The San Francisco call., 1909-04-10
r. EDUCATIONAL problems in the
United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland are entirely different

United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland are entirely different
from those found in our city, due
principally to their older civilization,
which furnishes social conditions prac-
tically unknown in our younger, more
virile country. They find the organiza-
ton of their schools very hard to
change, while, fortunately for US, we
are still in a position to organize mat
ters as we deem desirable. The poverty
OF certain parts of their great cities has
brought about the admission of babies
3 years old or less in what is known as
the infant department of every ele-
mentary school of England and ireland,
but the question of what it is best to do
with them when admitted at that ten
der age has not been studied. In Ire
land they are placed in the hands of
pupil teachers 13 years of age or there
abouts, who attempt to teach them the
names of the letters of the alphabet as
a preparation for reading and it is pitt
full to see the poor babes dropping off to
sleep in the midst of their attempts to
learn these meaningless hieroglyphcs.
In Scotland the law does not permit the
admission of children under 5, and sew
eral educators there expressed their
opinion that would be the ideal age.
They have found that nothing is gained
in the proficiency of pupils by admitting
them so young, for under the present
system they are ready to start sec
ondary education at as early an age as
they were under the old rule and they
are as we'll prepared for higher work.
The methods of teaching the me-
chanics of reading vary with the coun-
try. All through Ireland the letter
method prevails, and one finds babies
puzzling their little brains over the
mysteries of a b C through before the
reading of a single word is attempted
In Scotland and England they have adj
vanced step further and have intro
duced phonic methods, which they find
much more satisfactory than the letter
method. Upon being asked where the
idea of phonic teaching had been OBJ
tanned one Scotch teacher answered.
"A few years ago from an American
book that was shown to u.s. AS
America" is a term always synony-
nous with the United States Canada
being designated by its own name). I
felt like shouting "Hurrah for the
United States!" but restrained my en-
thusiasm and merely bowed in recogni-
ton of the compliment paid to my
country.
After the mechanics of reading have
been mastered the children read with
musical voices. The books are interest
ing and contain lessons written in the
conversational style conducive to culti-
waiting proper rhetorical expression
The singing all through the British
isles was excellent. The tonic soh-fa
method is employed in all the public
schools, and the results are very salts
factory. Even In those schools whose
pupils read with poor infection we
found delightful singing. The voices
were usually soft and pleasing, the ears
seemed well trained and the children
sustained the various parts with no
strain OF apparent effort. In about the
fifth grade the transition is made from
the tonic sohfa notation to the staff
notation 1t was always touching to
me to hear the sweet childish voices
raised In song and to see the evident
love the children had for their songs.
I realized more fully than ever before
the ethical value of music In the edu-
cation of these young people, many of
whom depend entirely upon the school
for any elevating influence brought into
their lives
Writing is begun with the youngest
children, and is taught very carefully.
NO rapid writing is allowed Copy
books, composition books, books con-
tanning written accounts of nature or
science lessons are all narveIously
neat ana are always kept ready for
inspection.
Teachers everywhere feel that they
are handicapped by the system of in
spection examination which prevails.
and for which they are compelled To
prepare their pupils, too often resort
ing to ''cramming' when they know
that slow development work would be
innnitely better. They also deprecate
IN many cases the type Of men ap-
pointed as inspectors, men appointed
without any reference to their special
ftness, upon whose reports their pro-
fessional regulations SO largely de-
pend.
The gravest defect, however, in Ire
land and England is the organization
OF the schools in which there is no
direct connection between the schools
of various grades, and which permits
the tapping of certain grades; for in
stance, free education ceases in the
elementary department, and only those
pupils who earn bursaries or scholar