Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-26


thereof are laid are harmful alike to the in
dividual schooled under them and to the
nation as a whole They impair his per-
sonal efficiency and they lower the general
standard.
A Matter of Figures.
Some who read these lines will think
am old-fashioned when 1 say that nature
| study" free-hand drawing. wood carving
clay modelling and a lot of the subjects
to which so much attention is paid now
adays in public schools should be rig
| idly subordnated to matters that are more
| practical. far as the great majority of
| the pupils are concerned. In fact. none of
these things. in my judgment, should be
! extensively taken up by the great mass
| of public school children until after they
are well and thoroughly grounded in such
| essential things as spelling, handwriting
| the construction of simple, direct English
| sentences and the elementary operate of
arithmetic.
Not long ago a bright-looking lad under
| eighteen, applied for job in a retail shop
on one of the cross streets in New York
| Where have you been to SCHOOL," asked
the shopkeeDer.
Public schools; graduated from Gram
mar School No - replied the lad.
Il like your looks" continued the shop
keeper, "and I want a boy. It's only a
matter of figures. Now, If eggs are 81 cents
dozen, how many can You sell for IS
cents?'
The boy couldn't answer, and he didn't
get the job. though be had spent years in
the public schools of the grea test city of the
| western hemisphere. This boy, you will
observe. was wholly untitled to grapple with
the simplest practical problems Hundreds
yes. thousands. of such stories might be
told, despite the vast amounts Qarger, by
the way, than are so spent in proportion to
school population by any other city on
EARTH which the city Of New York devotes
annually to the education of its boys and
girls.
You may say that the pupil with artistic
ability, who has latent talents that will en-
able him with proper training to make
beautiful pictures, TO model graceful statu-
airy. to become finished musician or TO write
thrilling romances, does rot need to be able
to do sums in mental arithmetic and has
no call to worry about such petty things as
the price Of eggs. Suppose this is granted.
the fact remains that only an infinitesi"-
percentage of the boys and girls IA
age. or any other, have in them exception
artistic, musical or literary possibilite.,.
And even if every one of them by training
could be taught to paint like Raphael 10
model like Phidias, to compose and play
like List or to write like Dickens, still
only a few could find market for their
wares, while the remainder would have to
make their way along old-fashioned hum
drum lines in spite of their genius.
Some Curious Letters.
The number of youngsters graduated from
our PUBIC ScnOOlS, anu CDHeSeS, 100, L dI1l
forced to say. who can not write clear. con-
else and readable letters. Is much larger
than the number who have not mastered the
simplest rules of arithmetic. And here 1
can give examples from more dierct per-
sonal observation. The financial institution
with which 1 am connected requires writ
ten applications from all who desire to en-
ter its employment and these letters are
kept on file Here is one of them, from
one who had been trained in two COL
leges, besides, presumably. in the COM
mon schools. It will be, noted. too, that
part of his schooling was obtained outside
New York, and I mention this in order to
show that not all the inadequate schooling
of the age can be charged to the metropolis:
''Sirs:
Applying for admission into your en-
ployment, wish to state that have never
been in business being to school at -
college In Maryland and - in New York.
MY fathers position is q bridge carpenter
on the - railroad. / live at -. / refer
4 10, and