Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-06-29
MAKING THE WORLD BETTER.
Prof. Felix Adler and his work in New
York.

New York Correspondence Of the Boston Journall
went through Prof Felix Adlors work
ingman's school day or two ago, and found
some of its features quite as interesting rs
they have been represented to be. A school
was the natural sort of work for Adlers soci.
ETY. for ethical culture to undertake. for it Of
fers the greatest results in the field which the
Adlerites claim as their own-the province of
raising the human animal physically and
therefore morally, immoral conduct being in
their opinion tho result Of physical imperfec-
tion. The height Of happiness in this school
of philosophers is to have plenty to eat warm
clothing and secure shelter. To obtain these
is easier for some mon than for others, be-
cause they stumble upon work which they are
fitted for and do it to the satisfaction Of the
world which rewards them The central idea
of Adler's workingman's school is, therefore,
that each child shall have an opportunity to
find the place in the worlds workshop where
it can put its talents to the best use. For this
purpose the kindergarten system is carried
beyond the kindergarten through the whole
school course, and books are ignored in favor
OF tools, miniature machinery, the sculptor's
| lump of clay and the artists poncil. Froe-
bel gave the children actual things instead of
| firing them with names; the salient feature
of Adlers school goes one step farther, aud
the creative faculty Is brought into play. II
the child is to be taught the nature OF a cube,
| he is taught first to make ono out OF card
board, then to draw it as he sccs it from diff
| ferent standpoints, and lastly to study out its
mathematical properties II the subject Of
the lesson is cotton, he is shown the cotton in
the boll he pulls it out works il in a minia-
| ture gin, spins it into thread, and lastly
woaves it on primitive loom. The only in
| formation about cotton that he does not gain
| by actual experience relates to tho countries
and states whence it comes, the amount of
| the crop, and its cost Thus every effort is
made to do without books aud to have the
| pupil make what he uses Adler calls it the
| creative method.
The school is now three years old, but the
| kindergarten from which the pupils are taken
| has been in existence since 1871 | went into
| several of the school rooms and saw the little
| ones at work. They were evidently from the
| poorest ranks, but, thanks to the ladies Of the
society all were respectfully dressed, and the
close attention they gave to an explanation of
the different properties of pine oak and wal
| nut wood was remarkable. The school rooms
are large and sunny, the building at 100 West
| 18th street having been built by lhe society
at a cost of SSG, 900. A few of the teachers
| are paid, and half.a-dozon are volunteers
| When the scheme is in full working order,
| which will not be for several years, there will
| be eight classes of 80 scholars each the low.
| est class being drawn every year from the
children who grow out Of the kindergarten.
| The advantage of this workshop system Of
teaching is explained by Prof Adler as fol.
lows The child especially the boy-of a
poor man goes to work at l3 or IA years Of
age at Whatever offers a few dollars week
lie may have q taste for machinery but he
becomes poor bricklayer because his father
happens to be one. He may have the making
Of great builder in him, but he never knows
| It and becomes poor machinist. Give a
| child several years Of practical apprenticeship
to the chief branches of the worlds work
and the childs natural aptitude is certain to
| declare itself. Two hundred children are at
present in the school, learning to build mnia-
| ture houses to turn wood, to make tools to
model heads, to draw pictures all this
as relaxation from the study of the ordinary
school branches, for it is Ader's boast that
| his children know as much of geography,
| arithmetic, spelling, etc, rs public school
| children of the same age. The expenses OF
the school are growing yearly, for the maxi
mum number Of pupils will not be obtained
for some years. 1t costs now about $40, 900
a year.
Felix Adler, the master spirit of the school
and of the society of ethical culture, is the
bette noir of orthodox Jews and Christians
alike and great was the indignation among
certain orthodox persons because Rev. Heber
| Newton delivered ali address, at the opening
OF the school in question few months since.
Adler is the son of noted and greatly es-
teemed Jewish Rabbi OF New York. He was
| a lad of much promise and was sent by his
fathers synagogus to Europe in 1872 to pre-
pare himself to take his fathers place. Upon
his return in 1876 he called a meeting of the
elders of his fathers church and told them
that he could not teach the orthodox Jewish
| nj tp.,,1l .it,,l. tbay,, h.. =
they had expended in his behalf as soon as
he could earn it. His friends and relatives
stormed and pleaded in vain. He was told
that he was throwing away a chance that
came to but one young man in a million: as
| his fathers successor he would be assured of
an honorable position for life and salary of
SO, GOO year. He refused to reconsider,
and organized meetings Of young Jews who,
like himself, no longer attended the synagogue
services, but felt the need of some spiritual
exercises Young Adler's speculative lectures
upon the great questions Of the age became
fashionable among the best class Of young
Jews, and when Chickering hall was taken in
| 1873 and regular services were held every
Sunday morning, the hall was crowded The
Jewish rabbis said Let him alone, aud the
movement will run its course" But all such
hope has long since died out, and She jews
recognize in the movement their most serious
schsm of the time in this country, His so
ciety has absorbed the very flower OF the syn
agogues, the young and intelligent. Yet, say
his critics, if he we're to die tomorrow the
society for ethical culture would go to pieces
This may be, and yet the fact remains that
several thousand intelligent Jews would not
return to the synagogues. Whether he lives
or dies, the blow he has given them is Sc
we're one. Most of the recent concessions
made by the orthodox synagogues TO what
they call the radical ultra. liberal spirit of the
age have been made in recognition of Adler'i
influence and the danger Of too strict an ad
herence to the old forms and obseryances
Last year when Rabbi Koehler, one of the
representative men in the Jewish church il
New York, determined to open his synagogue
on Sunday we'll as on Saturdays, | asked
him what his orthodox straightbacks though
of it.
"We must do something" he said, "tC
counteraet this Adler craze. II we had be
gun earlier to recognize the new spirit of thu
age and the necessity of conforming to it
Adler would not have the finest congregation
of Jews in New York"
The society for ethical culture has l be
lieye, no creed. Adler does not object t
prayer, because, be says, If ii docs no gooC
it can do no harm, Concerning the existence
of God and future life he is an agnostie
protesting ignorance too great TO allow of al
opinion. Upon one subject he is very posi-
tive that the world can be made better, an'
that he knows the right methods TO that end
He regards crime, sickness, immortality a
evidences of ignorance, and proposes to cur
all human ills by bringing home to the hu
man race the fact that virtue is its own re
ward. The religion Of humanity is his con
stant text and there is scarcely a question o
public import, from vaccination to universe
suffrage, that he does not consider in his Sun
day morning discourses. As an orator he
disappointing his manner is awkward AM
constrained, his delivery lacks huency an
force, and his words are frequently ill-chosen
But there is a certain latent power about tn
man, a fierce, intense and sombre earnestnes
which passes for eloquenee.