The herald., 1898-01-09
EDUCATIONAL LADDER
THE EVOLUTION OF THE SCHOOL
IN FIFTY YEARS
Professor Baldwin OF the University
of Texas Addresses the
City Teachers

The auditorium of the high school was
filled yesterday morning, at the regular
monthly meeting of the city teachers.
The principal attraction of the session
was the lecture OF Prof Baldwin, who
fills the chair of pedagogy in the Uni
versity of Texas, on 1.-The Evolution of
the School"
The speaker treated his subject under
five eads-lndividualism, classifica-
ton, graduation, specialization and uni
fication. He drew a graphic picture of
the old-fashioned school house Of l1fty
years ago, when the schoolmaster had
a monopoly Of the business of teaching
and there were no women in the profess
sion. This was the time Of individual
ism, when the child was the unit, and
each pupil recited alone. Our present
system has progressed, but should re-
tain all that was good in the old. Then
classification was evolved, and pupils
were placed in classes to recite their
lessons. The greatest enemies to the
change were the teachers themselves.
The systm did not meet with favor by
the school boards The first teacher who
tried it lost his position; the patrons of
the school said he was too Lazy to teach
each pupil, but wanted to instruct ten
at once.
GraGation was the next step in school
evolution, and this. too, met with stub
born resistance. 1t was claimed that
small children learned from the larger
ones and should not be separated from
them. Specialization followed grada-
ton, which is now being carried out in
high school work, but there is still a
question whether the grammar grades
are ready for it. A quotation was given
from Prof Harris, the noted educator,
in which he says that, in his judgment,
specialization Is not advisable in the
grammar grades. The speaker urged
teachers to make this q subject of spe
cial study.
From specialization we come to uni
fication, and the school work of the child
should be one connected whole, corre-
lation between AN the studies. In
teaching history, for instance, when
geography, science and art are woven
into it, then is it truly teaching history.
The speaker criticised the universities
on these lines. Many professors teach
their special studies without any re-
gard as to how they will correlate with
other subjects. Stanford university was
spoken of in the highest terms, ap-
preaching nearer the speakers idea of
what a university should be than any
other institution he had ever seen. David
Starr Jordan was described as q broad
minded, liberal man, who seems to see
the entire work as a whole, and who
possesses the ability to unite his teach
ers so that they all work as unit for
the development of the student.
The lecturer closed with vivid sketch
of what Huxley calls the educational
ladder. The first round should be made
the very best kindergarten possible,
without any regard to primary work.
The primary teacher should reach down
and take hold of the little hands in the
kindergarter, and each grade in its turn
should be It's best, and let the one i'll
advance take the child where 1t left off in
the one below. The university should
not dictate to the public schools. The
lecturer closed, expressing his enjoy
ment of his visit to California and the
fine work being done in the schools of
the state.