The Washington herald., 1906-10-21


Publlco," "An Old Subscriber" or Con
slant Reader order creep Ger him that
prompts him to rush into print where
angels and some others fear to tread.
have no particular fault 20 ind with che
present system, though. possibly. occasion
had not been lacking. In times gone by
we have had learned gentlemen at the
head Of educational matters who were
famous experimenters, and whenever
anything novel came up, why. it had TO
: be tried on the dog, or the Washington
pupils. The youngsters have had their
writing changed on them from vertical
10 Spencerian, and the Lord knows what,
so that blessed few of them can now do
more than painfully scrawl. At other
times We have had the abandonment of
grammar as it was supposed 10 exist.
and the teachers. if remember well had
a little language injected into them once
a week by some learned gentleman, and
they, in turn, were expected to pass Il
on to their expectant and befuddied pu-
pills. Other times the poor little shavers
have had 10 sit up half the night to get
through the process Of examining that
had been decided upon just then: other
times there has been almost a total
abandonment of home study In hne, #
was such a system that / have taken all
= my children out Of the public schools and
given them private teachers up TO the
point where they begin TO get ready for
the high school
Intended for the Better Classes.
But, then. 1 may be a notionaI old fell
low, foggyish, and so on. to the extent of
not being thoroughly appreciative of the
blessings we have been receiving But
that's all en- Dassant as II We're. The
thing I have uppermost in mind now. the
suggestion I wish 20 very respectfully sub
init, is this: Is not the whole system of
public schools. as carried on to-day, d
sort of class affair and particularly bene-
fetal TO the children of the better class
rather than TO those Of the masses?
Everything seems to lead up to the high
school. The high schools are, as a rule,
better buildings, better equipped, from
sanitary and every other point of view.
All the frills and furbelows that can be
afforded by community are piled upon
the high school education. Yet the chill
dren who 20 there arc nine out of ten.
of parents who can well afford 10 pay for
this higher education. Indeed where ed
ucational appropriations are limited are
We even justified in maintaining high
schools when the latter exist actually at
the expense OF the lower grade schools
1 forget now just what the figure Is
but / know that some very large
percentage. probably in the npighbor-
hood Of 50 or s. per cent. of the school
children never go beyond the seventh or
Seighth grades. That represents the sum
total OF education received by "a large pro-
portion of our people. Why should not
therefore. every effort be- made to perfect
that rather than to make il r. mere step
10 something that so few ever reach? 1
am not Clamoring for more studies in the
lower grades; on the contrary, 7 believe
that there IS too much dddIy stuff to-day
Children get "a little smatteriug of this
and a little touch Of the other thing. moth
ing thoroughly pounded into them They
form habits of life along those lines. and
= our young people are VIGOROUSLY frivolous.
They are not taught tn do any one thing
well, and they don't think it worth while
10 Try. Spelling. for instance is a lost art
in our schools, a boy who reasons out the
simplest problem of arithmetic is a rarity.
lie has some system of arriving at an an
Swer. but the why Of it all is Il matter
of Indifference 10 him
Give the Children a Chance.
Why not simplify the STUDIES i'm the
lower grades. but bring to hear on that
education the best of talent, real scien-
tiic training. Give those children sim
ply the three RS if you wish but make
It thorough II will cultivate habit Of
mind which viii have its effect through
out life, i'm oar politics. economic and
social functions. Besides that very thor
oughness We viii get a yOungster inn
pressed with the charm and possibilities
.of greater knowledge. and if he ever has
an opportunity or the time 20 study sub
jects that were not even touched on in
school he VIII go after them with vim
and q snap and accomplish things.
Some of the frills that now accompany
the high school education rightfuIIv be
long, ! submit to the lower grades.
not studies such as ''bugoIogy," anthr0-
biological research and what not. but man
ual training and things Of that kid that
might well be given smaller children as
sort of recess amusement. 4 little car
pentering for the boys. little sewing
for the girls. things of that kind. See
the need of it, The young lady who IS
; IN a high school at nineteen or twent{
years old is given all facilities for learn
ing how TO cook. These facilities usual
~ wind up i'm very fine desserts and
salads, &c. When she leaves school the
chances are ten to one she will preside
in a very nice house, and those lessons
in cooking VIII come in handy, for She
can superintend her cook and regulate
desserts, &c. But how about the poor
little girl who never got beyond the
seventh grader There is no cooking for
her She's taken out of school and put
into a store as cash girl. She gets a
cold lunch. a sOggy sandwich. or some
thing of the kind, and a haphazard din
ner-just food prepared by her mother.
who has been sewing all day. let US say
In course Of time the girl marries. What
does she know about housekeeping?
What benefit it would be for human
Iity future generations, our repUblic-and
! say 1t in all seriousness-if that girl
had been taught how TO appetizingiy
prepare pot roast and daintIly boil the
potatoes and make UP n batch of respect
able bread
Intelligent Solution Sought.
This is but a suggestion inspired by,
as I say. all this reform and fussing
about the schools. Now let others who
have given the matter more attention
than 1, and who are in every way better
prepared to settle such matters. give
1t their serious attention. ], plain
fellow. simply feel and think I know
that there is a screw loose somewhere
in this schooling affair, and / would like
TO have some intelligent solution of the
problem presented. In making the sug-
gestion that the one that has been given
US Is not absolutely perfect. I SINGER " |
trust that the honorable school board I
and those interested viii appreciate my
motives and absoIve me from the slight /
est intention Of committing any act
of lese majestic