The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-20
PROF. Smith ON "fH|S'
SUBJECT THAT OCCASIONALLY EN-
CITES THAT PART OF CHICAGO
INTERESTED IN SCHOOLS
DEFENSE OF SOME THINGS
school Discipline as Influenced by
Organizations Among the SchOI-
ars-A Feature That Is
sharply Criticised.


Special Correspondence of the Globe.
CHICAGO, Jan. IA number Of the
women's clubs of Cook county recently
met in joint session to discuss 'fads' in
the city system. The ladies made but
little Roadway, being at loss to select
subjects or features of the work that
could be designated properly as "fads."
An attack was made upon medical in
Epection' and the employment of tTuant
officers, the first held to be unnecessary,
troublesome and without any good result,
and the second also unnecessary if the
teachers only did what they should to
make the schools attractive. The discus
sion was rather aimless, showing quite
couclGsively that the would-oe reform
erS had not Investigated the subject thor
oughly, and were without decided views.
The medical inspection to which they
referred was that probably lnaugu-atcd
by DR.. w. S. Christopher to tleter:ni 1e
the characteristics Of the child from the
physical side. The work was very thor
oughly and very conscientlously perform
ed, and l am of the opinion that it will
have positive value if the teachers but
use the results wisely. The instruments
used were the audiometer, the dynam ON
eter and the ergograph. The doctors
report is exhaustive and Is published IN
y
of education. I can do no moro than give
his conclusions:
One-In general there is a distinct re-
1atiOnShip in children between physical
condition and intellectual capacity, the
Ia tier varying directly as the former.
Two-The endurance Topographic work.
of boys is greater than that of girls, at
all ages, and the difference seems to in
crease after the age of nine.
fhree-There are certain anthropomet-
Tic.- indications which warrant a careful
and thorough investigation into the sub
ject of coeducation in the upper gram
mar graGes.
Four-Physical condition Should be made
a factor in the grading of children for
school work, and especially at The en-
trance into the first grade.
ElVe-The great extremes in physical
condition of pupils in the upper grammar
grades make it desirable to introduce
great elasticity into the work Of these
Grades.
SiX-The classes in physical culture
should be graded on a physical instead of
an intellectual basis.
These conclusions will impress every
thoughtful teacher and parent as soundly
conservative and most reasonable. They
clearly show that the doctor was seeking
to find the exact condition, and was
not using the children to prove some
theory or to make a great discovery.
He was not counting notoriety nor seek
ing to astOnish any one. however, an
which his experiments led him have long
been accepted and acted upon by expert
enced teachers. 1t is true that coeduca-
ton runs through the entire system, in
Guiding the university, but very many
teachers who have watched with unusual
interest the results have come to, Dr.
ChriStophers conclusion. If his sugges-
lions receive the attention to which they
are certainly entitled, it may be that
some change in accordance with them
will demonstrate their practical value
and viii convince the good ladies who
object to medical inspection that it is no
fad" As for the truant officer, il must
be confessed it does not yet appear, ''ex-
cept in his own eyes, what good he has
accomplished.
DIR. Z. e. WHITES CRITICISM.
THRUST that the readers of the Clio b e
have carefully considered the objections
made b. Dr. White which appeared IN
my last letter. Dr. White is of the old
school; he would not resent the accusa-
ton that he is ''old-fashioned" and woul
concern himself but little if charged with
being behind the times" He is thought
ful, serious, most courteous; in short,
gentleman, as the title was long ago
understood and accepted. For the mo-
mept putting aside the statement that
the schools are not doing a 1.-THE of what
they should in this respect it is true
that school children are not ACQUIRING
gentle and refined manners" 1 raised
the question in my last letter, and 1 am
profoundly interested in its answer be-
cause I do not believe that the objects
for which an education is sought-the
determination of ones rfghtful place in
society, proper adaptation thereto and
adjustment therein-are possible WITHOUT
gentle and refined manners There is no
happiness in simply making merry; there
is no usefulness in buster and bravado:
there is no success in knocking others
down and gaining a seeming advantage
However large the sum of money how
ever. commanding the position in society.
the man is wretchedly. miserably poor
and unhappy who secures either by the
exercise of domineerfng spirit actuated
by selfish motives Have the children not
only larger liberty than formerly In the
school, but is there an actual license in
consistent with that self-control which
alone can refine manners? I am not at
all disposed to select isolated cases here
and there, but when we count up all
the mutinies, all cases of fragrant mis-
conduct that the high schools and col
legeS of the country offer during the pres
ent year we find sufficient to give MS
pause. The conduct of the pupils (as re-
ported in the daily papers, of a Chicago
high school returning from a victorious
an seXtreme case when compared with
others in various parts of the country.
These young people, shouting, yelling,
took possession Of an elevated train,
drove the guards from their positions.
put out the lights, and ran the train
without making the usual stops, throwing
cushions through the windows, frighten-
Ing women and children so that some of
them tainted; and when the train was
finally stopped, carriages were summoned
to take the stricken ones home. The ra-
pers did not report any punishment what
ever for this ofense by the school au-
thor1ties. 1t was beyond their jurisdic-
taon The police arrested two boys, who
We're released, as they claimed to have
had NOTHING to do with the matter A
matter of national concern, however is
5ust now attracting universal attention.
the West Point investigation. The in
diSnation that is everywhere aroused