The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-07-01
WHAr LII oHIIpRIEN We'll.

Whitelaw Reid the Chancellor of the
programmed Board of Regents of the
New York state University. has some
notions about edueaha which Will
commend themselves to many who are
acquainted with the WORK pf the magni-
fcent school systems" first, he says,
we must insist that the common schools
really teach, with a thoroughness not
vet so generally attained as is needful.
the three things that make the common
basis for all subsequent work. Their
pupils should learn, learn I'LL they real
ly know how to read, write and cipher.
Until you make absolutely sure of that
let US have fewer frills, You have not
taught reading till you have made it at
least accurate, automatic and as UNI
conscious as breathing. You have not
taught writing till you have made 1t
equally easy, equally exact, and be-
sides have taught it without fads. Not
only must the characters be legible,
rather than obscurely elegant, but the
words must be spelled as they are now
spelled in English literature No doubt
there is a place in the scheme Of the
universe for reformers, even for SPELL
ing reformers, but their place is not in
the common school room. Your BUSH
ness there is to teach what the litera-
ture of the English-speaking world has
aecepted-not what the reformers think
Lit ought to accept or even believe It Is
going to accept. Your warrant from
the State. in this very groundwork of
all learning, is not for teaching debata-
BILE things, contentious things, but the
things now accepted and built upon,
and embodied in our standards, and
you are to teach Others only Fhen they
have been accepted
Again, just as nothing CAM take the
place of an absolute READINESS in thus
reading and writing the English lam
guage, so nothing can take the place Of
an absolute mastery Of the multiplied
tion table. The boy or girl to whom
you do not give that in childhood, to-
|gether with the common thiags 1t
stands for, you are turning dctt into the
world cripple for life. II he cannot
add and subtract, multiply and divide
with the readiness and precision Of a
machine, If his work is not distinctive
and instinctively right, he Will limp at
every step in his whole subsequent ca
|reer. But here again, prayl you, no
fads-not even the metric fadl Teach
the weights and measures the child win
have to use in everyday liff ~ cAess
and teach them thoroughly. but leave
the weights and measures he raay need
half a century hence for q later period,
liz any, in his education, Keep the
metric cranks out OF the ronnon
schools. They are all most respectable
people, and some OF them 80 efficient
that / speak of them with q certain
awe. No doubt cranks, as they have
been known to boast. sometimes make
revolutions, and may move thf world.
All right; when they have INSIDE this
revolution and moved our part Of the
world to the metric system then use
the money and authority Of the State
to teach the metric system to the chill
dren in the State schools Till then
concentrate your energies In teaching
them better the weights and MEASURES
they have to use now: and don'E send
out so many pupils who do not know
what part OF a gallon gill is, how
many yards long ana wide an ;bre is,
or how to measure the masonr in a
ten-foot brick wall eighteen inches
wide; or a hundred feet Of inch lind
half hemlocl boards.
This may be too simple for some OF
the educators" who are running
things, but simplicity is sometimes wis
dom.
ANhBXED. ...