The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1912-12-27
FRIDAY, DEC. 27, 1912.
SCHOOL FADs.

There are signs Of a reaction from
Eurricula has gone far away from the
beaten path Of the three RS, the basic
principle Of elemental education. If
late years there has been a tendency
to wander off to the inviting by-pItIs
Of manual training, cookery, car
peptery, mound building, bookbindng
rifle practice, pillow making, rattan
work, clay modelling, sewing and SO on
down the list.
There is now considerable criticism
throughout the country Of the results
obtained in the public schools. 1t has
been charged that children get through
the schools without being thoroughly
grounded in the work they have done
Rabbi Isaac Rypins Of st. Paul, speak
ing before the annual meeting of the
school officers Of Hennepin county -e-
Gently, claimed that nine-tenths of the
freshmen at the University Of Mime
sofa cannot talk correct English.
Rabbi Rypins did not lay the blame
TO the freshmen themselves nor did he
place it wholly with their teachers. IN
the ultimate analysis. he said, parents
were the ones responsible. The fault
IS in the home, according to the rabbi,
due largely to the fact that parents
delegate to teachers all the RESPONSE
billty for the education of their sons
and daughters and retain all the lu-
thority to themselves
why is it," asked Rev. Mr.. Rypins,
%that children cannot spell correctly?
NhN is ii that 80 per cent of our school
pupils cannot speak correctly and tina
so few of them are able to read intel
hgently? it is because Of our system
of education. Parents want their chill
dren pushed along from grade to grade
regardless Of whether they are uescrv-
ing of promotion. And the teachers.
who are depending upon parents a',d
yhO dare not oppose their wishes for
their miserable pittanCe. have to do as
the parents desire. And so pupils
reach high school when they really
should be away back in the gra les
Besides. We arc trying to get so much
into the heads of our children that as
a result we get precious little there
for our trouble
The charge that these new fads in
the grades take up so much of the time
Of the pupils that they cannot do ah%
Of their work thoroughly, is not with
out foundation. At least there are
signs of a reaction from tho fads The
school management committee Of the
Chicago board of education has voted
in favor of an order to clear the cur
riculum Of the city public schools, Of
anything which would interfere with
the instruction of the pupils in read
ing. writing, arithmetic, spelling,
grammar, physiology, United States
history and geography. There are an
awful lot Of fads in the public schools
that should be kicked out" said one
of the trustees.
There should certainly be q thorough
ground work in the studies named by
the committee. The reason that the
fads were put into the schools was the
result of the criticism that the schools
we're educating away from practical
things, that the whole system was built
up4o benefit the very small percentage
offpupils who continued school work
through high school and college.
4 perusal of the list of studies, which
the committee declares shall have the
Efgilt Of way will show. however. that
the essentials of an education are in
Guided. The brain of child is capable
of retaining just 50 much and if it is
crowded and cTammcd with too many
subjects, none will be thoroughly
Erasped.
~--For the fads referred to by the COM
mittec there are vocational schools,
where there would Of course be no in
reference with the rudiments Of an
education. During the early years of
the student life is the time to lay
broad and deep founda tions. TO try ia
cram the student with too many sub
3ects may prove a dangerous expert
tnent.