Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-12-10
The New Education.


The word "education literally means a
drawing forth, and as commonly used it
means development of the intellectual
faculties through their exercise. Anything
that so exercises the mind as to improve ii
is, so far, education. To learn Greek, Latin
and mathematics is education. To learn
brick-making is also education. The exer.
else of the mind in learning anything if
only in guessing riddles, educates the mind
In seeking education, however, we seek not
only mental development, but the acquisi
ton of facts useful in life. Two hundred
years ago nearly all the stored knowledge Of
the world was contained in books written in
Latin and Greek So the first work of the
scholar was to learn these languages as
door of entrance into those repositories of
knowledge. Now the records of all useful
knowledge may be found written in English
1t is no longer necessary for English speaking
persons to learn another language in order
to have full access to these stores of informa
ton. Some knowledge of the dead languages
is still useful as giving key to scientific
terms thence derived but even that can be
dispensed with, and the terms be learned
merely as new English words.
Almost none of our academies and col
leges now teaches the dead languages so
thoroughly as to enable its students at grad
uation to read, much less to write, those
languages with ease. What is taught is
very rapidly lost for want of use. Almost
the entire valuable remainder from these
studies is their effect as mental discipline,
with the better understanding of technical
terms, alluded to above. But a certain
"gentility" remains attached to the classical
studies and though the colleges are now
compelled to add the modern sciences to
their courses, the classics are maintained
chiefly as ear-marks of social distinction.
Experience has abundantly proved that
the study of the English language, English
literature, and of the facts of human know
ledge in English books, is as educative from
the point of view of mere mental discipline
alone as the study of the classics. The
Greeks studied no language save their own,
yet they reached the highest point of mental
culture upon the literary side, and also in
natural science, so far as there was then
any such science.
A man can educate his body, that is, he
can train his senses and his muscles to their
highest point of development, upon. the
scholastic system, by practicing ball-pay
- lao
else, shooting, dancing and leaping, as the
mere accomplishments of gentleman"
He may reach the same end in the exercise
of the useful arts In the one case, if he is
thorough and successful, he makes his body
finely developed instrument, but knows not
how to apply that instrument to much that
is useful in the daily work of life. In the
other case he lacks in finish and variety,
perhaps, but he has acquired with his physi-
cal culture the power of useful work to
practical ends.
In the old world, where caste and social
distinctions based on historic past still ex-
list and hamper progress, it is not strange
that the old scholastic training should still
nations industrial education is being de-
manded, and in some it has already reached
far higher stage OF development than in
America, "the land of the Free" where so,
cial distinction is, at least theoretically
based only on the useful service of the citi
zen. American scholasticism is, in the
main, spurious and false, as well as foreign
to the spirit of our times and of our people
And yet, as the possessor of great endow
ments, and as the occupier of the ground, il
has even greater power here than in Europe
to keep out or hinder the progress of rnoderr
education. For the monarchies of Europe
Notwithstanding all their traditions, know
that modern science is strong tower Of
national defence and the chief element Of
progress; and consequently they set up sci
entifc schools without regard TO the jealous.
of the old universities. Here, where the
people alone rule, the change can only b,
effected when the people are convinced o
the need. There the advocates of improve
ment have but to convince the monarch
Here we must convince majority of tn
voters. The stronger the monarch the NOR
complete and immediate will be the change
Consequently Germany and Russia have tc
day the best industrial schools in the world
Here we must for years discuss the mer
question of their introduction with tn
shrewd and polished scholastics. We mus
meet not only their opposition, but we mus
contest the point also day by day with ever
politician and Spectator who fears tn
lessening of his gains through the diifusio
of sound knowledge among the peopl
And finally we must satisfy the conservi
tive, who cannot bear the thought of an
change, that we do not mean to turn tn
world upside down.
The necessity for this discussion is Their
fore plain; and, though the appeal to III
public is slow one, when the victory come
as it must come, there will be no danger OF
reaction. In the argument as now col
Quoted we see some curious specimens {
pleading, illustrative of the want of thougl
and lack Of popular information on the su
ject. Thus, one writer asks "wheth'
Ignorance of bread-making in girl grad
ated from an academy should be proper
charged upon the school 2" 1t mig
equally be asked whether ignorance of boo
keeping, or of land-surveying in boy era
uated from the same academy, ought to
charged upon the school. That depen
upon what the academy assumes to teac
If it is teaching and only aims to tea
chemistry, in the one case, and mathemati
in the other, abstractly, capacity for Meth
bread-making, bookkeeping nor land 81
veying ought TO be expected of its gradual