The times., 1898-02-20


and German in his trade he will pick
/ up much more useful article of it
than he can learn in a school, by talk
| ing with workmen of those nationali-
ties. 1t may not be so classic, but it
/ will be more convenient. And there is
! no reason why the average woman
! should. unless she has taste for it,
/ be required TO study trigonometry or
metaphysics.
Nevertheless, class education is not
/ the way in which this semi educational
/ system is to be improved. The reason
! for this is that mankind cannot be
arbitrarily divided into classes, es-
! pecially in so mixed a population as
ours. The great historical fact par
tieularly evident in America, that gen.
ius is more likely to come from the
average man than from the aristocrat,
and that talent of a degree approach
! ing genius is fully as likely TO be found
! in the average man as anywhere else,
! is sufficient proof that all children
should, so far as possible, have equal
| opportunities of education. 1t is not
/ overeducation that makes anarchists;
| it is undereducation. The man who
/ knows that with proper opportunities
he could do work which is congenial to
him and who is forced into work
that is utterly uncongenial, is un-
| happy, discontented and some
times dangerous A great deal has
been said about spelling good cooks
! and walters TO make second-rate- mu-l
scians and teachers, but it is quite as
easy TO spoil an artistic temperament
by a long course of uncongenial drudg-
cry. The remedy is in system of ed
ucation more or less elective. The
child who shows no aptitude for Latin,
or mathematics, or science, music.
should not be forced TO waste his own
time and his teachers energy on those
subjects. He should be given some
thing for which he does show an apti-
tude, and in nine cases out of ten, he
will find before he has gone very far in
that line that other studies must be
mastered in order to understand that
one, and he will be interested in the
other studies on that account. The av-
erage man has no use for anything but
the three RS, some elemental facts in
history and geography, and, last, but
not least, good manners. Give the
children. whether workingman's or
capitalists, this elementary equipment
and as much more in any special line
as they will take up to the age of
twelve, and they will be much better
equipped either for further education
or for taking care of themselves. than
they will be if taught little history,
little geography, little grammar,
little dra wing. a little manual training
some literature, some music, and an in
fnitesimal amount of a dozen other
things. If some of the money that is
spent, in some towns, on new-fashioned
buildings and the latest thing in school
books were spent on a town library,
gymnasium, the organization of mu-
sfcal reading and scientific clubs, and
some good entertainments, the grad
yates Of the public schools would know
more about the world in which they
live. the girls would 90 less fancy work,
and the boys would not be so often
found iounging about the railway sta
ton. The average human being VIII
work very reluctantly at thing which
he does not like, but there is almost
ALWAYS some branch of useful work
that he does like, and at which he VIII
work very hard and be three times
as useful to the community as he
will be in any other way. Let US have
mere thoroughness and less expansive
ness in our public school system, pay
more attention to individuality and less
to the mass, and the next generation
will be much better off for the change.