Well that’s a tangential issue/problem.Tangetial? It's the core of the problem.
In those days the cirriculum was focused on actual learning, not indctrination.
Have you ever seen an 8th grade graduation test from the late 1800's?
It's part of the problem yeah. And yes I have seen one. There are tons of those old tests floating around the Net. Outside the context of the time they were given it's not reasonable to compare. Those turn-of-the-century 8th graders wouldn't be able to answer many of the questions (especially science) questions asked of students today.