First impressions of the New World on two travellers from the Old, in the autumn of 1858Trotter, Isabella Strange
History
First impressions of the New World on two travellers from the Old, in the autumn of 1858
Trotter, Isabella Strange
Canada -- Description and travel; United States -- Description and travel
In the high school, the teaching is carried on till the pupils reach the
age of sixteen or seventeen, and even eighteen, after which they either
leave school altogether or go to college. They are generally the
children of artisans or mechanics, but boys of all ranks are admitted,
and are moved on from one grade to another. The schools are entirely
free, and girls are admitted as well as boys, and in about equal
numbers. The girls and boys are taught, for the most part, in separate
rooms, but repeat their lessons and are examined together, so that there
is a constant passing in and out from one class-room to another, but
still great order is preserved. This assembling together, however, of
large numbers of boys and girls, for so considerable a portion of the
day, did not strike us as so desirable as it is there said to be. The
advocates of the system say it refines the rough manners of the boys;
but it is more than questionable if the characters of the girls are
improved by it, and if the practice, in its general results, can be
beneficial.
The subjects taught to both boys and girls are invariably the same; and
it was curious to hear girls translating Cicero into excellent English,
and parsing most complicated sentences, just like the boys, and very
often in better style, for they often answered when the boys could not.
They seemed chiefly girls from sixteen to eighteen. They answered, also,
most difficult questions in logic, and they learn a good deal of
astronomy, chemistry, &c., and have beautiful laboratories and
instruments. Music is also taught in a very scientific way, so as to
afford a knowledge of the transpositions of the keys, but in spite of
this, their music and singing are very American. German and French are
also taught in the schools when required.
The teachers, both men and women, have very good salaries; the youngest
women beginning with 60_l._ and rising to 120_l._ a year, while the
men's salaries rise up to 260_l._ a year, and that in the intermediate
or second class schools. This style of education may appear too advanced
for girls in their rank of life, but in this country, where they get
dispersed, and may attain a good position in a distant district, the
tone thus given by education to the people, is of great importance. The
educating of the females in this way must give them great powers, and
open to them a field of great usefulness in becoming teachers themselves
hereafter. The education given is altogether secular, and they profess
to try and govern "by appeals to the nobler principles of their nature,"
as we gather from a report which was put into our hands at leaving.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account