Themis

              Vol. I.
SACRAMENTO:   SUNDAY,  MARCH 24,   1889.
No. 5.
Themis: published weekly, by A. J. Johnston & Co. Publication
Office, 410 J Street. Subscription—One year, by mail, $3 00; six months,
by mail, $1 50; per month, by carrier, 25 cents. (Entered at the Post
Office at Sacramento as second-class matter.) Editors: Winfield J.
Davis, W. A. Anderson, Geo. A. Blanchard, Elwood Bruner.
Recently we called attention to a number of unpardonable errors in the History of the United States
and ol this State, compiled and issued by the State
Board of Education. We are not calling attention to the
faults of our public text books because we oppose the
policy of such publications, for the writer, while in the
legislature, was an enthusiastic supporter of the enabling and appropriation bills to put into effect the constitutional amendment sanctioning the publication of
school books at the state printing office. These appropriations were very liberal; they were made in 1885;
the compilers of these books have had ample time and
facilities to do their work perfectly. From the very
casual examination we have made of the books, aud the
criticisms that have been made in our hearing by gentlemen and ladies better qualified to judge of such
matters than we are, we have concluded that in very
many respects the work of compilation has been performed in a very unsatisfactory manner; it is not at all
creditable to the compilers. If it is the work of practical
educators, our respect for practical educators has somewhat fallen. The State would have derived more advantage by enlisting a few practical mechanics, farmers,
merchants and professional men to compile a series of
text books from which our children could receive an
education after reasonable study, and without having
to wear their brains out in learning abstruse matters
which are of no earthly benefit to them now, and never
will be, even if they live to be centennarians.
We have before us a well-worn grammar, the property of an 11-year-old friend of ours. He has been
wearing his brain out on it; it amounts to absolute
cruelty to the child. In the introduction of the book
it is stated: "Part I of this book is made to be used'in
the schools of this state, with pupils of from 11 to 14
years of age." Part I starts out in the first lesson with
"Ways of Grouping Words." The lesson is worded
in language that no ordinary child between the ages
stated can reasonably comprehend. Lesson 3 draws
hair-line distinctions between a "sentence," a "clause,"
and a "phrase;" and on page 9 of the work the precocious pupil is given twenty-seven sentences and
asked: To classify them as sentences, clauses
or phrases; to select from the list seven clauses
which will become sentences when the first word in
each is dropped; to select four phrases that form parts
of clauses or sentences; and to select five phrases, five
clauses, and five sentences from the last lesson read in
the Reader. Lesson 5 deals with declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, affirmative and negative sentences. Lesson 8 treats learnedly on the subject of predicates, and such terms as Word, Grammatical, Verb, Entire, and Logical predicates are explained
in a manner that will confuse any adult of fair education. Our space does not admit of us following these
lessons up, and pointing out more of their absurdities,
but we advise such of our readers as have children
studying this book, to examine it, and we will venture
that the popular verdict, rendered on a basis of hard
common sense, will condemn it as being almost cruelty
to inflict such mental torture on children of tender
years. The review questions of Part I commence at
Page 55- Here are a few of a large number of questions: What is the complement of a verb ? Show the
difference between a complete and an incomplete verb ?
What kind of verbs take complements ? What kind
take object complements ? What is the attribute
in a sentence ? What are adjective adjuncts ? Give
an example of an infinitive having an adverbial
modifier. We will venture that not one out of fifty
adults who have received a modern education can
answer a majority of these review questions.
At best grammar is a difficult study—one of the most
perplexing that is encountered in the acquirement of
our education. Text books on that subject particularly should be as much simplified as possible, and there
is no justification in placing before a child a book which
cannot be understood by an adult of ordinary education. As a rule the text books of to-day on the fundamental branches of education are inferior to those used
fifty and even twenty-five years ago. Less words were
then used, but the matter was presented so logically
and simply that the pupil had little difficulty in acquiring, in a comparatively short time, the result that is
now gained only after years of study and mental torture. In some of the works of the state series it would
almost seem that a studied effort has been made to prepare unsatisfactory books, and it almost indicates that
there may be' some truth in the intimation that the
fight of the private school book publishers against public text books has not ended. It is to be regretted
that the legislature did not look into this matter and
institute a thorough investigation. We believe that
the power yet remains with the, governor to cause a
scrutinizing inquiry into the matter. We think that
Governor Waterman is a well-meaning man, and if
these things mean an attempt at crippling the will ot
the people as expressed by the passage of a constitutional amendment, he, of all other of our citizens, will be
the one most anxious to expose it. The people have by
popular vote demanded the publication by the state of
school books for their children; they have lavished a
great amount of money to accomplish this end. Very
many members of the legislature of 1885 are satisfied
that had it been possible to defeat the will of the people,
parties interested in that direction would not have
scrupled to resort to any means to accomplish that end.
We know that the gentlemen under whose supervision
the text books have been compiled have acted in the
very best of faith, but we do say that with the time they
have had and the money they have had at their command, their work, so far as we have observed it and so
far as we have heard public expression concerning it,
merits but little praise.
There is an element among the American people
who find fault with everything just for the sake of being contrary and unreasonable. It is utterly impossible
for anyone to say at this time what President Harrison
will do, or what power or influence will be exercised
by Secretary Blaine. As Chief Executive of the greatest nation on earth, President Harrison .and his chief
minister of state should receive the respectful treatment
and consideration ot all true Americans. Mr. Harrison is not the President of any party, but of the whole
people. He has scarcely assumed the functions of his
great office, and has not done anything that could be
possibly construed into an offensive act by any person,
before the most rabid and vituperative assaults are
made upon him in print and by caricatures which picture him and his cabinet as the vilest of creatures, bent
upon theft, arson, murder and everything that is bad.
Seeing these things, what could those who are unfamiliar with our form and system of government think?
It would strike the foreigners in the most unfavorable
light and lead them to conclude that we are a nation
of vagabonds and thieves. Pick up any of the leading
Democratic papers in the United States and the first
object that strikes the eye is a large caricature either of
the President or the Secretary of State in the attitude
of perpetrating some great fraud or in the commission
of some lawless act. This is all wrong. While the
papers which indulge in this line of action may attract
the eye of some, it will serve to repel others, and of a
better class of people. No true lover of America or
American institutions can find it in his heart to approve these libels upon our fair name and fame. It is
not a question of partisanship now—that question has
been settled by the arbitrament of the ballot. The
principle which actuates all Americans has been settled
and we should bow to the will of the majority. It is
not right to keep up this running fire at this time when
no possible cause exists. No matter of what political
faith our President may be, he is the Executive of the
great American nation, and must be respected as such.
Stanley Matthews, one of the Associate Justices of
the Supreme Court of the United States, died on Friday last, at Washington, after a lingering illness. His
death was not unexpected Judge Matthews was one
of the brainiest men of the nation. Coupled with his
brains was that broad, common sense consideration
of all questions, which should characterize a judicial
mind. It is these liberal-minded men we need upon
the bench, from the ordinary Superior Judge to the
Chief Justice of the Supreme Federal Court. Some
attorneys when they are so fortunate as to be elevated
to the bench forget the fact that they are only advocates after all. Some lose sight of the fact that they once
appeared as counsel for clients who are appealing for
justice. Some think it necessary to display their legal
lore, or rather want of it, by hair drawn conceptions
and what they are pleased to call nice distinctions of
points of law, disregarding the open and broad question of justice between man and man.
. ".*       *       *       *      Vor Justice,
All place a temple, and all season summer."
A judge should be a priest of Justice ;   a   court of
Justice a temple from which Justice itself should never
be expelled.     We need more such judicial minds as
that possessed by Justice Stanley Matthews.
Literature might be compared to the formation of
the earth's surface—the alluvium, the gravel or other
hard substance, and the granite upon which the others
rest. In literature we have the light and superficial,
the literature of fashion, which serves the purpose of a
day and then passes from mind, except where immoral
lessons are taught, and these always remain. This
class comprises the cheap romance and later day sensational novels, coarse rhyme and coarser wit. Then we
have a more enduring class of literary work, but still
not for all time, such as magazines, and many productions of romance and fiction; but these pass from memory and are sunk in the cemetery of forgotten lore.
But there is a granite' formation of literature as firmly
established as the pillars of the universe—the old
Greek and Latin classics—the modern classics, such as
Shakespeare, Milton and Dante. There are also other
particular works that are destined to be perpetuated in
the minds of men, such as Dickens, Thackeray, Scott,
Swift, Lamb, Goldsmith, Cervantes, Balzac, and which
are, so to speak, written upon tablets as enduring as
marble. Many bright gems have emanated from the
minds of Holmes, Aldrich, Harte and Hay. It often
occurs in the literary world that some apparently in-'