Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-01-25
Sand educational noetrines.

The popular conception has been,
that the business Of schools is to teach
man all that he ought 70 know.
Whatever branch Of learning was
deemed likely 70 be useful in af6er-lifs
must Of course be studied at school;
and the mere passage through a text
book Of that subject has been eOnsid-
cred q fulfiliment OF the necessary re
quirement. In such a term such a
branch Is taken up;" in the next
term 1t is finished, and something
else Is taken up. I" The course OF the
student under these circumstances is
indeed a curriculum, around which
be drives his chariot at tOpmOst speed,
distaneing competitors, getting over
ground, displaying the powers which
he ought 20 be developing. In other
words, the hrst rudimentRry function
Of instructiOn-the mere impaFting OF
facts--is made 10 be the whole OF It;
and the superstition to which we have
referred looks upon this process as
possessing some mysterious virtue. A
man must succeed afterwards, i'be-
cause he knows so much. H.
But this is after all the least harm
FOL side Of the popular miseOneeptiOn.
For the healthy human mind Is 50
constituted that It cannot cram q
great deal without digesting at least a
part; and many q man has found, In
the most superficial course of study,
the stimulus which led him to indie
pendent Investigation and thought
This development Of the mind re-
quires time and opportunity; and II
these are given, the absence OF Judi
eious assistance Is not necessarily
fatal. - --.
Far more Injurious, IN our opinion,
Is the reckless curtailment Of the time
allowed for school education. Many
boys are not sent to college at al, be-
cause, forsoOth, they are to 90 into
business; and If two, three or four
years OF college are permitted, then Of
course the young graduate must
emerge thoroughly furnished for his
life-career. Now, the longest OF these
periods is not long enough. The
graduate OF q college, no matter what
he has been pursuing, Is probably at
the very point where a few years Of
additional study would be worth more
to him than all that has gone before.
BE has, let US hope, his tools thor
Oughly in hand. He is familiar with
the necessary rudiments; he has the
keys that open all doors. His euthu-
siasm is aroused; he loves knowledge
for his own sake, and he has partially
mastered the methods and principles
which underlie all progress. II this
Is not the case, then schools have
been wasted on him; il it is, then the
point at which his training is inter
rupted Is precisely the worst that
could be chosen. He Is not vet fully
able to go on by himself. He needs
more discipline 70 the use and appli-
cation Of the means which he has 50
labQriOusly acquired.
This great and peculiarly American
evil, the lack Of time In education, is
not 20 be remedied by changing the
lists Of studies merely. Cramming
Chemistry for q little while Is no bet
ter than examining Latin--if anything
Il Is worse and worse Of all Is cram
ming both.
Il Is q noticeable feature Of recent
lively discussions OF this matter, thst
while the fight RACES 6ercely over the /
retention or exclusion OF this or that
item In the curriculum, almost no
body has the courage to say that the
training Of our young men
requires more time. We have all I
sorts OF compromises between the old |
and the neW-seieutifiOr regular cours-
es, scientific optional courses, science
in the senior year; we have grand in 1
fourteen weeks Of chemis- |
try substituted for the antiduated and !
useless mental philosOphy-and plen- I
ty more fsHeh quaekeFy. Even our
best scientific schools feel the over
necessity Of promising to do 1
q great deal in short time. The re-
cent excellent pamphlet Of the COM /
mittee Of the Rensselaer, Institute st /
Troy recommends the addition of
some highly important branches to I
the course Of study, and proposes to |
make room for them, not BY lengthen- |
ing the course, but by cutting out a
part OF 1t.
We do not blame the managers Of
our schools for this Tney do what 1
they can; the fault Is with the public. |
A school which should require a six /
years course before graduation would \
not get students. It is a peremptoFy /
necessity to promise an education in /
four years at most, and make pFovis- /
lon OF short euts'' for especial stu
dents" But we warn the advocates
Of the modern system" that they are
3erpetuatiBg in another form the an
sient evil. The custom Of sending
young men abroad 70 e0mplets their
education Is good one, and only be-
cause travel and foreign residence are
beneficial, aud because the OppOrtuni
lies for study and training are favOra-
bic, but chiefly because such a course
prOlOngs the period Of preparation.
We shall soon be able, IL we are not
10 offer equal advantages at
American universities; but the offer
will be useless unless the time is given
10 students to avail themselves OF it,
In Germany a man is not ashamed TO
continue his preparatory training till
he is twenty-five or thirty. Here he
S expected to be established in life
.Ong before that.
The cure for this evil must come
through public opinion; and public
opinion will grow out OF general ex-
Derience. When il shall have been
made clear that g longer and more
course Of study really makes
stronger and more influential men
hat it pdys-the remedy viii be ap-
piled. What we ask Of education is,
Inst, that they shall provide the Op-
Dortunity for prolonged culture, in the
iOrm Of post graduate courses, or what
ever they may choose 20 call them
Il is made fearfully easy now for a
man in q hurry to take a smattering
special" course let equal facilities
be given for a thorough one. And,
IN the second place, we urge the poll
~ Of pressing this point home TO the
public mind. While we are crying
hat our schemes Of instruction need
more science, let US never forget to
add thai they need more time. The
bid wine Of former educational meth
DDS may or may not be altogether
now; that is q point which
Ee do not at present mean to discuss.
The burden Of our warning to-day is
hat, old wine or new wine, the bottles
IRE TOO sDldH.-EhgiReering and Mn
Rg Journal
THE CAKES AMES FAILURE. /