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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 27, 1902)
Plea for the Three R's in Modern Education 111 I 'By Hon. Thomas JU. James.) IT IS quite true that there has been marked progress along educa tional lines In the United States within the past few decades, but It Is also quite true that thj results of the present educational system of the United States (and this Inc udes public schools, private schools, colleges and universities) Is far from satisfactory, from the business and cammerlcal point of view. It is all very well to declare with the voice of one crying in the wilderness that education should not be considered solely as a means of amassing wealth or of earning a living. I agree to this. It Is entlro'y proper to encourage general culture among those who have to make their own way In the world. I say amen to any plan of men tal training that will spread sound culture everywhere. But the plans which include attempts to rear the superstructure of cul ture before the foundation stones thereof are laid are harmful alike to the individual schooled under them and to the nation as a whole. They Impair his personal efficiency and they lower the general standard. Matter of Figures. Some who read these lines will think I am old fashioned when I say that "nature study," freehand drawing, wood carving, clay modeling and a lot of the "subjects" k to whlcb so much attention is paid nowe Sy I our public schools should be rigidly subordinated to matters that are more prac tical, so fur as the great majority of the pupils are concerned. In fact, non3 of these things, in my Judgment, should be exten sively "taken up" by the great mass of public school children until after they are well and thoroughly grounded in such es sential things as spelling, handwriting, tho construction of simple, direct English sen tences, and the elementary operations of arithmetic. Not long ago a bright-looking lad, under IS, applied for a Job in a retail shop on one of the cross streets In New York. "Where have you been to school?" asked the shopkeeper. "Public schools; graduated from gram mar school No. replied the lad. "I like your looks," continued the shop keeper, "and I want a boy. It's only a matter of figures. Now, if eggs are SI cents a dozen, how many can you eell for 25 cents?" The boy couldn't answer and he didn't get the Job, though he had spent years in the public schools of the greatest city of the western hemisphere. This boy, you will observe, was wholly unfitted to grap v pie with the simplest practical problems. Hundreds, yes, thousands, of such stories might be told, despite the vast amounts (larger, by the way, than are so spent in proportion to school population by any other city on earth) which the city of New York devotes annually to the education of Its boys and girls. You may say that the pupil with artistic ability, who has latent talents that will enable him with proper training to make beautiful pictures, to model graceful stat uary, to become a finished musician, or to write thrilling romances, does not need to be able to "do sums" In mental arithmetic and has no call to worry about such petty things as the price of eggs. Suppose this is granted, the fact remains that only an infinitesimal percentage of the boys and girls of this age, or any other, have In them exceptional artistic, musical or lit erary possibilities. And even if every one of them by training could be taught to paint liko Raphael, to model like Phi dias, to compose and play Uke-Llszt or to write like Dickens,' still only a few could find a market for their wares, while the remainder would have to make their way along old-fashioned, humdrum lines in spite of their genius. Some Cartons Letters, The number of youngsters graduated from our public schools and colleges, too, I am forced to say, who cannot write clear, concise and readable letters Is much larger than the number who have not mas tered the simplest rules of arithmetic. And here I can give examples from more direct personal observation. The financial institution with which i am connected re quires written appli cations from all who desire to enter its em ployment, and these letters are kept on H e. Here is one of them, from one of them who has been trained in two col leges, besides, presum ably, In the common schools. It will De noted, too, that part of his schooling was obtained outside New York, and I mention this in order to show that not all the In adequate schooling of the age can be charged to the metropolis. but the only objection I find Is that it Is ble were allowed to leave school with the not steady employment. unformed handwriting that is so common Remember, I can furnish the best of amcng cur people of all sorts at the present references from the time I left sihool nni y"u. ..ti . i . . . . . . nine. mini mo iii rwcill uny. Ally Kina Ol a position win De satisfactory to me, pro viding I receive steady work. Thanking you In advance for your kindness, I am, yojrs sincerely, . This young man says he can, but does not "furnish the best of references." He says in one place that he is "twenty" and im mediately afterward that he is "(27) years of age." He does not give his business experience. His English Is Inexcusably bad Why, even In our own bank the number of clerks who can write a good, clear, legible hand Is ridiculously small. It Is simply Impossible to get employes who can write handsomely, and fr ni what I am told this Is true of most batiks, both In New York and elsewhere. Indeed, I hardly need be told the facts in this mat ter by anybody. I see much corresDond- Slrs: Applying for admission into your employment, I wish to state that I have never been in busi ness, being to school ft college in Maryland, and In New York. My father's position Is a bridge carpenter on the railroad. I live at . I refer to and Yours respectfully, And his handwriting, like tha handwriting fCe wrltten r employes, even In cf the other young man whesa letter 1 fay of th.e tWyHart almost unl- unr, nuu uiua-ienius oi me hand writing that ! i i ; in n Q A3 "" T .1 ; , This letter gives no information whatever that would be of value In determining the young man's fit ness for a place as bank clerk. It does not even tell his age, and, besides, It is badly composed. I am sure the most ardent opponents of "sordld ness" in education will agree with me that this young man's training in the ele mentary subjects has been sadly neglected; that so far as ren dering him capable of making a demonstra tion that he "has an education" it Is nn utter failure. Here Is another letter of application, more specific In some ways, but decidedly cf the sort that causes the Judicious would-be employer to grieve. I say "would-be employer" because It is true that bankers, merchants, manufacturers, even "soulless corporations," are quite as anxious to get good employes as men out of work are to get good Jobs: Gentlemen: Enclosed you will find my application. I wish to state I am twenty (27) years of age, and would like to re ceive a salary of $1200 p?r week at start, as I am at present holding a sit uation which pays me $15.00 per week, (5? HON. THOMAS I JAMES AT HIS DESK. have copied, Is ragged, labored and unat tractive to tha eye. Wretched Handwriting. comes before me ie unpleas ant to the eye, and much of it is posi tively illegible. I have heard It said that the typewriter Is responsible for the bad handwriting of the present younger generation, but this cannot be true, in aplte of the preva lence of the writing machine, the families that do not possess one are very much In the preponderance. Anyway, were the subject of handwrit ing given the promin ence It deserves In the 'public schools, the handwriting of the pupil would be formed In spite of the typewriter. Its very prevalence should make the authorities the more insistent upon first-class chiro graphlcal Instruction in the schools. I remember very well the good natured ridicule that used to be poured out in print upon the copy books of other days and the goody, goody senti ments of the lines, but their abandonment has cost too much. I remember very well I also the beginning of the "anti-copy book movement," if I may mn tArm It Thla began with the young women who started in some years ago to acquire what they termed the "English hand." The charac affected are long, cramped, and Irregular, and their has cost thousands of fair pain and trouble and In. Children are taught to recognise each word by Its general appearance, without regard to its component parts. I have heard teachers speak with elation of pupils who had actually gone through school with out knowing the order of the letters or the alphabet, without knowlug anything at all about "spelling" as we understood it In my younger days. Those who believe In the "word method" declare that pupils educated under the new plan spell quite as well In actual practice as those who were educated under the method of yes terday; but, so far as I can judge, the facts do not warrant the declaration, and my view of the matter is borne out by the observation of many of my friends. An editor of my acquaintance, for In stance, showed me the other day a manu script on a technical subject by an expert on that subject, who was also a graduate of a standard university and had passed through the best technical school In his line. The article was admirable as an ex position of the subject, but Its English was labored, unwieldy In some Instances positively ungrammatlcal and the whole waa disfigured with many errors of spelling. As to the handwriting of the expert I cannot speak, since the manuscript was done on the typewriter. The errors In spell ing were his own, however, for he had learned to "use the machine" and had "pounded the stuff out" with his own hands. As a horrible example of "spelling as she Is sometimes spelt" I am going to add a letter of indorsment which I received the other day, though It i only fair to say that I do not know whether the writer was an old cr a young man, a product of the schools as they are or as they were: Dear Sir: this will enterduce my friend aney thing you can do for him I will apreslt it very much. I have none him for years an upright and oneat man. Yours verry truly, ters thus sprawling production creatures much worry ot mind, with the net result of Il legibility, ugliness and the utter ruination of much good writing paper. Now, I have a permanent quarrel with the modern school authorities practically everywhere because of their inexcusable neglect of the art of handwriting. When I was of school age we were obliged Current Contemn! (or Spelling, to learn to write at least legibly. We had "copybooks" with engraved "copies" In th 0,4 t00' we Kav6 much tlm printed at the head of each page. We were nd attention to spelling. We had written required to devote a certain space of time pelllng lessons and oral spelling lessons, each day to Imitating these copies, which tne "palling school, held on speclflo were really beautiful specimens of chlro- evenings. In which the grown-ups took ac- graphlcal skill. Many of us were not ablo tlTe Prt were regular feature every to attain to the beautiful in our own hand- winter. writing, but none save the really tncorrlgl- But now the "word method" has come Public Schools Improving. This brings me to that one of the ele mentary studies that were made so much cf In the public schools that I knew as a boy, which was placed first in the pro verbial list of the "three R's" reading. In the old days the "reading exercises" were Orel In the order of classes and the pupils were tauft enunciation, pronuncia tion, distinctness and expression. You have to listen for half a minute only to the av erage young man ot 20 or thereabouts to know that reading alone had small place in the public schools' routine for htm. I am happy to learn, though, that this art is again receiving more attention In the schools, and that in some cities it Is being taught with more Intelligence than ever before. In conclusion, then, I wish to say that for all the flaws I have seen in the prac tical workings of the public school sys tem 1 am by no means of the opinion that there Is no Improvement therein. On the contrary, I believe It Is better, more thor ough and more progressive on the whole than It has ever been In the past. But In their eagerness for "general cul ture," so called; 'for "universal art educa tion," for "variety and novelty and breadth," the authorities have temporarily neglected I am sure the neglect is only temporary the solid and deep foundations upon which only can true cultivation, real breadth be bullded. For one I shall bo glad when there Is less dissection, less modeling, less wocd carving In our public schools and more real, downright hard work devoted to the three R's of other days readln. 'rltln and 'rtthmetlc. Gleanings From the Story Tellers' Pack i C3 mm iiit.no. was an oia neignDor ot I mine down in Kentucky," said Representative wneeier or mat state to the Washington Post, "who went out west. When h'e came back he was very much Impressed with the fact that the Indians, to quote his own words, 'were powerful fond of whisky.' " 'How did you And that out?' I asked him. " 'Well,' he said, 'there was an old chief out there who offered me everything he had for a pint of whisky. He offered me his blanket, then his saddle and bridle, and finally his pony, If I would only give him my pint flask.' " 'Did you let him have it?' I asked. " 'No, Indeed,' was the emphatic reply. 'I only had one pint left.' " Once upon a time, relates the New York World, Senator Depew and Mark Twain were fellow passengers on a trip across the ocean. One night a dinner was given and Twain was called upon for a speech. He made a number of characteristically humorous remarks and then sat down, amid applause. . Mr. Depew waa next called upon. , "Mr, Clemens and I exchanged speeches before dinner," he said, "and he has de livered mine. His Is so bad that I won't disgrace him by repeating it." Then Mr. Depew sat down, while everybody laughed. The next morning, while Mr. Clemens waa pacing the deck, an Englishman came up to him. "Mr. Clemens," he aald. "I always thought that Mr. Depew was a smart man, but that speech ot his which you delivered last night was certainly the worst, drivel I ever heard. Secretary of War Root was on hts way to Southampton recently, reports the New York Times, when a farmer edged Into the seat and began telling the cabinet mem ber how to run the government. When the citizen's supply of criticisms began to run low Mr. Root asked: "What is your occupation?" "Poultry farmer," was the reply. "Do you know how many eggs each of your hens lays?" "Why, no," confessed the man. "Well, the man who looks after my chickens knows how much work each hen does. If he didn't I'd discharge him for not knowing his business. If a hen doesn't produce fifteen eggs a month it's a loss to keep It. Now, my friend, doesn't It strike you that after you have learned your own business so well that I can't give you points on It, then would be the proper time for you to come and teach me how the govern ment ought to be run?" - The pride of James Oordon Bennett, the elder. In the greaj newspaper he had built up was proverbial, and he had a particular aversion to anything that savored of dis respect on the part of his employes when speaking of its contents. One of his editorial writers ventured to compliment him -one morning on the gen eral character of that day's issue, says Youth's Companion. 'There was a lot of good stuff In the pa per this morning, Mr. Bennett," he said. "Stuff?" exclaimed the editor. "Stuff? What do you mean?" "I mean the the matter on the editorial page," replied the other, somewhat taken aback. "Then say so," rejoined his chief, with a frosty gleam In bis eye. "If you value ycur job, young man, never call anything that goes into the New York Herald 'stuff' again as long as you live!" - . Anent the almost total extinction of the great bears that a few years ago made Wall street trading a thing of such vigor and plcturesqueness, relates the New York Times, a conversation on the Stock ex change floor a few days ago contained a story of James R. Keene and Washington E. Connor, when they were two of the most noted bull baiters of the street. 1 At the time spoken of Connor was the guest of Mr. Keene at the tatter's coun try place. The two were walking over the fine grounds In the early evening admiring the beauties of the early twilight scene and Incidentally talking business now and then. Suddenly Keene grasped his friend's arm and pointed to the moon that was majes tically soaring up Into the heavens and mantling the earth In a silvery sheen. "Beautiful moon rising there," said the host. . "Yep," replied Mr. Ccnnor, and then In a fit of abstraction added: ' "But It's too high, Keene; too high!" A genjleman, whose liberality In no way corresponded to his means, found out one day that there was some remainder ale In his cellar almost spoiling, and decided to get rid of It without delay, relates the New Yorker. . .' The next morning when he was rr ca bling over his estate he came across a party of workmen. Addressing the man in charge, he ostentatiously presented the ale to the men and said they could go and fetch It as they liked. A few days afterward he happened to meet the foreman again, and immediately proceeded to extract from him In some way a suitable acknowledgment of the bounty recently bestowed. "Well. William." said, the donor, with the air of a man who had granted an un speakable favor, "did you and your men have that ale?" "Oh. yes. sir, thank you. we had ' It," was tbe reply. ' 'V i "That's right, and how did you like It?" said tbe gentleman, desiring a warmer ex pression of gratitude. "Oh, sir it was just the thing for us," was the rather vague response. "Ha, that'll do, then. But what do you mean by 'just the thing?" "Well, sir," said Williams, "if It 'ad been a little better we shouldn't a 'ad It, and if It 'ad been a little worse we couldn't a drlnked it." An effort of one of John B. Oough's tours of the west was to arouse his converts' to a political movement In favor ot pro hibition and In several states tbe politi cians began to give consideration to the cry. The distillers and liquor dealers are said to have been so frightened that they employed men to follow the Iscturer, sit among the audience and endeavor to con found him with questions. He had worked a Topeka, Kan., audience up to a fine pitch of excitement, and, In his effective manner cried: "Temperance! Temperance! I Temper ance!!! It will mean money In your pocket, clothes on your back, happiness in your home, and Ood In your heart!" Up leaped one ot the paid Interrupters and shouted to the audience: "Money in our pockets! Why, fellow cltlsens, follow this man'a ideas and we'll . be all In the poorhouse! Think, of the fields of tasseled corn that stretch on every side! Whisky la made from corn. We sell millions of dollars' worth ot corn to the whisky makers. Stop the manufacture of whisky, and what'U we do? Then turning to Oough, he went on: "You, Mr. Smarty what'U we do? Tell us. It prohibition comes, what'U we do with our corn?" "Raise more hogs, my friend," replied Oough, without a second's hesitation "raise more hogs!" "Did you ever hear a goat a wear?" asked General Parker of New Jersey, quotes tbe Washington Post. He represents, by the way, the district In which the rifle range at Sea Olrt is situated. "Over at the rifle range one day," said General Parker, "there waa a team from Georgia, which had with them a colored boy and a goat aa mascots. Tbe boy was dressed In brilliant uniform and the goat had a fussy tall. Along came a rifleman who belonged to a rival team. . . "I'll give you a nickel for one of . your buttons,' he said to the boy. and the trade was made. Then the rifleman, plucking some hairs from the goat's tall, rubbed them on the button. 'Now.' ha said. '1 )iAva hoodooed your team. You will never win the Hilton trophy.' "The colored boy burst Into tears and the goat said 'D-a-a-am-n' just as plainly as anything you ever heard In your life."