The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1910-02-26
GR|LLS AUTHORS
Of SCHOOL BOOKS
State Superintendent Sends An
other Letter to Teachers.
PAYS RESPECT TO LATIN
Many Study Language, Declares MR.
Cary, to Teach Others Who Learn
Also to Teach Other
Students.

MaQlSOn.-lHd nat many hiSh
of Wisconsin, and particularly the
smaller ones, are dissipating their en-
ergies by offering more variety III
courses of study than is wise Is one
of the statements made by c. +. cary
state Superintendent of public instruc-
ton. in another of his series OF let'
tiers to superintendent, principals
and teachers called forth by desire
to free the high schools from what ne
terms outside domination. lie says
that the principal reason for MS let
tiers is a desire to have school matters
more thoroughly discussed by the pup
lie at large.
Speaking of the practice OF rushlng
pupils through their work with the
result that the pupil is forced To
bluff his way along and often resorts
to devices of questionable morality
in order to get through and secure
passing mark" he makes the follow
ing comment on text books:
Our text books have largely been
written by college men VINO th.hh
they have to sustain reputation lot
scholarship among their colleagues
It would scarcely do for them TO Wrlle
simple, easily mastered, iunda-
mental sort of text.
Il believe investigation would sus-
tain the statement that goodly per-
Centage of the graduates OF our hlsh
schools. and even of our colleges ana
IL hn1
grasp the multiplication table or the
simplest most fundamental facts re-
gard!ng our history and government,
he continues. college students in
large numbers misspell common words
in the English language, mispronounce
common words, fail to punctuate and
capitalize properly, and also fail to
use spoken English with clearness'
force and fair degree Of grammat-
ical accuracy.
81 am of the candid opinion that Iot
one in ten of the students WHO have
studied Latin within the last decade
in this state has benefited as much by
it as he would have been by ~ study
of some other subject Doubtless
many students study Latin for the
sake of teaching Latin to other stu
dents who study Latin for the sake
of teaching Latin. Much of the in
struction in the high schools should
be more concrete and less abstract
and bOokish.
Il believe every high school should
give every pupil before he graduates
such review of the common
branches as will relieve the school of
the charge that graduates are weak
and incompetent in their knowledge
of the common branches
Il believe high school teachers
should give the utmost care and con
sideration to the mental, moral and
physical habits pupils are forming
Il believe the high school should
teach respect for law and the wise
use of liberty
Il believe that the high school
should make special efforts to train
pupils to use reference books.
81 believe all schools should train
pupils to organize aud preside over
meetings and follow parliamentary
usage
Il believe more attention should be
given to instruction in hygiene, in
civics and in ethics.
Il believe the high school should
also guide the students of that por-
ton of the public which is unframed
but intellectually hungry"