Evening star., 1896-12-08
THE CLASS SYSTEM
Questioning It's Success in the Pub
lie Schools.
A PLEA FOR TEE INDIVIDUAL PUPIL
Mistakes That Are Made in Early
Education.
THE DANGER OF OVERWORK

| To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
| Inc work OF great newspaper Ike The
| star Is to enllghten the people There are
| degrees of enlightenment, and 1t gives
prominence to that which The people most
demand. This is business necessity. The
| press holds the same relation TO sanitary
| and hygienic matters that it does to every
other question of Importance. Knowing these
| facts. possibly the opinions as presented be-
low will enlighten some erring teacher
| if carefully read.
What shall we eat, what shall We drink
| and wherewithal shall we be clothedo are
| fundamental questions which must be
rightly answered in providing for the body
| Fortunately, in the large sense, nature
| suggests answers. Bat when We set a5 ,ut
providing alimen: for the mind the prob
lem becomes exceedingly complex. How
much. what kind and how to be admin
| istered are among the leading que stions
| OF the age. 1t is not easy to know how to
| grow strong, abiding bodies. 1t Is much
| more difficult to know how to grow strcng
| enduring, useful minds On the whole
| bodies are underfed. On the whole. minds
| are in a state of starvation The reason
| both are not in state of starvation is
| that the body when hungry cries out for
| food and will have It by means fsir or
| foul, while the mind without fcoG be-
| comes torpid and freezes to :!ea.h without
| knowing ii. When shall we begin 20 feed
the mind of a child? Obviously, when it
begins to show signs of capacity to digest
ideas or notions. This digestive capacity
! may appear very early. or it may he de-
| layed. Doubtless most children may be
| taught many useful things at six months,
| especially may they be taught cbedieTce.
| When the doll, old Mother Hubbard and
Grahdma's stories have lost their Zest. when
| the child becomes restless and begs for
| something TO do, and it matters little
at what age. or what may be its physical
l triNvn nod And Ii l..
| whose mothers are neither so ignorant,
| nor so bUrdened by poverty and care, Eor
SO oppressed by the frivoities of fashion
able life but they can take them in their
| arms and feed them "are thrice blessed"
| Nature begins to help the little ones right
early to determine what is good for the
body. Taste says sweet and the body ap-
| proves. Taste says bitter. and the body
rejects. Not so with the mind. 1t hungers,
but knows not sweet. 1t huaSers. but
| knows not bitter 1t will feed garbage
and grow. The body can eliminate what
| does not subserve its purpose, the mind
| cannot. Woe to the parent, woe to the
! teacher who gives unwholesome food. No
| age can be fixed when systematic teacning
| shall begin, but II should begin early; ii
! possible it should begin at home. The
| young brain is too receptive and has too
| little power of discriminating. to be trust
| ed to large or doubtful ass ociations. Hence
| the great utility, if not necessity. v hen
! practicable, of keeping it within the sphere
| of loving hearts and judiciols tongues,
| until it has acquired habit of right think
| ing and correct behavior. Then when it
| falls into the great march of life. when 1t
| adopts the street and the rough If the
| sc hool, the little brain. preoccupled Ly the
| loves and thoughts and humanities Of home,
| will resent the intrusion of evil thoughts
| and vicious ways. And although the con-
| fiict of the following years may be sharp,
and the victory at times doubtful. yet shall
the home bulwark be impregnabie-
The Public Schools.
|
us intrust the mental veal. and in some
measure the moral health of our children.
to Others The public school is the crown
| ing glory of the age. Doubtless it Is the
| worlds highest expression Of civilization.
| With us, teaching the young is largely in
| trusted to women and for obvious reasons,
| wisely.
| Are our schools doing their utmost to give
| mental strength to our children? The
| writer enters upon this consideration with
| some miSgiving. Nevertheless, he has fault
| to find. OF the system of books he makes
| no complaint. The steps from simple TO
| complex many, gradual and natural.
But the demands made upon the young pu-
| pill are arbitrary, excessive and unnatural.
| The personality of pupil is ignored. The
| class is a machine that is presumed to be
| able to. do certain, amount of work. and
! so its task is set.
| The individual pupils assumed to be
| parts. each perfectly fulfilling his function
| in making a perfect whole. Now, if all
| these parts had been made of the same ma
terial, had all been fashioned by the
same wise and skilfu hand, the eX.,ecta-
| tons would net be eXtravagant. But such
an assumption is SO VIGOROUSLY untrue that
| it may seem unnecessary to state it, and
| yet class training proceeds upon the
| theory that it is true.
! Undoubtedly sall brains can do some
/ work, and can all muscles. in sound
| condition; but it is never safe to assume
| that either can do given amount of work
until proven by individual experience.
| Glass" work takes no note of natural en-
| dowments. Class work takes no note of
| mental aptitudes. Glass work takes 10
| note of. physical conditions, but pushes all
| forward into the same column and demands
| of all the same days work. No ambuIances
| for the foot sore, no stretchers for. wounded
| brains, no light for DIM eyes, no hints for
| beclouded minds, no better w'y to the IN
certain. struggling brain; but all, shoulder
| to shoulder. must reach the goal a: the
same time. or sink by the way, nunilia ed
| and d:sgraced.
The Object Of Education.
Such is not the way to break colts. Such
| Is not the way to educate brains. But it is
| an excellent way to disorsanize, discourage
| and make them trifiirg, and Of little worth
The object of education should be to make
| healthy. robust, symmetrical persons
| which cannot be done when the individual
is subordinated to the class. Most, If not
all brains at times need help which the
| present class system almost entirely ig-
| nores.
| 1t is not meant that natural aptitudes
| should be so regarded as to make them the
| foundation upon which education should be
based. The object being strength, sclidity
and dexterity, it may be necessary to re-
| press tendencies. and to stimulate ard de-
| velop weak points. Aptitudes will declare
| themselves, whether we will or no, in after
/ life. But the aptitudes of some should rot
be made the standard of excellence for all.
The class ysstem must under our system
| of education in some measure continue: but
| its wrong tendencies can be largely miti-
| gated or entirely remedied by an increase
of instructors, SO that the person will
not be lost In the class. If it be urged that
! an increase Of teachers demands increased
| expenditures of money, the statement may
| be doubted. Increased facilities would short
/ en- the time of schooling necessary: but if
| the expenditure of money should be more,
| can it be doubted that the fuller and more
| symmetrical development of the individual
| would be more than abundant compensa-
| ton?
| A very general opinion obtains that our
children's brains are being overworked and
| that their bodies are underworked. Neither
| opinion is well founded indeed, there is
little hazard in saying that the reverse of
| both opinions is true. Both minds and
| rtoip