Excerpt from A Reform of the Common English Branches of Instruction: Manual for Teachers; An Introduction to the Series of Rational Readers

It is unfortunate that, on closer inspection, we must con cede that these expectations are not borne out by reality. Dr. Leigh's statistics on Illiteracy in the United States given in the Report of the Department of Education of 1870 prove that our country is far ahead of Germany, Switzerland, Hol land, Denmark, Sweden and Norway in the percentage of illiterates to population, and of children of school age, not at. Tending schools, to the whole number. And as regards the effects of our schooling upon the attendants - why, every report of Educational Boards will prove, that, as a rule, not more than one or two per cent of the whole number reach the highest grade of the Common School (say, the highest Gram mar School Class), while more than fifty per cent never proceed beyond the mere ABC of elementary education.

It would be unjust to overlook some of the impediments to a higher standard of education, which retard the progress of our Common Schools - such as the lack of Kindergartens; the admission of too many children into the lowest classes; the irregular attendance of pupils, and the short period during which many of them are kept in school - also the very poor preparation of most teachers for their difficult and all-important calling. But if the efficiency of our methods of teaching were what it ought to be, all these impediments might be overcome. Teaching is a feeding of the mind; if the food of our schools were more palatable, the attendance would be considerably larger, teachers would find more self-enjoyment in their calling and would feel encouraged and stimulated to do more justice to it, and better results of their efforts would lead to further improvements such as are necessary to a more rapid progress.

The importance of a great reform in the methods of teach ing has not only been long felt but many partial improvements have been made in that direction - yet with results that are far from being satisfactory. If our school reformers have as yet not succeeded in reforming all that ought to be reformed - is it their fault that so much is to be reformed?

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