New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-07-11
EDUCATIONAL THEMES.
DISCUSSED BY NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
SOME MISTAKES|WHAT
FADS ARE

FADS ARE
Detroit July 1.-TWO general meetings of the
NATIONAL Educational Association, one session of
the Indian Education Department and ten separate
department meetings have kept the delegates to the
forteth convention busy to-day
The nominating committee this afternoon selected
the Following officers who will be on later by
the convention:
For president. WM Bradschear president of Iowa
college; for treasurer, Charles H. Keyes of Hart
iord. conn Eleven vcepresidents also placed
IN nomination 1t is considered probable that the
convention Will ratify these nominations
AT the general session of the association tonight
papers were read by Frederick NJ. Crunden of St
Louis and Principal George NJ. Grant. of Queens
University, Kingston. Ont. Mr.. Crunden urged
greater cooperation between teachers and libraries
He warned the teachers however, to avoid placing
In the hands of their children books that taught
lessons only. He said in this connection: THE
library books should be ASSOCIATED from text
books and lessons. Let there be some instruction
In all the books given the children. but avoid the
appearance of teaching them in the books they
read for pleasure"
Principal Grants paper was entitled Some of
Our Mistakes He said in part:
We have undervaued the teaching profession
teachers have determined every permanent advance
Of Of the thought and life of humanity We have
and SO we have encouraged intellectual levity and
we would Know any Subject we n must Work. But if
strong drink has slain its thousands idleness has
is to teach the young to subordinate pleasure to
duty. Interest by inspiring. not by amusing them.
We have fancied that there is royal road the
making of teachers. and have tried short cuts
dents. but useless for ordinary teachers 1t deals
with distractions, and each pupil is a concrete
life. How shall we correct them2 Give such in
ducements to the best men to enter and remain in
teachers by right attitude to them in the homer
in Scotland and Germany
Elementary education" was the subject dis
cussed this morning. F. Louis Sedan. superin-
tendent of city schools. ST. Louis was the first
speaker. His paper was What is a fade" He
said In part:
Any study any alleged schooiroom practice
viii become fad when exaggerated and carried
cation lie in the future. The child is to be edu-
grow On the other hand. spiritual and adult
manhood must be fashioned from the material and
make education all play and entertainment. instead
of work to require the educator to stoop down to
teaehng the chld to walk Win him. is a common
and NO pav Wss bad enough but i the plan of ali
play and no work is not any better
out of the exaggeration of otherwise valid prac-
tlccs. Fads. however. are not altogether of the
erroneous demands of the community. The idea
that Sonn1n school EDUCATION f ms should De limited to
The good of the teachers and of the Ameri-
prevalence Of fads in public school instruction.
They both demand that education should
to the development of the best faculties of the
child and that the necessary and useful In educa-
mental.
James H. Van Sickle. of Baltimore in his paper
rs the Curriculum Overcrowded?' said:
The curriculum is overcrowded by whatever it
use TO the child Just to the extent that pur-
poseless work Is done or work with hal purpose So, SO
childs life. Just to that extent is the curriculum
The curriculum, from the kindergarten to the
university may be compared to a pyramid wit, with
school OF the university at the apex. From the
es ae Mts Of
the apex is reached at which point only can
mus arransss nay sTswdsd; but, If 50. the
Because children. though cassed together come
to the school with such varying amounts of gem
tremes in their mental furniture closely pre-
scrptve curriculum, just extensive enough for
unsuited to classes of the same grade in another
portion Of the ,nd fy There mns5 De as
in population. or else there must be one course ex-
cy has been toward the second of these plans.
Charles H. Richard Of New-York. spoke on How
Early May Handwork Be Made Part of School
Work?' He said:
Every consideration of child nature points to the
instruction from the very beginning Of school life
The real question is not how early should hand
With the child Of the early primary. grades hand
work Is one OF the natural channels through which
the inner thought and feeling find expression.
Such natural expression through handwork can
not take the form of set courses. 1t must be a
matter of adaptation TO the lite of each particular
of school interests 1t must be part Of life, and
not formal drill
Variety OF materials and processes are necessary
to fully achieve this end. Freedom and iexibility
and appropriateness of task are more Important
not truth of expression with the pupil of the early
grades.
The discussion on the papers was opened by Will
lam X. Fowler. of Lincoln. Neb William NJ Da
wilson superintendent of city schools. of Topeka
Kan. was the last speaker of the morning dis
GUESSING the paper rs the Curriculum Over
crowded." Mr.. Davidson contended that IL wa!
not and said: IF 1t seems be. IL is because We
have Moses lead out of the apparent
chaos Of subjects taught and unity them into
compact course"
At the morning session of the Indian educationa
department Professor C. NJ. Woodward. of Wash
ington University st. Louis read a paper oil
What Shall Be Taught In Indian School?'' HI
argued for Industrial education one that woul,
make the Indian self-supporting.
The following departments of the association
| held meetings in different parts of the city this
| afternoon: Music. art education, normal schools
physical education. deaf blind and feeble-minded
school administration manual training, secondar!
education. higher education and child study ant
| kindergartens.
In the department or school administration the
feature the address OF Fl. l.. Bonebrake, Stat,
| Commissioner OF Schools of Ohio, The Cen
| tralization OF Rural Schools"
There only paper before the department
| of secondary edueatonIthat OF J. Remsen Bishop
of Cincinnati; on The Function OF the High
School" At the conclusion of the discussion on tn,
| paper the department went into round table dis
| cussons of secondary educational topics. Paper
on The Function Of the State University by Pres
ident r. H. JESSE of the University Missouri ant
Rise of Education In the Sixteenth Century" b,
| j. W. Perrin. OF Cleveland professor in Western
| Reserve University. with discussion of them oc
cupied the session of the department OF higher edu
| cation.
| tn manor NJ DIR Francis r. Rrandt n, pbu.daI