The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-03-04
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 1914
THE RETURN OF COMMON SENSE

THE RETURN OF COMMON SENSE.
The Chicago courts have decided
that Mayor Harrison was not acting
in the interests of public welfare when
he required from several school
trustees their designations on the very
day on which he appointed them.
These men, therefore, are entitled to
their places on the board, and the
previous ousting of them from their
offices is now declared Illegal This
leaves Mrs. Young's position in some
jeopardy, but public sentiment in her
favor is so strong and has been ex-
pressed recently in such unmistakable
terms that it seems hardly likely any
effort will be made to discharge her
In regard TO favorable action upon
her proposed changes in the course of
study lately submitted by her to the
board, there is more doubt. Some of
the members are hostile to it be-
cause they want very much to show
their independence. AS the course now
outlined was prepared not by her
alone but by the most careful CO.
operation of teachers, principals, and
district superintendent, the boards
objections are not well taken.
From what has been printed of the
changes to be brought about, it would
appear that the underlying principle
has been to rid the schools of fads
and to substitute some old-fashioned
and now too much neglected subjects.
Greater emphasis will be placed upon
the essentials. Those of us who have
deplored the tendency of recent years
to make of the public school course
a series of pleasant and insipid en-
tertainments will rejoice to note this
return to the sound common sense
plan of teaching children something
that will really develop their minds.
A good deal of the silly, wishwashy
stuff that has a place on the average
school-day program had better be
thrown out Children are in school
to be taught, and the subjects that
occupy them had much better be diff
ficult enough to furnish genuine men
tai discipline It isn't at all neces-
sary that children should be given
only those tasks which they enjoy and
which they can perform with ease and
little disturbance of their brain cells.
In Mrs. Young's course, more hours |
will be devoted to the study of English |
Mathematics will have its accustomed |
number of hours, but both civics and |
history will become much more prom
inent. That silliest fad of all, nature |
study. will be dropped from its now
absurdly important place. and what
ever was of value in that branch will
be incorporated in the geography les
sons. AS nature study has been ham
died by the faddists, it has been
great consumer of time without pro-
viding any real mental training. In
general a good many of the so-called
ARTS" will give way to more extensive
and careful study of history.
One fact of great interest to many
persons is the plan to introduce
course in penmanship in the eth grade
Everyone knows how illegibly many
high school students write. Little tots,
when they are first learning to hold
pen, do remarkably WE'LL and their
excellent penmanship arouses the Won
der and admiration of their families.
AS, in their progress through the
grades, they have more writing to do
and as their other branches crowd |
out the lessons in penmanship. their {
writing deteriorates rapidly in quail II
ity and often becomes in time actually I
When they get into col {
lege and take lectures, all hope OF
making out what many students set |
down may as well be abandoned. AS g
many children leave school when they k
finish the grammar grades, the teach o
.rs in Chicago have planned to give c
heir pupils a supplementary course s
n penmanship so that when they &C Il
nut to earn their way, they may be "
ure of being able to write decent d
Iand. 1t is good to hear that the IN
chools thus realize their obligations
0 the children in the matter of ma
ing their equipment for work as &C
early complete as possible. Ct
If the Chicago schools evolve by the sy
and cooperation of all al
.achers a school-course that will tn
inmate fads and substitute the kind ca
work that will really educate chill ce
EN- and not just soft-soap them along tt