Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-09-08
5urslya smua spptr,,hrr 1908

hundred and fourteen applicants were
examined and of that number "a per
cent failed in one or more subjects. The
colonel offers an instance of the in
efficiency of the schools" in one OF the
papers of failure. His general con-
domination of the high school system,
will scarcely be accepted upon the iev-
idence adduced. Here is the single in
stance which is supposed to be con
elusive:
M a young man from Mississippi,
of good family, after eight years years
of mental effort-five in the grammar
school and three in the high school
made a clean sweep of every subject
In buoyant flight over the fields Of
general history, he finds Athens and
Sparta on the Tigress." His memoran-
dunn on the Spanish Inquisition is a
model Of succinct statement: Spanish
King tried to make every one join the
Catholic church, but the Spaniards
protested against it and was carried
as planned by the king In geography,
he is without bias or Partially. Cape
Cod is assigned to the eastern coast of
North America; Lookout, to the
northern coast of Brazil; Hancock, to
Japan. The Ganges goes to South
America; the Ebro, to Austria; the
Seine, to England; the Dneiper, to
Canada. Hongkong does duty as the
capital Of Japan--a sinister suggestion;
Cuba settles west of the Philippine
islands, with Hawaii just north; while
the Congo river, disguised with the
performances, of his Belgian majesty,
fees sadly to China
Captain Larned. like most others who
are insistent to prove point falls in
to the common fashion and quotes q
solitary and fragrant instance OF ig-
norance or carelessness in an effort to
show complete inefficiency Of an entire
system. He has furnished us no sam
pie Of the best. or the 314 applicants
examined eighty-four failed but we
have no hint as to the personnel of the
examines and on how many were by
reason Of mental inefficiency and
careless or lazy habit unfit to take
the examination which is we'll under
TO survival of the fittest 1t would be
as unjust to condemn utterly an entire
school system on his showing as to
abolish the military academy upon the
showing of innumerable military fail
ures which have graduated from that
excellent institution. Not all high
school students are to be military men
and the boy who failed in geography
may develop in field quite as useful
to the world in general as war. The
science Of wholesale killing is not more
important to the happiness and well
being of mankind in general than the
wholesaling of groceries and dry
goods.
The schools need added efficiency,
but scarcely in the way of teaching the
geographical location Of a Chinese city
or the capital Of Borneo. Instead Of
teaching too little the high school is
attempting to teach too much. Why
insist the youth must be able to To-
cate the Straits Of Malacca when he
doesn't know how to figure stone
wall under the barn or the number OF
shingles required to cover its roof. An
Intimate acquaintance with the geog-
raphy Of Java is scarcely the most es-
sentia. part Of the equipment OF 16-
year-old boy who is. entered as an ap-
prentice in q machine shop He wants
something to work with and the exact
location of Singapore hasn't much to
do with his struggle for trade, q
home and the chance and ability to
earn decent living, nor is it likely
to have much influence and value to
him at any time in his career.
The best thing the schools have done
OF late is the addition of manual train
ing. The best thing they could do
would be to devote each half day to
practical domestic and industrial
training. Geography is we'll enough,
every person should have q good gem
eral knowledge Of geography, but the
most essential to this day is an equip
ment that shall assist the coming cit-
izen to make living. He needs the
tools to work with.