Evening star., 1925-01-04

THESE essential facts have been
more or less familiar to parents
and pupils ever since the war, but
FOR the benefit cf those who are
neither let us sec what the facts are.
Frye's First Steps has been the
standard geographical text book in
use in the fourth grade. There are
now, according to report made
shortly before his death by the late
A. T. stuart. director of intermediate
instruction, 5,a67 of these books in
use, all OF them published before the
war, all of them out of date.
In the fifth grade there are 6.125
copies OF Redway and Humans Nat
nral Introductory Geography of the
edition OF 1915 II use.
In the sixth grade there arc still
used 5,o5i copies of the Natural
School Geography by the same au-
thors CT the edition of 1915, from
which the quotations were taken.
The eighth graders use 3 463 copies
or Tarr and McMurry's New GeoEra-
ply of the year 1914, from which
other gems OF "Reminiscences will be
taken. II is possible to obtain new,
rp-to-the- e-raiaute editions of all these
books.
Then there are the geographical
readers used in the grades for the
purpose of teaching geography at the
same time that reading is taught.
There are 1880 OF these that Mr..
Stuart declared to bc out of date. AL
together, according to his report, the
total number of Biographies and
geographical readers that should be
replaced at once is 40,lo6.
Some up-to-date books have been
purchased, and the wall maps are
generally Of after-the- war dates, but
wi frI Il iir-,r To-,
use above the third grade, and with
the total enrolment in all the gram
mar schools in the neighborhood of
5000, the difficulty of the average
pupil in getting correct information
of the geography OF this present day
may be readii, understood.
With teachers gifted with common
Sause and Initiative, the difficulty is
in part overcome by telling the pupils
/ disregard the hook and TO believe the
wall maps Or what teacher tells them.
Some tea che"E have Sonc so far as
to tear cut the mos. Inaccurate parts
OF the books. On the other hand, some
teachers stiIl continue, according to
the pupils StorieG. to use the books
as infallibIc guides Of geographical
faith and practice. At best, the situa-
ton Is strain on the teacher. at
worst. it is plain deception and deceit
p-acticed on the pupils.
Let US take another look at one Of
these books, Tarr and McMurry's
New Geography OF the date OF 1914.
ror example, on page 3O4 we read
about Russia, or the Russian EN-
pire,' as it is called, that the serfs
were freed in the middle of the last
century, but. even now, little attempt
Is being made to educate the masses,
and they have no liberty"
Admitting truth of T1Ircb a iS
today, the casual pupil would hardly
gather from it that any pronounced
disturbance Of society had occurred
in Russia recently. especially when he
road in the next para graph, The En-
peror, or Car, is an absolute mon
arch, whose Will alone is law" II
seems, however, from the next para
graph that "at last the Gar has al
lowed the people to elect national
body Of representatives called the
Duma." The late edition of the work
is UP to date in all particulars.
As Hans Breitman would say, We're
lSS dot Duma now?"
Only in the school books of the
District cf Columbia.
st. PCtcrsbUrg, we read, is
growing city, the largest in Russia
and the capital of the empire.
Poland is referred to only in the
past tense. ut was a powerful king
dom" we read but this was divided
between Russia. Austria and Ger
many. Russia obtained the largest
snare, and in this portion are War
saw and Lod2, two of the leading
cities of the empire
:: :; :. =:
TURN to what Tarr and McMurry
had to say in the old book about
Germany, o. again the German en-
pirc," established In 1871, with its pres
eft boundaries, Under the leadership OF
Prussia. 1t Is ruled, we read ''by the
emperor. a limi ted monarch, whose
pow er, however, IS greater than that
uf The British king.
Germany defeated France in 1871
and seized some French territory
west Of the Rhine. called Alsace-
Lorraine" 1t would seem from the
book that this was still German ter
ritory
Then VIC are told how Germany,
liSc other European nations, is
Cugn1iuo- vast sums. in prepara tiOn