The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-12-13
GERMAN SCHOOL DISCIPLINE.
DIR. j. VI. Rice Found Lack of Sympa-
thy Between Teachers and Pupils.

DR.. j. NJ. Rice, who has given a most
careful study of the public school sys-
tenn of the United States, writes an art
icle on school Excursions in Germany"
for The Century, In the course of his
paper he describes one excursion on
which he was guest made by the Ped
agogical Seminary at Jena through the
Luther country. in connection with
study of the Reformation. The follow
ing is the result of his observations dur
ing the expedition:
The spirit manifested during tho
journey was in full accord with the
physical features. Indeed, lack of
sympathy on the part of the teachers
was characteristic phase of the tour.
AS for the boys. although they en-
dured the physical hardships with
scarcely murmur, their behavior in
other directions showed a complete lack
of manliness. Nor did the feeling of
good-fellowship exist. In many of
them the tears were always near the
surface, and they were shed in profu-
sion on the slightest provocation. If a
boy happened to take the smallest lib
erty with one of his companions, the
affair was seldom passed over good
naturally, the usual result being either
a crying spell or flow of abusive
words. One OF the pupils wept long
and bitterly simply because some one
had called him a shoemaker. Worst of
all, petty spats arising among the pu-
pills were seldom settled BIZ themselves.
Sooner or later the tale of woe was car
ried to one of the teachers, and the lat
inf h,nrfrht flo, To
close by boxing the ears of one of the
boys, it mattered little which. No at
tempt was made by the teachers to cure
the children of their babyishness, and
tattling was always encouraged. Once
a boys mental equilibrium was dis
turbed, he became sullen, and remained
aloof from the others for hours. As i'll
humor on the part of a few pupils natu-
rally reacted on the other members of
the party, the prevailing feeling during
the Journey was one of gloom. Again,
in the evening when the boys were
tired, nothing was done to afford them
pleasure. And when, after retiring,
children were found who failed prompt
ly to fall asleep, their restlessness, which
was most likely due to exhaustion, was
put down by the teachers as unruliness,
and they received as an anodyne box
on the ears.
Although the spirit and the physical
features of the described journey may
not meet with our approval it is clear
that its suggestive value, from the
standpoint of intellectual development.
is in no way affected by the former. In
themselves the German methods are not
antagonistic to sympathy. Is not, for
example, the kindergarten-the institu-
ton which above all fosters helpfulness,
love and sympathy-a creation of Ger
many? And are not our progressive
schools Astounding in sympathy, while
their system of instruction is founded
on theories evolved by German educat-
ors? In word, as it has been shown
in SO many directions that when Ger
man educational theories are planted in
American soil, the fruit begins to APP
proach the ideal, is it not reasonable to
suppose that the same would be true in
regard to the school excursions?