The curriculum in these schools consisted almost wholly of instruction in reading, writ ing, arithmetic and morals or religion. In struction in science and in English grammar was added to the course of study in the schools of New York City during the later years of their existence. The teaching was wholly me chanical. The sole effort of instruction was aimed at imparting information and developing the memory. There was an absolute lack of effort to arouse the child's powers of observa tion, to stimulate the exercise of his own men tal attainments and to develop him into a rea soning, thinking being. Much of the instruc tion was given by dictation and by the use of formal questions. This was necessary under the monitorial system because the monitors did not possess sufficient education to give inde pendent instruction. Sand tables were used for the children in the younger classes. Boards containing the letters of the alphabet — small and large — were posted in the schoolroom. The alphabet wheel was also largely used. This was arranged so that a wheel adjusted to a standard might be turned in such a way as to show consecutively the letters of the alphabet. When a letter was exhibited the child from dic tation traced the letter in the sand or on a slate. Children who had not received instruction were placed beside those who had received instruc tion, so that the latter might aid the former. This process of teaching the alphabet was te dious and required from one to two years to enable the child to learn his letters.° This process was termed a "very intellectual method of teaching the alphabet.° Writing was of course taught in connection with the reading. When a pupil had learned his alphabet he was promoted to the class in monosyllables and was taught b-a spells ba. Arithmetic was taught un der the same general plan. The subject in cluded the four fundamental processes. The pupils were first taught to copy figures from the blackboard. The monitor would write a column of figures on the blackboard and the first pupil would read aloud as, "3 and 4 are seven and 5 are 12 and 7 are nineteen and 6 are twenty-five, put down 5 and carry 2 to the next.° If the first pupil made an error in this addition the pupil who discovered it took rank over the one who made the error. As pupils became proficient in arithmetic they were pro moted in that subject independently of their proficiency in other subjects. They were pro moted in each subject on the same basis. Here was the idea of the modern departmental sys tem of school organization. Teachers of to day and even the layman in education will un derstand the general defects of the Lancasterian system of instruction.
The principles upon which Lancaster founded his schools were sounder than his plan of organization or his systems of instruction. He declared that all children were entitled to an education and that the good of society required that they should be educated. He accordingly held that it was the obligation of a nation to provide school facilities for all children who would not otherwise he accorded such privi leges. He also opposed the action of any church in attempting to compel children not members of such church to attend its schools. He regarded such action as the infraction of a most sacred personal right. These fundamental principles of public education were sound and conform to the general principle now accepted wherever public schools are maintained that "education is the function of the state.° Lancaster made extended use of mottoes which were posted conspicuously in the school room, on cards or boards, and which were also made the subject of classroom instruction. Some of these were as follows: "A place for everything and everything in its place.* "Let every child at every moment have something to do and a motive for doing it.° One of the first agencies in the country for the training of teachers was the Lancasterian schools. The annual report of 1814 of the so ciety for establishing a free school in New York, states that from its beginning (1806) one of its great objects of interest has been to train teachers. In 1818 Charles Picton, a
trained disciple of the Lancasterian system, was brought from London to take ehltge of a lie school in New York City. The training of teachers which had already received attention was given prominence and the trustees an nounced that they would gratuitously train teachers for this system in six or eight weeks. Lancaster did not approve this limited training and referred to it as preparing "niush-room teachers.) The plan of training teachers in New York City was later improved and the course extended to include more advanced in struction. The work of these schools in train ing teachers was no more effective than the in struction which schools provided for the children.
Lancaster was opposed to the rod as a dis ciplinary agency. His ideas on this subject are represented in the following statement "The guillotine in France, during the Reign of Ter ror, and the rod in the hands of the advocates of ignorance, are DeWitt Clinton stated in relation to the discipline of these schools, "The punishments are varied with cirr cumstances, and a judicious system of rewards, calculated to engage the infant mind in the charge of its duty, forms the keystone which binds together the whole Rewards were offered for meritorious conduct and fines were imposed for breaches of discipline. These were arranged on an elaborate scale through the issuance of tickets; some of the common modes of punishment were as follows: placing a wooden to weighing from three to eight pounds around the pupil's neck; putting wooden shackles on the legs of a pupil and compelling him to walk around the room, putting the hands behind the hack and tying them with wooden shackles, tying the legs together, de tention after school hours, placing a label on the pupil which specified his offense, compel ling a pupil to wear a tin di paper cap or a fool's coat,.giving an indolent boy a cart or a pillow. It is suggested in the manual that boys should be rocked in a cradle.
In the year 1818, Lancaster came to the chi!, of New York. He was received as a distin guished guest of honor. He was welcomed on behalf of the city by the recorder and the mayor and on behalf of the State by Governor Clin ton. The governor invited him to Albany and there introduced him to the leading men of the State. He .then visited the city of 'Philadel phia and was there received with unusual honor and distinction. From Philadelphia he went to Washington where the House of Representa, tives passed the following resolution: "That Joseph Lancaster, the friend of learning and of man, be admitted to a seat within the hall.) Clinton gave the Lancasterian system his un qualified approval and through his great in fluence the system was readily adopted in every city in the State of New York. Clinton said of him, "I recognize in Lancaster the benefac tor of the human race. I consider his system as creating a new era in education, as a blessing sent down from heaven to redeem the poor and distressed of this world from the power and dominion of ignorance." One of the governor's last official acts was to recommend the enact ment of law authorizing the supervisors of each county to raise $2,000 for the establish ment of a monitorial high school in each county of the State.
voi.. 16-44 This system did not provide a sound sys• tem of public education. It became established in certain parts of the country, notably in New York City, and delayed the establishment of a sound, practicable, efficient system of education in such places for several years. Its adoption not only throughout the United States but in England, Holland and Germany was due largely to the claim of its friends that "one teacher Could instruct one thousand pupils.) Its trial throughout the world for a period of 25 to 50 years shows the lack of appreciation of a sound, scientific system of education which existed not only in America but abroad in the formative period of our national ,government.