The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-30


determines their preparation for the DO
ing The great awakening OF the six
teertn century seemed 70 have but lit
tie effect in arousing the schools from
their iethargy. And as every effece has
It's cause, we sack the cause for the
stolia snd unprogressive spirit ~ tie
schools Let me portray this csuse in
the language o: President Cook OF Hi
nois:
' For centuries, 10 be a learned man
was TO be able 70 think in a dead Ian
g1age. TO play fantastic tricks Of re-
soning. and to coin phrases whose form
should gratlfy an exaggerated esrheti-
cisnl. It was to look with longing eyes
upon the past, and attempt 10 restore
the ideals OF Psriclss; TO be chronic
anachronis1n living twenty centuries
too late: TO turn ones back upon ohe
present, the future. and the universe Of
things: 10 smother the awakening spirit
OF scientific enquiry. and attempt 10
laugh down the bod declaration Of some
brave thinker that knowledge must ex-
charge the cloister for the mill. The
conseratism Of the scholar was so blind
and 50 intense that Il successfully re-
sisted for more than tive centuries the
scientific movement inauguTated oy
Racon. And that old iieai still fingers
in the midst Of our practical and busy
life like some stray spirit from OiympuS
Tt dies hard. John Sturm and the
Pesuits seem - have buEded for eteTn-
ity. But RGbelais poured his ineffaole
soorn upon 4. Montague asSauEted its
fundamental motive and s1Offed at its
results. Comenius antagonized It win
system OF pedagogy that We are now
out beginning to appreciate. Rousss EAU
declared a return 70 savsgery prefeTa-
Bile To Ii, and the reactiOnsry movement
was fully inaugursted when PestalOzzi
went TO live with the children whom tn
Renaissance ignored. and FrOebel set
up the most significant educational
movement of ali time and called It the
kindergarten
- 1T dies hard. IT owes its protracted
existence to that arstrocratic instir-,
w1lidll tends 10 maintain class distinc-
ton. Its deadliest foe is the democratic
idea. which estimates the value OF every
attainment by the wholesome service
that it can render 10 the masseS There
w@s no hope for popular education until
d new political conception had become
living social energy. and there is NJ.
hope for reform curriculum until Il Is
clearly seen that school life and social
lie must he one in motive ard action.
"'DO not misunderstood me. am
attacking the ideal of TIE Rerfaissance,
not those superb inberitaRces that have
c1me t. US cut of the rich Civilizations
OF Greece and Rome. I yield 10 no one
in nv admiration Of the classics;
complain alone Of the exclusive spirit
which for centuries Characterized the
classical scholar and Of which he his
not entirely freed htmse,f.'
How easy il is to deduce from this
great doctrine that proposed mo1ihcs-
ton of the curriculum. I refer - con-
An idea ia never fully un-
derstOo1 - long az T. remains in any
degree Isolated. Every fact IL related
am in:erlocked WIN every other fact
in the universe. Thinking IS the per-
cepti,n ~ snlations. and 10 De ignorant
% every relation pertaining % any Civ
en- idea is u be wholly ignorant of tn
;iea itself-in other words. not % have
that !1e1. Concentration IS the natural
reaction of our time against the ab-
stisct settings ~ isolated eieneuts =
knowledge, and the necessary los =
meaning. II is an attempt 20 make TIE
curriculum of the s~ic1i conform % the
curriculum ~ nature. n w,lic1 a subject
ls presented in its natural relations-rs-
.sdons that IL traced q their tuH ex-
tent reach ont 20 t-e general noion -
general rpfOns, the center ~ the un.-
. ersal mind.
"TIe bfif zine allotted ne foroi T.
ny even mention. ng c-ler - the great
problems o. educati9n. z-h7sa solution
the body = - speclslize1
1octrine, but 7 cannot f1T5ear a passing
tribute g ons 0f these problems tnst r. (
oeyond DOUBT the INST significant +
Iw wakeninz % our tine. Of course. I re- /
'er 20 the cail9-sfujy movement Taa +
weakening has come principally from I
ne c1h1 hirnsef IN t-e words ~ an 4
ytas-. He has been knocking ~ our
study DOOR since 1is fr-t ap,ssrsuee 4
,ut we 5sve been telling hIaa - q aTay +
y keep stfl- But he has got in ~ 'art
mi hss negun - lay rs T1iaiezs asntz 7.
Ip1u some % the c10ircst volumes End F.
ares Oh nJs nDsc-i9;s WI 1e tear
~ t.lc pages over w1.tn Re h1vs ben
.J-ins f3r .eve-al cen.u-fes- IL e.
.eTe. ~ any rate. an1 asrar PROOFS
po71Eiss f0r Keeping 1irn oft eJ long
70 sre beginning % Etuly aln. Hos
res1 and interesting ae rruliy seeu.a.
'te- t7e dusfy guaI-9s tve a-HayE
ny t1st - Eas nc former. brsi -
al TT thoug1t 50 7Jc1 sar1t RAE -zt-
-. Ys-. 3e-e is 5ur 9-1seu IN al fs
We ssv- s71ns ii ~ Iss-
Il sGz2ec- there are tr3se snlyfFz IN
T71 SO asking w1st 81 tls has o. g.
7it9 'teacalng - r-lfsaFi9ay xzge
sere ere gsf9eTs = y7l Ea1 nave 1s-.
t-ppe5 ne. sn5 savs a'ressy t-5lg--
= ;his dlveT1iiy lH-o 1r.Y faat i.
"a .svs f7-mslsts5 t1c 1egnatl1a 2
.1f@ssi0n. t7s EDe-sl t5zsc5 xs-s
q f1eze particulars Save ben tsnssur
. ~ prs9arsfi2a - ta.s paper + asfs
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