The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-11-10
Modern Education.

IlOleSSOr Lewis CarrlS, Assistant COM
missioner Of Education, spoke in the
Methodist church, Mount Holly, on
Thursday evening" November 5th, on
the subject of modern education. Pro-
fessor Carris showed the necessity of
pupil being given an education that
would fit him for his future life. The
old idea that reading, writing and arith-
metic were all that were to be acquired
had long since been exploded. Voca-
tlonal training is necessity to-day. A
pupil should be educated in trades as
well as professions. Manual training
schools should be established in every
community. Burlington county needs
a school that will train boys in agricul-
tural pursuits. This school should be in
session during the winter months that
the pupils might get a knowledge of
what is wanted by the time the spring
season opens. While practical know
ledge on farm is of great value, Pro-
lessor Carris maintained that other
education is necessary, that the farmer
of to-day has recourse to other methods
than used in the day of his grandfather.
While speaking for the boys Professor
Carris said the girls must not be over
looked. They should be taught to per-
form household duties, to keep house.
hold accounts and to be good house
keepers. The speaker did not believe in
forcing girl to learn something that she
did not take fancy to. If her ideas ran
to cooking, give her that branch, if to
sewing then let needlework be given her
and so on.
At the conclusion of Professor Carris'
remarks County Superintendent Stees
gave a short talk in which he spoke of
the manual training conducted at
Moorestown. In one school there are
several sewing machines and the girls
are allowed to keep their work by pay
ing the actual cost of the material
Superintendent Stees also spoke of the
conditions existing in the much-adver-
tised pine belt. In company with Com
missioner Kendall, Mr.. Stees had recent |
belt He found the children bright and
willing to learn, far from the ignorant |
subjects they have been represented by |
those whose zeal outran their discretion. |
The Boards of Education in many of |
those districts were very censurable for
their lack of interest in the children's |
welfare. In some of the schools there |
were no blackboard erasers, no pencils, |
and scarcity of books. In one town
ship there was a school house so unfit to |
be tenanted that the parents of the |
pupils will not let their children go to |
school and the teacher draws her salary |
for doing practically nothing.
Superintendent Stees also spoke of
school not twenty miles from Mount
Holly where the teacher gets $45 month
for nine months in the year. Her pupils
when she took charge of the school. were
ignorant of many things. The boys did
not know how to play ball, to shoot mar
bles, spin tops or to engage in any of the
youthful games. The girls were ignorant
of the games that applied to them.
From her own meagre salary the teacher
took enough to buy base balls and bats,
and while she could not throw the ball
very accurately she soon had the boys
getting into the game. With view of
getting something for the girls to do
Superintendent Stees communicated
with eighteen well-to-do residents of the
township and said he would like to raise
fifty dollars to aid in the work, In re-
ply he got ten dollars. The teacher,
again ready TO aid, contributed five dol
lars from her salary, five dollars more
was raised and then the work of educat-
ing the girls began. The teacher took her
own sewing machine to the school, a
neighbor loaned another, a storekeeper
in the neighborhood supplied goods at
cost price and the girls were taught to
make all kinds of clothing and they
were given, without charge, what they
made.
In this school there was a scarcity of
books. One little fellow said the only
DOOk III HIS uOuSc WAS JllS IuuulOWOlA
fifth reader he was allowed to take home
and read to his mother. No newspapers,
no magazines or any other kind of read
ing matter was in the house. 1t is hard
to believe that such condition exists in
Burlington county but here are the facts.
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