The herald., 1895-05-08

SecOnd-ln all the world there is moth
| ing that differentiates so greatly as does
! creative mind. Shalt the minds of chill
dren, which are nothing if not creative.
be cursed by the limitations of rigid class
iiication and uniformity in process? Even
| classes differ SO greatly as to cause the
frequent apology of teachers. Can more
uniformity be expected of individuals
and is it desirable, if it could? There
must be opportunity, adjustment and
| conservation. The pupil VINO can do two
| or three times as much work as his fell
| lows must be permitted to do 50; the one
who gains; most by travelling slowly must
| not be rushed prematurely into difficulties
beyond his power OF perfect assimilation.
Thlrd-There must be consideration of
| individual environments. The home cir
cumstances of life are not the same for all
children. The boy who cannos start with
| the year until u month or two late, should
not lose semester or a year by being
forced into lower class. The girl stopping
| to help at home for few weeks should be
permitted to resume work where it was
interrupted. The child who comes from
another school should not be confronted
by the ragged edges OF mechanical dit
ference in standing. The pupil who is
not promoted should not be required to
repeat the exact details of his previous
work. In fact, the child must be placed
where he can get the greatest amount of
good to himself. and from that point of
pidCeIlltnt tliSFe HuSI DC tne open ave-
nues of the most generous and versatile
opportunity.
In execution of the ideals involved in
this formulation of aims, lndividualism
comes with the following statement of
working creed The school is for the
child and not the child for the school;
there must be consideration of physical
conditions, intellectual ability, and con-
ditioning environment; the worker must
be placed where he can get the greatest
good to himself; the work of the school
must be done within school hours; there
must be no mechanical limitation to ad
vancement: all work must arise from
true motives. which involve utilization
of love for work, interest and determin-
ing choice; the child must be trained
how to work as a self-reliant, independ-
ent worker, accustomed in The school to
the same conditions he will meet IN after
life; the entire product of the school
must be the self-governing citizen; the
student athirst for continued educa-
tiOn which is already q part of himself;
the man, the woman, of vigorous physi-
cal health, intellectual promise and noble
impulse.
This is the tentative position taken by
indivdualism. Who can question its
righteousness and ultimate victory?
Many who have not comprehended its
lofty scope and noble purpose have sought
to make of it a mechanical thing, and
have given-the world an entirely erroneous
impression of its mission. Individualism
is not thing of letter. but of spirit; not
of requirement. but of opportunity; not
a machine, but great living thought
appealing for Incorporation into the work
of the school according to the personality
of the worker. What parent is there who
has not realized the over-demands and
pressure of the mechanically graded
school system? Who does not recognize
the nobility and higher efficiency of indi-
vidual conservation when applied to
schools and interpreted, not as thing
of mechanism. but in the spirit of the in
tention of those who know what it means.
After all society presents the same
characteristics the world over and in all
ages. While old as an approved educa-
tional theory, individualism is new as
doctrine placed into practice. Like all re-
ferns it must sight Its way to correct in
sterpTetatien and-reeognition At the pres
cational writer's all over the nation are
turned against the shield of individual
ism. School men for years have claimed
that the education of all must be con-
formed to type. and that pupils must
be mechanically classified and treated
sists this is not necessity, and that
school plans must be SO readiusted as to
perfectly protect the individual against
sacrifice of any kind. OF this newer
sch Dol stands the kindergarten at one end
OF the line. with Stanford university.
Chicago university, Harvard university,
Drexel institute and like institutions at
the other. Between these two extremes
OF the educational iield but representing
the same great thought and the same in !
terests, must the great battle of :ndivid-
ualism be fought-namely, in the public
schools. 1t is not difficult to understand
the opposition that arises. School men.
like others IN life, are not easily changed
from the paths made easy by tradition.
The superintendent who undertakes to
conduct a school in the interests of the
individual cannot limit his work to the
conservation OF twelve types. represent
ing SO many years, but must carry pro-
vision for the thousands of cases, each
one of which is to be treated on it's mer-
Its. lie must carry a thousand lines of
thought, be alert to demands at every
point of the line, assume responsibility
for every steep he takes, but in execution
he must have complete opportunity for
untrammeled adjustment. This is not an
easy course. and SO must win it's Way to
recognition. Individualism today is at
its beginning but stands endorsed by the
opposition of the defense. Fifteen years
ago, industrial education began it's inno-
walton under just the same antagonistic
circumstances, but has since trium phant-
ly won the day though opposed by the
same men who now decry the onward
march of individual consideration.
Aroused and thrown on the defensive
the opponents OF individualism have ad-
vanced many fase arguments because of
imperfect knowledge or mistaken inter
pretation.
1t has been said that individualism is a
return to the methods OF the old ungrad-
ed school. Well suppose it is. the oil d
ungraded school, with the addition of
the higher impulse and the better teacher
OF the present would hn o1tnootbar q
bad thing. But it cannot intelligently
be so confoulded, for the old ungraded
school mad its pupils of all ages from five
to twenty one. while the modern city
school presents some convenience in
grouping and great opportunity in equip.
ment. More than this, the purpose of
lndividualism is best conserved by the
application of true laboratory methods to
the performance of all departments of
work, and this was totally unknown in
the days of the old ungraded school, In
the sense, however that it utilities high
degree of self-reliant, independent work
1T is essentially the same.
tt is said that the number of pupils to
the teacher must be smaller. This is not
necessarily the case. Schools are 30
large by any plan. Some OF the best re-
suits ofindvidual work obtain IN schools
OF excessively large size. The fact is, the
work in mechanically m graded school
may appear easier, but diffiultles do not
come to the surface and are not easily
recognized. 1t is not so much a question
OF the number of pupils as it is ques-
of t1,at