Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-19
Public Schools Criticised.
the Editor Of The Evening Star

One cannot fail to be much interested in
your interview with Mr.. James II. Fitz ST.
mon of Argentina, in your issue of this date.
But that interest needs be sadly mixed
with shame that it is possible, and justly
so, for him to SO severely score this land
for its widespread ignorance of geography.
Were Mr.. F'itz Simons' criticisms only ap-
plicable to us because Of our ignorance OF
his adopted land it would be bad enough;
but it is a fact that that sort of ignorance
Is to be here found on every hand and re-
garding all lands. And am quite sure that
Mr.. F1tz Simon will finally have to go to
Germany to get the class of teachers he Is
looking for
our much vaunted public schools are at
the bottom of this. The High School grad
uate. here in Washington, leaves that insti-
tuition with a diploma" less thoroughly in
formed in geography, political, physical or
commercial than was the average private
school boy at ten years of age in my boy
hood days. In aArecent conversation with
a lad just ready to enter one of our high
schools 1 was surprised to hear him refer
to the German river Elbe as though 1t
were snelled Elb. On correcting him, he
very confidently assured me that so he had
been taught to pronounce the name. The
next day called. up on the phone pro
fessor' at the High School to which this
lad expects to be admitted and, without
giving my name, asked II he could tell me
the name of the river or estuary on which
was situated the German city Of Hamburg
He asked me to hold the phone" evident
Iy while he looked it up %, and in a mo
ment informed me it lis on the Elb river"
Since then an article in one of our pa
pers, written by Washington High School
graduate has contained eleven misstate-
ments of fact, in total OF fourteen regard
ing German seaports.
have been an employer of youth, mainly
as stenographers or clerks, for the past
quarter of century. My experience in
As,-an Aoo ond Of fhn y,tuyiO
dom OF employing in such capacities any
graduates of PUBLIC schools
Newspaper ranks are now largely occupied
by public school young men and women.
issue Of any American daily it is easily pos
sible to find half-dozen glaring errors in
or exhibitions Of stupendous Ignorance OF
geography?
While we are content to pay public school
.marms' less than we pay scrubwomen at
the Capitol and the latter are not over
paid, and leave the selection of text books
to committees not at all capable of judging
their respective merits. we can hope for
nothing better Sorne time ago there was
great bubbing in the educational teapot be-
cause text book had been found in which
its author had tripped up regarding his
mountain. back in the sixties. or some
other wretcaed alp OF like nature. Yet the
Same authorities now sanction school his
tory in which there Is no reference to the
possibilities OF earlier discoveries of this
continent than those OF Columbus and his
followers. and in which, regarding his ex-
plolts there Is series of positive state
lnents quite one-haH OF which are either
untrue or open to serious doubt.
While hours are consumed studying the
literary style of Richard Harding Davis
iwho but schooisnarm would imagine him
to have a styleD, while other hours are
wasted anaiyzing the works of Hugo or
Balzac in poor TRANSACTIONS. and still others
are frittered away on mathematical prob
lens OF no reasonable applicability to ey-
eryday iife,. the poor misguided youth Is be-
ing finished in a manner that will not
even IT him t0tnxe pGses Spe4k md spuscfunf9s
= sisr'nie business letter.
EUGENE MURRAY AARON.