent any
thing approaching criticism of the public
school who know Mr. Smith will charge
him with any prejudice against the pub
lie school system.
Here is an extract from Prof. Smiths
letter in the Clio of Sunday, which
embodies in brief form the complaints
which have found expression in Chicago:
At the Merchants club BANQUET held
on last Saturday representatives of two
great mercantile establishments present
ed severe arrangement of the result of
high school work. The principal speaker
was John q. Shedd, who said that not
10 per cent of the employees in his estab-
hsh1Rent had graduated from the high
school, and that he found such material
and those that followed were but repeti-
tons of the complaint being so loudly
uttered here and in many other places
respecting the deficiency in essentials,
such as writing, arithmetic, spelling and
geography. Neither the superintendent
of schools nor the superintendent of high
schools, both Of whom were present, said
one word in reply. The daily papers ap-
proved the criticisms and concede that
it is the severest kind of condemna-
ton of the Chicago schools as now man
aged. John v. Farwen Jr. approved all
that Mr.. Shedd said, but went further
and paid high compliment to country
high schools, from which his establish
lnent had secured the best young people
IN their employment.
Are the Chicago high schools or graded
schools exceptional? They may be, al
though Prof Smith does not indicate
such TO be tie case; and he is a gentle
man Of the widest experience, and, as his
letters show, of the keenest powers of
observation.
To many who have not had the ad-
Nantages which are so Iavishly placed at
the disposal of pupils in the public school
It will seem strange that the scholastic
training in the graded schools is not Of
itself sufficiently effective to turn out
boys and girls who can read and write
without the possibility of failure in SPELL
ing or grammar. A boy or girl with a
certificate of having passed through the
eighth grade has put his or her time to
little use for practical educational pur-
poses if it is not the universal rule that
he or she is to be regarded as thoroughly
up at least in ''the three rs" The fault
found in Chicago and elsewhere is not,
however. that the graduates of the
graded schools cannot do the
simple clerical work which is look
ed for from a young man or wom-
an who enters commercial establish
ment. The fault is that after four years
of further scholastic training, and with
high school diploma behind them, thew
are unable to do it, at least in the city
Of Chicago.
To those readers of the Globe who
may not have had their attention dt-
Tected to Prof. Smiths last Sunday let
ter to the G o b it will be interesting
and instructive to set forth here his
summing up of the complaints in ques-
tfon. It is as follows:
1t is claimed that pupils cannot smell
correctly, or write legibly, and that thev
are UNITED for work in positions re.
curing much writing. Mr. Shedd said
that not only were they Inaccurate in
alculation, but they made figures so
poorly that very often it was not easy
10 distinguish between the figures 1 and I.
aTN
t ne Hs ILes ana o. etc 1t is also charged
lhat tney read so imperfectly that
they fail to understand fully the written
communications that they must consider
IN ADDITION, taking in complaints that
come from all quarters it is necessary
70 mention that they are often lacking
IN proper respect to their employers. that
tney are impatient and restless, that
they are not willing to undergo the or
deal Of endurance, and that thew are too
OFTEN concerned about their rights" 1t
Is not necessary to go further nor to ap-
charges. It is sufficient to say that nrob
aDie grounds exist for the complaints
and ascertain what if possible to re,
move them can be done.
There is great deal more IN the letter
of Prof. Smith which is worthy of the at
tention of every parent who has children
in attendance in the public schools. It
sets forth the professors view of the
proper remedy.
The need of remedy is conceded. The
Glob does not pretend to be able
70 state the true remedy. It leaves that
work to those whose profession qualities
them for it. 1t is enough for a public
Journal such as this to call as general
and as frequent attention as it can to the
complaints made against our school
system, on which so much of public
funds is expended, with view to having
an adequate remedy applied, especially
when those complaints reach down to
the fundamental question of their efficacy
in the work for which they are main
tanned
This work tile C 10 will continue to
do as long as it thinks it is needed to be
done; and it will not be deferred by the
vociferous criticisms of its course which
are INDUCED in by those displays of
Gemagogism in meeting such criticisms