The Jasper news., 1902-10-02
IT'S VALUE TO PUPILS.
A Plea For The Newspaper In Public
Schools,

sas each day to the reading of current
nows from some good daily paper
|-Frank felson, State Superintendent
of Kansas.
\ Why notH The daily papers contair
the history Of the present. Shall the
ward school pupil study tho history Of
the rast OF his own county until dates
and events fall glibly from his lips, and
fail to know what important event oc
Cured recently on the 9Th OF Septem.
berY
The idea that the. child that is old
enough to learn the events OF the past
should be required to live 10 the past in
stead Of in the present is preposterous.
Tue past and the present are so closely
allied, interviewer, that the study Of fho
events Of either. alone, is Of little impor-
lance. No event OF history should be
discussed, as factor in child's educa.
tion, without its relative Importance as
historical fact being discussed from
the points Of view; First, Was the eff
ect OF the event upon human races good
or bad? Secondly Was the effect Of
liaited duration;:or was it cqetinuousH
Third, In what do We disc iyer the effect
today ?, Fourth, II the effect Uas good,
how may we emphasize that goodS
J. ifth II the effect was bad, how may
We diminish it? b.. -
= f'.& ..s. 80.
Again, when. ,aehild reads Of al, Inn
portant current event, Ae should be
rtsught to recalior review bis history
until he learns of a similar Occurrence,
AID TO reason upon the causes OF each.
Like the mental and the physical pow
ers OF man, the events depohdent that
one ca no tie studied succ ,ssfully with
out the study Of the other, alss.
Why not read the newspaper iu the
public schoolsS At the present day,
whSn the daily paper is so cheap, there
are few families that are without one.
Unless prohibited, the child reads the
daily paper at home; but, again, IL al
lowed b read without direction he nat
uraily reads the headlirei, chooses the
sensa tional articles, aud 5000 forms a
habit that leads to the selection Of what
is clnssed ms, "yellow" literature. II
prohibited from re sdinR the daily
paper, there is nothing that be wishes TO
do so much as to read that very daily
and all Others that he can get, and again
the sensational is chosen, and the sama
evil result follows. So
Is it not better, then, to form in the
child the taste for the healthful and
pure is literature, by having the daily
paper taken TO the public school, and
read in ciassr where the teacher directs
the selection, and the general discussion
creates an interest in the subject and in
kindred subjects, where the teacher.
supported by the mass Of the class, can
deyelop strong sentiment against the
sensational, and teach the child not on
ly 10 know right from wrong 10 selection
and to know the right aud the wrong 10
social, public and political life, and to
choose the one and avoid the otherf
Against reading the daily papers in
the public schools, there are three prin-
oipal objections First, the teacher will
ATTEMPT to bias opinions, religious and
political; second, the work will tage too
much OF the childs' time and attention;
third, the EnRli Of the newspapers Is
not mp to the required standard
In answer to the first: AT the preseat
Gay all teachers Of the public schools are
required to teach morals aud n nanners.
II any teacher is so inclined he can
use this plea to bias any Child opinion on
any snbjoct that be chooses. Few ever
10 this. II it is attempted, the parents
or the board OF education, soon call
la 10 such methods.
In answer to the second objection. The
worb, as component part of history
the history of the present, may be carri-
ed on rs introductory to history, and
then, iu oopuectiu with history, after
lilt subject is taken up. Ii may also
be carried as part Of the regular read
ing lessons snd it can be made To play
an important part in the work Of learn
ing TO spell. -
In answer to the third objection; while
the rapidity with which all the work of
producing great daily is done renders
itiimpossible TO insure perfect Eugllsh
at all points, yet the iEugiish at its
poorest, is far above that spoken or
written by the average speaker or writer
While at its best it is a model for those
who would use good English; and again
10 this connection, the work Of reading
tho daily naner in the school may be a