The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-24
BRAGG is ABSURD.
SUPT. ASHMORE's OPINION OF HIS
VIEWS ON EDUCATION.
GEN. BRAGG HIT WHOLE PLAN.
CONSUL GENERAL. TO CUBA SAID
RESULT is FAILURE.

Has Attained NOtOriety Because OF
His whistle and Pig-taiI" Conn
nent on the Cuban People, md
Has Also Aired His Views ON Edu-
catiOn-DecIared That High School
Graduates Were Long on Latin and
Short on Grammur-knew Much
Greek and No GeOgraphy-Mr. ASH
more Defends Education in This
Country From This Bitter RE-
proach.
For an attack he is charged with
making upon the system of high
school education pursued in this coun-
ty, Gen. E. S. Bragg was taken to
task yesterday by a Savannah edu-
Gator, Superintendent Otis Ashmore,
of the public school system. who calls
Gen. Bragg's structures absurd.
Gen. Bragg is consul general to
Cuba, and has recently sprung into no.
toriety anent his whistle and pigtaiP'
comment on the Cuban people. He
seems to have a fondness for making
remarks that bear the earmarks of the
their fundamental truth
For one series of these remarks, re-
1ating to the educational system that
obtains in this country, Gen. Bragg
was taken to task yesterday by Sa-
Vannah educator.
Referring to the people to whom he is
accredited by this country, Gen. Bragg
is reported to have said that 1.-The
United States might as we'll try to
make whistle of a pigtail as to at
tempt to civilize the Latin races" re-
ferrlng to the products of the high
schools of the. country he remarked
that of these young men it was found
that they had been kept in the musty
paths of forgotten ages and knew lit
tie of the highways of modern prog
ress.' The two quotations illustrate
the fOndness for epigram alluded to
above.
Gen. Bragg's comments on education
We're delivered at the graduating ex-
ercises of Hobart College, of which he
is an alumnuS. 1t is said they ripped
and scorched practically every theory
of education held and followed in this
country. He said, among other things,
that he had examined many young
men for admission to West Point and
had found that while they had a more
than sufficient knowledge of Latin,
Greek and botany, they were woefully
short on geography and sadly deficient
In the ability to spell. He gave the
high schools strenuous, advice to con-
fine their curricula to the elements of
knowledge.
A newspaper account of these stric-
lures of Gen. Bragg's was shown last
night to Supt Otis Ashmore, of the
public school system of the city and
county.
Such statement as that" he said,
lis so unjust that it becomes absurd.
While of course there are defects in all
educational systems and equally of
course deflcients among the products,
the fact is that the opportunities for
education in every grade, from the kim
dergarten to the university, are better
to-day than they ever have been in
the past.
1T is true" Superintendent Ashmore
said, that some trouble has sprung
from the fact that high school grad
yates upon entering college are rather
rusty on certain elementary subjects,
which they have not pursued, possibly,
for three or four years. With. English
grammar and other language studies
which form parts of grammar school
curricula this difficulty has probably
been greatest. But the trouble is be-
ING gradually ODVldted and more
scientific methods are being constant
ly introduced.
1.-The realm of useful knowledge
broadens every day. There are more
subjects to teach-more that ought to
be taught, than there has ever been,
and the difficulties of selection and OF
proper proportion are added to the
task of the educator of the present
The task is being mastered and the
problem solved. AS said in the be-
ginning opportunities for education
and educational results were never
better than they are to-day