The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-07-11
AN ADDRESS
BY Z. q. COOLEY, PRINCIPAL.

V0 P0y OusS Al eAAO OOuOuyS s0SS CuAAA0
OF money for school purposes. and u.s.
ually, / think, the money il paid willing
". Do the public schools do the work
expected Of them? Some Of our leading
periodicals, such as the Forum and the
Atlantic Monthly, are publishing all
kinds Of articles on this subject and sug-
gest various reforms. The agitation OF
the question would seem to indicate that
the great public " feeling, vaguely per-
hsps, that the schools are not what they
should be, and is looking for the cause.
Pres Elliott Of Harvard says the school
programs or courses should be changed.
The would-be reformers who write for
our periodicals seem to think that in the
course Of study lies the difficulty.
Now it seems to me that before we can
discuss this question Of school programs
intelliRently, some unsettled things must
be settled. We must first como to some
conclusion q to the mental product
desired as result Of school training, and
arrange our courses accordingly.
L. knowledge power? Is education
making the mind full or making the
mind strong? Shall We aim to form q
man or q machine? In other words,
shall We give general preparation for
life or shall we teach the art Of earning a
livelihood? Does the carting into the
mind OF few bushels Of dead facts to be
peddled out again make one more of a
man? Some Of these questions must be
answered before we can have rational
courses Of study.
II more knowledge is power, then let
Us make the mind full. Let MS fill it
with information that will be useful in
after life. The persons who advocate
this kind Of nm education leave out Ct
their calculations the most important fac
tor in the problem, the child. They try
to teach the child what they think it is
desirable for him to know, rather than
what he is in condition to learn. They
forget how small part Of their school
lessons they have retained in their men,
ories. and probably have no way Of judy
ing Of how useless they would be to them,
even il remembered. The failure to re-
member everything we learn is not mis-
fortune, as some think. We ought to be
glad that there is an art OF forgetting as
we'll as Of remembering. The making
the mind full should take q subordinate
place. and our efforts should be directed
70 strengthening and disciplining the
faculties Of the mind. Our school studies
should be chosen mainly for their value
a. means Of mental discipline. There
10 no more practical thing on earth than
. we'll disciplined mind, unless it be a
well disciplined body, and both are de.
sirable educational products. In such
> course Of study, forgotten knowledge
would have its place. Wewould not hes
itate to put q study into the course, if it
was valuable for mental discipline. even
il our knowledge Of it did not outliye our
school days.
Another Crying need Of our schools is
better attendance. and more regu-
lar attendance. When the ancient
Greek or Roman could not feed aud ed.
ucate, or did not wish to feed and educate
the children he was blessed with, he ex.
posed them, put them out Of the way. It
was cruel, but it was logical. No man
has right to call life into the world
which he can not and will not maintain.
He is bound to destroy it or accept the
cost Of it. mo man." says Chancellor
Kent "has right 10 rob the State OF
useful citizen and bequeathe it nuis-
ance." No man in this land OF free
schools has right to bring up children
in ignorance. Do they do it? Look on
your streets almost any evening for an
answer, and inquire how many Of the
boys running about there, attend school
regularly, or even at all. We ought to
have truant officer in our towns to
drive these boys Oh the streets in the eve
ming, and to school in the morning.
The public ought to insist upon regular
attendance at school. as any other man.
sgement is wasteful and is unfair to those
who are regular in attendance. There are
on an average about IS pupils OF those
who are tolerably regular In attendance
absent from school every day OF the year.
and usually these pupils are from about
the same families ench month Of the year.
Last October was good month for school
work. The weather was pretty good and
no epidemic raging. We had 300 days OF
absence from school during that month.
This is about an average month, many
overrunning this.
But the greatest need Of the schools is
teachers; earnest. progressive teachers.
The general carpenters Of the universe
who write down to US from the columns
Of the Forum and other periodicals. about
"How I was Educated" and .What
Should the Public Schools Teach" do not
seem to have reached this CONCLUSION;
but most Of our eminent educators re.
gard this 40 our weakest point, Presi-
dent Elliott, in speaking OF reforming
our programs, says, The greatest need
Of our primary and secondary schools is
better teachers, then better programs"
There is no getting anything out Of even
! good program without them. Indeed,
Ehe only way to test the goodness Of .
program is to try il with good teachers.
THIS is the only end Of the problem Of
school reform, you can begin ct. Where
Is the omniscieut critic who wants to I'M
lertake the job Of digging . perfect
course OF study ont Of the depths OF his
Emerson says, Il ask
lot what my boy studies q school, but i