The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-24

| NVR&M11 49,
HON. W. W. sTETsON.
The keenest insight must fail to reveal
the positions one may be asked to fill,
responsibilities he may be forced to as
| sumo The infinite variety of possibili-
| ties of advancement are only limited by
the infinite versatility of our people.
| The school which gave instruction to its
pupils in few studies and insisted upon
a mastery of a few facts, was tins school
which WAS best fitted for the age in
which it existed. But today, as never
| before, the youth of tho world need
strength grasp, vision; capacity to see,
| feel, think, do. To have these things
and use these powers they must be SO
trained that they can make the most of
the best in them, along every line OF
which they are capable of development.
! In the olden time it was possible for
the student to be familiar with the most
Of the facts known to the world in his
age, and there was some justification in
being beast of burden whose mission 1t
wa to- carry about an assorted knowledge
Of classified data. In..this year of grace it
Is impossible for any one to be walking
encyclopedia of all learning. Whoever
attempts the task becomes more or less
patient drudge. carrying about mass
of material which might be better
housed in books than carried in heads.
The time has come when there must be
asradical change in the conception Of
the work of the common schools. Text
books in which facts are arranged in an
orderly way must be used, lessons must
assigned and studied, recitations should
be conducted, and explanations and dis
cussions must be part of the regular
work of the school. But less time must
be given to the unusable things in arith-
| metic, the unknowsble and unimportant
| things In geography and history, and
the incomprehensible things in language
and science. More time must be deyot-
ted to mastering the fundamental prin-
ciples, the foundation truths,and to ac-
quiring facility In the use of simple pro-
cessea.
Our schools are weak in 80 far as they
do not help the children to feel the pulse
| of nature, see and appreciate its beau
| ties, and enjoy the glow that comes II om
an intelligent sympathy with her moods
and en- bodiments.
Our schools are ineff1oicnt to the extent
that they fail 70 put the children in COM
munion with the masters in prose and
poetry. They must feel the lifo that has
been breathed into these works of art,
and understand, to some extent, the
means used to give it tangible exis-
tence.
In the pictorial and representative arts
the children must have revealed to them
the conception that was born in the ar
| lists brain and is embodied in the pic
| ture or statue. They must breathe the
atmosphere, live in the world, feel the
emotion and bs nodded by the Influences
| that are the creation Of the masters. We
fail grisvously II we fail 10 help the
past, present and future. that have been
| recorded on canvas and chiseled in mar
| BILE.
Any one who has made study of
children knows that they are greatly
| influenced by their physical surround
ms. 1t il impossible for the schools to
do their best work so long as the child
which NO description can do Justice. The
yard in which they play. the building
| in which they are housed, the furniture
| which they use. must aid in developing
| self respect, q sense of personal RESPONSE
bility, a regard for the rights of others, a
property. and such spirit of enterprise
and desire tor the best things that they
shall grow into high minded citizens.
Tho time was when the professional
man, 1.-THE parents, in fact all of the
people Of Community had personal
interest in the public school of the COM
munity. They visited It.; they studied it:
they knew the children who attended #:
they knew tho studies they were pur-
| suing; the methods that were used in
giving instruction; and the teacher was
a person Of commanding influence in the
community. He not only taught the
children, but he also taught their fathers
and mothers. He was an AUTHORITY. an
oracle, power for good in the nei0hbor-
hood in which he served.
Thu. average citizen OF today in too
many communities, knows nothing
about the school, seems to- care nothing
| about the school, can have no synpatby
with it's work because he has no knowi-
edge of what it IL doing. He pays his
freely. and leaves the employment OF the
teachers to certain oficials. and the
instruction of his children to those who
are employed to take charge of them. It
10 impossible to have good school with
simply a school room, school books,
sympathy. the kindly feeling Of the com.
NJ unity must be with the school.
Parents must refuse to oriticize the
teacher, the school, it's work, upon the
testimony of fretful,s imnatiant
angered child. II the favorite child
happens to be disciplined, he comes home
the household take sides with him "a
against the aohool and the teacher. and
harsh, cruel, Entruthful things are ssid
and unjust things are DONE ali Of which
means an injury to the Children ard ~
the school. The parents must cease 10
sit in Judgment upon the teacher or the
school without having made a oarsful
study of both.
When the teacher and the school are
studied, the effort to know them viii
produce sympathy with than wbioh
will prevent the most Of the evils from,
which we suffer along these lines At the
present time.
Pupils rust be willing to do their own
work. They must realize that IL is