Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-06
Prof. Stewart Of Utah Tells How
Great Educational Pulse Beats.
NEW MOVEMENT DISCUSSED
Dr. Dewey and the University OF CHI
easo Elementary school - En-
orinous school OF Pedagogy.

University of Chicago. Nov. 7.-f am
sure the rcadrrR OF the News are In
tercEted In what Ia going on In the cdu.
cationai world outside OF their own Inn
mediate localities. I made no mistake
In coming to Chicago In order to feel
the educational pulse Of our great ooun-
Try. This city In certainly "conven-
tion" city-a center for agitation. Dur
ing the few months have been here no
fewer than a score 81 educational meet
inFs have been held. II N almost i'm
possible Tor the mind TO grasp the mag
nltnde of the great educational system
OF the United States. over i5.0Oo.O00
children are enrolled In our elementary
schools at . cost of over SIS per capita.
then there arc hundreds Of high schools.
i colleges and universities Seven OF the
| latter alone have an endowment Of over
| 10000 600 with an annual income Of
t,o00,00o. Add 10 all this the value Of
| buildings. grounds. equipment. etc. and
the mind becomes confused In the erti-
| mate OF the sum total. The United
| States II far In the lead ~ foreign coun-
tries In the matter OF education. From
good authority we nre told that one
| fourth Of the school children In the
world aro Americans. The solution Of
tho problem OF "a free government and
free people Involves that OF universal
| Intelligence.
THE NEW MOVEMENT"
When we think Of the immense cost
or education and the amount of time
devoted to training the young and then
weigh carefully the results there IN no
| wonder that some criticism and much
disqualification is found with the aver
| age school Of to-day. one Of the most
healthy signs Ia the growing interest
which parents and the public generally
are taking In education. Helpful cflt-
cism IN always welcomed by tho hon
est teacher In no period In the history
OF education has there been 10 much
agitation and difference Of opinion
among educators themselves rs ut pres
ent. Certainly education IL In n transit
tory stage. and just what the outcome
viii be ia hard TO predict. but the cur
rent II certainly drifting In the dircc-
ton of radical change. TIL but very
recently the higher educational lnsti-
tutions have tnten little interest In
solving the problems In elementary edu-
cation, but a radical change has come
and departments Of pedagogy are now
prominent feature In nearly all
higher Institutions ~ learning. The
child N now studied with the same
scientific thoroughncsa that II char
aoteristic In all departments OF
great university. The inter-
great universities together with che
professional trpininF Of teachers In nor.
NAL schools II having "a potent Influence
on the whole educational system. The
now scientific movement In education
proposes two radical departures. which
! shalt name n) as Social and ,s) In
dustrial This reform " rapidly max
Ing lta way into the public schools the
schOol 40 an Intellectual hotbcd mus,
60 The Chicago University II one ~
I the l.aINf. In This which ID
destined to revolutisilze the cducntion-
al system Of this country,
UNIVERSITY or CHICAGO.
, Dr. John Dewey. head Of the depart
mont " philosophy ana pcdagngy IN
/ the University Of Chicago. " recognized
a. one OF tho greatest tif not the great
caD educational philosophers Of our
times. and he IL strongly supporting thu,
new movement, In education. Prof.
= Dewey " more than the0rlAt, for he
has an elementary school which practic-
ally applies his educational philosophy.
! I shall not attempt In this letter 10 give
"a description of this wonderful school,
However, IN the words OF Prof. Dewey.
r I VIII give the problems which the
2 school IL trying 10 solve. u. What can
be done. and how can II be done, TO
bring tho school into closer
relation with the home. and
nelghhorhood llfe-iustead OF having
solely to learn certain lessons 2, What
, can be done In the way of introducing
subJect-mattef In history aud acienes
. and art, that shall have positive Nnlu,
!, and real significance In the ohiid's owr
I, life; that shall represent, even 10 ths
youngest children, something worthy oi
attainment In skill or knowledge. IA
much 80 to the little pupil us are the
studies Of the high school or colleg'
student TO him7 .. How can instruo'
| la fs.N al aNNtARllE hen IA
the mastering OF the ability To read
write, and use figures intelligcntly-b
carried on with every day eSperienc,
aud occupation as their back ground
and In definite relations to other studiei
, u more Inherent contact. ana be car
Rcd on In such a way that the child
{ shall feel their necessity through thell
connection with subjects WILEY appca
to him on their own account 4 In
divldunl attention" have vcral tlmci
visited this school and was always i'm
pressed with II rs being home fu
, children, where each member OF tn
household was most Interestingly. On
I gagged In working out the real pr0blom
OF life In the mort scientific though np
pnfontly unconscious way,
EMMoNs BLAINE SCHOOL OF PED
AUOuY.
one OF the most recent noteworthy
educational events II the endowment %
I "a school OF pedagogy by Mrs. Enmon
blaine, az the head of which II COL i
: W. Parker late principal OF the chicagl
Normal school For some tim, Mrs
Blaine has been Interested In the wofl
4 Of educational reform which Col. Park
er has been doing In his Normal school
= and In order that his advanced idea
:. could be fully expressed In practice nh
y, has given large part % her vast Tor
q tunO TO that end. Since came to chi
u | cage tile site for the school has beel
purchased and plans arranged for tn
construction Of the buildings. The site
}, which Is valued at 100000 H. one OF tn
most desirable for such school, boln
! located so Ms TO face Lincoln park o
ID the west. The purpose OF the school
- To work out In the most scientific wa
the principles and practice Of educauo
and train expert teachers from the kin
dergarten 10 the college, Inclusive.
cot Parker. who made the Coo
n County Normal school 10 famous,
"a one at the most widely known oduou
a tors In this country. lie has been on
~ ~ the radical and strong educa
!" tional leaders Of this country IL
nearly quarter OF centur,
While he endorses the educationi