The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-12-05

) OBSTACLES I'M WAY OF .
: EDUCATING THE CHILD !
From the Boston Transcript.

From the Boston transcript.
Though relating to only one distinct
iect solely. the report of the American
commissioners on the teaching OF
mathematics includes so many salient
general observations that it is worthy
of more than passing notice. And 1t
is particularly interesting because OF
some recent attacks on American
schools and scholars. Parts of the re-
port follow:
One of the gravest problems OF
American instructors in mathematics,
from the lowest to the highest, is that
of the adequate preparation of the
teachers. This is, of course. more or
less Of a problem everywhere. but the
peculiar difficulty of American condi-
tons viii appear from certain Stats
tics. During the past half century, say
from 1850 to 1910, a period in which
free public education has become gen
eral, together with the compulsory fea-
ture, our population has substantial
ly trebled, increasing from 100000 0 to
92,00O, 900. At present nearly is, 500, 900
pupils almost 20 per cent of our popu-
lation) are enrolled in our elementary
schools. In the same half century the
annual number of immigrants has
risen from $50, 600 IL 1860 to W. l.
00o,0O0 in 1910, and new states have
been admitted to the union represent
iH6 oNSI l,oVU,VUv Square miles OIL 1loS-
Ing about the country. In the 20 years
from 1890 to 1910 our exports rose from
$685., 900, 600 a year to Sl.745. 000. 600 and
our imports from $789, 600. 900 to s1,558,-
100000; and u manufactures of iron
and steel, for example, rose from $122,-
$1,000 to S179, 900. 900.
The bearing of all this upon our
school problem is very evident. Sud
denly, within less than two genera
tons, a nation has been confronted
with the demand for universal educa-
ton. This demand would be serious
enough with a population \ that was
static as to mber or static as to res
idence, but when the population has
beeh multiplied by three. when chill
dren have been continually changing
from place to place, when he school
has had to teach not only mathe-
MATES, but conversational English TO
the children of a million immigrants
a year, when the country has had not
only to maintain it's school houses 81
the original territory but to provide
for 100000 square miles besides, and
when the increase in trade. in manu-
f~acture, and in wealth in general has
been such as to draw its most active
men into business, the solution of the
educational problem has not been a
simple one. Teachers have had to be
supplied for these elementary schools.
! q nv GCSil a Iii " SlhlluIIlS
on t~echnicalities of training, nor even
for demanding a high degree of cul-
ture; it has rather been a period for
immediate action, for avoiding at all
hazards the perils of illiteracy, and for
maintaining the public school at what
ever grade of efficiency was attain
able, even though not in general salts
factory.
Suggestions for Change.
In a new country. with few over
powering traditions, the number of
suggestions for change is bound to be
Very great, and usually to be CORE
spondingly i'll considered. Such has
been and is the case with us. 1t is
probably we'll within the facts to assert
that more experiments in the teaching
of elementary mathematics have been
given a limited trial IN the United
States and fewer of these for SOUND
reasons, or in an adequate manner
than in n other prominent country
in the world. Conditions already men.
toned have brought this about-the in.
dependence of states, of cities and OF
villages. the lack of any large body OIL
scientifically trained teachers, the lack
OF scholarly supervisors, the fact that
the XXI are so ~unevenly distributed