Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-12-13
fCHOnAS
~e-o ( Co

Educational leaders are still discussing
with unabated interest the proposition
put forward by Thomas L. Burt recently
in the Independent, namely, that the
schools should be open all the year round,
Sundays and the few public holidays
! alone excepted. Mr.. Burt's idea is that
this would leave about 300 chool days,
which would vary in length of session
from three hours in summer to five or six
in winter. He says that no educator will
deny that this distribution of school time
would enable the pupils to cover more
| ground and make much greater progress
than under the existing plan. One of the
principal objects gained would be, in his
opinion, to keep the children off the
streets in the summer time and to make
their development steady and continuous
The fact that most parents are glad to
send their children to summer schools is
| regarded as favorable. He proposes to
make the pay of the teachers Accordingly
higher" in money and not in holidays
and vacations. He argues, further, that
| short hours, Saturday and Sunday holi-
!, days and long vacations, instead of pro-
ducing the habit of study among teachers
probably increases laziness.' According
to this proposal, no teacher would teach
all day, but two or even three should
occupy the same room during successive
sessions.
In the revised course of study which
has been adopted for the public schools of
Boston, says the School Journal, Eng
lish has been made the central feature.
Arithmetic has been simplifed, and made
practical in it's relation to practical life.
In geography stress is laid upon human
life, and industry. Commercial
geography is given a prominent place.
More time is given to spelling than be-
fore. Physical training has been almost
revolutionized. Hygiene has been given
precedence over physiology. Weight is
given to knowledge of the health of the
home and the community. Beginning with
elementary personal hygiene, pupils are
taught correctness in food, exercise, pos
ture, sleep and habits. In the next grades
personal hygiene, that teaches how to
make the body beautiful, strong and
graceful, has place. In the seventh grades
comes, for the first time, a little physiol-
ogy; then more personal hygiene, together
with home hygiene. In the eighth grade
attention is given to public hygiene.
Under the guidance of Principal Glib
son of@sthe. Agassiz school, Boston, the
boys Of 4hssssixth grade are devoting five
hours a week to practical industrial work,
at present being engaged in making paste
board boxes, but later to advance to wood
and metal work. The course extends over
three years, and the object is to give
the boys practical apprentice work in
various trades. The time aiken in the
making of every article will be noted and
the record Of the workers thus kept before
them.
Eleven teaching fe%llowships have been
established at the University of Kansas
for graduates of special merit. Each fell
Iowship entities the holder to $685., and
he is obliged to teach not more than
seven hours a week. The remainder OF
the time is to be devoted to invests CATION
leading to an advanced degree.
announcement is made that Columbia
university has received an anonymous
gift of $1,000 to establish in memory OF
the late Henry Bergh a foundation to in
~culcate a spirit of kindness and consid.
Grafton toward the lower animals.
A semi-official Endorsement of Esper-
anto as an international language has
been given by the College de France Of
Paris, at q recent general congress, repre-
I~senting $40 learned societies. 1t having
been proposed to study the various inter
national languages and to adopt the best
the congress selected Esperanto, owing te
its relative perfection and extensive use
Prominent professional and CLUB womer
are taking issue with the recent opinion
advanced by the president of Harvard t.
the effect that higher education in future
must recognize the fact that the majority
of women take UP the OCCUPATION o
training children, the married ones a:
mothers and many of the others for tn,
mothers. He said that this normal oe
cupation of women had not been duly rec
ognized because it had not been regarded
III as an intellectual pursuit. whereas il
fact it was the most sntellecttaf Inttdpa
ton in the world. calling always. for grea
moral and carefully trained mental pow
. ers.