The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-15
A CENTURY OF LEARNING.

DR.. Draper, President OF the University
of Illinois, thinks the century now draw
ing to close will be known as the Cen
fury of Educational Advancement. Not
only has the process of the dissemina-
ton of knowledge been wonderfully i'm
proved. but the sum of our knowledge
has been very greatly added to- AT the
opening of the century there was not in
the world any such thing as a national
system of schools for the masses There
were schools, of course, but they were
for the classes and the masses were shut
out from their privileges. Now, at the
close of the century, there is not civil
lied nation which has not its system of
free schools or is not moving towards
such an ideal The United States were
the pioneers in this great work for the
common people. What has been accom-
plished is to be seen on every hand.
Within the reach Of practically every
home in the land there is an elementary
free school, in every town there is a sec
ondary free school, and in every state
there are free colleges or universities or
therefore. why every child may not at
tend school and secure at least common
school education. This provision for the
children of the poor, without making any
distinction between them and the child
rem of the rich in the common schools, is
the greatest step in educational advance
ment of the century and no greater step
fy ilya1xr ha I1 IL
While the schools have increased and
multiplied d, and systems Of teaching have
been simplified the stock OF knowledge
has en- added to in a manner that must
surprise the intelligent person looking In
retrospect to the commencement of the
century. Particularly is this true of the
scientific branches hundred years ago
electricity was a most profound mystery
to all save a few persons, and they knew
mighty little about it. To-day hundreds
of free schools and colleges are supplied
with apparatus with which applied cleo
tricity is demonstrated so early thai the
student of ordinary capacity readily mas
tiers the principle Of it and the wonders
of the electrical current become quite
commonplace In the medical science the
strides of advance ment have been prodig-
ious. Bleeding and leeches have long
since been tabooed. and aseptic surgery
and modern practice are saving precious
lives which under the old schools of med
cine would in all probability have been
lost. Our knowledge of the earth and its
furIhermost parts has been extended
Many T. arless xplorers-Fraaklin. Kane,
Liyings on. Stanley, Greeley, Nansen
Peary and olhers-have dared death that
they might give us further Information
respecting our planet A hundred years
ago the interior OF Africa and the polar
regions were as sealed books. 1t is true
that these books have not been fully
opened yet, but at the end of the century
we know infinitely more respecting
them than was known at the
beginning OF It. What has been
achieved along the line of educational adj
vancement, Dr. Draper says, is not the
result OF accident, but has been achieved
by the hard work Of scholars in literature
art and the sciences Their efforts will
enable the dying century to leave rich
heritage of knowledge and educational
methods TO the new century.