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Show ONE VIEW OF EDUCATION. At the National German-American Teachers' convention, held in New York City, June 30, Representative Rep-resentative Ilichard Bartholdt of Missouri, addressing ad-dressing the assembly, said: ''The brains of our school children should not be weighed down with unnecessary ballast." As an illustration, he pointed to the instruction on physiology, which he denounced de-nounced as indecent and objectionable, and deplored de-plored the ''lack of moral training in our public schools." When and where are the educators of our country coun-try going to stop? Nearly every year they seem to add a new study to the curriculum, which is already al-ready topheavy. The minds of our. children are crammed as tight as the straps are drawn which hold their many books. Their heads, just like their arms, are weary of the burden forced upon them. The public schools of this couutry press upon the scholars, even of the infant grade, a number of useless studies. The effect upon their young j minds is like unto a crop of densely sown corn. The plants crowd and kill one another, or prevent growth beyond an immature development which yields no fruit. So little time is given to any one subject that the impression created in the pupil's mind is so slight as to be totally unable to prevent pre-vent erasicn by the succeeding lesson. A few minutes min-utes of grammar wipes out the previous few minutes min-utes of history. And so throughout the day. There is nothing taught thoroughly. Too many things are attempted and too little is done. Six months after finishing the twelve years course, very few, even of those who are able to complete it, can boast of any satisfactory knowledge knowl-edge on any one subject. Even their knowledge of the simple elements of education is affected by the cramming process, and becomes indifferent. About half the time spent in the primary and high schools of our country is dead waste. There are some things that can be learned by a child, some things which can be learned by a youth, and some things which can be mastered only by a man. A child may learn to write as well as a person of maturer years. A child may also become an agreeable agree-able reader. The process in each case is merely mechanical. The child may learn the elementary use of figures, for this involves only the easiest mental process. Geography also may be studied, but the rules of grammar, as repeated by the child, cannot but be the utterance of a parrot. When the child makes mistakes in speaking let its language be corrected, and this is enough of grammar. These remarks may hit hard at the established order of 'things, but nevertheless they constitute the common sense view of education. A babe should not be forced to walk before it can creep; neither should a child be expected to master what ' is difficult for an adult to overcome. Again, in our schools every new publication, whether of crank or philosopher, must be given a trial. Such a practice sadly reminds us of a fledgling physician. It is all at the expense of the patient. We do not deny that our public schools mean well. Nevertheless the facts are the same. The pupils of these schools are crammed with theory, and are starvelings in regard to sound practical education, even of the mind. And as to the education edu-cation of the heart, the spiritual and moral Mature Ma-ture of the child, there is none. We entirely sympathize with Mr. Bartholdt when he deplores the lack of moral training in our schools and we are in thorough accord with him when he declares: "The brains of our children should not be weighed down with unnecessary ballast." bal-last." But where shall we look for redress |