The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-26

30 years ago, and some time agent of
our state board of education,once wrote
a thoughtful paper entitled, if l remem-
Der right, How Is 1t That We Learn
So Much and Know So Little? For
my present purpose, I should like to-
PROFOUND a similar question, changing
the wording a trifle so that it would
stand, How Is 1t That Our Children
Are Taught So Much and Know So Lit
tle?' For the right answer to this query,
if we could get it, would be an impor-
tant help in considering the matter of
over-presSure in schools And / may
say, to begin WITH that if 1 were now
required to answer this question out of
hand, 1 should venture the opinion that
children learn so little because they
are taught so much.
"Our age seems to me diseased with
twofold consuming ambition-first, to-
get immensely rich, and second toi
know everything In both these direc-
tions our greed is Unsuitable and af-
! flicts all classes. We will hear nothing
Of riches or knowledge as means-that
is too old fashioned; they have already
become ends. 1t is impertinent to|
speak of their usefulness when we feel
that their blessedness eclipses every
thing and puts an end to all question
l.. ing. What have the beatitudes to do
with utility!
Leaving riches aside as not in the
! line of the present discussion, I should
| like to consider very briefly the ques-
ton of pressure in the one aspect
of its bearing upon the mental condi-
! ton of our young people. For if over
pressure exists, as l am inclined to
think it does, we may be sure that 1t
proceeds from no one cause and pro-
duces no single result 1t cannot be
summed up or reduced to simple terms;
it must be traced back along many
! lines of causation, physical social and
mental. 1t Is for physicians to deter
mine how 1t affects health; sociologists
must study its workings in the general
community or body polite; while prac-
tical psychologists, including alienists
and teachers, may trace its influence
upon the individual mind. 1t has re-
ceived little attention so far except on
| the physiological of pathological side
For my own part, think l can discern
something of it's operation in the minds
| of students whom l have to deal with;
and to state my impressions, In this
comparatively limited field. is all pro-
pose to attempt in this paper. shall
present no statistics to fortify my con-
illusions, but simply give, as l said. my
Impressions, formed by somewhat ex-
tensive observation and experience.
when 1 have looked over the High
School courses which our candidates
for admission to the Normal school are
said to have completed l am already
prepared to find their actual attain
ments superficial. No human mind not
gifted with genius, especially In the
unstable period of adolescence, could
possibly compass such realms of
knowledge with any approach to
thoroughness. And l find accordingly
Oh 10 T1f
indifference, and general lack of grasp.
I find in them also little sense of where
the deficiency lies or what 1t consists
in; when they have tried, they cannot
see why they have not succeeded; they
do not recognize the difference be-
tween a straight track and misplaced
switch. And l find something more Sc
rious than this: namely, fatigued at
tention and satiated intellectual Curl
osity-a certain pervading prostration
of mind, responding only to novelties,
excitements or the spurs of emulation.
This condition ought not prehaps to
be described as extreme or acute; but
it is noticeable, and is deep-seated, and
il is common. young horse which
should be brought home to the stable
showing similar symptoms would lead
anyone to say that 1t had been some
what overloaded and somewhat hard
driven. Remember that / speak not
of physical but of mental effects, so far
as these are capable Of separation.
Curiosity, spontaneous attention, keen
Interest, love of pursuit, quick and glad
apprehension Of what is taught-these
constitute the handspring of the schol-
arly mind: and these in the majority Of
such High School graduates as l have
known, are either lacking or else not
ably relaxed and dropping. And this
condition. speaking generally, is I'M
ouestionably truer Of city-bred than of
country bred pupils. A jaded mind
fails first in power of attention and
mower Of discrimination, for both go
together and are equally indispensable
in every process of learning. Let such
a person read page, and he has little
or nothing to show for it but disjoint-
! ed phrases and fragments of ideas
that may happen to stick mechanically
( in his memory Give him an oral les
I son on any subject and the result is
/ the same. Require him to use a note
book and It is the notebook really that
gets the lesson. Candidates bring me
strapfuIs of notebooks filled with the
minutia of subjects about which they
| know practically nothing. For note
| books may often be mere bibs, saturat-
( ed with the dribbling overflow of in
struction too cOpious to be swallowed.
"Ouestioning an entering class once
| on what they had read and how they
| I;i,ad ~ stupid girl without a germ