Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-11-24
nae I. ersr II. EDUCATION. ,:; ..ji, !.
That which Trains Hand ana Brain To.
gether-A Great Nfistahc.

gether-A Great Mistahc.
Each year brings to the general public,
a. we'll as TO the educators, the convic-
ton that the present system Of education
Is inadequate TO the demands Of the day.
The great public, which is more directly
Interested in school methods than the ed
ucators themselves, arc waking 10 tho
conviction that there Is much useless cx-
penditure Of time md effort In putting
the boy and girl through tho course OF
study in the schools. This conviction IL
not limited 10 any class of intelligence.
1t Is permeating all classes. With this
moro complete view Of education comes
among the higher classes greater re-
spect for skilled labor. In these days
when riches suddenly take TO themselves
wings and fly away; when there may be
luxury ono week and penury the next,
II Ia necessary for every ono TO be pre-
pared for these emergencies. Tho exi-
gencies In business life cannot always be
foretold with accuracy. Tho laws that
govern the evolutions Of commerce arc
to certain extent the same In their ten
dency and ms unerring In their effect as
those that govern tho cvolutions Of ma
ture.
II has long been great mistake Of the
rich to educate their children In the ef-
florescnces Of knowledge, and to teach
them to view manual labor as lowering
I'm its influences. But self preservation
IL one Of tho first laws of nature and
there are comparatively few people who
would rather starve to death than work
with their hands. Tho instinct Of ma
turo IL strong with us all, and there Ia
that consciousness In every one, Mt least
In nearly every one, that forces him to
labor In order to save his own life. Tho
complications Of social conditions and tho
consequent competition In all depart
ments Of industrial and professional life,
together with these sudden disappear
ances Of fortunes, are impressing upon
the minds Of all, the rich as well rs tho
poor, the necessity OF being forearmed.
The man who Is armed Is always ready
for an attack. Tho man who has a
skilled brain and hand to fall back upon
Is ready for an emergency.
III society Is to be compactly built and
enduring we must all contribute our
labor, not only TO mako II 30, but to
keep IL 30. We have now as much of tho
disintegrating elements as weneed. These
arc tho criminal classes, the paupers, tho
insane, tho bed ridden, the homeless, the
aged, tho infirm. We have In this wide
domain many that are needy, but that are
not yet the wards Of the public. With
the increase Of the population comes an
increase In society's burdens. The COM
plication In social conditions must be evi-
dent to every ono that will take the trou-
BILE to penetrate tho slight crust which
envelops life In tho United States. The
only way to put an obstacle in tho way
Of this alarming increase In our non-pro-
ducing class, or non-contributing classes,
Is to educate our children to become pro-
ducers and contributors. The present
system OF education IL good 30 far ~ II
goes, but 1t does not 60 far enough.
II all members Of society were produ-
GERS On well as consumers there would be
less necessity for poorhouses. Practical
education might, and Undoubtedly would,
lessen tho tendency to crime. An idle
brain Is the DEVILS workshop Is saying
as true ns IL IL old. Thomas Carlyles
ringing sentences may be quoted here.
Says tho great philosopher: Produce,
produce, produce. II it be but the most
infinitesimal part Of n product. in Gods
name produce it. Work while 1t Is yet
day, for the night cometh wherein no
man can work." II Is the business of
those who direct education TO consider
these facts deeply.--Detroit Free Press.