VOL. LXV
INDIANAPOLIS, DEC. 31, 1910.
NO. 53
Written for the Indiana Fanner:
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
By J. H. Haynes.
.Many years in the school room has
given the writer a good insight of how
schools should bo taught and of what
(institutes a good teacher but like
many others lie is oslerized because of
age and has nothing to say only so far
as the right of a citizen will allow. Unfortunately citizens have little to say in
school matters at best. They used to
have, but latter day methods bar them
completely, whether it be in tho city,
town or rural schools. They are silent
factors and lookers on. In cities coun-
cilmen elect school boards and these select the teachers. Of their qualifications for such work one can guess from
the general make-up of such boards.
In towships, trustees are elected by
the people. The trustees elect the superintendent and he controls to a great
extent the selection of the teachers. So
the people are remotely removed from
having anything to say. But the most
important matter in the case is how the
schools are to be conducted and what
studies should be pursued, on both of
which the people should have something tu say.
From present methods it seems rather a matter of speed lo rush pupils
through more than one of thoroughness
and efticiency.
If ono were to hitch a 1,000 pound
roadster alongside of one that travels
2:40, and expect to win a race he would
surely be left, or if a farmer were to
hitch u mule and an ox to draw the
plow aud expect harmony and equality
of action he too would be left. These
two things arc just what are being done
in our pr> sent methods all over the
state.
Let us sec. The course of study embraces certain branches, say five in
number, which every pupil regardless
of his ability or titness is required to
.-any, under penalty of forfeiting his
right to graduation, unless he does pursue them.
Take a class of 20 pupils, some are
bright, some medium and others dull.
Some are geniuses in history or the
lauguages, but others are not. Some take
to mathematics and kindred studies,
others are weak in all the studies. How
arc such classes to be managed, is one
question and tho other is "How are
they managed? the latter we will answer.
Lessons  are  assigned   daily  that  tax i
tlie ability of the expert pupil to master !
and the dullard must take his chances
to keep up.     As the power of the expert increases    to master    his    lessons
these are increased in length, with the
Rita] result that tho genius is overtaxed ■
till  he is a  mental wreck and the dull
impil  gives  up  the race.       It ls a case
of the roadster aside the pacer, sure, or
Ihe  ox and   the  mule  unequally yoked
fur tlie task.     What ean be said of the '
.■.inducting of a school that will iiuish
U. 8. History and Roman or Grecian in
one school year?  What is to be thought
of a teacher who will assign 25 or SO
pages of Roman history for a daily lesson?    What is to be gained by a course
of  study   that   will   require   the   expert
pupil  to  sit up till  the  small  hours  of
the night to master it?     And yet these .
very things are being done by our mod- ,
ern system of teaching.     We know just \
what we say and have the proof ready j
tu  substantiate  it.
The writer had tlie good fortune to
be trained educationally by one of the
best teachers in the state in his day, a
thorough scholar and one who knew the
modus operandi of managing a school.
We learned from his methods and j
our experience afterwards to guage a
lesson according to the ability of the
pupil to master, and in so doing we
struck a balance between the ability
of the genius and that of the dull pupil
and gave our lessons accordingly. If j
any deviation was made from this rule
it was in favor of the weak pupil. But
today, the pacer leads and the rest must
keep up (if they can).
Another   matter,   an   old,   old   story, |
Another question. What should the
pupil study? A King of Sparta, when i
asked what was tho most proper thing
for the boy to learn, replied: "Those !
tilings they expect to do when they are
men." How about the curriculum of
1910? In 1837 a little text book was
used in the schools called "the Farmer's
Text Book." In the preface the author
said: "Children should study in the
school room what they will practice in
life." What becomes of your Latin
and Greek studies and others too in the
life of 99 out of every 100?
Our rural schools are of short duration, while the town and city schools
are from two to three months longer.
This should not be nor would it under a
A Model Farm   Home, Barn and a Superb Road to Town.
but a good one to harp on. Tho text I
book matter. We loved Ray's Arithmetics because they were so full of
common sense methods of instruction
and thorough scholarship in their
make-up. How about the present series of mathematical books? Let some
good honest teacher answer this query.
We have not the words at command
adequate to express our views.
How about our modern grammar series said a well educated man, to us the
other day. "The grammars of today
are a farce of the first water. There I
is scarcely an iota of the old grammatical constructions, so common to our
older works to be found in them. Take
a class using these modern books and ;
drill them in grammars like Swinton's,
Clark's or Harvey's, and they would all
prove ignoramuses." And that is about
the fact?
How about spelling? Oh, they quit
the business long ago. No time to •
waste on such a small matter. It would
be a surprise to the reader if he could
look over some of the manuscripts
given as the examinations cither of,
teachers or pupils.
We know a    graduate, one    high in ;
position  in  the  world,   who  insists  on \
spelling "tongue," "toung," and he will ■
do this forty times a day if the occasion
offers.
We used to get notes from our patrons in early days requesting us to
teach their children "redln* ", "ritin* "
and "spelin'." So we did, for we wanted
an improvement in the race. But that
"fad" is all off today. The same thing
can be said of all the other branches of
text books. They are made to sell,
that's about all.
fair distribution of school funds, and
fair rates for tuition. Too much of the
school money is absorbed by the city
schools in the way of tuition that the
rural schools can not furnish. Change
this course and make the facilities of
the rural school as good as those of
the town by giving them competent
teachers. Give better prices if necessary to get these and stop the flow of
pupils and money from our rural districts. Keep the boys and girls in the
rural schools and we will guarantee
they will know how to spell "tongue"
even if they cannot read Latin or Greek,
and we believe they will make better
citizens.
Finally give the people a voice in the
school business; do not set up an absolute monarchy in school affairs in this
land of partial liberty. We have known
parents to go to school superintendents
and to trustees with requests only to
be turned away with the reply that
"they were in charge of the educational
business," and that if the patron was
not satisfied "to move out." We know
this to be true in several instances. The
sooner the people have something to
say in these matters the better.
Our school system is a costly one. It
should do a vast amount of good. Is it
doing so? Where, when and how?
How about the fitness of our teachers
for the work? Not In an educational
sense only but in a moral sense. The
teacher who is profane; who chews and
smokes tobacco, or uses strong drink
should be barred from our school
rooms. We have intellectual and moral
men and women to fill these places if
we only say so—that ls if the people
say so.
PROPOSED NATIONAL AGRICULTI-
RAL COLLEGE.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Senator Gallinger lias introduced a
bill proposing the establishment of a
Federal college of agriculture and mechanic arts in the District of Columbia.
The running expenses, according to the
bill, are to be paid out of the public
Treasury by an extension of the Morrill
act for the benefit of colleges to the l)i
trict of Columbia. An appropriation
of $1,000,000 for the purchase of a sit"
for the college and the erection of suit
able  buildings  is  provided.
Under the terms uf the bill the pi\>-
posed college is to be managed by a
board of trustees consisting of twelve
members—the Secretary of Agriculture,
the United States commissioner of education and the chairman of the board of
District Commissioners, together with
three to be appointed by the House,
three by the Senate and three by the
President.
Senator Gallinger in presenting the
bill stated that he did so on the request
of an outsider, who, it was afterward
developed is Edmund J. James, president of the University of Illinois. President James in a letter to Senator Gall-
! inger on the subject said:
"1 believe that there would be general satisfaction in the country at the
creation of such an institution in the
District of Columbia, not only because
it would serve the purpose of the people
of the District, but because, owing to
its location and consequent intimate
connection"with the Department of"
Agriculture and other government departments, it would doubtless develop
into a very important institution in its
respective field. I think you would do
a great service for the American people
if you could persuade Congress to accept some such proposition  as this."
'..     Be     M.
Washington, D. C.
CURING MEAT.
Editors Indiana  Farmer:
Please give a recipe for sugar-curing
meat by the dry process; hams and
shoulders that will weigh 40 pounds.
Henry Co. W. E. -\\\
Answer. We do not understand the
dry process for sugar curing. For dry
salt curing spread the pieces to be cured
upon a floor; so they will not touch
each other, and after all animal heat
has disappeared rub with salt and plan-
in small piles where the air ean circulate freely. At the end of live days
roll in new salt, rubbing in as much as
possible, and then pile as was done at
the flrst salting. After twenty days repeat the operation, applying a greater
amount of salt and again piling the
pieces. In sixty days from the first
salting the meat will be ready for smoking.
To sugar cure hams, shoulders aud
bacon pack the pieces in a tight or an
open vessel, and cover with the follow
lug pickling preparation: For each
three hundred pounds of meat put in
twenty-four pounds salt, three quarts
sirup, twelve ounces saltpetre and fill
with water. If an open vessel is used
the meat used should be repacked occasionally, so that all pieces will have
alike a good chance to bo treated by
the pickle. A closed vessel may be
inverted once in a while. The meat
should remain in this preparation until
ready to smoke.