Year: 1876

through Imitation we must wait for Congress


men of sharper vision. There is no help for


it. Wait we must v. y. TriJune.


Common School Problems.


The free and vigorous criticism of the COM


mon school system now going on in some of
the Western States no doubt surprises many
people. The average citizen, if living any


where north of the Potomac and the Ohio,


is accustomed to pay his school-taxes cheer


fully, and is too apt to look upon the estab-


lished methods of public instruction as having


reached the perfection of fixed science. To
him the school system is an institution with


a capital Ia thing not to be spoken of light


ly. True, he seldom troubles himself to IN


quire into its workings; he sends his child to


the school house as he would his wheat to the


mill, confidihg in the perfection OF the ma


chinery and the skill of the miller. 1t is not


an agreeable announcement that the machine


ry is extravagantly expensive, and the grist of


knowledge and moral training is unsatisfac
tory, and yet this statement comes with such


force and is backed by such authority that it
demands attention. State Superintendents of
Education and experienced teachers-men


whose position would naturally lead them to
| defend rather than attack the existing system
are most severe in their complaints OF its
shortcomings. There is all at siice an cpl
demic of criticism. The cost of the schools
is said to be out of all proportion to the re-
fla,- 1,
ing in merit; the ordinary courses of study
are denounced as improbable and i'll adapted.
to supply what pupils most need in the way
of elementary education; moral training, it is
declared, is almost wholly omitted and final
ly, as the worst defect of all, it is charged
that the system does not produce the first
requisite for its own successful working-good
teachers. Much of this fault-fnding is no
doubt too severe, but great deal of it is de-
served. We are glad to hear it, because its
effect cannot be otherwise than wholesome.
When people begin to question seriously TIE
vaiueef any institution of government or So
ciety. there must be some defects in it, and
the discussion that follows doubt speedily
opens the way to Improvement


The want of systematic -incnleation of
morals is one of the most apparent defects in
our common schools and at the same time
one of the most difficult to remedy. Morals
are so closely associated with religion in most
peoples minds, and religion with sectarianisn,
that any definite course of instruction in the
duties of life could not easily be prescribed
without arousing prejudice. And yet it is
q singular anomaly that our children should
be carefully drilled in the Rule of Three and
he told nothing about the Golden Rule; that
they should learn the course of the rivers of
Asia sad not the right course of action to pur-
sue ,aE2i& the rocks and quicksands of life.
No doubt the solution of the problem or moral
training will be found closely connected with
that of how to get good teachers; for the daily
walk and c:ViiFaSatiOn of an earnest, upright,
conscienticxss allasa or woman is better lesson
in morals for . child than any textbook.
Still, something might probably be done by
books, and great deal of sound instruction
be impaired without trenching upon the prov
ince of the Church and the Sunday school.


The ordinary common school course of
study is susceptible of improvement in many
directions There is good deal of truth in
Superintendent of Illinois, who says in lis
last report: .'If it were distinctly proposed
to devise scheme whereby the schools might
be rendered the least profitable, that which
compels the youth of the State to spend the
whole period of their school l-going life upon
the famous seven branches of the old Illinois
law (spellirg. reading, writing, arithmetic,
grammar, geography, and United States his
tory, to the practical exclusion of everything
else, must he regarded as reasonably sue
cessful solution of the problem The funda-
mental truth that Is almost wholly disregard
ed is, he thinks. that the child can take in the
elements of all kinds of knowledge, and cam
not take in more than the elements of any
thing. Too much and too little is taught
The pupil is made to spend years in trying to
master the s-back part of the arithmetic" or
to repeat, parrot-like, grammatical rules that
are to hun meaningless, hut he is taught
nothing OF the simple rule of hygiene that are
essential to the proper care of his brain and
body, and learns very little of the world of
nature around him. There begins to be de-
mand among enlightened educators for a thor
Ough reconstruction of the curriculum. The
reform needed is the enlargement of the range
Of studies and the restriction OF all common
school instruction to the elements Many text
books could be advantageo1sly cut down to
half their dimensions, and the time gained by
thus abridging the present studies could be
devoted to the rudiments of drawing, vocal
music, the physical and natural sciences, and
the laws of health.


As to the economical feature, that is appli-
cable more to the expensive graded schools of
the cities and large towns, and is a local af-
fair, to be determined by each locality for
itself. We do not believe that the aggregate
amount spent in any State for education is too
large, but no donbt the money might be made
to go further and produce larger results In
any case the discussion of the subject can do
no harm.-TN. y. 7rt5une


During the five years ending Deceln-
Der, 1875, there were two hundred and
eighty-one homicides committed i'm the
city of New York. Some of them WEI Q
premeditated, many of them were UNI
provoked, and large majority were Q
utterly without palliation. Neverthe-
less, out OF all this appalling number of
man-killers, the perpetrators who suf-
fered death were only seven. Only
f..