The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1903-10-01
RUSSIAN SCHOOL SYSTEM
Secret Conduct Records Kept
Almost from Infancy.
A MORAL BILL OF HEALTH
Entire Glasses Often Combine in Dis.

IA HAOl\fAL DlLL- ~! ilLfAL IL
Entire Glasses Often Combine in Dis
obeylng Their Teachers --lnsolence
and Rudeness Common-Teachcrs
Often AsaauIted-Poiice System.
The recent circular of the Minister
OF Public Instruction, NJ. Sanger. Oh
the decay of discipline In intermediate
schools and portion of the primary
schools in tho cities cannot be coIsid-
cred as other than Il confession Of tho
weakness Of the police theory Of poru-
lar education which has been so stub
bornly followed in Russia during The
last half-century, not to speak Of earli-
er times. The Minister is we'll aware
that the evil results of imposing police
duties upon the school teachers arc
nothing new. One of his first acts as
Minister was to order the discontinue
| ance of the secret conduct records
which used to accompany the gym.
nasium scholars to the universities nn6
other higher educational institutions
and which rendered many an unhappy
youth political suspect almost from
his infancy. This testified to the
| Minister'S benevolent disposition and
sound Judgment, since it IS universally
admitted In Russia that these secret
records erected all lmpassnble barrier
between pupils and teachers The
abandonment Of the secret records
was. however. only one step. and the
Minister does not seem to have de-
ctded upon Il second. Ills late circu-
lar seeks to maintain the police sys-.
TEN and to make it more efficient At
the same time, 1t urges the teachers to
acquire and exercise wholesome
| moral influence upon their charges.
AS q matter Of fact it is we'll under
stood that the scholars hate their
teachers, despise their legaliZcd in.
struction, and regard forbidden litera-
ture ~as alone worth study merely be-
cause 1t is Forbidden.
| All this is SO we'll understood that
| teachers who attempt to cultivate
friendly relations with their schu' ,rs
are regarded with suspicion hy both
the police and school authorities. This
is amply proved by scores Of secret Cir.
| cularS which have been sent out from
the Ministry Of Public Instruction
during MIR. Sanger's own term of office
1t is not intended to convey the i'm
preston that NJ. Sanger is insinccrc
lie justly enjoys public sympathy and
esteem to an unusual degree. His cir,
| cular. however. shows that he has un.
dertaken the impossible.
The Minister complains that entire
classes cftan cont 'nc in disohoying
their supnriors. Instances uf inSnlerce
and rudcncSs arc common. Teachers
have been personally assaulted. ond
many scholars in senior forms are en-
gagged in secret propaganda against the
Government. Instead of admitting 2
that it is the police system Of od""a-
ton which cnGendcrs hatred and con.
tempt of all authority, the Minis or
blnmes the teachers for tnkiug no heed
to the conduct of scholars in the
streets aid In public places. Scholars,
he says, not only smoke in tho sire >ts
and leave Off portions or. their school
uniform, but fail to salute the repre-.
sentatives of the Ministry or even he
GovernorGGncral. II is no doubt true
that in the large cities the teachers
have accustomed themselves to a lax
er supervision Of scholars out of school
than is customary in the smaller
provincial towns.
\ Russian in certain well-authenti-
Gated instance had some difficulty in
procuring a clean moral "hill of
health when he desired to cn;cr a
university. When pressed the GYM
nasium director said.
'YOu arc a Socialist"
GLOW do you know I am a Social
ist?"
"Why at tfteen years Of age you
were seen In the streets with Herbert
Spencers Sociology (sic} under your
arm" In the provincial towns the
scholars of upper forms are subjected
TO domiciliary visitations, accom- IN
led by the seizure Of books held To be
unsuitable for their age, and must Sc
cure written permission from the head
master before daring to visit COM
rado. In the former Lithuanian pro.
vinces, now forming the general gov.
ernment of Wilma, school children are
punished for talking Polish in public
with their parents, But it is useless
to multiply details. Russian literature
abounds In evidences that the average
scholar regards the school as littlo
more than g prison and the teacher as
little better than gaolels and a spy
London Times Corresponds