St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-12
EDUCATIONAL REFORM.

Educational reform is unqueStionably
making progress in this country, yet it
is progressing under more difficulties
than, perhaps, any other kind of re-
form. The advance from the 0ld-field
school of our fathers day to the public
school of this period is a long stride,
and yet but few of US realize what OBJ
stacleS had to be overcome in taking
that step. Only the professional educa-
tors, who have come up from the old
conditions to the new, fully comprehend
what has been accomplished in the
cause of educational reform; and even
they do not seem to realize how little
has been done ia comparison with what
remains to be done. Instead of having
penetrated the inner court of the tenn
pie, as we fcndly imagine, we have
really just reached the vestibule of
educational progress.
The necessity for industrial training
has not yet fairly dawned upon us, but
the light is breaking. Nor have we
fairly recovered from the spell of the
old deluSi0n that book examining was the
essential feature of every educational
system, yet we are beginning to out
grow it. Through all these years we
have held with SuperStitiouS reverence
to that folly of follies, the school exami-
nation; but even that error is being dis
PEELED under the influence of the new
eyaugei of reform. Thelight is shining
from all sides more and more unto the
perfect day. so that we can confidently
look forward to the time when our edu-
catiOnal system shall be so firmly es-
tablished on basis of common sense
that there will be no necessity to edu-
cate the people up to its support. 1t
will commend itself, and not need the
eXtraneous forces to boost it that now
have to be applied.
But in clearing away the obstacles
that lie in the pathway of future educa-
tiOnal progress our lawmakers must
first learn to treat the school system as
rational subject and not as a mere
piece OF mechanism, to be tinkered with
by careless and incompetent hands.
The prevailing idea with most of our
Legislators is that the common school
system is only sort of clockWork, to
be wound up and then let go until it
runs down. And the mysterious part OF
it is that great many of the profess
SiOnal educators have adopted the same
false notions.
The average legislature thinks it has
performed its whole duty when it has
adopted cast-iron school law and then
provides fund with which to run the
machine for few months. There are
teachers, and good manyof them. who
think they have performed their duty
when they draw their salaries and fill
in SO many hours day for a specified
term in return for the salary they get.
There are school boards. too, who think
they have performed their duty when
they can pocket the profits on contracts
for building and furnishing school
houses.
There can never be any true educa-
tional reform until we can overcome all
these pernicious notions aud eliminate
from the conduct of the school system
the wolves who wear sleeps clothing.
AS long as Legislators who are lacking
III intelligence and moral sense make
our school laws, as long as we employ
teachers who have no higher sense of
duty than 10 kill time for money, and as
long as the management of the schools
Is entrusted TO men whose patriotism
never rises above the horizon of their
pockets, just so long will the cause of
educational reform be retarded and fail
to make substantial progress.
First OF all, the cast-iron featu res