Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-08-27

ov"r-ctlucatcd l,ut pardon me If CON
fcss 10 being old fashioned. do not
| believe that any one can he educated
WHO has not M least a smattcring of
III" ihrrc RS. II may possibly serve
some mystcriOusly useful pnrposc to
teach iwclvc-ycar old boys who canno,
read even he simplest English to sew
huttonS ON shirts. or TO drill girls of
the same age. 10 whom The rule OF three
is unknown. in tho theory bit not IN
the practice of music. ana cooking for
BOTH are often bratkctcd together in
our school cnrric'a. But tho ignorant
outsider who is excluded from the Par.
nassus Of educational circles NAV br
permitted to wonder ut the wherefore
OF it all
III is anything hui nattcring 10 our
standards of local administration that,
me nro'!"cts OF 0ur great urban public
schools seldom succeed AT either West
l'oint or Annapolis. Run through a
llsl oi the honor men at both aca,lr.
MES, and, while you will often find
among them The products OF private in.
stitntions. YOU will find that Tho vast
majority come from the little cross.
roads country SchouhOusC. whose sim
plc-min,lcd teacher God bless hcr,--.
| has had no other working capital nj
her command than Il fair knowledge
oi the three RS, which she has con,
sciontionsly impaired Ia her pupils.
| There is nothing either disgraccrul
or nndienificd about the three RS.
Many eminent and good men anu wn.
| men have been able TO read, write and
reckon fairly well. There is nothing
disSraccful or inhisnifod in teaching
them. And yet how little are they
| taught"
In the foregoing the chief executive
of the grcatcst American ci,f has
voiced the sentiment of many Il plain
citizen who has felt like rising To make
protest against the fads and fancics
of the atter-day educational "sys.
TENS, hut who soc the three funtla-
| ncntnlS of all real education neglected.
Recently in the town of Roslym. y
y, Mrs, Clarence Maclicy was elected
member OF the school board l'Jon
assuming the duties of the position she
made IL sensible little address, which
is worthy of reproduction. After as.
scrtnE that she believed il was better
for the wealthy class to help improve
the public schools than to spend their
money on--achts and parks, Mrs
Maclicy said
Much has been made OF my advo.
cacy of manual training. | propose Ia
advocate nothing radical-simply that
he girls he taught To sew and do such
useful things, and that the boys he
taught To usc their hands SO that when
they turn to trades LATER their hands
Will not he strangers to use As we
change teachers. as we Will naturally
in the course of time want to see
that the now ones are of the hest
and can teach those things which
should he tansht-lanruagc that will
come handy for boys in every day life,
Hike German or Italian, not dead Ian.
suagcs. hut live ones. We can do
nothing unless We work together and
all help, and hope We all will"
If all pcrsonos charged with rcspon.
sihilitics in connection with public
schools would approach their duties
in the same spirit, many elements
which have dcgcncratcd into worthless
and absurd fads might he transformed
into valuable and helpful ndj,lncts of
the regular course. Tho people should
watch their school authorities and i'm.
sist that every innovation Shall lie
practical and shall have in il those Gle.
mcnts which will mako the game
worth the candle. Above all nothing
should be permitted to fake the place
Of the fundamental essentials of real
education
inc Boston Globe observes that "it