Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1907 — SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES [ARTICLE]

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

Educational leaders are still discussing with unabated interest the proposition put forward by Thomas L. Burt recently in the Independent, namely, that the schools should be open all the year round, Sundays and the few public holidays alone excepted. Mr. Burt’s idea is that this would leave about 300 school days, which would vary in length of session from three hours in summer to five or six in winter. He says that no educator wMI deny that this distribution of school time would enable the pupils to cover more ground and make much greater progress than under the existing plan. One of the principal objects gained would be, in his opinion, to keep the children off the streets in, the summer time and to make their development steady and continuous. The fact that most parents ve glad to send their children to summer schools is regarded as favorable. He proposes to make the pay of the teachers “accordingly higher,” in money and not in holidays and vacations. He argues, further, that short hours, Saturday and Sunday holidays and long vacations, “instead of producing the habit of study among teachers probably increases laziness.” According to this proposal, no teacher would teach all day, but two or even three should occupy the same room during successive sessions.

In the revised course of study which has been adopted for the public schools of Boston, says the School Journal, English has been made the central feature. Arithmetic has been simplified, and made practical in its relation to practical life. In geography stress. Is laid upon human life, commerce and industry. Commercial geography is given a prominent place. More time is given to spelling than before. Physical training has been almost revolutionized. Hygiene has been given precedence over physiology. Weight is given to knowledge of tbe health of the home and the community. Beginning with elementary personal hygiene, pupils are taught correctness in food, exercise, posture, sleep and habits. In the next grades personal hygiene, that teaches how to make the body beautiful, strong and graceful, has place. In the seventh grades comes, for the first time, a little physiology ; then more personal hygiene, together with home hygiene. In the eighth grade attention is given to public hygiene. Under the guidance of Principal Gibson of the Agassiz school, Boston, the boys of the sixth grade are devoting five hours a week to practical industrial work, at present being engaged in maxing pasteboard boxes, but later to advance to wood and metal work. The course extends over three years, and tue object is to give the boys practical apprentice work in various trades. The time taken in the making of every article will be noted and the record of the workers thus kept before them.

Eleven teaching fellowships have been established at the University of Kansas for graduates of special merit. Each fellowship entitles the holder to $205. anJ he is obliged to teach not more thau seven hours a week. The remainder of the time is to be devoted to investigation leading to an advanced degree. Announcement is made that Columbia university has received an anonymous gift of, 1100.000 to establish in memory of the late Henry Hergh a foundation to inculcate a spirit of kindness and consideration townrd the lower animals. A semi-official indorsement of Esperanto as an international language has been given by the College’de France of Paris, at a recent genera! congress,-repre-senting 310 learned societies. It hat ing been proposed to study the rations international languages and to adopt the best, the'eengresa s»lee:ed Esperanto owing to its relative oer feet ion and exPusiv: use.