M LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Glpji. - Cn'tJjrinM ' 7 UNITED STATES OP AM MERICA. SNAP 8H" I will await your reply to, Yours Truly, Polly Poole. [Why, yes — Miss Polly; your ideas are good if their expression is somewhat antiquated; and even that may become somewhat modified by closer contact with people whose language is more carefully chosen. Ideas first, however, EDITORIAL. Q for they are priceless ; and language will follow. Let us hear from you every month, if your investigations develop anything of general in- terest on either side of the questions that are uppermost in the educational world. We'll ''pay the freight." Editor.! IO SNAP SHOTS. CHAPTER III. The Old Maid Investigates. Honesty asked for as part of the curriculum. Mister Editor : Well, sir, I've begun my tour, 'n' I promise you that I've learnt some things V can guess at more! The first man that I seen was awful excited the minute I spoke on the subject. Says he hot an' quick : "Tell 'em to teach honesty first of all ; every- thing else is of minor importance. If I've got to watch a young man or young woman to see that I'm not cheated as to time, work or tealty, I just get rid o' him as soon's ever I can say 'Start.' " Well there's a master lot in that thought. "Eye service" all comes from lack of integrity ; but just how far our schools is to blame for this lack I didn't see; so I asked Mr. Stuart what AS TO HONESTY. II he thought V how he come to put that idee first. "Well," says he "I'll tell you. I've seen lots of folks go wrong that had no home training when young. All they were ever taught came thro' our school-houses; and as far 's right 'n wrong are concerned they didn't get much; nothing to brag of. Honesty, pure and simple, not from policy, but from right, is the corner- stone of character; and character-building is the object of education." Mister Editor, that's a good idee 'n' I pondered over it; 'n' I took my knittin' 'n went over that very day to visit Miss Sylvester's school 'n' see what I could see. Now Miss Sylvester 's a good teacher V gits along with all kinds o 1 questions amazin' easy. I've known her ever sence her mother 'n' me used to set on the same bench at school in the little red school house at the forks o' the road, up the Genesee Valley; 'n I well remember— but I musn't stop for none o 1 them memories. Just now my duty is to run my knit- tin' needles round the class room 'n'probe 'em all. We've got too many bank officers languishin' in our prison walls (because they waVt honest), an too many Sunday School Superintendents making excursions to Canada with the church 12 SNAP SHOTS. funds, to leave the question to settle its own future. Miss Sylvester was awful polite, but she fired up good when I begun to use my probin' needle. Says she: "Aunt Polly, you've certainly found your mission right among the heathen of our own dooryards. We teach for pay. Pay depends on success. Success is estimated entirely by our 'averages' and our 'per cents.' — not by the good we do morally. That doesn't count. It isn't on our program, and we don't get paid for teaching outside of the print ; but if we fall short of that, Heaven help us! We're either dropped entirely as 'incompetent' or else put into the most monot- onous part of the entire treadmill, with no hope of ever getting out of it/' I confess there didn't seem much to encourage honesty in that outlook; but I said with as cold a voice as I could command : "Miss Sylvester, have you ever been excused from your responsi- bilities as a cultivator of the morals of these school children by that Highest Power of all, who gave you the talent to teach?" "That's just it 1 ' she said with deepening ear- nestness; "we steer from Scylla only to encounter Charybdis. W 7 e are asked to fight, and the very first thing done by way of preparation is to ti "showing off." 13 our hands. It's a fine 'system' where everything goes by machinery, and everybody rises or falls with clock-like precision, not according to what he is but what he can show." I couldn t argue again that, 'n' so I set V knit V thought; 'n' I guess she thought some, for there was a bright red spot on each cheek, 'n' she called class after class, heard 'em recite, dis- missed 'em an' called more. I was clean beat out to just set 'n' watch her; 'n' it struck me finally that five minutes might be profitably dropped from paper-foldin', 'n' sand-playin', 'n' clay-modelin', 'n' body-twistin', 'n' such things, to tell them children some immortal truths that might makea difference with them for all eternity. But she's got to satisfy the requirements of her principal, so to her Prin. I went. Says he, "Madam, my teachers are all honest at heart. I don't allow cheating on my reports, nor lying about what they've done." Mebbe he dorit — but there's some temptation to do just that thing. And when a teacher ain't entirely free to teach and work uprightly, it don't take more'n a week for a child to discover that his teacher is showin' off — nor to go 'n' do thou likewise. Well the principals is held under in the same 14 SNAP SHOTS. way of the Superintendents; 'n' the Sups, by the Boards of Education, 'n' the Boards by the taxpayers; V they by their love of the almighty dollar. That sir, I believe to be the pivot on which the whole thing turns. Economy is the desideratum instead of integrity; 'n' the boys V girls are deprived of their rightful heritage of moral teaching in this way. Mister Editor — this water is getting pretty deep for me. Can't you toller out my ideas 'n' present the subject fuller n' better than I can? I see how necessary this influence must be, 'n' I see how it will alter \\ affect every point of every business or profession, sooner or later; how it enters not only into the quantity of work every- where, but into the quality also. I believe we ought to teach honest)-. What have you to say on the subject, to Yours truly, Polly Poole. [Well sister Poole — incidentally, we all ought to teach integrity, honesty; but — how far our schools may reasonably be expected to do this work, as a part of the curriculum, is an open question. Glad your language improves. May we not hear from our active teachers, Principals, Superintendents. Boards of Education and tax- payers, on this question? Editor.! W. C. T. U. INSPIRATION. 1 5 CHAPTER IV. The Old Maid Pleads for Punctuality. Some Laughable Incidents Portrayed. Mister P2ditor: Pm afraid I shall hurt some o' the women- folks this time, for it was at our W. C. T. U. meetin' that I took my inspiration for this chap- ter. An' this is how it come about: We have an hour once a week from 3 p. m. 'til 4 following. Wall, Pm always minded to be prompt, 'n' I got there just as the big clock rung the chimes for 3 — but there was only two mem- bers present: ole Miss Peterson, who hadn't oughter be out at all on account 'f rheumatiz, 'n' a young woman what I don't know personally but who is connected with our schools in some peculiar way — a Superintendent, I think they call her, whatever that means. I thought Supts. was alwavs full-grown men. 1 6 SNAP SHOTS. Bimeby in come two more, sot a spell, got up n' went out, as I had a mind to, only I was beginnin' to get my war paint on, an' could afford to suffer in silence 'til I got a chance to speechify to the sisters, on the venal sin of tardiness. After a time some more come in, 'n' more pretty soon; 'n' at half past three about half the regular attendants was there — but not an officer to preside. I was wrathy, very — n' when Miss Mead come in smilin' (she always smiles — don't know no better I s'pose) 'n' walked up to the chair 's if everything was all right, I could have shook her! After the Bible was read 'n' the business begun I calmed down a bit an' got ready to spread myself on the subject of punctuality. So when the clock chimed 4 I rose with great dignity 'n' proposed that we adjourn. "Can't do it," says Miss Mead; "ain't half through yet." Says I, calmy, says I: "Our hour is from 3 to 4. It's time to adjourn. 11 "Can't help it" says she; we've got to appoint a committee to draft that petition to the Legisla- ture; to see to arrangements for next week's entertainment and hear the seci Gary's report of NO RIGHT TO BE TARDY. 1 7 last week's convention. I hope Sister Poole isn't tired" — 'n' she kep' on smilin'. 11 Well I be," says I ; " I was e'enamost tired out settin' here waiting' over half 'n' hour to have this meetin' open — 'n' not a blessed officer here to do it. What right has any one to take the time that belongs to the meetin' 'n' then make the meetin' overrun?" 'n' I sot down and looked around an' seen two more on their feet — among 'em Miss Eddy (our minister's wife) 'n' the young woman before mentioned. Miss Mead recognized Miss Eddy 'n' the rest give way. Says Miss Eddy slowly : " I think Sister Poole is right. Our time is one hour ; and it's not fair to those who are punctual that they must give double time to them that come late. I believe this habit of beginning late and closing late has much to do in hindering the good results of our work. I know it to be so in our church affairs — and my husband has decided to commence on time if there's nobody present but himself, and to close just as promptly" — 'n' she sot down. That young woman was up 'n' recognized before another woman could stir. Says she : " My friends are right. We have no right to be behind hand nor to waste other people's time, 1 8 SNAP SHOTS. even if we do our own. I second Miss Poole's motion to adjourn." Miss Mead had to put the question, V the motion was carried. She quit smilin' for at least half an instant. As we moved out Miss Preston come up to me 'n' says she : " Miss Poole you hit the nail on the head. Punctuality is the soul of business ; and if the want of it doesn't ruin the W. C. T. U. the mem- bers'll have to turn over a new leaf." Says I, somewhat coldly : " Do you advocate that in your school work ? " — for if I do find fault in the meetin' rooms I don't believe in talkin' over faults outside. "Yes ma'am" says she ; " and you would if you had to go from one school-house to another, to give lessons, 'n' find only about half the teachers ready for you at the appointed hour — thus rob- bing the class of just so much instruction to which they are entitled. And that is the case with three-fourths of our special teacher's work." Mister Editor, right there I thought a big, big thought ; 'n' instead o' goin' home I walked up Broad street to talk with some o' our business men 'n' see what their opinion is. I went into Mr. Duncan's big store first, 'n' soon's I'd passed the time o' day, says I : ESSENTIALS. IQ " If you was hirin' a young man or woman what three qualities would you look for first, 'n' in what order ? " Says he : " Polly, do you want a position ?" laughin.' " No," says I, "leave them to the young folks - — but I do want to know what you consider the first three essentials of good service." He took out his tablet 'n' wrote— Integrity, Punctuality, Accuracy. Mister Editor, I called on fifteen men that afternoon 'n' found almost no variation of senti- ment. The next day I visited some o' the schools 'n' I'm obliged to report that some of 'em (I say it with regret) don't know that there is such a thing as accuracy in the whole wide world ; 'n' others are afraid of it — least ways I s'pose they are the way they avoid it- But it ought to be writ on every program an' rung with every bell. An' I find that the chances of success are much greater everywhere with a prompt man than with a "lazy" one— 'n' so with women ; even house- keepers are more or less valuable in proportion as they are on time or behind it, waiting for things to ketch up. Why, this thing affects all walks of life, 'n' I 20 SNAP SHOTS. wonder that our teachers don't make more of it. What do you say Mister Editor? Speak — I'll leave a space for you. With the best regards of Polly Poole. [Sister Poole, we think with Mr. Duncan that Punctuality stands right next to Integrity — flanked on the other side by Accuracy ; and as you say some of our teachers are alive to the fact, while others — Editor.] ACCURACY. 21 CHAPTER V. And Now the Old Maid Insists upon Accuracy. Finds a Teacher who is utterly unfitted for his work. Mister Editor : I be a little afraid that some o' my letters carry too much caloric; but when I think o' the millions o' dollars spent in developin' the brain power 6 Young America, 'n' the vitality 'n' strength it requires to go through a graduatin' course, 'n' then compare the results, I sometimes wonder if we aint' in danger o' bumpin' up again ole Ben Franklin's caution-post about payin too dear for the wh is tie. Now Ben n ' m e d o n t a 1 ways agree, but I'm free to confess that in this one particular he's of my mind to a T. Considerin' on these things, 'n' thinking these thoughts I took my knittin' 'n' went over to Mr. Brown's school. Now Mr. Brown's a real nice man — but he wa'nt never meant to teach accuracy 22 SNAP SHOTS. 'n' if God or Nature designed him to teach any- thing else they must ha' forgot some o' the material, for he's awfully lackin' in elementary necessities, so fur's teachin' goes. (I've copy- righted them big words, leastways the way they're strung together — so don't you let none o' them spruce young candidates make any more fun o' my style. The Journalist is payin' the expenses o' this investigation, 'n' is entitled to the use 'o' dictionary words, if they're to be had.) But, to come back to Mr. Brown. He had a readin' class in front of him when I went in, but,, law me! I dont call that readz'n when they merely mumble and stumble and drawl the words, 'thout sensin' a thing they're sayin' ! However, it seems to suit him very well, for he didn't take no notice o' their little inaccuracies (that's another good word, 'n' all paid for!) nor their manner nor voice nor nothin' ; but when they'd read around two or three times, until there wasn't no more in that piece, he said — mild as molasses — " Read the next selection to-morrow." Then they wrote — or scribbled — in their copy- books, 'n' he sot at his d£sk 'n' wrote a letter part o' the time 'n' part o' the time he read the mornin' paper. I begun to get nervous, 'n' says I "Mr. Brown,, CARELESSNESS. 23 can I move about among the desks, 'n' look at the copy books?" "Why certainly," says he, calm and placid's a June puddle. Well sir, about half V them boys 'n' girls didn't pay no attention to spellin their copies right ; V as for crossin' their fs or dottin' their Ps why it never seemed to occur to them to do that ! Says I to George Harris, says I "George, you ain't makin' very good headway with your writin' be you ?" He blushed a little, 'n' says he "It won't make no difference ! I'll git a 10 on my card all the same. Mr. Brown never looks at our writing books. He says: -Write on page 6 to-day,' 'n' we write there, or somers else ; but he never looks." Says I, coldly : "George, is Mr. Brown goin' to make mince pies o' these books bime by?" "Why no, mam," laughin.' Says I solemnly: "Is he expectin' to wear 'em for boots?" "Hardly, I guess." "Nor to use em for railroad fare, nor to pay house rent with?" "Not as anybody knows of." "George" says I, "this is your education — or a 24 SNAP SHOTS. part of it; not Mr. Brown's. You re the one that'll use this work 'n' its proceeds, V you're the one who'll gain or lose by the way you do it." "Thank you, Miss Poole. Honestly I never thought o' that before. I will do better." Now crossin' an i or dottin' a t ain't much — but its indicative. (There's another dictionary word ; put where it'll do the most good !) And when a boy or girl gets a careless habit o' speech or work, it'll grow faster 'n' they do — -unless somethin" is done to stunt it. School seems like a good place to stunt such things, but somehow they seem to thrive in some mysterious way, so that as a matter of fact most large establishments keep one set of clerks to look over the work of another set. Think of that ! Now this affects prices. Accuracy has a com- mercial value. (Copyrighted also.) For in- stance, here's Mr. Anderson, a publisher. He does his own printing — by proxy — paying so much an em. Printers average to be as accurate in their work as anyone ; but they all depend upon the proof reader for corrections ; the proof readers lean upon revisers, and the revisers upon the critic. The critic commands a salary — and it is a good one ; now take away the necessity for the critic's VALUE OF ACCURACY. 25 work, and distribute that salary among the revisers ; don't they gain by accuracy? Do away with a need of revisers and divide up all that money among the proof readers ; dismiss them and add their wages with the accumulations above named, to the price per em for the printers, provided the printers' work shall be so nearly accurate as to be dependable ! Can you see the ''commercial value" of accuracy ? " Here is Mr. Lovell, whose business is done largely by correspondence. He has many de- partments, with numerous clerks in each, and each department has to have a "complaint" clerk —one who looks up and traces the errors of book- keepers, shipping clerks, entry clerks, stenog- raphers, mailing clerks, etc. Think of the time and money that might be saved to that establish- ment and its employees if accuracy had been taught and enforced and drilled upon in every lesson while those young men and women were in school ! But that isn't the worst of it ! As they go out into other lines of business as drug clerks, physicians, nurses, telegraph operators, railroad men, human lives are sacrificed to their habitual carelessness! Isn't it time to call a halt? Shall the "Six 26 SNAP SHOTS. Hundred" be forced into the "valley of death because "some one has blundered" and no one raise a dissenting voice to this wholesale slaughter ? I tell you, Nay! There is a responsibility upon the poorest teacher in the land, to teach, preach, practice and drill, drill, drill, DRILL upon this theme. Hoping that it may be done, I remain, Very reluctantly, Polly Poole. [This point is well taken. Let us hear from our teachers on the question. Editor.] THE OTHER SIDE. 2J CHAPTER VI. The Other Side. Some Advantages of our Public School Sy stent named by Miss Preston. May i, 1893. Mister Editor : Certainly there always is two sides to every question ; 'n' havin' found so many prominent faults with our schools I b'lieve it's only fair to show the other side — for there certainly is some good points. I was thinkin' these thoughts when I was in to see Miss Preston the other day. (She's our Superintendent now — used to be one of our teachers.)* So I asked her, says I : " Miss Preston, do you believe in our public school system? " *See "Preston Papers" by the Preston Publishing- Company,. 37 West 10th St., New York City. 28 SNAP SHOTS. "Certainly I do," come with great promptness. "With your hull soul?" " Yes and no." " Why « Yes ' and why 'No' ? " "Miss Polly," says she, " you've been for months showing up the reasons why none of us can believe in it entire ; but while you have good cause for all you've said and written I have some- times wished you would be fair enough to point out some things besides its defects." My feelin's begun to bile, but 1 threw a chunk of ice onto the fire 'n' it sizzled a bit 'n' then went square out, for I seen to once that it's a plaguey sight easier to find fault than to find perfection — even in spots ; V I know, too, that the- world is full o' old fogies (yes, just like me ! I know well enough what you want to say ! !) who live only in the past 'n' who think that the '" good ole times " is the only times worth men- tionin' 'n' who think because they V their fathers V gran' fathers went to mill with corn in one end o' the bag 'n' a stone in t'other to balance it, that there ain't no better way o' goin' to mill ; but / know there is ; 'n' I also b'lieve that the New Education must have some elements o' strength in it. So says I, as calm an' clammy as my stone door step, says I : GOLD NOT THE TEST. 29 " Miss Preston, it galls me just awful to say it — but I ain't so young as I once was, nor so good lookin' as you be (My, but that tickled her !) but I can see through a knot hole yet — 'n' I want you to give me the very best p'ints you can on this question. I'll git 'em printed by the Journalist same's I did my own." " Good !" says she, 'n' she laughed. Now I like Miss Preston's laugh. It's real warm 'n' hearty, without even the shaclder of a sneer in it — which is more than can be said of some people's laugh. Honor bright I think a person's laugh will tell more of their real character than all their talk will do. It sometimes pays to study human nature by its side-lights. She had her things on just ready to go out when I went into her office, but now she sot down, took off her gloves, closed her eyes half way 'n' said, 's if she's dreamin': "Miss Polly, if our public school system did nothing but pull down the barrier of caste, it would have accomplished enough to entitle it to everybody's respect. Here the rich and the poor meet as equals. Gold won't buy brains, nor per cents nor averages. Money is not the test by which the grading is done and the examinations made ; and the boy who might otherwise depend 30 SNAP SHOTS. upon the influence of a long purse, to give him status, here learns that it requires an application of brain power to give success, and that he may be outranked by the son of a beggar or mechanic unless he applies himself to his work." " That is good " says I ; "Next." " Well," says she slowly, " it does that for the rich man's son — gives him a healthy respect for labor. For the poor man's son it has brought him in contact with the refinement, courtesy and manners to which by accident of birth he was denied, but which by association become his and which tell upon his entire future." " I see, " says I ; " go on." " It helps us as a nation also. " How ?" " By giving us good citizen-qualities in those who have been taught obedience to law in our public schools. Submission to discipline, even though only of the school-room, obedience to the wish of the majority and to the control of those in power, are elemental requisites in good citizens, diminishing strikes, mobs and anarchy, replacing these with respect for law, order and other people's rights." Really, that seemed worth listening to, 'n' I begged her not to stop. SCHOOL MISSIONARY WORK. 3 1 " I wish you could see, as I have seen, the benefits arising from regularity in daily habits " she continued ; " Our public schools teach this, indirectly perhaps; but it has its influence in making orderly men and women. " Then, too, the schools are an inspiration to higher, nobler living among the school children. In this sense the teacher becomes a real mission- ary, opening new worlds of thought to eyes and minds on which Ignorance and Vice had laid heavy hands — for in the teacher the child of Crime and Degradation sees a being of a higher order; and the awakening and saving of the soul here is fully as important as is that in distant Boorio-Boola-Gha." This was an elevation of the " system " of which I hadn't dremp — actually on a par with our Mission Board ! " Miss Poole, you cannot judge of the place and importance our public schools hold in the lives of the children in the wards of our large cities, where the population is largely foreign, because you live just here, and have always lived here. Your judgment is formed entirely by what you have seen and heard — and to do justice to your subject you should see other schools, under other circumstances. 32 SNAP SHOTS. " Where shall the offspring of old country peasants learn patriotism and fidelity to the new home? Not around the immigrant's hearthstone, for his heart ever turns to his mother country ; not in the churches nor Sunday schools of the land, for even if they devoted their entire time on Sunday to the work, it would be only a part of one day in seven in which they could sow the seeds that must eventually bear fruit for America. The school room must be the place where Nor- wegian, Swiss, Russian, German, French, Italian, Chinese, English, Irish, Pole, must be American- ized, must be fitted for a higher plane of life and living." Mister Editor, them are pretty big ideas, 'n' put out in big words — but if you find inny trouble gittin' at their size, just call on Yours Truly, Polly Poole. [They are 4t big ideas," but the theme is large ; and as Miss Preston says, justice can never be done when only one side of a question is dis- cussed. What is true of city schools is seldom true of those in the rural districts — and vice versa ; and what is common to either in one sec- tion of the country may be entirely unknown elsewhere. Let everybody who wishes come DISCUSSION INVITED. ,, into this discussion. Then we shall see it fro every point of view. Come one, come all. Editor.] 34 SNAP SHOTS. CHAPTER VII. Obedience. The Old Maid Discovers Obedience and Recog- nizes it as One of the Cardinal Virtues. May 4, 1883. My Dear Mister Editor : I feel humble. Very. "Why?" Because, sir, I have found the corner stone of character teached directly and indirectly by this same pub- lic school system that I've been a tearin' and a scoldin' about, 'n' that corner stone is obedience. You may write it in letters of light or on tablets of gold, for it is worthy; an' anything that pro- motes obedience, that enforces it, that makes it a second nature to the child, is entitled to be held in respect an' esteem — no matter if 'taint quite perfick. By the way what is perfick on this earth ? Can you name one thing where you can't suggest an improvement ? Well, now, it's on this wise : I went into one CREAM AND SUGAR. ^r o' the public schools the day after I writ last, 'n' I got a talkin'— (No it ain't "anything unusual," but you needn't be so keen after my lapses. A woman that can't talk ain't more'n half human!) Well, as I was sayin I got a talkin' with Miss Preston, 'n' she just combed my hair (so to speak) for what I've left unsaid— more than for what I've said. Says she : "Miss Poole, I believe you're sincere in your wish to help." " I be," says I ; " for though I wasn't born to much education, an' didn't acquire no great amount, nor git much thrust upon me— as some- body says about 'greatness' in one of Mr. Shakes- peare's plays— I believe in it, 'n' in big doses, but without quite so much cream 'n' sugar with the dose." "Why not cream 'n' sugar?" says she, in an awful mild voice but with ten pounds o' pressure on that "not." "Why, because " says I ,— r place makes them victims of envy, jealousy an' covetousness? Can we afford not to have kindness, patience ind charity teached in our schools? Ain't we buildin 1 with good material when we put in respect, courtesy, justice, an' like qualities that can't be bought to the grocery? Ain't our schools furnishin' some pretty good " stock " for the next generation? So thinks, Polly Poole, [So does The Editor.] EDUCATIONAL CHANGES. 67 CHAPTER XII. Educational Changes. People and Things Studied More and Books Less Than Fifty Years Ago. October 3, 1893. My Dear Editor : It is certainly surprisin' that such changes in the work can have been goin' on so long an' I never heerd of it until about a year ago! Well, well, "The world does move!" Books was what we studied when I went to school in the little red school house inthe Genesee valley. My land, how well I remember the little square windows, four on each side of the room, with their tiny panes o' glass; the master's desk at the fur end o' the room; the big stove near the entry (stoves was just comin' to be used then) ; the benches runnin' close to the wall on each side, where the "big" girls an' boys set; the clumsy desks, in front, an' the front row, two 68 SNA? SHOTS. or three steps lower down for the little tads, "the alphabet class" the teacher called 'em — "trundle-bed truck" was all they got from some o' the big boys; the big girls was a shade better, V called 'em "young ones"; but they all lived through it,V through some pretty hard discipline, too; an' study! Why land o' man ! ! Lem me tell you somethin.' We had a small blackboard space — but it was crackled, 'n' was right behind the teacher's chair. No wall maps nor globes. "Whips?" Well, yes; 'n' they wasn't most generally idle, neither. Every thin' was useful in them days, 'n' 1 don't know *s Sam Hill ever would 'a' got his alphabet if it hadn't been lashed into 'im at the last; he'd been to school most all winter, V some- how he'd skipped notice until all to once the master says, says he: "Sam, come here 'n' say your alphabet!'' Sam come, but he couldn't say more'n two or three, mebby half a dozen, letters — but he begun all right, "A is for Ape." 'n' the master kep' a p'intin' with his penknife to what he wanted next. Hut he didn't go straight — 'n' when he come to 44 1 is for Ibex" Sam said: "1 don't know." Savs the master: " That's I." OLD TIME METHODS. 69 "U," says Sam. "No, /" says the master agin, impatient like. "U," says Sam. The master begun to git warm in the face altho' it was February out o' doors, 'n' says he: " Don't say U\ say I.' "Him" says Sam, p'intin' at Mr. Woodard, 'n' some o' the big boys jest roared, 'n' the big girls giggled. (Why, yes, "girls used to giggle in them days" pretty much as they do now — ■ ''specially if the boys was tickled. Human nature don't change much if teachin' does!) This kind o' riled the master, 'n' Sam blubbered when Mr. Woodard threatened to lash him if he didn't say it proper, 'n' he laid some several pounds o' stress on the "/is for Ibex" whereat poor Sam blurted out: "The master is for Ibex!" Well, he got a thrashin' for his stupidity, 'n' was sent to his seat; but bime by he got called out agin 'n' somehow he seemed to sense it this time, for he got along all right— 'n' I never was sure jest how fur that lickin' was to be credited with clearin' up his mental opaqueness! (I've coprighted that phrase for you.) I b'lieve they don't teach the alphabet in no such way now. Why, I've just been readin' a 70 SNAP SHOTS. book* by Miss Ellen E. Kenyon> oi New York City, where even our windows would 'a' been used by the teacher for lessons in Observation, Number, Form, Language, 'n' I don't know what all! Here's some sentences from it that'll give you an idea of what I mean : "How many windows have we? Our room and the next have how many together? How many sashes has each window? How many have all three? How many panes of glass has a whole window? What is one half of that number? * * * I am thinking of something else. But for what I am thinking of we could not see the clock, because there would be no light in the room. It is made of wood and some- thing else that I can see through. It has two parts that slide up and down. These two parts hang by cords. It is a good thing that we can slide them up and down because by that means we can get all the fresh air we need. The whole thing is oblong in shape and contains twelve smaller oblongs. * * * Can you see the glass? Do you see the glass itself or only the spots on it? How then do you know that the glass is there? * The Coming School, i>ay,es 47-50. Publishing Company, 37 West 10th St., New York.) EXTRACTS FROM THE COMING SCHOOL. 7 1 "Henry may tap on the glass with his slate pencil. With his lead pencil. With his finger nails. With the fleshy part of his fingers. Again with each. Which makes the sharpest sound? The softest? Does a blind person know when anyone is opening a window? How? Is the sound different from that of opening a door? "How does glass feel to the touch? Hard or soft? Cold or warm? Rough or smooth? Did you ever cut your finger with glass? 11 If you had a piece of glass and a piece of wood in your hand which would you be most careful not to drop? Why?" Mister Editor, I calmly advise everybody to read that book. It's only 50 cents, an' is chock full o' big words 'n' big ideas — 'n' will just make anybody think what they're teachin V how. There ain't no nonsense in it (unless it is the big talk about "concepts" 'n' sich, which is kinder out o' my line) ; but there's dead loads o' good reasonable work between them covers; 'n' any teacher what '11 foller them ways won't need to go huntin' for a job — as they used to in my day 'n' generation. An' that reminds me that them as is so much attached to old ways an' means, oughter try com- parisons once in a while. / dont believe things 72 SNAP SHOTS. was so superior when spellin' was all done by word o' mouth— though it's just within reason that our spellin' now could be improved. But, so can other things ! Cookery don't seem to be what it used to, when your mother made mince pies out o' meat she bought at the butcher's by the pound, instead o' ready-made at the grocer's in a little paper box — does it now ? An' how about tailorin' ? Hain't you heerd your father tellabout that "best coat" that was every stitch made by hand an' lasted nigh onto twenty year afore he thought it necessary to replace it ? Can he say the same o' the one he used after that? How about furniture ? See inny difference between the woven wire springs 'n, hair mattresses 'n blankets o' the present, n' the old-fashioned, high-post bedsteads, that almost required a step- ladder to get into, with the deep layers o' feath- er beds that let you go down, almost out o' sight below, with woolen sheets 'n' blue 'n' white home- spun counterpanes 'n' pieced quilts above ? Go thro' your house, office, barn, farm, mill, 'n' see the improvements (changes may be a better word — I'm still inclined to balk on some of 'em) 'n' tell me if it 'd be reasonable to s'pose that teachin', in all its ways, had stood still! I guess not -but even if I don't quite believe MODERN WAYS AHEAD. 73 in all the new-fangled things 'n' methods, /don't want to back-number my books. Give 'em to me fresh, 'n' I'll try to pick out the good n' skip t'other parts ! Now I kind o' like the idea of studyin' real things more 'n' books less than was done when I was to school. It kind o' seems to me 's though it wa'n't goin' to take so long to get the hang o' things. Mercy me, but children seven year old to-day write better 'n I done at twelve. I never could see no sense o' learnin' a lot o' pot-hooks for writin', nohow; 'n' I find that now they don't begin in no such way, 'n' I'm glad of it. With so many children leavin' school at four- teen, fifteen, 'n' sixteen years old, its a mercy they get a chance to know before then that there's somethin' on earth besides work 'n' money.* Not that I despise either — by no manner o' means ! But I've noticed that what boys 'n' girls get interested in in childhood 'n' youth stays by\ 'n' while grammar V figgers 'n' the spellin' book don't seem to have much drawin' power for some of 'em, stones, trees, squirrels, 'n' their own physical machinery does wake 'em up. So I'm free to confess that the modern ways o* :: See Appendix I>. 74 SNAP SHOTS. layin' out school work is miles ahead o' them I wrastled with. Yes, I know I called 'em "new- fangled " in the beginning V they be — but my inflections on that word is different from what it was in eighteen-hundred-an'-ninety-two. I begin to like the word — for it means a good many things that I couldn't have thought out all by myself, 'n' I'm glad my poor old eyes have heerd 'n' my ears seen what they have heerd n' seen since [ first writ about these things to you. Now I'm goin' out to the Buckeye State to see what Superintendent Draper 's about up in Cleveland. The teachers here seem to think he done a heap o' good while bossin' the schools here in York State — 'n' I do hope he ain't no more afraid o' them political machines there than he was here. I'll be sure to tell you what I see that's out o' kilter — 'n' you can print it. Much obliged for favors shown to Yours to command, Polly Poole. [Yes, the study of people and things in con- nection with books is better than books alone. Kindergarten work is demonstrating this in some corners of the earth where teaching had grown EDITORIAL. 75 more or less machine-like — , and "keep up" we must or drop out. Well, I had a lovely invitation out to dinner, with a concert in prospect afterward — but was too tired and cross (I deny that I'm "nervous" —the American woman's substitute for cross) to even think of going; but after dinner I donned my lounging dress and came to my room to see what my educational journals had to offer me in the way o{ advice, help and encouragement. EXPENSES Versus SALARY. 8 1 Opening one* I came across your gentle (?) sarcasm on "Accuracy" and its neglect in our schools. I read it — as I had your previous arti- cles — but determined at the first opportunity to call a halt and give you a pocket full of statistics. Then I picked up the New York School Journal of May 6th and read, in an editorial : "Take New York state, for example; there must be something lacking for in 1892 more than 100 of the 30,000 teachers in the state would have gathered, especially when there was the influence of the National Association to help. Think of the enthusiasm when the politicians of a state meet! There will have to be a compulsory law yet to get the teachers of a state together — here at the East." Well, it makes me tired, and takes away all my courage and ambition — for the employment of which qualities I am paid the magnificent sum of $300 a year! I have no home or family and so cannot" sponge" a living from some of my relatives even if disposed to— but pay $4 a week (and I have to pay my board during the entire year)- $208. I do not have "laundry privileges' 1 in my boarding house, and no time to use them if I had — so my washing costs me twenty-five cents a week— $13 more. I have been brought up to at- *The one that contained Chap. V. of this book while running as a serial. 82 SNAP SHOTS. tend church — and being of Quaker origin that left me too independent to occupy a "sitting" that some one else paid for, so that costs me another ten- (How they do vanish!) I take some little interest in educational matters outside of my own department, for I really want to do my best, so I take the above mentioned journals, one at $1.00 and the other at $2.50. My heart is not entirely calloused yet, so ten cents a week for "sweet Charity 1 ' disposes of another V and twenty cents more. A dollar a week does not seem extravagant as a provision toward a wed- ding outfit if the Prince dawns on my vision, nor toward a comfortable old age if he doesn't* Count out $50 more. Total $2gi. h ]0 I do my own millinery, dressmaking and plain sewing during my vacation — but can t make my shoes! Society forbids me to appear a la Maud Muller — on the streets ; in my own room I may do as I please, but — / have left $8.30 for clothing, books, incidentals ( medicines if needed, street-car fares, lecture, concert, anything — even to a postage stamp or :hewinggum must be paid for !) etc.; and while I should be delighted to attend the Teacher's As- sociation at Saratoga the puzzle with me is how to do it and pay expenses! THEIR MEAGRE SALARIES. 83 As it would take about a week I might " bull- doze" my landlady into rebating $3.00; that would help pay my passage one zvay, and if I go by canal I may be able to work out the rest — on the tow path ! But how am I going to live during that week ? My bonnets and dresses are "be- hind the times" it is true— but I'll endure that and go for the sake of the "enthusiasm" if you and some of the others who are continually "suggesting" the presence of deficiencies will point out a few ways and means. "Politicians" indeed! What would become of their fiery enthusiasm on my salary ? Do they attend State Conventions at their own expense, or are their expenses paid by their constituents ? Now, my dear Miss Poole, mine is by no means an isolated case. Some teachers here get more than I do. (This is my second year.) Some get less. Some have families or .individuals to sup- port from their meager salaries. And if the sal- aries of the entire "30,000 teachers" of the state were averaged I think mine would be a little ahead ! Then, too, some of our teachers are going in for "higher education" and are indebted for ad- vance loans, made while they were getting a start — and must pay this up before free to do any- 84 SNAP SHOTS. thing more toward " mental equipment" Don t you think the work is commensurate to the pay, all things considered ? How would it do for you to use your voice and pen in agitation of this side of the work ? Hoping to hear that you will, I remain, Very Cordially Yours, Now Mister Editor that worried me 'n' I put on my bonnet V took the train for Rochester to get at the " statistics" promised by that young woman an' I grieve to say they was true. She's goin' to get away soon. I've just called the at- tention of a man out West, who wants a teacher (in his home) , to this one — 'n' he thinks if a girl can do all that on $300 a year she's a treasure, y I didn't deny it ! But that ain't the very worst! In Western Massachusetts some counties employ teachers at $4.00 a week who are college graduates! And then we cry down their work ! ! May the good Lord forgive us for all we 've writ 'n' said V done that's discouraged one earnest teacher, or hurt the conscience of one who is truly workin' with an eye beyond pay day ! ! ! Let us all give thanks on the day set apart for national praise that the Buckeye teachers are ROCHESTER SALARIES. 85 not sharpening their noses on poverty's grind- stone — and that they can afford to do good work ! Yea and amen, from P. Poole. [In an editorial entitled " Teachers' Salaries Again" the Rochester (N. Y.) Union and Adver- tiser of December 27, 1893, makes this statement, and pleads for justice to the " underpaid" teach- ers of that beautiful city : " The conference of the finance committee of the Com- mon Council with a special committee of the Board of Education yesterday calls attention again to the question of an increase of the salaries of the grade teachers in the public schools. It will be remembered that this question was up last spring ; the sentiment in favor of justice to the teachers was universal, the admission being made on every hand that they were underpaid. But as has hap- pened before, an obstacle to the proposed increase was found in a charter provision. The victims of this obstacle were given to understand, however, that just as soon as legislation could be had * * * they would have no reason to complain of the earnest desire of the Board of Education to do them justice. " As the meeting of the legislature is near at hand, it appears to be proper to ask one or two questions. Is this understanding to be observed? Is the promised increase to be made? Certain indications hardly justify unqualified answers in the affirmative. The conference spoken of dis- 86 SNAP SHOTS. closes the existence of a number of unpaid bills aggregat- ing many thousands of dollars. It discloses also more anxiety to get money to pay them than to increase the teachers' salaries. That all bills properly contracted should be paid, no one will deny; money should be raised in some way to meet them ; but the matter should not be per- mitted to obscure or blot out the more important matters of justice to the teachers. Too many times already and upon pretexts not altogether beyond criticism have they been obliged to put their lips to the cup of disappoint- ment. To oblige them to do so again upon another pre- text scarcely less creditable than its long line of predeces- sors is to tax faith in human nature to a degree that cannot be borne with equanimity. " Without asking what right the Board of Education had to contract bills when there was no money to meet them, let the hope be expressed that so dubious a pretext will not be allowed to thwart an increase of salaries. That accom- plishment of this object may be placed beyond question, it is of the highest importance that one thing be done. As Assemblyman O'Grady has already suggested, the pro- posed amendment of the charter should separate the teach- ers' fund from the contingent fund. As long as the money available for different purposes is lumped together, con- tingent expenditures will always trench upon expenditures for salaries. Every proposition to increase the one will be met with the demand to pay the other. It has been so in the past; there is not the least reason to believe that it will be so in the future. By adopting Assemblyman O'Grady 's suggestion * * * the salaries of teachers LABOR WORTHY OF HIRE. 8/ * * * can be increased. * * * This would be an act of justice; it would be making labor worthy of its hire." As the amount of " increase" indicated is only from $5 to $15 per month, proportioned to experi- ence, there seems nothing alarmingly extravagant in the proposition that seems so unlikely to be met with an "unqualified affirmative" ! [Editor.] 88 SNAP SHOTS. CHAPTER XIV. "To See Ourselves as Ithers See Us." Miss Poole Holds up the Mirror of the Public Press *. December 2, 1893. My Dear Sir: Home again 'n' glad to be here; V I've just a few words o' private conversation for the entire teaching force. Print 'em easy, please, like "apples of gold in pictures of silver" — 'n' with velvet frames. An' first is this : Be sure you're right — then go ahead, regardless of criticism. But — be sure; and be sure you We right; then "go" — don,t stand still, or you'll stagnate. And go ahead. No back steps in this work, please. Second: Take pride in your work. Having done your best, speak well of the system in general. Admit that there are errors (there are — and grave ones) but insist that there is great progress. If you are not proud of your profession who will be? Make it a thing of which all must be. proud. PUBLIC SENTIMENT. 89 Seek the co-operation of parents,citizens, school- officials and the press. Finally: "Look up and not down; Lookout and not in; Look ahead and not back; Lift up and lend a hand!" I append a few clippings saved from newspa- pers all over the land since these papers were begun. They show, in a measure, public senti- ment on some points, and should give you fresh courage. Speaking of the Teachers' Institute assembled at Greensburg, Pa., December 28, 1892, the Tribune of that place extended a hearty greeting and cordial welcome to the teachers and said : " Parents and directors in many places are no longer willing to have their children crowded into the narrow walls of the school room so densely as to impair their health for life, and to render profitable instruction next to impossible. " They are looking to the necessity of placing school rooms within reach of all, and making it possible in the rural districts for all the children to get to school, and that, too, even in unfavorable weather. "Other improvements in public sentiment and public activities also appear. The school term has been length- ened ; wages are continually increasing ; schoolhouses are improving, and a spirit of progress seems to pervade the people in the cause of education. QO SNAP SHOTS. "What of the teachers? While it is true that there has never been a time when there were not grand teachers, Socrates, Plato, Pestalozzi, Froebel-Arnold, and we must not forget the many excellent teachers of our own county of past generations, yet it is a fact that never before was the standard of the teachers in Westmoreland so high as to-day. There are more teachers that are graduates of hiefh schools, academies, seminaries, normal schools, and colleges, and also more bearing permanent certificates than ever before. This shows an increase in the general intelli- gence and in the standard of teachers which will go on until public sentiment will demand that all the schools be filled with teachers who are educated and trained for their work, just as the minister, lawyer or ^ctor is trained for his work." On the 30th the Times of Cochranton, Pa., re- ports County Supt. Wright's address, saying : " This gathering of the educational forces of this great county of Crawford is not in response t an arbitrary call from your County Superintendent, butis in obedience to the law of this Commonwealth. "A higher motive, also, has operated L o bring together this body of earnest men and women. Sordid motives may actuate some people in many of the acts of life, but not so with the under-paid and often over-worked teachers of our land. The springs of action lie deeper down in the hearts of most of these self-sacrificing people who labor for the elevation of the children entrusted to them." PRESS QUOTATIONS. 91 On the 29th the Ledger of Tacoma, Wash., gave nearly two columns to reporting the sessions of the State Teachers' Association for the pre- ceding day, and commenting on a paper read by Professor Charles \V. Borst of Centralia "How Do Methods Cultivate Mind," said : 44 He also built an ideal so seemingly high that, if reached, the schools would become a heaven on earth for the little ones, and they would be almost perfect in following the model of their preceptors." The Boston Transcript of January 14, '93, gives a detailed report in which we read these signs of progress and of the interest taken in the work: "Children so like to consider themselves as original dis- coverers and fancy collectors in the fields of science that this department of school work is very popular, for in every single town in the State these nature studies are now pursued. 44 The educational value of the institutes cannot be too highly estimated. No stronger impulse to constant pro- gressive education, and no greater tribute to the harmony with which the secretary, the agent and the local authori- ties work together, has ever been furnished than by these meetings, to which Dr. Dickinson has devoted so much time, zeal and wisdom. * * * Such meetings show the interest in public school education." December 30, 1893, the Topeka Daily Capital (Kan.) says : 92 SNAP SHOTS. " Too much of this criticism comes from the superin- tendents and the professors who do not come in contact with the pupils. There is danger of criticising ourselves to death. * * * It reminds one of a Method- ist camp meeting to see the teachers gather in groups and talk after the sessions adjourn. They are a very sociable set of people." On the 23d of the same month the Democrat, Lock Haven, Pa., said that : " There were assembled here more directors than probably ever gathered at the same place before." and of the address by the Honorable Henry Houck : " The honorable gentleman said so much to elevate and inspire that it is with sorrow that we see him leave." On the 19th the Fort Worth Gazette (Tex.) reported the Institute in session there, and quot- ed Dr. Garrison of the Texas University as say- ing that: " The schools of to-day are better than those of the past, because there is higher organization and more perfect co-operation." The Radical, Beaver Falls, Pa., says on the 31st: The Institute has been very pleasant and profitable* The instructors were excellent teachers, thoroughly con- GENERAL NEEDS. 93 versant with their subjects and practical in their methods. * * * Supt. Hillman has held another successful Institute. The last one seems to be the best, but only, we suppose, because it is nearest and freshest in memory. The institute is the great event of the holidays, and we hope a holiday week will never pass in Beaver without being made profitable and pleasurable by the holding of our County Institute." The News, Jersey City, N.J. , Dec. 12, denounces the action of the Hoboken Board of Education in making an appointment in direct reversal of the results of an examination — using "political pull" instead of scholarship, and called the vote "dis- graceful. In his message, the Mayor of Brooklyn said (see Brooklyn Citizen, January 3, 1893) : " Manv public needs can be postponed. We cannot, however, deal with the subject of education in that way. We cannot hold back the years of our children. Every year that they are denied the privileges of the school is a loss that cannot be recovered. A large item in the in- crease of current expenses of the year has been devoted to the educational department of our city. Of the $10,108,- 38 (.80 raised by taxation in this city, $1,996,500 are de- voted to educational work, and yet the record shows that for the year now closing we have not fully met the needs of our city. During the year there have been constructed four new school houses, and large additions have been 94 SNAP SHOTS. made to four others, * * * but, owing to the closing of unfit rooms, the net gain has amounted to only 4,453 seats, while there has been a net gain in registered scholars of 5,039. The greatest overcrowding has occurred in the Eighteenth, Twenty-Seventh and Twenty-Eighth Wards. Three new school houses, however, are being erected for the accommodation of those wards. The following build- ings and additions are in course of erection and will be completed during the year 1893, viz.:" giving a list of four buildings and five additions. January 1, 1893, the Sioux City Journal, Iowa, notes the growth and improvement of the city's public schools, gives a cut of the new High School building which cost $104,460, and devotes a large space to its description. The Philadelphia Inquirer of January 1 1 dis- cussed the annual report of the Board of Educa- tion, and said : " Unrestricted immigration, loose naturalization laws and the abuse of the right of suffrage have assumed such proportions as cause many to entertain grave apprehen- sions lest good government should finally be subverted. " Statistics are given to show that the result of all this is that the criminal class is growing at an unprecedented rate. Compulsory education, President Sheppard says, is the only remedy, and he suggests that the Legislature take such steps as to provide for it. " Reference is made to the presentation of flags to the PRESS COMMENTS. 95 schools by the Junior Order of American Mechanics, and to the wholesome effect resulting therefrom." January 18th, the Chicago Dispatch says : " All thinkers have by this time arrived at the conclusion that education must be the most otent factor in solving the intricate and well nigh distracting problems tha are agitating the people of n t only this country but of the world." Truth, Scranton, Pa., January 20, says : " Notwithstanding the rapidity with which schools have been built in the past few years, in Scranton and else- where, every school room is thronged with eager learners, and the thirst for knowledge is so universal as to render compulsory attendance unnecessary, even if it were desira- ble." and is sustained by next day's Wilkes-Barre Times, which adds : " Self-denial in the respect of making sacrifices, so that the children of the lowly shall be sent to school, is a pre- dominating virtue among parents who know the advan- tages of primary education, and inspired by an affectionate regard for their little ones, aim to clear their future of the obstructions that embarrassed their own lives, by send- ing them as long as possible to the public schools." The Washington Star of January 9 hopes that : « Chicago will not strike a plane of culture where the dead languages and abstruse mathematics are ranked before manual training in importance." g6 SNAP SHOTS. The Journal of Port Chester, N. Y., said (January 12) that "The last twenty-five years have seen a great change in public sentiment on the subject," drawing — but the editor need not have limited his remark to this study. January 17 the Chicago News allowed (?) Miss Burt nearly a column in which to state her own position regarding points in which the Board had not been correctly reported, and she cited instances of teachers who purchase material for their school work, because "It is their religion to do their work right. " On December 30, 1892 the Chronicle, Augusta, Ga., says that Governor Northen vetoed the bill enlarging the curriculum, and quotes him as follows: "It is bad policy to license teachers who are known to "be incompetent to give instruction in a large part of the studies authorized to be taught." The Boston Board of Education is quoted as reporting (Globe, Jan. 24, '93) : "The numerous voluntary and associated efforts to dis- cover what is most essential in both matter and method in teaching are auguries of vast moment for the future of education. "There is an increased attendance upon the schools, keeping the ratio of attendance of children of school age fully up to the ratio of increase of population. PROMOTIONS AND EXAMINATIONS. 97 "There is also increased interest in the support of -schools, indicated by the greater outlay of the past year, and especially in the noticeable improvement in school buildings, to which the towns are now giving more gener- ous attention, incited thereto, it may be, by the liberal ■example of the State itself.' 1 The Post, Houston, Texas, January 13, says: " As the State grows, the public schools and higher education institutes expand to keep apace with her great- ness. Their encouragement in all respects must spring from the honor and pride of the people whose liberality towards them in the past vouchsafes for them success in the future." Regarding promotions and examinations, the Rochester (N. Y.) Herald of December 12, 92, speaks of Supt. Draper's innovation at Cleveland as " Admirable." The Register, Newburg, N. Y., December 24, endorses it and says " Examinations do more harm than good ; the Syracuse (N. Y.) Herald of the 26th says that agradual reform inthisdirection has been going on there for some time; the Fall River (Mass.) Herald of Jan. 24 says that it is a weighty matter and will stand examination, as much can be said on both sides. Of our public school system the Oswego Times said, Jan. 23 : 98 SNAP SHOTS. " It is the greatest bulwark of the Nation. * * * Attacks upon it are a very disagreeable form of treason to the government itself. * * * it is our Nation's chief- est glory." In his last annual report State Supt. Waller of Pennsylvania says salaries have been raised, the term lengthened and school buildings erected in every respect worthy the cause. Supt. Swett of San Francisco is reported by the Call of December 6, 1892, to have said that a new era of educational activity is being entered upon. The New Haven News has the following in its issue of January 11, '93 : " If it be true, as has been said, that the introduction into the public schools of carpenter work, sewing, cooking,, gymnastics, music and other things which in boarding schools are known as 'extras,' has not interfered with instruction in the more essential studies, and if it be also true, as also has been said, that the time devoted to such new branches amounts in some, if not all grades, to a day and a half of each week, what an improvement there must have been in the past few years in the methods of teaching." The Duluth Herald, Minn, gives a column and a half to a reporter who talks of the public schools there, December 10, '93, saying : " The continual aim is to make all the work practical. "' SALARIES. QQ After criticising the New York schools as de- picted by a recent (but possibly superficial) critic, the Troy Times of January 7, '93, says : " But such a system is the inevitable result of subordin- ating the schools to the uses of ring politics, where the most ignorant and useless teacher is valued according to the strength of his ' pull.' " In Jersey City the principals of the public schools (men) asked and were refused an in- crease of salaries, one of the directors character- izing the request as a raid on the city treasury which he should resist and oppose — and the prin- cipals challenged his language, protesting against the "coarse, undeserved and uncalled for insults." (See Journal, Jan. 12, '93.) The Chicago Post of Dec. 30, '92, calls for more salary for the primary teachers and less for the specialists. The Pioneer Press of St. Paul, Jan. 8, '93, points out one cause of the apparent failure of the system to come up to the high ideal "that would make us the envy of the world " in the following language : "Exactly what is done in the schools the people do not know. The average citizen, even when a parent, with children of school age, never goes inside of the building when they are being fitted for the work of life. He knows IOO SNAP SHOTS only by conjecture or hearsay of the system which he is helping to support, and which is determining the future of his children." Parental indifference must not be laid at the teachers door! The editor manfully points out another and worse occasion of inferior work as follows : "The schools are of high grade and improving exactly in proportion to their freedom from the control of ordinary political influences. Where political considerations prevail, they reach their lowest and worst estate. The political school board means that all educational interests are in the hands of men who have sought their places for what there may be in it. The first necessity with such men is to use their place and influence for personal advantage. They serve notice on the superintendent that places must be pro- vided in the teaching force for their friends, and for the friends of those who worked for their elevation. The whole school system becomes, in a short time, a part of the vast political machine that degrades and contaminates whatever it touches. It is but a little while before fitness becomes of no consideration, and the corps of teachers is composed of either more or less active political agents, or the friends and dependents of politicians, who have no more adaptation for teaching than a ward heeler, and who discharge their duties as best they know how, by teaching the child to repeat what has been learned bv rote. No- where does the municipal problem come home as sharply and seriously to the citizen as in its relation to the school sys- MORE PRESS COMMENTS. IOI tern. Nowhere else is the influence of party politics and local party combinations as fatal as when the control of the schools is aimed at. It is this which is wasting every year hundreds of millions of the people's money and blight- ing millions of young lives, while the people blindly trust in the fetish of their adored public school system ; either forgetful or ignorant of what it may become when en- trusted to unworthy hands." Honor bright, it looks to me as though the reformation should begin with the political "machine"! How would it do to wash that first, then winnow the teaching force — if necessary? In the Mail Box column of the Boston Traveller, Jan. 12, '93, we find the following : " One who looks into the early history will soon discover that the chronic situation for the teacher has been much work and little pay." In the December 12, '92, issue of the Toledo Bee, we read : " In the comprehensiveness of thorough organization and in efficiency in execution it would seem that our sys- tem of public education is a grand success. " We realize the progress which our schools have made and which they cannot help but make. The progress is permanent, and it is a matter in which vast humanity is interested." " The methods of teaching various subjects, as presented 102 SNAP SHOTS. by the professors present, were certainly a liberal compre- hension in the right direction, showing that freedom of thought in dealing with Nature's laws was fast taking the place of the strict confinement to text books, thus bringing the pupil in contact with thought which he will be able to realize by and through observation. " One of our popular young teachers, Miss Jessica Marshall, has kindly contributed the following thoughts on ' School from a Teacher's Standpoint' : '"At this time when so much has been written of cruelty in our schools, and even the Humane Society has found it necessary to pass resolutions about it, it is with real pleas- ure that I picture facts as they are. « ' In the schools, one of the first things that would at- tract attention is the universal neatness. The pains which even the smallest boy takes in his appearance are equal to that of a Summit Street dude. His hair is brushed, his hands and nails are carefully cleaned and his shoes are black and shining. His mother will tell you that ' George' is not the same boy since he started to school. Why ? Because his attention has been called to these things per- sistently, though kindly, by his teacher. Another thing that would be noticed is the variety ofmethods with which the teacher presents the same old truths, and the frequent changes in program which prevent the school days becom- ing monotonous and uninteresting. Do you suppose this is an accident, or the result of much time spent in thought? '" Courtesy, too, seems to be the law of the schools, both from the pupils to teachers and from the teachers to CLIPPINGS. IO3 pupils. The pleasant 'good morning' when they enter the school room, the quick apology for any little mis- hap, and the almost invariable use of requests instead of commands. " Teachers are commonly represented as tyrants. Yet witness the affection displayed towards these same 'tyrants." Children will willingly remain after school to do black- board work, collect slates, and carry pails of water, till it often becomes a difficult task for the teachers to decline their offers of service without hurting their feelings." (Toledo doesn't seem "bad to take" — into con- sideration of the work!) In the Nashua (N. H.) Gazette of December 10, '92, we find some one looking backward to the schools of the last generation, and contrasting them with the schools of to-day. He says in conclusion : " Things have changed in school matters and happily for the better. Of course they are not perfect but the way to improve them is for every parent to feel a personal interest in the schools of our city. This feeling that inter- est is taken in their work is as beneficial to teachers and school authorities as is the applause of an audience to the actor or critic's praise to an artist. Personal interest would soon open the eyes of those who should be interested in such matters to the defects as well as the merits of our schools. The parents might see defects that the superin- tendent or school board would be unable to discover as in 104 SNAP SHOTS. some respects they are brought into closer relations to the- pupil than either board or superintendent." The Times, Chester, Pa., same date, quotes the President of the South Chester School Board as- saying : " When I look back twenty years and see the rapid prog- ress made in educational matters and the rapid increase in the value' of school property it makes me feel old." The St. Louis Star Sayings. of December 9,. '92, says : "The reiterated charge against the public school system,, brought by its most uncompromising enemies, that they are Godless schools is infamous. It is intended to bring- the system into discredit and pave the way for instructions in sectarian religion which, if accomplished, means the system's destruction. " The agitation against our public schools at present is- widespread, concerted and sinister. " As by a general order, a grand assault is being made upon them. " But their friends are alert and thev bide their time. " The forbearance of the American people, when a cherished institution is threatened, is well known. " To presume upon their patience is to invite wrath,, which, when it comes, will make short work of the allied influences now tending to undermine nearly all that the intellectual life of the nations stands for to-da}'." January 11 '93, the Baltimore Herald has this. WEAR AND TEAR. IO5 to say under the title ''Wearing work of a teacher" " Close observation shows that teaching is one of the most wearing occupations for women. Even the hard- working clerk, typewriter, journalist or seamstress, with longer hours and more drudgelike employment, keeps her health and strength better through five years of continuous service than does the average school teacher. The girl who begins with erect carriage and rosy cheeks will be seen in the course of a few years to have lost both. " Much of this is attributed to the nervous strain necessary for the regular routine of governing often an unruly class and at the same time teaching the required studies. But allowing that teaching is hard work, without entering into the reasons, certainly nothing should be neglected w T hich adds physical comfort to these positions of honor, filled many times by earnest women who strive by enthusiasm in their work and by a noble example to make teaching a profession. " It would seem to be absurd to declare it is their right to occupy only rooms which can be properly heated and ventilated, and yet it is not too strong a statement to say that, to the writer's knowledge, one girl last winter owed a severe attack of pneumonia to the low temperature of her room, while others suffered more or less from the same cause. Because there are conditions over which the teachers themselves have little or no control, they should be all the more carefully attended to by those who do. " There is another consideration, however, for which 106 SNAP SHOTS. they themselves are responsible, and that is the midday luncheon, which is very apt to be a basket affair, eaten as rapidly as possible in order to go on with the school work, or, as one teacher said, ' she took a bite while correcting papers which had to be ready for the afternoon session.' The full hour's rest at noon should be enjoyed ; when possible a breath of fresh air and a few minutes' walk will make the duties of the afternoon easier." In summing up from these brief abstracts we may conclude : i. All teaching is not on the downgrade. Prog- ress has been made. 2. Where not "up to grade" the machine work is not all chargeable to the teachers and superin- tendents. 3. Where so chargeable parents and taxpayers must do their duty — regardless of politics. 4. "The laborer is worthy of his hire" — and if good work is demanded good pay should be offered. "Hoping that these few lines may find you enjoying the same blessing" I remain (as yet) Polly Poole. [Miss Polly has done a grand thing for us in giving us this birds-eye view of the cause. Let the good work of investigation and defense go on; Let the newspapers and magazines continue the timely discussion — and let every teacher in the CORRESPONDENCE INVITED. 107 land who has a "view" to present, and every parent who has fault to find, with the " system," negatively or positively, or words of commenda- tion for it, address the Editor of Snap Shots, 3J West 10th St. New York. We propose to open our columns for just this purpose. Editor.] I08 SNAP SHOTS. APPENDIX A. "ONE MORE UNFORTUNATE." Teachers' Companion, New Tork. Somewhere, N. Y., Sometime, 1882. Mr. Editor : The despairing wail of your " Unfortunate Young Man "" bade defiance to distance, and after making an impression on the tympanum of my sensitive ears, found a ready and sympathetic echo in the auricles and ventricles of my usually callous heart, for I, too, am an innocent and im- pecunious victim of our Public School System. Just fancy a Balance Sheet made of the following debits and credits for and against this highly praised educational method! APPENDIX A. IOg PUBLIC SCHOOL. CR. i. To 1 2 years of mj life. Some of the best years, too. 2. To a great proportion of child- hood's hours that should have been devoted to physical culture and bodily development. 3. To some of my morals and manners. 4. To constant servitude in a room where there was little or no provision made for ventila- tion, proper light, sufficient heat or other physical necessities. 5. To a woful lack of any prac- tical knowledge of household duties, or the responsibilities of life. 1. By a smattering knowledge of set rules in some particular branches. 2. By a dwarfed growth, weak eyes, round shoulders, bent spine and contracted lungs. 3. Bv association with several hundred other children of all grades so far as home influence and home training is concerned, and teachers that never made any effort to check plainly visi- ble evils. 4 Bv foul air to breathe, a dis- eased system and the cheapest talent that could be procured to " teach the young idea how to shoot." c. Bv a "SHEEPSKIN." Js it strange that I'm not satisfied to be pronounced « a graduate " and yet to know that I have not learned any- thing of housework, or serving, because all my spare mo- ments had to be spent in looking up dates, definitions, and formulas, or in writing five pages on " The Pleasures and Offices of Memory " or some equally lucid and interesting- theme, instead of leaving me any margin of time to make practical experiments in the kitchen, the sewing room, the market or any of the numberless places likely to be within the orbit of my duties? To be sure it gave me a cursory glance at the heavens, but IIO SNAP SHOTS. they were snatched from my enchanted gaze before I could locate a single constellation. It gave me " 14 weeks in chemistry " but just as I began to be interested in the homely chemistry of bread-making, and the processes of fermentation in common things, that which " might have been " made useful in after life was crowded out for draw- ing! And so through the entire curriculum. The "3 Rs." gave way for French — and I hated it heartily in conse- quence! Spelling and all common things were crowded out about half way up the "Hill of Science," and at 18 I find myself poorly developed both physically and mentally ; with nothing useful to help myself with in the way of a trade or profession ; too weak for manual labor, and un- skilled for any other; and so I must teach. To be sure the pay is meager, but so is the Intellect that can afford to work for it. Meanwhile I must wait for a position, for the market is already glutted with such as I, — or ( vain hope!) lean marry and so bring my woes to a period. And I guess I will — for Henry says I know as much as he does any way, and we can both learn, even if we do have to begin on the very lowest round of the ladder. And by the way, I am indebted to the P. S. S. for Henry, so I guess that one credit will outbalance all the debits, and the Balance Sheet bal- ances the other way now. So I'll wipe my weeping eyes, Mr. Editor, and bid you a more cheerful good bye than I expected to when I began this letter from A Sweet Girl Graduate. APPENDIX A. Ill P. S. Of course this could not go without the tradi- tional postscript. I could not think of anything myself, but my father says " A liberal education isn't much better, as far as utility is concerned. " I think he means something about like what one of my older brothers said the other day. Both of them are college graduates, and have been in business ten years (one is a lawyer ; the other is teller in a bank), and now they both say that at least half of that time has been spent in unlearning what they had learned, and in trying to reduce the other half to practical ideas that can be utilized in their business. S. G. G. 112 SNAP SHOTS. APPENDIX B. We clip the following from the New York Times of January 7, 1894 : OUR GREATEST EDUCATIONAL NEED. An eminent authority estimates the money loss to the people of this country, in one way and another during the past year, due to ignorance of the elementary princi- ples underlying public policy in matters of currency and taxation, at not less than $1,000,000,000. Incidental to this loss are much hardship and suffering, and the estimate takes no account of what is yet to be undergone before a normal condition of things is re-established. It is a commonplace remark that the safety of our insti- tutions and the beneficence of our Government depend upon the intelligence of the people and a general diffusion of at least an elementary degree of education. It is of the last importance that the great body of citizens upon whose suffrages the policy and methods of public administration finally depend should be sufficiently enlightened to under- stand the questions at issue and to vote intelligently with reference to their settlement. It is for this that common schools, supported at public expense, are supposed to fit them, and yet these schools fail to teach the very things APPENDIX B. II3 which they most need to know. As a rule, boys leave the public schools with absolutely no knowledge of the princi- ples that underlie questions of currency and taxation and of the application of those principles, and with only slight knowledge, if any, of the political history of the country; and it is surprising how few men who have had the advan- tages of a "higher education" have a clear understanding of the issues which are to be determined by political action. * * # * This great drawback, which costs us so much, is due to a lack of the right kind of education at the time when education is readily acquired and produces a lasting effect. It is a common notion, which comes from neglect in this very matter, that what is called political economy is a dry and difficult subject * * * but its fundamental princi- ples are easily understood and its elementarv doctrines are within the comprehension of ordinary intelligence. It would be absurd to attempt to teach boys and girls in grammar schools political economy in the ordinary sense of the term and in the ordinary way. But they can be made to understand what money is and what it is for. They can be taught what trade is and how exchanges are effected- A clear idea can be given them of what constitutes value and what determines prices. They can be made to under- stand the uses of credit and the devices bv which it is made safely to serve the processes of industry and commerce. They will have no difficulty in comprehending what taxa- tion is for and what effect it has. And so they can be led on from point to point until they reach a verv fair 114 SNAP SHOTS. understanding of questions which Heat the bottom of pub- lic policy in matters that most nearly affect the interests of the people in their daily life, and which they must under- stand in order to exercise the rights of citizenship with any degree of wisdom. What we most need in our system of popular education to-day is an elementary textbook dealing with the primary and settled principles of economy in a simple and attractive way, and the universal use of such a book in the common schools. * * * It is a mistake to assume that the fundamental principles relating to the subject are in dispute or are matters of opinion. They are as well settled as those of physics or chemistry. It is only in their applica- tion that there arc differences of opinion among those who really understand them. What we need first of all and most of all is to have them understood by men who vote, and especially by men who hold office. Then we shall not have political movements based upon ignorance and delusion, and u statesmen" whose arguments are as gro- tesque as those of the negro preacher who demonstrates that "the sun do move." APPENDIX C. 115 APPENDIX C. The following was taken from the New York Evening Post, December 6, 1893. PAY OF COUNTRY SCHOOL TEACHERS. The inadequate payment of women who teach in the rural districts of Western Massachusetts was severely animadverted upon by Superintendent Walter P. Beckwith of Adams recently in an address before the Massachusetts Teachers' Association at Boston. It seems that in some of the Berkshire hill towns the wages of these women are less than $20 a month, and in one town they are as low as $15.75. ^ r - Beckwith declared that such a state of things was a shame to "the great and wealthy Commonwealth of Massachusetts." " Of course," he said, ''• the young women who are going through some of the motions of teaching for such paltry remuneration are not well prepared to do the work set for them. A teacher who receives $4 per week has no right to be well prepared." What makes the giving of such mean compensation appar- ently inexcusable is that the rate of taxation in these towns is unusually high . In that paying the lowest salary of all it is $28 a thousand. Mr. Beckwith brought out some other inter- Il6 SNAP SHOTS. esting facts. He found that many of the women teaching in the four western counties of Massachusetts were college graduates nowadays and that the average increase in the wages of the men in the State at large since 1875 had been 5S per cent., in the wages of the women only 32. " These|figures seem to show us," he said, "that in propor- tion as the elements of professionalism and permanence are introduced the wages increase. The wages of men teachers increase faster than those of women, for one reason, because men, as a rule, now remain longer in the work than women — it being less common than formerly for men, at least in Massachusetts, to teach as a mere makeshift." 021 363 649 2