New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-06
SYSTEM IN EDUCATION.
PRESIDENT HARPER ADVOCATES SOME
RADICAL REFORMS.
moo NAVY INEFFICIENT COLLEGES IN AMERICA
PROFESSOR DRUMMoND CONTINUES HIS
COURSE AT CHACTAUQU\
Inv TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l

my rEluGRAPII TO TIE TRIBUNE.l
rh,u,.unus Jnlv The counter attractions OF
the Columbian Exposition seemed to threa''h ior
while the attendance at ChautauQua this year u"'
ut the opening exercises ol inc assembly '"'' -"
urday and again at the opening cNcrc~cs ol inc col
lece and schools this morning.. the audiences bN Hc'
nm, count were found t. be larger than thCs" o. last
wear ON the sam. occasions. The number oil p"PhN
enrolled I'm the educational departments. :" ldI i"
heard lrom IS also gratfyingly large. Ni'Hih ~
Hsrper president OF the Chicago University ana PHI"
c.nol of The Chautauqua system, spoke TO-DAY OH
A system in EduCatiOn.' What DIR. Harper CAM"
&frormenfary and suggestive remarks" proved 10 d.
q +houphtful and able address. He began Nv re-
ferr,nr 20 the many forms OF educational ac'NlN
in this country. which lie said were without ADJUST
1nent to each other and entirely devoid OF re''uo"
chin 70 onv general scheme. There is not such
thing as system or order or plan. 1t Is beyond as
pu,e that whatever advantages the American college,
nosscsscs II bv no means ranks with the gym
nasrim or Lycee Tie introduction OF order ana So
fem would double the efficiency OF the Wofk oo"'
save two TO four years In the HE OF every H"''"
and secure a thorOuGhnes> which wouid rcN""'''"
izc American methods politics. business ana letters
Dr. Harper said he did not presume 10 pr"PoSe
% system Of education for America. But among
ideas which should characterize any pan Oh eau
cational work he named the principle oi lholNl"""
ism as capable OF application alike 10 S'u'h'S' III
strucors and institutions Culture should De rs D'ou
as possible In the line OF the WoTh "h'c" Inv INV"
vidual can do to advantage. The reason why 50
many men who have college and university lraI'"S
oro welcomed As failures Is because the idea has pre-
VeiIed so extensively that men may he educated Ill
iynass: that they may be ground through "'' '"'
riculum of study without reference TO Np'oai "s'''
and predictions. The speaker sail he S'oo" ''i"H
30 assume the responsibility for the statement that
as MANY men have been injured by college training
ms have been helped. and that the cause OF lnc III
1urr I'm nine cases out Of ten has been the ihheApe
routine OF the college curriculum How much oc'"i
II would be II institution deV"'N i'S s"V"s
aud energy TO the development of history anu pof
iiucs another TO the development OF inc pio'oS
tical sciences, another 10 throwing all H9 o"o -
into the great field of electricity. As II Is TENN
rate college IN a remote locality announces courses
I'm every department Of human knowledge anu SUI
dents are compelled in self defence to nAphe ID
everything rather than 10 do work In Il ie" ''nss
or grammar schools DR.. Harper said they are now
conducted with special reference to making proVNor
tor teachers and finding market lof "A','o"NS
rather than for developing pupils The beginning
NJ real university work IS In the kindergarten Dr
,Hsrper proposed rigid classification OF schools, ac
cordlng to purpose scope ana ramh' nrosn S6"nld
be created and said he could conceive no "orh
undertaken by the ~ TO thS Country
DIR Harper proposed first me ASSOCIATION o. ~
hsn the n @oC CncStop of ChaG%quas the reduction
of colleges to hall-collcgcS ana tAe aSNIIlau"I ~
' io do the best Of work The association o.
colleges In relation to university, ana lhe assocIt
zion of universities In relation to one Nanohal UNI
yersty. , ,,,o,a In tho third lecture
-. his course on the Ascent OF Man." gave an
account of how go, his speech ana sad eNo.
linton II fl Is the theory must CIV" an account
Of the whole man and Of the whole human Soci ~
Everything which goes to make MP man mas pr'l
ft,sG into him by a long series Of processes. for
thousands Of years wandered about the fac OF
the earth without the power Of speech. flul,N :
man bit upon the idea Of living together In numbers
with the advantage of animal strength In me com
binaiion and also OF mental observation ono man
many ear, provided there i some power OF com
,mnnication between the different members. The
mere fact that animals are together proves tn't
they are in communication with each othel. The
three kinds of language used among deer are sen
note information. Turning 10 man one hlda sign
tone and word Language all passing IN definite form,
into speech. OF the most primitive races sun
cling 10 gesture languages, with only The use OF a
few growls. From gesture and sound language me
specialization Of sounds was next traced ana ITO
fessor Drimmond said II Is a general belief among
eyoluonists that To this development OF language
among man Is due the evolution OF The human NINA
itself. The reason that animals have not gOh"
on in mental development Is because animal, nav"
them. .,.
With some account of the history OF the formation
Of words and languages By individuals, tribes ana
nations the next proposition was that from being able
to say what he knew man passed 30 write what ne
knew first by objects and later by more simple signs.
By all the traditions of evolution the telephone ought
TO be the vehicle of the language Of the future The
human mind Is already feeling for a better means 81
talking. and tclep,thy has become scientific word.
Lectures were also given by Miss r. H. Hcidmpr"
tin 80 The Women and Homes Of Japan, ana bN MIS-
C. E. Bishop Instructor in Delsarte culture. on our