Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-12-08

Rt1pADN 4h1W AoH MIAAf &saAS@
there are in the Union aad the
names OF tho original thirteea. but
to name the King of England or the
yice-President of the United States,
he believed but few. IL any. capable.
1t was with some misgiving that
the committee presented It's ques-
lions in arithmetic. some of which
were as follows:
4g0x13M equslsf
4484 divided by 49, eQuals7
A gallon equals al cubic inches.
Seventeen men used 1885 cubic feet
OF water. How many gallons did
each one use?
The water costs TN cents per
total cost OF the water and what was
the cost per capftaf
DR.. Green examined the questions.
as did also his professor in Mathe-
matics, and they agreed that they
"cfo AHi 1HS SoAiHiitlco lHctt-
upon withdrew its request for tests
In spelling, geography and history
and said that 1t would confne 1t to
arithmetic.
In marking the papers the COM
mittee says that "a mere cursory
81
examination convinced us that the
making could not be done on the
assumption that the answers must
be either right or wrong. The result
would have been too shocking"
Making allowances therefore. for
method, the committee found that
only twenty OF the eight-six pupils
who took the examination received
seventy per cent. or more, while
nineteen received less than twenty
five per cent. Yet all were supposed
to have completed their general
education and were preparing to go
out and teach others.
DIR. Green and DR.. Chaplin admit
the Justice of the criticism. DR..
Chaplin, In an interview on the re-
port of the state board committee,
stated.
"The pupils who fail in spelling
and arithmetic are not the mentally
deficient, Some of our very bright
est pupils. who can readily master
much harder subjects, are not up on
these essentials. The fault Is not
theirs, 1t is that OF their early train
Ing. =
I'VE lay the blame to the high
schools, but / really think 1t goes
further back, and that the respon-
sibility Is with the grammar schools.
So poorly grounded in arithmetic
are most pupils who come to us from
the high schools that we are COM
PEELED to give them a whole years
drill in that subject, much of which
time should be devoted to algebra
and geometry"
In commenting along this line a
short time ago, the Philadelphia
Evening Bulletin declared that the
public school should be general in
It's teaching and should no be made
a private school, giving instruction
FOR the benefit of the few. 1t Is
TO say that ninestsnths OF the
pupils do not intend to go to COLI
iege, yet the great aim of the high
school today Is to prepare the stu
dents for a college course. II
Mayor Gaynor, In his remarks to
the newly appointed members of the
New York Board OF Education, says
that there is an attempt to teach the
children too much. To give them a
superficial knowledge of many
things. instead of accurate and thor
Dug knowledge of a few things.
Yet 1t Ia not for the ordinary lay
man to discredit the ambition of the
high schools to give the pupils as
much knowledge as possible. 1t Is
indeed a c%reditable thing for the
poor boy or girl to be prepared at a
high school to take a college course.
A few years ago many q bright BIO.
or girl was barred from college be-
cause Of the expense necessary for
the preparation. Today this pro-
paration Is given him for nothing.
We believe that those In charge
OF our education systems are better
able to Judge what ID best for the
pupils than anyone else. Many are
prone to criticise. yet IL the high
school in their particular town
should fall below the standard they
would be the first to condemn those
in charge. The condition In New
Jersey is no different from any other
section OF the country. We believe
the problem can be solved only by
-A. aM =