The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-09-28
PUBLIC RECORDS
GIVE DENIAL TO
STARS ATTACK
Gen. H. V. Boynton Re-
plies to Criticism
of Schools.
BENEFITED BY REFORMS
Reportof SuperintendentStu-
art Cited as Proof of
Prompt Methods.
To the Editor Of The washington Times:

lOlllpl mSlIlOuS-
To the Editor Of The Washington Times:
The Evening Star" closes an editorial
criticism upon the Washington public
schools and the Board Of Education as
follows:
The school board is now. as always,
on trial before the community. perhaps
even TO a more definite degree than for
several seasons in view Of the feeling
which prevails more distinctly than ever
that the District has not received thu
full benefit Of the reforms ordered by
Congress after its searching investiga
ton and its discovery of the lament
able results of the old system
1t is much easier for an editorial critic
10 write along the lines Of a prejudiciaI1
belief than to examine public records
with view of testing that belief. 1t
will interest the parents of the $4,000
children in our schools. who may be
disturbed by such ignorant criticism
TO see what the public school records
have to say On the subject.
School Board Report.
In the annual report of the Board OF
Education for 1s0O-1sO1. published and
widely circulated, Superintendent Stuart
made the following conclusive statement
as to the prompt methods adopted TO
give the District what the Star denies
that it has received, namely. the full
benefit of the reforms ordered by Con-
gress":
LAS the result of an inquiry ordered
by the Senate of the United States in
relation to the course Of study pre-
scribed for the public schools. the Com
mittee on the District of Columbia re-
ported, on March %. 1900, that they had
discovered a vast preponderance OF
evidence tending TO show a want OF
necessary drill in spelling. penmanship.
arithmetic. grammar, and geography.
This want of drill was said TO arise
from the large number of matters called
nature or science studies taught in the
grades. Another important conclusion
reached by the committee was that the
disuse OF text books had interfered
with success in primary training in the
schools. saa
90 Recommendations Made re
with. view to the prompt and ef
fectfve correction Of these defects in
the course OF instruction. on September
/. 1900. made the following recon-
mendations to your board. all of which
were approved:
"First-That arithmetic be taught
throughout the entire year in the eighth
grade, instead of. as before, only during
a part OF the school year. and that no
algebra be taught below the eighth
grade
..Second-That in all grades less at
teDtion be given to physical geography
and more to the human side OF geog-
raphy-commercisl, political, and place
geography-s the geography Of cur
rent events especially emphasized. That
Our Continent be dropped as a text
book as too difhcult for seventh grade
pupils. reserving it for use as a refer
ence book only.
'.Third-That the study OF geology b'
omitted from the eighth grade.
.-Fourth-That English grammar b'
taught from textbooks in the sixth
seventh. and eighth grades. with les
attention TO formal sentence analysiI
and more 10 correct grammatical ex
precision.
"Fifth-That English composition b
hereafter taught with the aid OF text
books in the fourth and fifth grades. in
Producing the study OF formal gramma
in the latter part Of the fifth year. let
ter writing TO be thoroughly taught II
both grades.
.'sixth-That the spelling book here
tofore found in the fifth. sixth. and sew
enth grades be placed in the fourtl
grade also, and that provision be mad
in all the schools for thorough drill Il
spelling and definition. oral and written
"seventh-That in all number worl
-(arithmetic) object teaching or develop
ment be followed by thorough drill
That the multiplication table be com
pleted in the third grade.
Eighth-That copy books be used fror
the second 10 the sixth grades. both in
elusive. and elsewhere when deemed ad
visable.
..Sinth-That the courses in DRAWN
be SO simpiified as 10 reduce by one-hal
the amount OF time given TO the subject
except IN the special high school courses
Recommendations as 10 art WORK
manual training. music nature study
and other special studies were reserve
for future considerations.
Course of Study.
In connection with these recommend
ations / submitted to your board III
outline Of a provisional course Of stud
which pointed the way 10 a NOR
thorough drill In the fundaments
branches OF the elementary schools an
defined the work which may REASONABLE
be required OF the pupils, while mater
tally reducing the amount OF time allo1
ted to nature work, drawing. musi'
and the special studies generally. ain
ed at that time 10 make II clear ths
there was no purpose 70 disparage II
latter, but only 10 place them in the
proper relation 10 the other studio
They are not and ought never 70
denied a place in the curriculum neib
or are they to be simply tolerated 2
having no part nor lot In practical lif
They are rather 70 be taken at the
true value as compIementing. illum
Mating and embeilishing every oih'
subject OF study go
ttYou will observe that all OF Il
changes suggested have n twofold pl
pose. namely: To recover as far as poi
sibIe lost ground In the training
pupils in the elementary studies and
bring about more general use Of tex
books. as an important means 10 II
desired end.
1T Is due TO the entire supervisor
force who we're suddenly invested wit
the responsibility OF carrying into ene
the will OF the board. as expressed in u
modified course % Instruction. that
should say that 7 have had cheerfcl- G