Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-04-19

| f
 respond with the board of works as to
 the methods taken to have certain l new streets in the vicinity of Mulcahy l school accepted.
 Commissioner Mcdonald inquired why a diploma from the High school was not sufficient to entitle a graduate to enter the city normal school, when l it suff1ces to enter any similar institu- | tion in the state.
 Superintendent Tinker replied that
 the examination to enter the city nor
 nal school Is very severe. Then it is
 necessary to keep down the number
 On the waiting list of teachers i'll or
 der to regulate the supply and demand for teachers. If there is large watt ing list only very small number will
 undertake the examination for the
 city normal school. and vice versa. However, if the board desired a change
 all that was necessary was to change
 the rule on this matter
 Commissioner Lawlor moved that the city engineer stake out the line of the street from Luke street to Null
 cahy school, and the clerk was in structed to advertise for bids for re-
 moving the ashes from the schools from date until July i, 1905.
 Hereafter the rats and mice of Dub-
 lin street must live in darkness and ignorance, for they will be unable to
 get even a squint at the school books and classics in that ancient and al
 nous building. By vote of the board
 book case shall be installed in the
 building and when that is done it will
 be all up with reading matter for the rats and mice of that seat of learning.
 oaIy
 board adjourned. an unusually late hour for this board.
 Resolutions on the death of Miss Alice U. Niver will be recorded in the minutes of the board
 A report from Truant Officer Leroy was read and for straightforward and honest if rather blunt English for directness in calling things by their right names. 1t is without a parallel in the history of the board of education. 1t was accepted and filed.
 Superintendent Tinker read a very interesting report by himself on the vertical and slanting styles of writ ing. Specimens of both covered the walls of the meeting room. Some of them were exhibited at the worlds fair in Buffalo two years ago. Follow ing is the report in full:
 Gentlemen--I would make the fol- lowing report in regard to vertical writing in, the schools. Tn the first place it may be of interest to recall some of the features of the old slant writing that were objectionable and still continue to be objectionable at the present day. Tn the first place the old slant writing called for posi- ton at the desk which was unhy- gienic. An arbitrary slant of fifty two degrees was demanded though what possible difference it could make. whether a pupil wrote with slant of fffty-two- sixty, seyenty-five degrees or at any other angle, provided the writing was legible and neat in ap pearance We have in the supply room at the present time several thou sand accurately cut metal rules which were used by pupil and teacher to measure the slant of each letter-a more useless expenditure of time could hardly be conceived. The let ters were narrow. abnormally long and at least half of them called for careful shading, all of which were difficult for young children to acquire The capitals were involved and very much work had to be done within five guide lines. The younger the pu- pil the more lines he had to guide him, with the result that the youngest pu- pills whose untrained muscles were scarcely able to hold pencil were compelled ito make small letters be- tween these lines, difficult thing even for their elders. The old slant writing was more difficult to acquire, and with its fine lines not easily read. In our work in the public schools we have never insisted upon absolutely vertical work. but have tried to se- cure legibility. I am inclined to be- iieve that employers care most for legibility and very little as to whether tho writing is vertical or slanted backward or forward. Vertical Writ ing has done a great deal to make the teaching of writing easier and much better for the pupil as well. 1t has given us a better position for pupils, simpler letters. done away with shad- ing and guide lines and allows the youngest pupil to make his letters large and coarse The youngest pu- pils seem to take to 1t naturally and within a few months are able to Write more legibly than was ever possible under the old slant. The average writing has very much improved. While under the slant we had some pupils whose writing was absolutely illegible, We have none at the present time whose writing cannot be easily read. The question of speed depends very little upon the system taught, but very much upon how it is taught. Extensive speed tests taken through out the country show that public l school pupils using the vertical can and have written more words i'll q ] minute than professional penmen us ing the slant.
 A test taken in a large number of 1 cities including Omaha, Des Noines St Louis and others gave a rate of | 130 letters per minute for public school children who have had vertical | writing from two to five years, while | the average of business colleges and | penmen in the same cit ies gave an average of only 103 let | ters per minute. Speed depends very | largely upon the method of teaching |