Richland beacon., 1888-11-03
=, -.,- S.iALL eS.lU ri.M
he Question Constant 'sxcd by
sons iathcr-.

! lie Question Constant 'sxci by
sons Iathcr-.
Ia series OF articles appearing in
the Eng c on The Sundays OF May-to
which hope | may be pardonel for
calling at;cntiou-l attempted to gise,
in brief outline. the Status of our edu-
eat Onal endeavor and achievement.
concluding with summary of those
aspects of our present civilization VIII ch
explain. f they DO not justify. the in
/ adequacy of our results rs compared
with our undertakings. writes Il cor
respondent in the Brooklyn EGgie. In
those articles. after exhibiting the in
herent unccr aiut Is Of all educational
efforts, Oil account of the prevailing
presence of factors which no personal
iiy of the teacher and no mechanics of
/ organization can control, | was led 10
point oul, rs a farther cmbarrass ment,
the actual, though not perhaps the
apparent, isolation and mi,tru-t Of the
teachers life and pursuits. whereby
| his devotion and his mastery are not
understood or supported. while he is
/ himself curious. IT not an Ignored,
factor in general intercourse. As q
corollary on this demonstration, [ Of
frrcd picture of the real teacher and
os the place he ought TO hold and I'll
among the relations and the estimates
u! his fcllow-men in the ordinary con-
,ac,s Of lifc, with or without regard TO
| tic fact OF vOcatiTu. Finally,
II st forth certain prevail
ing features Of metropolitan sOc!-
Uiogy, which seem 10 show that.
us methods are perfected. material Is
more unmanagcablc, as teachers become
better. pupils yet worse. rs the work
man is more willing and more able, he
| Is only The more expected TO make
bricks without straw. The inadequate
results were not admitted. they were
ayowcd, and the avowal was made
with the view OF putting the RESPONSE
b lity where it belongs; and 1t does not
all or chiefly lie with the teacher. No
ATTEMPT was made 10 shield the in
competent teacher, whose name Is
legion, Just is the incompetent IN every
walk of life answer to the same APP
pclIation; though, in fact. from the ma
lurc of the work it Were pardonablc IL
the inflicien. teachers were in Il ma
jori,y over the unsuccessful IN other
departments of labor; but there was
The distinct desire 10 resent the tacit
assumption that n teacher necessarily
knows so little about anything the
world knows anything of. and the
world knows 50 mnch of everything,
that the teacher ipsO facto knows
nolhing of anyth. NJ, even of educa-
t on and teaching; and all that the
world can do. since it cannot dispense
with him, is to tolerate, where 1t cali
not altogether, emasculate or approx
mately annhiate him. Methods are
better and results are worse; they are
worse than when Our fathers or grand
fathers walked five miles through the
snow for the scantv privilege OF
three months old field school; they are
worse than they are to-
day in England or Germany.
Our results are worse than those of
our past, because our fathers and
grandfathers cravcd these rare oppor-
tunities and valued tho achievements
of fatigue and endurance: they arc
worse than the results in England or
German. because the discipline of
= those civilizations develops simple
.lnty and easy obedience and self deny
jnr thorouohness. Our children have
no such cravings and no such valua-
tions, nor does our civilization hedge
'hem round with conditions favorable
to duty or obedience or thOrOughness
This complexion of affairs has seri-
ously modified the relation OF teacher
and pupil; as the latter no longer does
his part, the former is compelled
: q ther 10 abandon the Office of com.
) munication or to devise more elaborate
means Of holding the learners atten-
ton and Impressing his intelligence;
but alas! the substitute is far from be-
ing an equivalent for the original atti-
tude of The two parties toward. each
other; and the responsibility of the
r pupil once tempted from its full per-
, formance. he grows away from the re
| sources Of the teacher ut an incalcula-
BILE and ever increasing speed. Thus
, it IS that. in countries where the science
of pedagogics has had practically no
= influence, the achievements are far
superior to our own in such lines of
, work rs may form the basis of COM
par son. This IMPLY means that
a thev do what they undertake.. and
{. they undertake WORTH service.
!. 1t does mol mean that their plan of ed
! ucat on in the abstract IS better than
q ours. any more than it means that the
0 methods and systems that we have so
; admirably worked ont in this country
u succeed in transmitting what is really
n The spirit and soul of all educational
:, aspiration, whatever expedition and
d Ieyterity they secure within their
j. range. Aud 1 anticipated. if it was
necessary TO ant cipate. the objection
based on the expansion Of our college
and university courses. with their mul.
n :itudinous electives and illimitable par.
aphernalia--on the lcngthening rolls
OF students and investigators and prac.
'ical demOnstrators--On the extended
rccognit on Of our more and more num-
d erOus specialists in every art and sci
# ence. In the first place. not by any
means all the categOr.es of this Objec-
ton are in point; in Tho second place.
|. the ratio of this growth is accompanie,
bs much larger ratio in the growtl
of schoolgoing populations; and, finally
what is the real answer-that con
:, ;rast OF conditions that characterize.
- every age is now intensified by the EN-
= phasis OF extremes. II is certainly verl
far from being the case that the phe
lomena catalOgued as the items OF The
% objection imply enhanced acutenes'
= and assurance OF insight to the core o
. truth, which, in its spirit and i'm its re
lations. apart from the facts. whethe
y solitary or tabulated. true education
| l., l,., IA, N m,