USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Melrose > City of Melrose annual report 1908 > Part 5
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I submit a few typical quotations from replies that were received.
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Answers to question No. J
(a) "I think it does."
(b) "Yes."
(c) "Very satisfactory."
(d) "It does."
Answers to question No. 2.
(a) "No noticeable difference."
(b) "I should say that comparison would be in favor of the graduates of the Melrose High School."
(c) "I prefer the graduates of the Business Department of the Melrose High School to the graduates of private business schools. The high percentage of those who have "made good" certainly reflects credit on the training that they have re- ceived. The results have exceeded by expectations."
(d) "Favorably. I have found them well trained gen- erally and efficient."
These replies indicate that, when put to the test of ap- plication in business activity, the training received by pupils in our high school is reasonably thorough and well adapted to the requirements of the business world.
The incidental training that our young people are re- ceiving through the various literary, musical, and athletic organizations fostered by the school, to which extended reference was made in my report for 1907, is of considerable value and I am glad to report that at no previous time during my connection with the schools has activity in these lines been more satisfactory than at present.
Household Science. In my report for the previous year, the judgment was expressed that no more practical work could be done for girls in our high school than to provide a systematic course of instruction in the science of household economy and home-making for girls.
This suggestion was referred to the Sub-Committee on Special Studies for consideration. That Committee has not yet made any report upon the subject and, inasmuch as the Committee has been re-organized since that time, I desire to invite your attention to the following discussion of this subject.
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Fundamentally, as I see it, the end sought in education at public expense is social efficiency on the part of the indivi- dual. Therefore, the necessity and worth of any policy of public school administration must be judged with reference to its effect upon the accomplishment of that end.
One needs to bear in mind in determining what is best in public education, that, since social conditions are not fixed, the character of public instruction must change from time to time if it is to meet the needs of young people. Be- cause a traditional course of study has seemed wise in the past, it does not follow logically that it may be best for the present. Whether or not it be so depends upon existing social conditions.
Now the concentration of nearly 90 per cent. of our popu- lation today into more or less congested residential centers, has developed social conditions vastly different from those which prevailed when population was less urban,-conditions that require a kind of training as a preparation for successful living that is unlike that of the past in respect to the em- phasis to be put upon what is commonly known as the practical studies.
The fact, also, that today the majority of the pupils who finish the course in our elementary schools go on into the. high schools for a longer or shorter period makes it even more imperative that the so-called liberal or culture studies should hold a less important place in our high school courses than they have.
There is another consideration bearing upon the character of the courses of study in high schools that I wish to note briefly. In the past, educators have generally held the theory that certain studies are especially adapted to train certain faculties of the mind and that a child trained in one of these studies acquires power of a certain kind which is available for use in any field of intellectual activity in which he may be called to exert power in that direction. For example it has been generally assumed that mathematics was the subject pre-eminently with which to train the reasoning faculty and that one taught to reason well with mathematical data ac- quired thereby power to reason well in any field of ideas;
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and similarly that one trained through the study of Latin and Greek to observe linguistic forms critically and to use them with exactness acquired thereby a general power of critical observation and accuracy that was effective in any field of mental acitvity.
This theory is largely responsible for the type of high school course that has and does chiefly prevail today. Grad- ually, however, educators are coming to see that there is little truth in this theory. Experimentation indicates that power gained in a special field of knowledge is effective in another only to the extent that the latter field has elements in com- mon with the former. For example, power in mathematical reasoning has a certain value in the study of physics because the data of mathematics enter somewhat into physical science; but it is practically valueless in dealing with grammatical material because mathematics and grammar have almost no data in common.
This newer conception, which declares that, in the main, all mental power is special and not general, leads one logically to reject the domination of the so-called culture idea in education and to substitute therefor the idea that those studies should be made prominent in the school curriculum that minister directly to some expected future need in the life of the in- dividual in order that he may become socially efficient.
Dr. Woodward, dean of the school of engineering, Wash- ington University, St. Louis, Mo., in an address on "The Op- portunity and Function of the Secondary School," pointed out the principle that should dominate in the construction of high school courses of study in the following words :- "The curriculum must adapt itself to modern requirements. It. must touch modern life, modern conditions, modern forces, modern responsibilities . . We must teach the duties of an American citizen rather than the manner of life of a slave-owner in Athens or Babylon; not merely what may be the solace and delight of a man of leisure, but what will increase his value and use in practical affairs."
These statements were made with special reference to. the education of boys, but the principle enunciated is as true
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with respect to the education of girls. Education of the best kind, whether for boys or girls, should aim at fitting them to discharge to best advantage to themselves and to those with whom they live the obligations of everyday existence.
Believing thus, I am convinced that the courses of study in high schools, as they are largely organized and taught, fail to provide a sufficiently practical training for our girls. Too much emphasis is put upon the culture idea and too little upon those lines of training that are designed to equip young women to become efficient home-makers,-a vocation to which at one time or another the majority of young women may fairly expect to be called and for which relatively few today are receiving any adequate preparation.
It is frequently said by those who oppose the. teaching of household science and home-making in the schools, that the home should provide instruction in these lines. In reply it may be said fairly (1) that, whatever one may think regarding the duty of the home in this respect, the conditions of modern social life are so complex and the struggle for existence so intense for the masses that it is practically impossible in the majority of home to expect much to be accomplished in this line through home instruction and (2) that, even if the home- should definitely undertake the work, there are relatively few mothers so trained themselves that they are competent. to do it as intelligent y and effectively as it can be done in the schools.
A member of the faculty of a well-known Massachusetts College for women in pleading for the academic idea in sec- ondary and collegiate education as opposed to the practical, has said that the ends of education are three-fold,-(1) the training of the judgment, (2) the training of the taste, and (3) the training of the character; and has suggested that we may not hope to secure these ends if we lose the academic ideal in our work.
Such argument is based upon the old formal discipline. idea, and its fallacy is apparent when one remembers that all judgment which is of value is judgment in a special field, that all taste which is valuable is special taste, and that character·
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is formed not so much by special lines of study as by the in- tellectual and moral re-actions that are stimulated in us by the methods of approach to our studies, by the regime of the school and the home, and as the result of our social experiences in general.
The foregoing considerations appear to justify the con- clusion that the courses of study for girls in high schools should make ample provision for systematic instruction in the science of home-making.
Some of the lines of work that may well be included under this head are as follows,-sewing, embroidery, dressmaking, millinery, cooking (including not only the preparation of food but the chemical nature and relative values of food materials), dietetics, nursing, sanitary science as applied to the home, the arrangement, care, and decoration of the home, and home econo- mics.
Some of the results that we may fairly expect to be de- veloped by the proper teaching of these subjects in the schools are these,-
1. Higher appreciation of the importance of home duties and of the significance of the home as a social institution; and, when we note the present-day tendency away from home and the fact that in our American society there is one divorce to every twelve marriages, it will appear, I think, that the accomplishment of this result in our schools has distinct social value.
2. A deeper sense of woman's responsibility in home- making.
3. Increased capability in the management of a house- hold and in the performance of household duties if nec- essary.
4. A lengthening of the average period of school life of our girls, which, I think, would be a social gain.
5. Not only power that is directly available in after life, but also increased respect for work and the worker as pupils realize through personal experience the manual skill and artistic sense required for a successful milliner or dressmaker; and, to the extent to which this is so, such training is effective as a social solvent.
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The method by which these more practical lines of work may be introduced into a curriculum that already seems con- gested, are not matters for extended consideration at the present time. Nevertheless permit me, without any discussion, to make a few suggestions bearing upon this point.
1. More or less of the work now done in certain lines of academic study might well be eliminated and the time thus gained given over to the suggested practical studies. 2. ' Subjects of study in high schools should be almost wholly elective, so that to every girl who attends these schools there might be open the opportunity to take work in the practical lines indicated; and I conceive it to be the duty of those who administer high schools to do what they fairly may to dignify and make attractive courses in the practical subjects.
3. For such as may desire a fairly full course of training in household science, it would be reasonable, I think, to arrange so that about one-third of the points required for graduation should be secured in the line of the sub- jects suggested and two-thirds in the so-called academic studies.
4. I think, also, that it would help on the realization of more practical courses for girls in the high schools, if all colleges for women would enlarge their field of use- fulness by recognizing faithfulness and proficiency in the pursuit of domestic subjects in the secondary school as part of the preparation which renders a girl fit to take up a collegiate course.
I trust that the possibility of providing opportunity in the Melrose High School for girls to receive training along this line may receive thoughtful consideration by the Com- mittee.
Stamp-Savings System.
Dr. A. E. Winship, editor of the Journal of Education, begins his excellent work entitled "Jukes-Edwards" with the following statement :- "Education is something more than . . .knowing how to read and write. It has to do with
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character, with industry, and with patriotism. Education tends to do away with vulgarity, pauperism, and crime; tends to prevent disease and disgrace, and helps to manliness, success and loyalty."
It is well to be reminded occasionally of this view of education, because it is too commonly the case that an edu- cated man is considered simply as one who knows consider- able of the different subjects of the school curriculum and that the success of educational institutions is judged solely by the degree to which they contribute to such knowledge. As a matter of fact, one may know a great deal of science, lan- guage, history, etc., and still be to a considerable degree un- educated, in that those qualities of mind and heart have not been developed in him that it is necessary to have de- veloped in order that he may live his life in a way that shall tend to advance the best interests of society.
There is no good reason for the support of public schools unless it be to afford the individual an opportunity to become more efficient than he otherwise might be as a social unit. Therefore, those things ought primarily to be emphasized in the educational work of the public schools which are most demanded in contemporary social existence.
Now, what is it that lies at the root of the social ills of the time ? Is more knowledge or better character the primary need, in order that our daily papers may not reek with records of public and private dishonor? The great demand, as it appears to me, is for a prevailing higher standard of character in our citizenship. If this be so, then whatever can be incor- porated into the work of the schools to further that end de- serves serious consideration. It was with this thought in mind that, at a meeting of the school Committee held Febru- ary 24, 1908, I called attention to the desirability of in- augurating a system of "Stamp Savings" in our schools. Mr. F. P. Shumway, a trustee of the Melrose Savings Bank, was present at this meeting and expressed the willingness of the Bank to cooperate with the Committee in carrying on such work.
At the next regular meeting of the Board the idea was
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formerly indorsed and a special committee, consisting of Oscar F. Frost, George H. Hill, and Sarah A. Day, was ap- pointed to cooperate with committees from the Savings Bank, the Melrose Woman's Club, and the Melrose Highlands Wo- man's Club, in establishing a system of Stamp Savings in the schools.
The Cooperating committees were from the Melrose High- lands Woman's Club, Lucy G. Buck, Mary A. Patten, and Harriet S. Wood; from the Melrose Woman's Club, Mary D. Dike, Anna T. Bush, Emily B. Brown, Hattie A. Gray, and Adaline G. Reed; and from the Melrose Savings Bank, Frank- lin P. Shumway, John Larrabee, and George R. Jones.
All printed matter, including stamps for sale, is furnished by the Bank, so that the system has been introduced without cost to the School Department.
The main features with relation to the operation of the system are as follows :- Collectors designated by the Woman's Clubs are furnished at the office of the School Department with stamps in denominations of 1c, 5c, 10c, and 25c, and visit the schools once a week to sell them to such pupils as may wish to make deposits. All money received for deposit is turned over by the collectors to the Superintendent of Schools, who, as Treasurer of the system, deposits the same in the Melrose Savings Bank. Each depositor is furnished with a card upon which to stick the stamps that he purchases.
When a pupil has accumulated at least one dollar's worth of stamps, he may present his card at the Bank and have the amount indicated on the card credited to his personal account, and as soon as that account shows a credit of three dollars it begins to draw interest.
The idea of a stamp savings system in schools is by no means new in the educational world. Such systems have been in use in European schools since 1834 and for something over twenty years in this country.
Speaking of the merit of the idea, Dr. Wm. T. Harris, Ex-Commissioner of Education for the United States, says :- "The system tends to prevent pauperism, crime, intemper- ance, prodigality, and various vices, and to make children
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thrifty, orderly, economical, and discriminating in the use of money. It has its influence upon all phases of economy and propogates virtue."
The following data taken February 16, 1909, after the system had been in operation for twenty-nine school weeks amply justify its inauguration and continued use :-
Total value represented by stamps sold $2,574.00
Amount of stamps redeemed in cash. 106.61
Amount deposited in the bank .2,467.39
Number of pupils patronizing the system 1,414
Number of pupils having accounts in bank . 396
Number who did not previously have bank accounts . 262
School Athletics.
Athletic sports have a prominent place in the school life of the boys and girls of the present day during the upper grammar and high school period. In the minds of some too great prominence is given such sports. Be that as it may, the best interests of young people under modern conditions require that the schools give more attention than formerly to athletics. In the past, when population was less urban than it is today, there were opportunities and social necessities for work which not only served to keep young people from street loafing but also provided them with healthy interests and gave the needed exercise to develop physical vigor and endurance. Consequently there was little need for the schools to consider the matter of physical training for young people. As population has become concentrated, however, social conditions have changed and, as a result, changes are demanded in the work of the schools, in order that they may meet the educational needs of young people. With the de- cline in the opportunity and necessity for the performance of home tasks by children in urban communities, there has grown up increased necessity for the schools to provide opportunity for physical development. With reference to this necessity, the Superintendent of Schools of Toledo, Ohio, has said ;- "For the city boy there is no longer wood to split, water to
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carry, nor milking to do. . The disciplinary value of doing the chores must be provided for the city boys and girls, or we shall raise up a lot of non-compative characters that will be utterly lacking in leadership, in initiative, in sterl- ing manhood and womanhood. It is my opinion that the performance of physical skill, requiring vigorous mental and volitional activity, is the best preparation for the proper de- velopment of the ability to solve successfully the problems of life."
The above thought suggests sufficient reason, it seems to me, why athletic sports should have recognized standing in city school systems today.
It is equally clear, I think, that, if the schools are to foster athletics, those interests should be under the direction of the school authorities. In an address on "Physical Training and Athletics in the Schools," given before the Massachusetts Teachers' Association, Dr. Andrew S. Draper, Commissioner of Education for New York State, summed up his belief re- garding the position that athletics should hold in the schools in the following statement :- "Physical training and open-air play are very great factors in the development of men and in the evolution of the social health of a people. Educational administration should make use of them and should be held responsible for keeping them clean and making the most of them. In the athletics of the school system, as in everything else associated with the schools, the government of the schools is bound to govern."
It has been demonstrated by experience that the character of the results from athletics in connection with schools de- pends upon the method of management. Left to the unsu- pervised management of pupils, as has been too largely the practice in most schools in the past, the results have been more or less detrimental to the intellectual, physical, and moral well-being of the young people. Properly controlled athletics in schools may be expected to contribute to scholarship; to increase physical vigor; to develop leadership, courage and self-control; to teach, through team work, the important social lesson of subordinating self to the interests of the whole; and to stimu-
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late a respect for physical being which will act as a check upon indulgence in vices and habits calculated to hinder the best physical development.
Believing thus I recommended in my annual report for 1907 that the School Committee take official control of the athletic interests in both the high and grammar schools of the City. That recommendation was approved and the following regulations prepared by committees appointed by authority of the Board were adopted for the government of athletics in the Melrose Public Schools.
CONSTITUTION OF THE MELROSE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION.
Adopted by the School Committee, June 29, 1908.
ARTICLE I.
This organization shall be known as the Melrose High School Athletic Association.
ARTICLE II.
The object of this organization shall be to administer the athletic affairs of the Melrose High School in such a way that they may be of distinct benefit to the entire student body mentally, morally, and physically.
ARTICLE III. Membership.
1. Any member of either the student, faculty, or alumni bodies of the Melrose High School may become a member of this association on the payment of the sum of twenty-five cents to the Secretary-Treasurer, such membership to extend through the ensuing year.
2. The sum of twenty-five cents paid to the Secretary- Treasurer will enable any person to become an honorary mem- ber of this association.
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ARTICLE IV.
Administration.
1. The affairs of this association shall be administered by a governing board.
2. This board shall consist of four undergraduates, one from each class, two graduates, and three teachers, one of whom shall be the Principal of the High School.
3. The undergraduates shall be elected by and from the members of the Association of their respective classes. The graduates and teachers shall be appointed by the Principal of the High School.
4. The members of this Board shall be elected or ap- pointed before the completion of the first four weeks of the school year.
5. The officers of this board shall consist of a President, Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer, the latter to be chosen from the faculty representatives, whose duties shall be those usually pertaining to these offices.
ARTICLE V. Duties of the Governing Board.
1. The Governing Board shall have power to decide all matters pertaining to the athletics of the Melrose High School not otherwise provided for in this Constitution.
2. The meetings of the Board shall be subject to the call of the President and Secretary.
3. It shall be the duty of this board to meet and con- sider any request from the student body, when such request is made in writing and signed by twenty members of the association.
ARTICLE VI.
Finances.
1. The finances of the association shall be under the control of the Governing Board.
2. No Captain, manager, or any other person shall con- tract any bills or purchase any goods without the consent of the Board.
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3. An itemized account of all receipts and expenses shall be open for inspection by any member of the board at any time.
4. Annually, in June, the Secretary-Treasurer shall sub- mit to the Superintendent of Schools an itemized account of all receipts and expenditures for the year in connection with the athletic interests of the High School.
ARTICLE VII. Captains and Managers.
1. The Captains of the various teams representing this association shall be elected by the members of such teams at the close of their respective seasons.
2. Any man who shall have played in any part of a league game in either base ball, basket ball, foot ball, or hock- ey, shall be considered a member of the team and shall be entitled to the school emblem. If however, no league is main- tained in any of the above sports, the granting of the school emblem shall be decided by the Governing Board.
3. No person shall be entitled to the school emblem who has been permanently disqualified on account of poor scholarship or deportment.
4. Meetings for the election of Captain shall be called by one of the faculty members of the Board.
5. The managers shall be elected by the Governing Board.
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