The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-24

good deal of demand for is classes OF
graduates who could spell correctly,
write cgiby. figure accurately and con-
struct grammatical SENTENCES If en-
blowers generally are to be believed this
want ia not filed by the public schools
just now, and those who feel the want
will be apt TO show impotence at the
grating OF new excrescences upon the
course of study before it is supplied
Critics of the course Of study will find
no small encouragement for their views
in the mere circumstance OF change,
apart from the merit or otherwise of the
new subjects taken up. Only little
while ago, when they objected 70 the
"fuds, IA they called them, which were
crowdng out the elementary branches,
thew were met with an air Of superiority
and a fine array Of theories regarding
educational value, and the soul contract
ing effects Of the Three Rs when saken
In excess. They cannot help seeing to-
day that the educational value argument
has had good deal of the starch taien
out of it when the branches OF stuty
which they attacked and which were
flercely defended in educational cf-
Giles as essential to give the county
future generations Of capable thlnkef
are now quietly dropped or chopped ef
Topped as to their dearest details, in Oh
der to make room for new crop Of
we'll, "fads.
While there is unquestionably danger
in making the public school course toe
arid-the extension OF the courses IN
United States history and geography
will be hailed with unanimous satisfac-
tion-it may we'll be that in strictly pro-
fessional educational circles the view
taken Of educational value is somewhat
distorted. "Fads in the school system
in teaching in general-are just as much
a product Of the effort to lift the school
master and the schoolmarm in the HER
archy OF brains as Of any sure, time
proof evolution in the theory Of educa-
ton. 1t remains extremely doubtful
whether for common school purposes,
any topics have been or can be added
to the course which have higher edu-
cational value than the Three Re them
selves, thoroughly. sincerely and prac-
tically taught. They carry with them
80 much mental discipline and they may
be made to involve such variety OF un-
conscious requirement that he would be
a rash man who said that their possessor
in a full degree was anything short OF
capably educated to face the problems
and the duties Of life.
The amount Of civics that can DO
crowded into few hours filched from
the school year will not carry the young
of1shoot of an immigrant or any other
family very far. But that ease OF in
telligent reading which will make his
daily newspaper pleasure to him Will
insure the young man an early, complete
and practical mastery of our public ma
chinery. The same plus his own daily
experience when the Three Rs have Sc
cured him an opening in industry or
commerce will give him a progressive
grasp of industrial and commercial facts
and reations-a they. will OF all the
other factors which make up the civui-
cation that he lives to enjoy.
The attempt to anticipate the natural
process in the requirement of knowl-
edge. which Is productive Of all these
special studies in the schools. really
tends to the very reverse of what "edu-
cational circles pretend to aim at. In
stead of educating, the schools are only
teaching. The things taught are apt
to be lost in the first hurry of active life.
and the deficiencies in education due to
the sacrifices made for the things so lost
are only repaired in small proportion
of cases.