The Savannah morning news., 1902-08-10

ence to the defects in the system of
instruction now in operation in the
public schools. My own experience
confirms your statements in every par
ticular. l find that the boys who came
to us for employment can neither
read, write or cipher. They have
doubtless many other requirements,
but they do not have the requisites for
usefulness in an ordinary mercantile
or banking office. In the Cooper I'm
ion 1 have endeavored to supply in
struction in the artistic lines, to which
you refer as having been introduced
into the public schools. ! intended that
the Cooper Union should supplement
a good common school education, and
enable an ambitious boy to follow up
special lines of study which he might
find to be able after he had undertaken
the regular work of earning his liv-
ing.
l am particularly struck with the
inability of the rising generation to
read and talk the English language. /
regard the neglect of careful instruc-
ton on the reading of the best models
to be a very serious matter. / find II
extremely difficult at times to under
stand the ordinary conversation of
young people, who distort words in a
manner as unpleasant as it is perplex-
ing. I do not know how far the prac-
tice of recitation has been abandoned
in the public schools, but so far as the
Cooper Institute is concerned l have
maintained instruction in reading and
oratory as an essential part of a good
education for those who are engaged
in earning their own living.
Thanking you for your timely pro-
test, am as always, sincerely yours,
Abraham S. Hewitt"
Gen. Thos. l.. James,
Lincoln Bank. N. Y.
Mr.. Hewitt, as will be surmised
from the above, is by no means men
tally idle, now that he has retired
from the strain of business life. On
the contrary, he is as alert in his in
terest in current affairs as he was
when in the thick of affairs. He is
spending his summer delightfully."- at
| Bar Harbor, where there are many
things to interest him, and where he
ls has plenty of time to keep we'll in
| formed concerning the doings of the
outside world. That ne shall make
public his views on public affairs from
time to time is sincerely desired by
! those who know how keen and search
| ing is his mind and how direct and
| pungent his method of making his
! thoughts known.
| Unlike many another contemporary
| captain of industry and man of affairs,
| Mr.. Hewitt has always been ready to
make his notions on current events
| public property. In MANY instances
he has chosen to write them out for
| the newspapers himself, but often he
has been willing to speak through the
| interviewer. In fact, no newspaper
man known by him to be an accurate
reporter ever called in vain upon Mr.
! Hewitt for his views, providing the
time was ripe for their expression and
| he had the leisure to express them.
Yet Mr.. Hewitt is not and never was
an easy man to interview Although
! quite willing 20 talk on any proper
topic he will not do so unless the re-
porter shows by his method of ques-
tons that he knows something himself
of the topic to be discussed. Nor will
he tolerate the use of a note book 1t
makes him nervous, and on at least
one occasion he conditioned his con-
sent to be interviewed with the pro-
viso that no pencil or note book should
! be used unless ii were to jot down an
occasional name or date
Gen. Wallace Randolph, who was
chairman of the Gun Carriage Board
at the tests made at Fort Wadsworth
New York harbor. recently, is one OF
the most popular men in the United
States army. For some time before
the United States troops sailed for
Cuba he was ranking artillery officer
in Florida. He was an inveterate
Joker Ice was extremely scarce. RAN
dolph's tent was pitched near the road
which army officers OF all grades.
newspaper correspondents and others
naturally took on their way from