The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-06

important part. This is the stage of ap-
plication. Now inventions are made winch
express the abstract truth derived from
experience The constructive activity of
this stage differs from that of the hrst
in that that was blind while this is intel
ligent. In the first stage the law was felt
and in the last it was realized. The pur-
pose in the first stage is apt TO be some
necessity of life. In the last it is apt 10
be to refine the desires-to so control en-
vironment as to make it possible to live
upon a higher plane.
The general relation of the constructive
activities to history is similar to that OF
science. Man first acted. and later he
communicated the results of his activity
in the medium at hand. In the special
educational sense the proper way to intro
duce the child TO history is to let him do
something and then relate what he has
done. To let this merely be something
would be too indefinite. The activity
should be directed along typical lines by
means of play. In the primary grades
work should be planned so as to afford
the child practical experience in the fun
damental industries of primitive people.
This should be treated with reference to
similar problems in present social HE,
otherwise it will be remote from the child.
If considered with reference to the pres
ent and approached through the con-
structive activities, the child cannot fan
to understand himself and the life about
him better for this study.
In the second stage. the social value
cannot be realized by bare study of texts.
There is need of this so-cal!ed "labora-
tory work. AS far as possible, history
should be studied from the sources, and
the pupil should be led to construct his
own history. When he makes such contrl-
buttons to the material he cannot fall TO
realize the forces at work in the making
of history, and this can be made more
real if the teacher presents historical
problems for pupils to solve. Pupils should
have practice in putting themselves in the
place of historical characters and decid-
ing questions which these characters had
to decide. Problems which require for
their solution the taking into account OF
the environment on the physical as well
as the human side will do much to secure
right relations.
The social value of history is best reallz-
ed in the third stage by such STUDY OF
the philosophy of history as Will disclose
the unity of the whole, together with
careful specialization in some few lines.
The student in this stage learns to trace
the movement of Thought according 10 law
and to see the general truth in the lndi-
vidual. The application of fundamental
principles to current events should form
part of this work.
Ifteratire springs directly from social
life and hence is directly related to the
constructive activities. AT first history
and literature were one, and were tradi-
tons of what a people had done. Liter
AZURE as differentiated from history does
not arise Till man realizes the value OF his
ideals as distinct from his real experience.
History is the record of the real social life
and literature is the embodiment of the
social life When literature is put upon
an individual basis it Is severed from its
roots. 1t is the substitution of a partial
for q complete truth. 1t means narrow
ness and one-sidedness in education. 1t
counteracts the habit of seeing things in
their relations Literature in this sense
is not an Interpretation of life. but a trif-
ling pastime. 1t is not idealiZed social life,
but the passing fancy of an individual.
Such literature is not worthy of a place
in the curriculum, for it has no educative
value.
Literature which embodies real social
experience may not always yield it. but
this is not a defect in the literature, but
the fault of the reader or teacher. If one
is content merely to read and interpret
without using the truths gained in rela-
lions where they apply he is not receiv-
ing the social value.
The important point to bear in mind in