at at least half the time at present devoted to
arithmetic in the elementary school could be given to other subjects
with no loss to the child's ability in number, and with great gain to
his education as a whole. Not that the child knows number any too well
now. He does not. In fact, few children finishing the elementary school
possess any considerable degree of ability in arithmetic. They can work
rather hard problems, if they have a textbook, and the answers by which
to test their results. But give them a practical problem from the home,
the farm, or the shop, and the chances are two to one that they cannot
secure a correct result. This is not the fault of the child, but the
fault of the kind of arithmetic he has been given, and the way it has
been taught. We have taught him the solution of various difficult,
analytical problems not in the least typical of the concrete problems
to be met daily outside of school; but we have not taught him to add,
subtract, multiply, and divide with rapidity and accuracy. We have
required him to solve problems containing fractions with large and
irreducible denominators such as are never met in the business world,
but he cannot readily and with certainty handle numbers expressed in
halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, and eighths. He has been compelled to
sacrifice practical business efficiency in number to an attempt to train
his powers of logical analysis.

The arithmetic of the district school should be greatly simplified and
reduced in quantity. Its quality should be greatly improved both as to
accuracy and speed in the fundamental operations and in the various
concrete types of problems to be met in the home, on the farm, and in
the shop. There need be no fear that the mental training will be less
efficient with this type of arithmetic. For mental development comes
only where there is mastery, and there is no mastery of the arithmetic
as it is taught in the rural school to-day.

_History and civics._ Every American child should know the history and
mode of government of his country. This is true first of all because
this knowledge is necessary to intelligent participation in the affairs
of a republic; but it is also necessary to the right development of the
individual that he shall realize something of the heroism and sacrifice
required to produce the civilization which he enjoys. Every person needs
to extend his thought and appreciation until it is large enough to
include other peo