The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-03-25

ing interesting statement giving Sy-
nopsis of his observations in visiting
schools at Peoria, ILL.,. and Indianapo-
lis, on his recent trip to the national
convention of principals and superin,
tendents:
Teach Them to Make Livings.
The most impressive thing about
the school systems of these towns was
the broader idea of education upon
which the work of the schools is de-
veloped. Our school courses in Ne
braska are fashioned in some respects
upon the classical ideals of times gone
by. We have our one or two rigid
courses in our high schools the aim
of which is to prepare very small
percent of our total school population
for college. Every boy for instance
must either take ancient or modern
language and at least three years of
it. No special provision is made to
give some kind Of practical prepare
ton to the large majority of children
who must earn their living with what
equipment the common schools can
give.
In these older school systems more
provision is made, if there is any diff
ference, for the boys and girls who
must earn their living without college
equipment. In every school visited
course of industrial training extends
from the lowest grades through the
high school, In the lower grades this
consists of paper-cutting and folding,
drawing and various other forms of
handiwork To this work is added
in the intermediate grades basket
weaving, Matchmaking and carving. In
the higher grades the boys do the
bench work, making various articles
for use in home and office, while the
girls do actual cooking and sewing.
The whole purpose of all this is that
the children learn to use their hands
and to apply what they know. This
means preparation for everyday life
for those who must leave school young,
and far better than this it means that
hundreds will not leave school until
the whole high school course is COM
pleted.
Better Penmansfip.
In Peoria, one large high school
is devoted exclusively to industrial
and commercial courses. A tenth
grade class in bookkeeping was OBJ
served in this school. The spelling
and penmanship of these pupils was
almost phenomenal. They had been
taught spelling and penmanship con-
tinually since beginning their high
school work, and although the work
of the average eighth-grader in Peoria
in these same subjects was no better
than that done in Norfolk in the same
grades, the spelling and penmanship
of these tenth.graders was better than
that of most high school graduates
| who have already been for some years
in business.
Another observable feature was the
attitude toward play and physical
| training. Every one seemed to recog-
niZe the value of well directed play.
, The play grounds are equipped with
| inexpensive apparatus such as swing,
swinging rings, horizontal bars, etc.
| Every teacher is upon the grounds at
recess directing the play of the chill
dren.
More Play and Exercise.
No one seemed to question the value
of the play of the kindergarten. This
year of play was not regarded as time
lost, but as time we'll spent in develop
ing the muscular activity ond co-ordi
nation, in training the eye, ear, and
hand, and in preparing for the more
rapid work made possible by this pre-
liminary training.
The principle that a trained mind
is next to useless if not next to impos
sible without a healthy, we'll develop
ed body seemed to be practiced in
every school. In the William Nc
Kinley school in Indianapolis, the
halls are used as gymnasium. Every
class spends about ten or fifteen min
utes every day in the use of dumb
bells, Indian clubs, and in setting
up"drills. This was as much of the
daily program as the class in arith
metic and far more important. The
results of this sort of work are very
apparent in these schools. Statistics
show that the children of metropoli
tan school systems up to the age o.
or 10 are much inferior in physica
development to the children of the
rural and small town schools. Blu
from the age of IL on the city schoo