Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1885-04-11
Practical and moral Requirements in Education.

Practical and Moral Requirements in Education,
Education may be regarded as the
theory of life and our general conduct
as the practical part, If we can find
the relation which theory has to practice,
we can better determine the relation
which theory has to practical life. The
one teaches what to do, and the other
instructs IN the art of doing it. But
they must be rightly connected. Time
may be regarded as misspent that is ia
ken in acquiring knowledge that can be
made use of in our work. Then the
problem so far as it relates to the school
IS, how to put in practice in life business
the knowledge obtained in them. The
ability to do this will depend upon what
is taught and the way in which it IS
taught. Much complaint has been
made because pupils from the schools
are unable to apply readily what they
have learned. This comes partly from
the fact that much of what is taught is
itself impractical. 1t has not been held
in the past that what the pupil learned
in school was to serve him any direct
purpose afterWard. His attention was
directed to problems that have no spec
ial connection with the business he is
going to follow. He was given the
questions that did not concern him while
he WAS LETT unconscious of the duties
that he would meet with in that field in
which he was soon to enter as a partici-
pant. The student is too often directed
away from the present and from the
things he is preparing himself to meet.
He IS often Taught concerning other
countries while a knowledge of his own
country, Of his own powers and the
oE, 4re
The to change this order and endeaVOr
to teach the pupil at least many of the
things that he win need to make use of,
is one Of the progressive steps now being
made in the line of educational work.
This tendency has made the Greek and
Latin languages step down and out of
many of our public high schools, and
has even disturbed them in some of the
colleges and other higher institutions of
learning The effort to teach pupils
how TO use their knowledge has given
rise to industrial work ia the school by
which they are made acquainted with
things just as they will meet with them
IN real life.
Education is not a stufhng process by
which pupils should be filed full of
arithmetic and grammar and history,
but 1t should be a growing process by
are drawn out and the pupils caused to
think, and think Independently, strong
ly and practically. Minds skilled in in
dependent and accurate thinking, have
IN possession something much different
from mere book knowledge, garbled
discOnnectedly from different authors
and not half understood, 1t is much
more valuable, too. There is a grow
ing respect for this kind of thinking
even in the schools and with the young
est pupils. In the subject of spelling,
Tor instance, columns Of words are not
thrust upon the memory of the child,
who knows nothing about their mean
ing, as used TO be done, but he is shown
their definition or they are given him in
a sentence where he can get their mean
ing and understand the thought which
they represent. This makes spelling a
really profitable exercise, and an aid to
the thinking as well as 4 help to the
memory Words when met with in a
sentence where they communicate to
the mind positive idea, have a living
force and an awakening power that col
umns of naked words can never have.
Things like this are coming TO be recOg-
nized and prOhted by, by teachers who
understand the matter best everywhere.
But there are other requirements be-
side the ability to put IN practice what
is learned. The willingness to carry
out what is learned is of equal import
ance. Integrity in carrying out in prac-
tce what our knowledge dictates to Us
is a moral quality and can be encOur-
aged and educated as we'll as any other.
BOOk-learning constitutes only q part of
an education. And a smaller part than
Is sometimes supposed. Much more is
needed in the development of q life. In.
. formation furnished by books and an
instructor are necessary but the great
object is not so much to give infOrma-
| ton as to help along the powers which
are already there, and make the indi-
vidual an independent, thinking being.
Without moral principle to guides edu-
cation may become a misdirected pow
err as strong Tor harm as Tor good. With
/ out regard Tor personal integrity, no one
/ can be a success, and great ability and
/ talent viii avail little in the long race
/ of lifes il the person Is not guided by
/ honest intentions, and if he does not i'm
/ press people that what he does is based
I on principles OF right action. After ali
/ there are few places where men are es-
/ timated as much for their mere ability
/ in their profession, as Tor integrity in
\ carrying out the duties Of that prOfes-
/ sion. and for fair and upright dealing