USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > Inaugural address of the mayor, with the annual report of the officers of the city of Quincy for the year 1903 > Part 18
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Few persons, even adults, enjoy reading the best literature. Their taste has been vitiated and they have been made intellect- ually lazy by reading weak, scrappy or sensational literature. If one's reading be weak, his thought is weak and commonplace, his mental tissue is flabby; if it be scrappy, he becomes in- capable of sustained thought, of following a course of close reasoning or the development of a theme; if sensational, he becomes mentally passive, he can neither think without stimu- lation, nor enjoy the companionship of great books. A great book requires an active mind and then it strengthens thought, broadens the imagination, deepens the feelings, nourishes the soul and enriches the life. When one has learned to enjoy good literature he has not only secured as lifelong friends some of the world's greatest minds at their best, but he has acquired a taste which finds literary trash offensive.
During the last two years of the course, after the pupils have some knowledge and appreciation of literature, more at-
396
tention may be given to the means employed by masters of the art to produce literary effect, but this should be for the purpose of bringing into clearer light the beauty of conception, the strength of expression, the vividness of description, the delicacy of feeling, or the harmony with nature and with right ethical standards. It should not degenerate into mere language study and verbal analysis, for this would be like studying a picture by examining the paint and inspecting the canvas.
It cannot reasonably be expected that high school pupils will exhaust the meaning or fully appreciate the merits of a masterpiece, or that they will get as much out of it as the teacher who has studied it for years. In working with them, it is not wise to keep halting and trying to squeeze the last idea or emotion out of the language. By being extremely analytical and critical in minor parts the pupils lose much of the unity, strength and beauty of the whole.
The college requirements and examinations are responsible for much of the abuse of literature in the high schools. Litera- ture suffers because too much time is given to study about litera- ture. The work smells too much of the laboratory. Even the biography of the author is no more essential to the study and enjoyment of his writings than the biography of the architect or composer is to the enjoyment of a cathedral or a symphony. The authors of some of the best literature in the world are abso- lutely unknown and yet it lives and we enjoy it. It is well to learn about an author's life and work, but such study should not be confounded with a study of literature.
A third and very important part of the work in English is composition. The prime requisite for good writing is a good subject - one adapted to the writer because he has an interest in it and knows something about it. When one has something to say -is full of his subject - writing is made comparatively easy. Even beginners enjoy it and take pride in the exercise of a new power and in the practice of a new art. But to write upon a subject when one has nothing to say is much like trying to pump water from a dry well-much labor and little to show for it. A more effective plan for wasting time and energy and for discouraging writing could hardly be devised. In no way can the teacher
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remove as many difficulties and promote as rapid improvement in composition as by the careful assignment of subjects. An excellent subject for one member of a class may be a very poor one for the rest, and few subjects are equally good for all. Generally too many class subjects and too few individual sub- jects are assigned. Too many subjects are based directly upon the literature being read, and too few upon the life and experi- ence of the pupils themselves. The pupils can easily be led to suggest to the teacher subjects in which they are interested. They may not be abstract or classic themes but they will be subjects about which the pupils have something to say and to which is attached the special interest of proprietorship. It is their own and a part of themselves. Such subjects have the additional advantage of throwing side lights upon the real life and thought of the writer.
Having selected a subject the pupil should think it carefully over and decide how he will develop it. At first it may be well for him to make an outline of the main thought of the several paragraphs, but he should not be required to work upon the out- line until the glow of interest in the subject has begun to fade. The prepartion of the outline should serve the triple purpose of kindling interest, of stimulating thought and of setting that thought in orderly arrangement. When he is full of the subject and wants to write. the pupil should write with one precept in mind, which is to try to express his thoughts correctly, clearly, concisely and forcibly.
No effort should be made to get the pupil to imitate in his writing the style of anyone. Style is an individual quality and is acquired by writing and speaking rather than by reading. The individuality of the pupil should be respected. Some teachers persist in recasting compositions apparently because the pupil does not express his thoughts as they would. So long as the writer uses good English and has ideas to express he should not only be allowed but encouraged to express them in his own style. Imitation of style whether in writing or speaking is the acknowledgment of inferiority. Originality is the offspring of individuality and is altogether too rare and too promising a child to be neglected. Everyone may not be able to give new thought to the world, but, if he can present old thought in a new and
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forceful way, he will secure a hearing. The young writer should be encouraged to be himself and to be natural, simple and direct.
One will never become an easy and finished writer without hard work. It will require both thought and practice. Para- graph writing in which the pupil studies to express a group of closely related thoughts as briefly and clearly as possible is most excellent practice. The emphasis is placed where it belongs upon quality, not upon quantity, and the pupil is willing to re- vise until he succeeds in producing a well constructed paragraph, conveying his meaning adequately and exactly.
The custom of assigning pupils a subject and requiring them to write immediately a certain number of pages or for a given length of time may have some redeeming features, but it certainly does not encourage good composition. Just why a paragraph of ideas should be scattered through a page of words is not apparent. Easy writing usually proves very tiresome reading. Inspiration is not so common that it comes on call. An inspiration of ideas is the prime need, then the pupil must labor to give them definite and appropriate expression. He should not be satisfied merely to string out a multitude of words in grammatical order under a given subject.
The pupil should share largely in the criticism of the compositions. When a pupil has finished a paper it should be handed to another for examination and criticism according to a definite system of marks. For instance, S may mean incorrect spelling ; G, defective grammar; T, a new paragraph ; ? , a query as to fact or meaning; R, redundant; W, wrong use of a word ; etc. The critic makes no corrections but places these characters in colored ink so as to indicate all the defects he is able to dis- cover, then the paper goes back to the writer. If the critic makes mistakes in marking, it is the duty of the writer to defend his composition, otherwise it is his duty to correct it in accordance with the marking. By this method the critic re- ceives no less benefit than the writer for he is held responsible not only for his criticisms but for the errors which escape him.
GEOGRAPHY
In the teachers' meetings during the year some special attention has been given to this subject.
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Paradoxical as it may seem, the center of interest and of importance in the study of geography is man not the earth. What is its relation to man ? is the prime question throughout the subject.
In studying geography the great aims are, to increase one's knowledge of human life, customs and conditions in order that he may improve his own and that his interests and sympathies may be broadened ; to learn the terrestrial helps and hindrances to human effort in order that he may, as far as possible, work with nature; and to enable one adequately to localize places, peoples, historic scenes and current events. In addition to these there are the ends common to all studies-mental discipline, etc.
The general plan of unfolding the subject should be, to begin with simple observations, experiments and exercises in the schoolroom and its vicinity and proceed synthetically to the study of the city or town, the county very briefly, the state, New England briefly, the United States, the continents and the earth as a whole ; then to study the world and its parts analytically and comparatively, giving special attention to the city, the state and the United States in their economic rather than their physiographic aspects. It is apparent that this plan is not the usual one but there are good reasons which support it. All agree that the primary facts and ideas must be acquired through observation in the study of home geography. By following the synthetic plan the pupil first deals in a systematic way with life and conditions most nearly like his own and therefore better understands them. It starts with the very parts of geography in which he is most interested and with which he should be most familiar. It aids the imagination to a better conception of the comparative size of the geographical divisions and of the earth. It fixes early in the course the relations of the political divisions most important for him to know. Finally, it follows out the plan with which all courses begin and applies the educational maxim, " to proceed from the known to the related unknown." But someone suggests that we should go " from the whole to the parts." But this maxim is not violated unless one insists that the earth is the only geographical whole. In all our geograph- ical thought and study Massachusetts, New England, the United States, North America, etc., are regarded as wholes much more
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frequently than the earth itself. Moreover, by the above plan the study of the earth as a whole comes at the end of the fifth grade ; in the sixth, the analytical study in detail begins.
During the first three years the instruction should be ob- jective for the purpose of teaching the primary facts and ideas of the subject, it should be very simple and should deal with such topics as the physical features of the earth as they ap- pear in the vicinity of the school; direction and distance ; seasons and climate ; the people, their physical characteristics, child-life at home and elsewhere as represented by pictures and stories ; local food materials and the methods of raising and preparing them; clothing materials, their preparation and seasons of use; the homes of the people, the materials, forms and construction ; local occupations; modes of communication and lines of travel and trade; the local animal and plant life and their uses to man ; local history. In the third year the field of study should include the whole city or town and the county.
The next three years should be given largely to descriptive geography with the aid of text-book, globe, maps, pictures and supplementary reading; the state, New England, the United States and North America receiving chief attention.
During the next two years industrial and comparative geography should be emphasized. A thoroughly scientific course in physical, commercial and mathematical geography should not be attempted in the grammar school. It belongs in the high school.
The following outline indicates the field of work for the several grades, beginning with the fourth :
FOURTH .- The city and the county briefly reviewed, the state and New England. Simple lessons upon the local, county and state governments.
FIFTH .- The United States, the continents in brief outline and the earth as a whole. Use the globe constantly in the study of the earth as a whole. Simple lessons upon the national government.
SIXTH .- The earth as a whole reviewed, introducing little of astronomy or of mathematical geography; study the conti- nents as wholes, noting regions of extremes or of special products and emphasizing the characteristic features. Re- trace some of the historic voyages.
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SEVENTH .- A detailed study of the United States and its possessions, and of North America. Teach the outline of the national government.
EIGHTH .- Complete the study of the other continents and their primary political divisions, including a comparative study of the continents and of the most important countries of the world, and tracing a few of the great routes of commerce. Teach in a simple way the origin of the earth and its re- lation to the solar system, its movements and their effects.
The present tendency is greatly to overload the course in geography, to carry the instruction beyond the grasp of the pupils and to give so much time to some phases of the subject that others of importance receive scant attention. A few years ago physiography was the chief topic; today it is life. That the change is a decided improvement is readily conceded, but what is needed is a well balanced course in which every subject receives appropriate consideration. The test of the importance of a geographic fact is its relation to man-the degree to which it affects him favorably or unfavorably. In geography, as else- where, the importance of a thing is often in inverse ratio to its size. Applying this test it appears at once unnecessary and un- wise to teach the names of all mountains, islands, capes, rivers, and bays, or even of all cities and towns. Instead of a smatter- ing of knowledge about many it is better to have a real knowl- edge of a few types which represent all,-to study carefully a typical mountain, river, farm, mine, fishing village, manufactur- ing town, commercial city, etc .- after that only the exceptional qualities in a comparatively few cases need be noted. Again there are about a hundred or two geographical names which should be memorized, and, beyond that, what names should be learned depends in part upon where one lives and in part upon current events. The great waste of valuable time and energy which has been so common should be avoided. That part of the work which taxes the memory chiefly is better adapted to the lower grades while that which demands more reasoning is better suited to the higher grades.
During the study of local geography the pupils should be taught map drawing and map language - how to represent the various physical features upon paper. They should draw maps from nature and also from memory to test the accuracy of
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their observations. From the fourth grade up, the wall map takes the place largely of the earth's surface. From it the pupils must learn how to gather the facts previously learned by exploration. The facts of position, surface, climate and drainage should generally be developed by careful questioning from the map before sending the pupils to the descriptive text. Little time should be used in elaborate maps from copy or by use of construction lines, but, in the fifth and sixth grades especially, freehand map-drawing after the following plan will prove a profitable exercise : - Let the pupils look at a correct map for one minute, observing the general shape and relative di- mensions ; then remove the map and allow one minute in which to draw the outline; then let the pupils compare for one minute their drawings with the map; again remove the map and allow a minute for corrections : once more present the map a minute for comparison and allow another minute for correction. Dur- ing these six minutes the pupils will have secured a much more definite mental picture of the outline of the continent or country than by the usual method in a much longer time. A few repe- titions of the process will enable them to draw very creditable maps from memory. Upon these outlines may later be indicated such rivers, mountains, cities or other objects as may be desired.
It is not supposed that the teacher will confine himself to the matter in the text-book nor always follow the order there given. Much supplementary matter is needed and many topics for in- dividual reports should be assigned. In order that no important topic may be neglected it is necessary, for most teachers at least, to have an outline of topics before them. The following list will be found logical in arrangement and not too full of details. It is merely suggestive, leaving to the good judgment of the teacher where the emphasis should be placed, what sub-topics should be expanded or omitted in each case : -
Topics for the Study of a State, Country or Continent
POSITION. - Relative to what has already been studied, to the equator and the zones.
SURFACE. - Form, relief, coast, comparative size, islands.
CLIMATE. -- Winds, temperature, moisture, healthfulness, pe- culiarities.
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DRAINAGE. - River basins and systems, important rivers, lakes, etc., peculiarities.
SOIL. - Fertile or sterile (where and why) minerals, stones.
LIFE .- 1. Vegetable-Forests (characteristics and uses) grasses, grains, fruits.
2. Animal - Wild and domestic (characteristics and uses.)
3. People - Physical characteristics, manners and cus- toms, education, religion, government, centers of population.
OCCUPATIONS AND PRODUCTIONS. - Materials, processes and uses.
COMMERCE. - Exports, imports, commercial centers, land routes and water ways.
HISTORY. - Always associate great historic events and famous persons with the appropriate places. Current events should furnish in every grade many occasions for special but very profitable geographical study.
THE WASHINGTON SCHOOL
The historical facts incorporated in this sketch were furnished by ex-councilman Arthur W. Newcomb who seems to have examined the records with much care.
In 1808, William Adams of Hopkinton gave to Quincy Point its first public school lot. In the deed he says, " In consideration of the love and respect that I have for the Old Fields District - I give - a certain piece of land for the use and sole purpose of being improved for a schoolhouse lot." The piece contained forty-six square rods and seems to have been the central portion of the Washington school lot before the recent enlargement.
In 1829, additional land was purchased of Isaac Riddle for forty dollars. The same year the town of Quincy built a new and larger schoolhouse for this district. The old building was moved to the corner of Washington and South streets where it still stands although somewhat changed and enlarged. The new house was built by Joel P. Deadman for five hundred twenty- three dollars, including the foundation. Later the building was enlarged by raising it and placing a story beneath.
The beautiful elm trees which add so much to the appear-
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ance of the school grounds and of which the people of this dis- trict are justly proud, were set out in 1840.
In 1858, another addition was made to this school lot on the south easterly side by purchase from Daniel Baxter at a cost of one hundred dollars. The old building was removed to a point on Washington street opposite South where it is still used as a dwelling house and a new two-story building was erected at a cost of $7,634.05.
In 1874, the school accommodations in this district were further improved by raising the building and placing a story under it, making a three-story building. These changes were in charge of James H. Slade, a member of the School Committee, and Col. Francis W. Parker, Quincy's first Superintendent of Schools. The improvements cost $3,374.38.
Still the demands for larger and better school accommoda- tions in this district increased and in 1901 the lot was greatly enlarged by the purchase of land fronting on Curtis avenue and Washington court and costing $6,488.10. Some months later plans for a new building prepared by Albert H. Wright, architect, were accepted and the contract let.
In October 1903, the new Washington school was completed. It is a handsome and substantial two-story brick structure with granite trimmings. There are five classrooms and the Principal's office on the first floor, and five classrooms and the teachers' room on the second. Unfortunately there is no assembly hall. Never- theless it is a very convenient and well equipped school building, modern in every respect and the best in the City. It cost in- cluding the furniture, furnishings and grading the lot $55,000.
On Tuesday, October 20, the teachers called their pupils to order for the first time in the new building and on the following Friday afternoon appropriate but informal dedicatory exercises were held, a large number of parents and citizens being present.
Through the enterprise of Thomas B. Pollard, the popular and efficient principal of the school, and the generosity of many friends, the rooms and corridors of the building are adorned with the following works of art : -
Casts
Boys Playing Trumpets, by Della Robbia; gift of Frederick H. Smith.
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Signing the Declaration of Independence; gift of Mrs. Thomas A. Addison.
Singing Cupids, by Giovanni da Bologna; gift of Mabel Shaw Pfaffmann.
Night, by Thorwaldsen ; gift of Eugene R. Stone.
Morning, by Thorwaldsen ; gift of Mrs. F. S. Barry.
Children Playing on Instruments, by Della Robbia; gift of Edwin S. Beckford.
Fragment of Triumph of Alexander, by Thorwaldsen; gift of Mrs. Eva Hall Fryer.
Bust of Washington, by Houdon, with bracket; gift of Marcus E. Wight.
Photographs
Aurora, by Guido Reni; gift of Joseph L. Whiton.
Dance of the Nymphs, by Corot; gift of Joseph A. Dasha.
Parliament building in London ; gift of John Shaw.
Capitol at Washington ; gift of George A. Sidelinger.
Old Ironsides, by Marshall Johnson, Jr .; gift of Esther and Hazel Crowley.
Pictures of the Yosemite Valley; gift of Mrs. Slade, in memory of James H. Slade.
St. Peter's Cathedral ; gift of Mrs. Julia A. Tracy.
The Seven-masted Schooner, Thomas W. Lawson; gift of Howard P. Elwell.
The Thomas Crane Public Library ; gift of Alice G. White.
The Golden Stair, by Burne-Jones ; gift of Lillian M. Dearborn.
Madonna of the Chair, by Raphael; gift of Class of 1903.
Christ Blessing Little Children, by Plockhorst ; gift of Mrs. Thomas A. Addison in memory of her niece, Miss Lucy W. Brown, a former teacher in the school.
Automedon and the Horses of Achilles, by Regnault ; gift of Frederick Morton Smith.
St. Paul's Cathedral ; gift of Mrs. James H. Slade.
One of California's Giant Redwoods; gift of Daniel Hig- gins.
Old Schoolhouse at the Neck; gift of Arthur W. Newcomb.
Twenty-three Perry pictures, large size ; gift of Mrs. Jessie E. Lee.
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The following were purchased by a fund raised through the personal efforts of Principal Pollard :
Bust of Longfellow, by Brock; with bracket.
Sir Galahad, by Watts.
York Cathedral.
A Reading from Homer, by Alma Tadema.
Photograph of a lion, taken from life.
Dignity and Impudence, by Landseer.
On Saturday, December 26, the old building which had served its high purpose so many years was sold at auction for one hundred ten dollars, to be torn down and removed within three months.
VALUATION
Valuation, 1903 .
$23,089,715 00
Gain over 1902 .
907,373 00
Total tax levy, 1903
412,295 80
Rate per thousand
17 30
APPROPRIATION AND EXPENSES
Appropriation by the City Council . $111,000 00
Received from tuition 162 25
Total
$111,162 25
EXPENDED
Salaries
$83,885 68
Janitors
7,018 99
Books, supplies and sundries
9,128 82
Fuel .
7,801 34
Transportation
997 20
Rents .
800 00
Evening schools
1,530 22
Total
$111,162 25
SCHOOL PROPERTY
SCHOOLS.
BUILT.
LARGED.
*VALUE.
ROOMS.
İCA- PACITY.
İSEATS.
ING.
LATION.
SANITARY.
High,
1894
$77,000
12
400
465
Brick
Hot-air
Good
Dry closet
Adams,
1855
1879
25,000
10
466
467
Wood
Hot-air
Good
Dry closet
Coddington,
1855
1876
26,500
101
390
448
Wood
Stoves
None
Water
Cranch,
1900
40,000
9
426
426
Brick
Steam
Good
Water
Gridley Bryant,
1896
38,000
9
426
426
Brick
Steam
Good
Dry closet
John Hancock,
1886
40,100
9
450
490
Brick
Steam
Fair
Water
Lincoln,
1892
28,500
8
396
427
Brick
Steam
Good
Water
Massachusetts Fields,
1896
39,075
9
426
426
Brick
Steam
Good
Dry closet
407
Quincy,
1873
20,500
8
288
380
Wood
Steam
None
Dry closet
Washington,
1903
57,050
10
475
475
Brick
Steam
Good
Water
Willard,
1891
112,700
20
920
935
Brick
Hot-air
Good
Water
Wollaston,
1873
1890
27,000
82
330
360
Wood
Hot-air
Good
Water
Old High,
1852
6,000
3
130
136
Wood
· Hot-air
None
S
Land, Quincy Neck,
500
h
Furniture, books, apparatus, etc.,
32,600
Grand Total.
$570,525
5,523 5,861
* Assessors' valuation 1903. t "Capacity " means the proper limit, and "Seats " the actual number. (7 and 3 rooms). 2. In addition a small hall poorly lighted. § Old fashioned out-buildings.
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