East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-12-26
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TEACH TOO MUCH
MIND Is DEVELOPED
BEYOND THE HANDS
Boys and Girls Want 10 Work with
Their Natural Tools After Course OF
Present Day Instructions, Thinks
Mayor GaynOF.

New York, Dec. 26.-"We are teach
ing too much in the public schools to
make good citizens, citizens who will
think sufficiently to vote and at the
same time willing TO work with their
hands"
This is Mayor W. c. Gaynor's criti-
| cism Of the public school system
throughout the United States and par
ticularly of the New York public
schools
Boys are getting too much in their
heads to want to work with their
hands" the mayor holds, land girls
know too many other things to want
to do house work"
Mayor Gaynor is an advocate of
teaching reading. writing an 'rith-
matte in the public schools along
with a few other essentials and let
ting languages. for instance, wait for
those who have more time for learn
ing than those who end their school
ing with the grades.
In giving his opinions of what the
public schools in this country should
do, Mayor Gaynor said:
The public schools should train
our boys and girls to work; work with
| their hands as We'll as their heads.
schools, especially in the larger cities
all over this country, are turning out
boys and girls who think they are a
little too good to do ordinary work.
This is bad for the country.
we are bringing boys and girls
out of the common schools who, un-
on n inI
sit on high stools or at typewriter,
won't work. They have been taught
too much and think because they
have been educated they should use
their heads alone and let others work
with their hands.
This condition is bad for the coun-
try. and l have notion it is all caus-
ed because those in charge of the
schools are trying to do too much.
Children in the common schools are
taught so much they can learn little
well.
When / was a boy in the district
school in the country and later in the
village, l observed it was very easy to
discourage pupils by too much work,
although then we were taught only
the essentials. Now then it seems to
me too many subjects are taught in
school and the children become dis
gusted because they think they are
overloaded. None can learn all that
is taught while the great majority
learn very little.
Il think the largest percentage of
children in our schools are just sub
merged-they just have their noses
above water, struggling to breathe
They have more than they can do
We try to teach them too many things
and the result is they leave the com
mon school with a superficial know
ledge of many things and an accurate
knowledge OF none. This was my own
experience in the common schools.
There are a lot of frills and re-
finements now taught in our schools
that ought to be dropped. French
and German, for instance, are refine
ments. If there is any one who has
ever learned French or German in
these schools even to read and un-
derstand it, l wish they would come
in to my office and talk with me.
Either boy or girl who has accom-
plished this certainly would be a curl
osity.
The teaching of languages does
not help our children become better
citizens. 1t does not impress on them
the necessity of work And there is
a shortage of workers all over the
country. Children born here and who
attend our schools won't work with
their hands unless they have to and
then they don't like it.
And l am convinced that a sys-
tenn of education that produces such
a result is failure and the systems
in our large cities are very generally
producing just that result. We are
teaching unnecessary things Prob
ably this is so because those interest
ed in education are jealous in their
work, constantly adding to that which
they thing our children should learn.
It's hobby with them, they keep
charging and enlarging the studies
for the common schools. For this
reason | think those engaged in any
one line of work should consult with
those in other lines to get a broader
view of their own work before going
too far. Teachers and those in charge
of our schools are apt to get narrof
just as those in any other work. un-
less they are guided somewhat by
outside influences. l don't want to
criticise too much but we should
teach our children with greater care