The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-12-05

OBSTACLES In WAY OF
{. EDUCATING THE CHILD

From the Boston Transcript,
Though relating to only n distinc'
division Of education m to enc sub
ject solely. the report OF the american
commissioners on the teaching 81
mathematics includes 50 many salient
general observations that Il is worthy
Of more than passing notice. And II
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 o the
teachers. This is, of con more of
less OF a problem everywl. -, but the
peculiar difficulty of American condi-
lions win appear from certain salts
tics. During the past half century, say
from 1860 to 1910, a period in which
free public education has become gem
eral, together with the compulsory fea-
ture, our population has substantial
ly trebled, Increasing from 31,O00,000 to
t92, 000, 900. At present nearly 18,e00,000
pupils talmost 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 10000 IN 1860 to over L.
600, 900 in 1910, and new states have
been admitted to the union represent
ing over 100000 square miles of NOV
ing about the country. In the 20 years
from 1890 to 1910 u exports rose from
$858, 900, 900 a year TO 81, 745, 000,0 900 and
our imports from $3.50, 000, 900 to $685.
900, 900; and our manufactures OF iron
and steel, for example, rose from $122,-
900, 900 to $179,00 0 900.
The bearing OF all this upon our
school problem is very evident. Sud-
- .lAI1- st. 49,
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 numbers or static as to res
idence, but when the population has
been multiplied by three, when chill
dren have been continually changing
from place to place, when the school
has had to teach not only mathe-
MATES, but conversational English to
the childi en- of a million immigrants
O year, when the country has had not
only to maintain its school houses On
the original territory but to provide
for 1000, coo square miles besides. and
when the Increase in trade, In manu-
facture, and in wealth in general has
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.
1t has not been a time for standing
on technicalities of training, nor even
for demanding a high degree OF cul-
ture; 1t has rather been a period for
immediate action. for avoiding at all
hazards the perils of ilIiteracy, and for
maintaining the public school at what
ever grade of efficiency was attain
able, even though not in general satis-
factory. .T.~... .f.E M
Suggestions for Change.
In a new country. with few over
towering 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 a s with us. 1t is
probably well 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 any 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 OF
scientifically trained teachers, the lack
of scholarly supervisors, the fact that
the sexes are so unevenly distributed