The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-03-19


gested as to how the program original
ed, how long has this or that subject
been required, why was its introduc-
ton mandatory, what is its present
standing in the program, and what
notifications are likely to be made in
its treatment in the future.
1t is noteworthy that III the evolu-
ton Of the common school program Of
the present day, the tendency has
been to increase the number of sub
jects in the endeayCr to develop in
the child a many-sided interest, to
bring him into touch with as many
phases of life as possible, to help him
to realize that while he is in school he
is living, as we'll as preparing for life.
Once required in the curriculum q sub
ject is rarely dropped from it.
The American colonial schools had a
program consisting mainly OF reading
and visiting. The study of the forms
of thought, drill upon the vehicle OF
expression as such was carried TO pro
portionately greater lengths than is
the case in our own time. At the
present time, the work of the first four
years is considered adequate Tor the
mastery of the school arts. 1t is here
meant that the acquisition of the arts
reading, speaking, writing and comput-
ing is TIE primary aim during the first
four years, and that of acquiring
knowledge is secondary. During the
next four years. the aim is first of all
to get knowledge, emphasis being
placed less and less upon how to read,
how to write, and how to compute. We
assume Gotten Incorrectly that upon
entering upon the work of the fifth
grade, the pupil is equipped in such a
manner that he can take care of him.
self so far as the power to get infor-
nation is concerned.
To the reading and writing Of the
colonial schools, the state of Massa-
chusetts, whose statutes on education
may be taken as representative, re-
quired additions of subjects as follows:
English grammar, spelling, and arith-
metic in 1889, geography in 1926, his
tory of the United States in 1857,
drawing in 1870, and manual training
little later.
The elements of arithmetic and
geography were not required for adj
mission to Harvard College as late as
1898, nine years after the study of this
subject was required in the common
schools
The period between 1889 and 1926
was characterized by great activity
among the American people in explora-
tions and conquests on both land and
sea. Louisiana and Florida were pur
chased, The former vast territory was
explored by Lewis and Clark, and thus
the knowledge of the extensive domain
now known as the United States was
materially widened. The completion of
the Erie canal in 1925 greatly faciE-
tated the tide of immigration into
the northwest. The sounds of the ak
of the settler formerly heard no far
ther west than the slopes of the Ale
ghenies, broke the stiffness of the
forests of Michigan and Illinois. SO
rapidly did new territory become peo-
pied that within this short period OF
thirty-seven years, eleven new states
were admitted into the Union.
The Erie canal became q great
highway of trade. 1t might be peril
nent in this day of our local agitation
OF inland waterway transportation to
add that before the Erie canal was
built it cost $8S to carry a ton OF
freight from Buffalo to Albany and
that after the completion of the canal
the price fell first to $3.50 and later
to $3.50.
1t was great period for this coun-
try ON the high seas. Commodore
Perry won glorious victory over the
British on Lake Erie; and on the far
away shores of the Mediterranean Sea
the Barbary Pirates learned from bit
ter experience that they could no
longer insult this country by demand
ing costly gifts from it as the price OF
immunity from robbery and Tapine.
1t is easily seen that a knowledge
of this remarkable era would be high
ly desirable; that there would be de-
mand from the people that the schools
teach the youth the newly discovered
facts about their country; hence the
addition of geography to the program
in 1926.
During the quarter of a century fol-
lowing 1925, the people of the United
States We're confronted by some of
the most serious financial, social, and
economic questions that any people
have ever found it necessary to face.
The tariff. national banks, internal i'm
provements, and slavery, occupied the
attention Of thinking people as never
before. The conflicting interests of
the inhabitants of different sections
led to the formation OF new political
parties, and the resulting attempts of
these to Justify their existence in the
light of the events of the past. The
constitution of the United States was
the subject of much bitter controversy.
It was widely and carefully studied.
In speaking Of the people Of the old
south. Ex-Governor Montague of Vir-
ginia recently said that they knew the
constitution as churchman knows his
ritual
The Missouri compromise, the fugi-
tive slave law, and the Kansas-Ne-
braska bill were evidences of an I'M
pending conflict; while borne across
the Atlantic TO ears Of a nation over
whom was gathering the dark clouds
of fatricidal war, came the rumblings
of the European revolution of 1928,
he revolution which involved France,
Germany, Italy and Austria The
changes wrought by this movement re-
suited in the presence in this country
of a large class of European immi-
grants, ignorant of the history and
traditions of the land of their adop-
ton. In order that these new citizens
might learn the facts of the history of
the country and in order that the ris-
ing generation of Americans might
better appreciate the meaning of this
significant period, history was intro
duced in the common schools in 1851
The exhibits at the Paris exposition
of 1867 opened the eyes of English