The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-05
PRACTICAL EDUCATION.



education. Il Is in the direction which en-
ables men and women 20 study and learn
while they are at work. Your college stud
ent is in a way. a monk He thinks he
knows something Of the world outside: but
In truth he Is engaged. or ought 10 be en-
gagged. in another world, the world OF his
tory. or Of science. But the man who is do
ing his daily work. or the woman who is
cong hers, want chances. and they make
chances. To read as they run. The colless
student himself joins their ranks as soon al
ne mas left his monastery. And the town
or the State which makes fit provision for
such students is establishing universities
which will sooner or later receive more
pupils than the most popular universities of
the monastic pattern.
Indeed, in sense, every town becomes
such center of instruction. The churches.
the lecture courses. the Libraries. public or
private, draw to the place those who want
TO learn. And here is an important factor
in the growth Of cities 10 be needed caro-
fully by those who study the problems OF
Capitalization
The step forward which has been tried.
with various successes in different cities. is
made in any effort 10 combine in some
system. such agencies for the higher in
gratifying. and in the new attention to i'm
provement Of city life We shall see more
such success. The festival of the other day.
when the cornerstone of the institute was
laid at Brooklyn, marks. one might say,
an epoch in such endeavor.
Brooklyn is a city of wealth. the home
OF intelligent people. They had a historical
society, an Athenaeum. funds for courses
of lectures, a widespread taste for read
ing. a good mercantile appreciation and
other arrangements such as are usual I'm all
our larger towns.
1t occurred TO somebody OF sense that.
without in the least lettering the separate
arrangements OF these societies. they might
be allied I'm an association. This union
which Is a syndicate and leaves full power
20 the different members-is the Brooklyn
Institute" Each OF the different societies
may organize its separate lectures. But
the institute advertises each and all. And
the institute ticket takes the institute men,
Der TO any lecture or course OF study he
chooses in a large range.
Your institute ticket for a week. there
fore, has more coupons on IL than a railroad
ticket which would take you to Alaska. IL
you have five bodies, by good luck, you
may go TO five lectures at the same time.
The fourteen lectures, the week before
Christmas, were in the departments OF
architecture. of geology. music, zoology.
botany. entomology. pedagogy. political SCI
ence, microscopy, photography. philosophy.
Beside these. there were thirteen special
courses" All this you may have for an
annual subscription of s.. believe that on
the average each appointment on the rolls
lecture from DR.. Storrs or a drawing les
son at the studio-costs cent and mills.
Now this is vast advance on any sys-
tenn we have devised I'm Boston. In fact. we
are not very good at system in our city af-
fairs. and certainly in this business of ia
cilitating the studies of people at work we
are not systematic.
One of the consequences with us is that.
because the scientific societies are poor do
not want to make money. and do not know
how. some of their best and most inter-
esting entertainments are left with a quar-
ter part of an audience
But, through the whole country. there 10
evidently determination to press the edu-
cation OF the people by the people-even
though the people to be informed have
passed boyhood and girlhood. The Lowell
courses in Boston, the Peabody courses in
Baltimore, the public school courses in New
York, the admirable successes in Cleveland
are so many illustrations of what is pos
sible. All the machinery for public lectures
Of the Chautauqua courses and the several
University Extension societies helps in the
same way.
The original lyceum system Of the coun-
try worked In the same direction as that
which is followed by the Brooklyn Insti-
tute That is to say, an intelligent COM
mittee arranged for a term "a course" as
ii was called, OF lectures. which were sup
posed to have. or hoped 10 have. ineligible
connection with each other. But. i'm prac-
tice. this soon broke down. People heard
that DR.. Filter had q very charming lecture
on the Constituents of Water''-and so .
committee engaged DIR. Filter. Then II was
whispered that Mr.. Hydrogen would deliver
his lecture on Water and Whisky" II
he could be paid his expenses This was
cheap, and he came into the course AND
then, naturally the member for the district
brought round his lecture whisky and
Constituents" SO the audience boxed the
compass and came round where they be-
gan.
Chautauqua-with its well devised system.
which keeps a body OF readers American
history and literature one year. on that Of
England another, on classical subjects an
other, and on continental Europe another
introduces some system into the winter
reading of intelligent communities. and this
naturally helps to system and unity in
courses of lectures The University Extern
sion lectures supply the competent lectur-
ers who are able 70 meet such demand.
BY corresponding with the officers Of
either of the University Extension socie-
ties, you can find courses or lecturers OF
experience in their work in colleges. who
can meet, to a certain extent, at least the
wish of intelligent hearers as to the win
ter's lecture course. You do not ride TO the
lecture doubtful whether you are to listen
to 1.-The Poetry Of Mathematics or 1.-THE
Marhemat'~s of Poetry" II the reading cir
Gle is enc ed in the history OF the revolu-
ton. its n work can be supplemented
by lesso that history. Such plans as
these ar al help in enlarging the winter
life of a ,untry town.
And, for the cities, such plans for combi-
nation as that which Brooklyn has carried
out so well, really make each large city
into a university town. 1t has the additional
advantage that its workshop and ware
houses are practically museums. which 81
lustrate many of it's courses OF instruction.
Now IL people will combine SO far that those
who wish to learn may be able 10 find out
who is ready to teach them. a great point
is gained.
We ought to come up to the mark OF