Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-01-01
THATCHER'S PAPER
The Little Falls Superintend'
ent Reads One Before the
State Meeting.

j. l.. Thatcher, superintendent OF
the Little Falls schools, read 81 paper
before the State Educa tiohal asso-
ca tion on Wednesday on the sub
jtct, "To What Extent Must There
b. Distinct Subjects in the CourseSdf
Study The paper was highly
spoken of by the st. Paul papers.
Mr.. Thatcher said, in part:
Writers on scienre and the func-
| tiOns OF education concur that TIC
| one comprehensive end OF educatlOn
is to prepare man to fulfill the Fur
poses OF human existence; that is, e
live cumpletely.' No phase of hu-
man nature is TO Ne lett untralned
Mans moral, physical aud intellect
ual nature is each to he so developeu
that he shall be able to assume his
position in society, and to SO 1--we
that by his life, deeds and intercourse
with his fellow beings, the world
shall Re the better for his having
lived in it. Mans responsibilities as.
Il member OF society, his duty to his
family, to the state. ana to his COO.
demand that he shall he something;
more than a mere machine. Inc
scheme Of education is broad ana
cannot be cOmprehended within the
space of thefew short years OF school
life The office of the school is nor
to supercede other means of training,
but rather to supplement them.
A new era has developed in ednca-
tion-a breaking away from the Old
notions and traditions that SO long
bound teachers efforts. In addition
TO the three RS. which SO long held
sway, are found history, liteia ture,
ulusic, natural science, dra W iuG anG
physical culture. The problem now
is not what shall he the ne&t hr; nch
OF learning, which &hNl! De N'ciudtQ
in tile school cirricuium, hNl j. rather
how Shall those which lfavA been ad+
mitted be arranged ana brought2in--
to right relation with oie another
acco Itiin tostileil ioiatlal Val %
ana their mp poft;;snce..
Tie aim of education. comprehent
sive as it is, does not say when or
how long these subjects shall be
taught, whether they shall run side
by side as separate and distinct sub
iects, or whether grouped or corrrl-
lated in orderly sequence, or whether
each shall be separated or exhaust
lively treated to the exclusion OF
Others, it does not direct.
A careful study OF what has been
written will show that the correIa-
ton of subjects is not an arbitrary
process. but that it ia based upon
reason and finds it's Justification in
the fact that among the subjects
which demand representation in the
course Of study, there are certain
branches which are SO closely related
that they are included within the
same section of the great map OF
human learning and naturally TALL
within Il single group. A difficulty
experienced in maintaining ra-
tional cousre of study is the undue
Importance given to the group OF
studies comprising what is common
ly known as the "formal suudies.'
No one group of correlated subjects
can he omitted or subOrdinated to
another, but must remain distinct
and coordinate in the course of tn"
study.
In actual practice the complete and
absolute isolation of all branches
during the entire period OF school
training is as undesirable and un-
practicable as would he their com.
plete unlfication.
Mr.. Thatcher summed up in the
following points:
First-Before we can frame any
rational course Of study it ia impera-
tive that we comprehend the true
nature of education, and the direct
functions it has to discharge.
standardization means more
than q knowledge of the formal acts;
but includes thorough and system
a tic instruction in the broad divisions
of learning-history literature and
science.
Third-The needs of the various
subjects of the school cirriculum de-
mand first, tnat they shall he prop
erly grouped or correlated: and,
second, that each group shall be
represented in each year Of thecourse
of study. That is, the cou sc slall
he SO arranged, according to the age
and capabilities of the pupil, that a
portion of each group will be cut off
in each round of the ascent.
Fourth-There is q necessary isola-
tion Of subjects as wholes; one can
not be merged in another in the
teaching process; each has it's own
r. S,%; ;s,r