Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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[ _ [m* OUR SCHOOLS. I, to The Course of Study-?An other Able Paper by Prof. iu Hand. ?< n Thoro is a small but turbulent class ^ of overwise writers who periodically belabor the public schools. In their ^ nightmares they see thousands of ton- oo der children murdored or maimed in -n the public schools and give vociferous ^ utterance to so much wild nonsonso I so that they have but one effect?making pooplo refuse to heed them oven when ftf they point out some real defect. Some of these writers have warned us against ono great evil which we havo gono on ^ ignoring?thatof an overcrowded course ftr of study. To bo brief, some years ago re our educators realized the poverty of j.(> our common school course of study, | confined almost exclusively to the throe It's. A just demand was -made for an ^ enriched course, giving a wider rango of subjects to the pupils. A number of JU subjects has been added. Now, in or- ,p| dor to encourage individual initiative, t() I take it, tho Stato hoard of education t)) has never proscribed a maximum or a U] minimum number of subjects for any ^Pcourso. Instead it has adopted text js books covering a rather wido range of subjects nnd grouped those into yearly ftI grades, leaving each school to inako up j a course or courses from this list. ^ The building of a well-balanced . course of study is the work of an ox- ^ pert. Comparatively few toachers lay m claim to that stage of fitness. Yet each st) teacher, or at least each principal, experionced or inexperienced, sets about to make his own course. Theories, I uiu pnysicai endurance ot the teachers 25 was no limit?four teachors pitted jo against 10 sets of children. 25 I am far from advocating only the -,o three It's in the common school, but -,o our schools are undertaking too much, in the quantity of work and in the kind of work. School work must ho cir- j() cumscribed by time, space and tho j?r ability of the pupil. Take the eighth Se grade course already mentioned. Of the 11 texts prescribed nino are to be y, pursued at the same time. It is no litt figure of speech to say that if a child's a fl time is tho dividend of a long division ^ the quotient, or result, must he small. Ba For instance, in the first two years of K< prejudices and tastes begin to clash for the mastery. One teacher is an arith- on metic crank and his courso has but lit- to tie else in it; another's favorite subject J)r is grammar and ho makes his pupils m analyze and parse everything in sight; j)0 another has no tasto for geography and he practically omits it; another "dotos tr, on" poetry and tho whole school is put gt. to memorizing and reciting gems; while a lot of^ thorough-going]) teachers 'who t() take everything literally put the whole j,j, adoptod list into one course and give js it to every pupil in the school. . _n A groat deal of ignorant and unjust w| criticism is made against tho frequent ^ and useless change of textbooks. It sc would be neither wise nor defensible to jn have a child use tho same reader through w two or three grades, or to use tho same fft] geography through tho fourth, filth and g,. sixth grades, for instance. If the book ftS is suited to his advancement when he W( begins it, it is reasonable to say tbat it co is not suitable two or three years later eu in his lifo. And if a toachcr were to ftI] keep tho child of one of the watchful Kuaruituis 01 mo schools in a fourth reader, for instance, for three years this same guardian would make the columns of tho local newspaper smell of sulphur in declaiming against tho outrage?then an fail to sign his name. Oil the other 116 hand, many of our schools do needlessly wt tax the patrons for hooks and burden lie the children with books. Let me give concrote cases. 1 havo just cxaminod tho published course of study in a 10grade school in one of our towns. In that course are proscribed separate texts, exclusive of copy books, draw- an ing books, scratch pads, etc. In the M school aro 10 teachers. In another 10- w< grade school, with four teachers, thero he are 61 prescribed texts. In the first da mentioned school there aro 10 separate texts required in tho seventh grade; in (j0 tho second mentioned school 11 texts (<? aro given in the eighth grade. 2"> Kvery child ought to have the host jj, obtainable book in every subject ho o pursues, and he ought to have all the |?j books ho needs?books suited to bis ago m and advancement?but 1 protest that <>_ tho above mentioned courses are out of 50 reason. To undertake to teach all >;? these books to any one child in the al- (55 lotted time would make old Socrates catch his breath. I11 the lirst easo it ||, would seem that the course given was pj measured by the physical endurance of |() the teachers?10 teachers pitted against pj 10 sets of children. In the second class ^5 THE LAN ohild's school lifo, the schools verj overly devote much timo and energ> oral reading. But by the time h< aches the fifth grade so many thing: o crowded upon him that ho does bul tie oral reading whilo under instruc* >n?a few minutes a day, perhaps enoe when ho reachos the high school s oral reading is scarcely intelligible, id he is often unable to get thought jm the printed page. Indeed many f llogo student and not a few teacher: our common schools can not read a: oy should read on entering the higl hool. These crowded courses of study havi lother fatal weakness. In the saim hool and in the same classes is f ido range of ability, taste and oppor nity among the pupils. The brigh id precocious mind, the sluggish bu tentive mind and the dull mind an und sido by side. The pupil of rebus )dv and viirnriiiiK hnolll, ?! ? ...... * pble body and delicate health aiu e one with ample time for overs sk and tho :one with scant time fo ly task, all go to the same school lie unpardonable sin of the school ii bunch them together, give then e same work and require all to meas re up to a common standard, (lot ado thorn in different molds and i useloss for the schools to try to ig ire the differences. It is unnatura id it is wrong. To march abreast 21 lildren in one grade up to a givei ad-line is neither possible nor do rable. Children with diverse abili is, | tastes I antI|opportunities shouh it be required to progress with evei ep through such diverse subjects ai athematics, language, history am awing, if a boy can do tho lan lage work of the sixth grade, bu prepared for only tho fourth in math latics, put him just whore he is fitted go. "Oh, ho will not fit into mj ogramme," says some one. Thei ake the programme lit the boy. The ssibility of doing this is ono of tin eat advantages that the small conn p school 1ms over the closely graded hool. There is another thing which needs be dinned into the ears of our peo e?both toachers and patrons?that il folly for a school with nine grades (1 two teachers to undertake to dt hat a school with nine grades and si> nchers accomplishes. The two-teachei hool may be the better school with its limitations, but it must keei ithin these limitations. A one-horst rmor who would claim to bo able t< ow as many crops and as largo crops a four-liorse farmer would grow nuld be a laughed at. Little Davie uld light little in big Saul's heavy anc mbersome armor, but with a slinf id a pebble he did elfecti vo work. William II. Hand. University of South Carolina. Are You Only Half Alive? People with kidney trouble are so weal d exhausted that they aro only hal vo. Foley's Kidney Remedy makei althy kidneys, restores lost vitality, ant >ak. delicate people are restored tc alth. Refuse any but Foley's. i It. Pisgah Church Contributors to Orphanage. The following aro the contributors id tho amount given by each, fron t. Pisgah church to the t'onnle Max al 1 Orphanage, the inonoy bavin) en made by them on orphanago worl >y*Salliot 'atoo, 40cts; Julie Catoe, 00; Hat > Catoe, 75; Ncelie Morgan, 05; Marj doe, 50; Xeelie Catoe, 20; Kttar Bird ; L. A. Munn, 10; Kdward Catoe, 50 irnard Catoe, 15; Ilarmon Catoe, 20 larlie Bird, 15; J has Catoe, 15; Alme Its, 15; Coral Pitts, 10; Roseo Pitts ; I?. I,. Catoe, 55; S. A. Catoe, 55; E Thompson, 1.00; Richard Kubanks ; C. A. Johnson, 50; s. M. Johnson ; Bonnie Johnson, 25; Mattio Catoe ; Bessie Bird, 10; Annie Munn, 10 zzie Morgan, 15; Theo Catoe, 50 ixl 1 io Bird, 50; Henry Catoe, 00; Pe rd, 25; I.other Bird, 25; I B. Catoe ; I la Pitts. 50; Kate Pitts, 25; Lewis tts, 50; Alex Pitts, 25; Sallie Pitts : Press Sullivan, 50; Jack Sullivan ; Oscar Sullivan, 25; Maria Perkins ; James Johnson, 25; Meniel Johnson ; Belle Vincent, 25; Henry Clyburn ; Johnnie Clyburn, 50; Minae Holloy ; Nellie Catoe, 50; Lewis Haley, 75 B. Catoe, 50; Thomas Haley, 50; Mrs ary Catoe, 25; Mrs. Maggie Bird, 50 hnnio Bird, 50; Andrew Catoe, 15 os. Kogors, 15; Klin Soegars. 15; Kthe ogam, 15; Thomas Catoe, 2.50. trns, bruises and] scratches, big anr lie cuts or in fact anything requiring aire, are best and qnickest soothed em: aled by DoWjtt's Oarbolized Witch Ha HaWo. Thb beat saWe for piles. B< .e yon get ?>?Witt's. Hold t>y J. F, tckey * Co. w-i * ? _ ( ^ / CASTER NEWS. OCTOaEI > ~ NEV\ NE , j Is I Ouite the latest st r DRY C and it will afford i any other goods tl New line Black Poplins and Panar goods and others ; ed folds. 6.0 IN ew lot Rube and Stripes. Spl I ^0 I New shipment J feta Petticoats. C > i r > New line Belts with Colonial bucl I ? Good assortmer Auto Scarfs in pr< 9i S Bargains offered tf in the week. Lancasl 1 >v r DR. DOUGLAS McINTYRE DENTAL SUItCI EON 1 Ofllce over Heath-Jones Co.'s Store, l ot tM l lt, 8. < . HARRY HINES ATTORNEY-A T-LA W ' Office* in Springs Hlock. Over Cloud's *t?>r< LANCASTER, S. C. Highest Cash Price Paid For i r.nttnn ^pprl VVIIVII WUVI WEIGHED AND UNLOADED 1 UP-TOWN. See me before you sell. ! T. L. Hilton. 1 Subscribe for The Lancaster New*. R 24, I9Q8 1 WER JEW EST yles out in the following ire being shown in our M imiiTi as special pleasure to show ; aroughout our store you mc Skirts, in fine weave, me nas. Some have plain fold are trimmed with buttons a 0, 7.50, 8.5C irized Silk Rain Coats in ] endid values at 0, 7.50, 8.0C of those splendid extra hea "an't be beat if equaled for 4.98. in the latest styles, of Silk kles at 15 and 50c. it of fiigured Silk and Cre] *tty soft shades, at 3c and 1.48. iroughout the store in every dep ter Mercant: f"n*7wTV .yr, nrnrini ?. [| unilil I """ ULUWWl :i\. 11 Selection of candy la generally tryinfr on the buy II roputationsof thedifTerrnt brands. the superior r< II leaves no room for doubt, or ct'crt for hcxitntiotu || pure, and the care Riven each individual piece In m I || m a canuy an attractive as it is wholesome. Soki 3 Manufactured by LITTLEFIELD & STE Exclusive Agencie To Debtors and Creditors. All persons indebted to the estate of James I'. Ilailes, deceased, are hereby ' w notified to make payment to the under- m.V 1>re signed executors, and all parties hold- BKK inj? claims against said estate are direct- I?ropert ed to present same, duly attested. seed, 2 Mary Hlecker Itailes, wa^oni J. J. Itailes, ?nd S. K. ftailes, includi > Kxeeutors. 4-13. I I 4 ?? <1. If P A "1 _7 ; =| I : 1 III named goods II | I1T I you these and I ly wish to see. 8 dium weight, I Is of the same g md satin pip- | >. I Blacks, Blues ? >. vy Black Tafonly and Elastic pe de Chine >artment, 6 days ile Co. I or. but if yon know the several jputat ion and quality of Strrre's The ingredients are absolutely nnufart ure and handling results ^HjU by all Druggists and Confectioners. ^BS 'ERE CO., KnoxviUe, Tenn. EflB is Granted sa For Sale. 1 soli at public salo, for cash, at raises on Flat crook, on NOVKM18th, the following j>ersonal ,y : Lot of com, fodder, cotton mules, 2 horses, 2 two-horse i and 1 one-horse wagon, amowa lot of other plantation tools, ng blacksmith tools. .1. A. BIRD.