New-York tribune., 1901-01-06
THE UTILITARIAN IDEAL.

OF the centurys broadening educational iran
chise.
THE UTILITARIAN IDEAL.
The nineteenth century's trend toward democ-
racy is evidenced in the domain Of education IN
the instruction of masses previously unenlight-
ened and in the enriched culture Of those VINO
hitherto had only a slender training, or were
supposed incapable of any education at all But .l
the century has been marked not only by lts
democratic trend, but equally by its advance
IN physical science and the dependent arts. How
has this advance been reflected IN the euuca,
fionaI life? Mainly in two ways-by the rapid
growth of a utilitarian ideal of education, ana
by various provlSioas TO realize INat ei" eiio"SA
technical institutions.
III Germany is entitled TO the credit OF insti-
tuting the great reforms in popular educauoh;
the palm in the matter of first establishing anu
perfecting technical instruction must be awarded
TO France Sporadic instances there We're OF
various training schools for parucuta. t 81
and crafts prior to the nineteenth century. Put
these can lay no very valid claim TO pelns lhe
lneal precursors Of the innumerable institutions
which have set before them as their goal the
sffine of their pupils for commercial life or for
the practice of the mechanic arts or sciehtlnc
arrJculfure The superiority OF the French tech
nical schools both of a higher and lower grade,
became apparent largely through internatlohai
exhibitions, which date from about looo. Ger
many was not slow to recognize the iact' anu
SOUGHT TO rival her western neighbors. The
movement gathered rapidity as the century pro-
gressed. For example, there We're IN eellians
0nlv fortv-eight commercial institutes prior TO
1871 Their number was tripled wlthln tne next
three decades. England was slow to realize hsT .
own bacHwardness in this respect, ana not uhul
abonf 1So5 was the nation moved to any very
serious effort TO supply its dehcences ID tech.ll
cal education. In the United SUITES Ne o,. 80
creating schools Of agrieuitsre ana tne a1su @
mechanic arts in every State OF the OhiOh- Inc
s1Ipport of these schools has been pafuy
caaree ON the Federal revenues and partly on
the revenues of the commemorative. the mrs.
agricultural college to be essapiished peins III
aI1iss 70 though in theory distinct from, this
General technical trend is the manual training
given in many secenaaEg as IS scHeS 1s4s II has
SDreaa 10 a large number Of schools, pupIc
and private. In its most lntelneent lolsiI III =.
seeks the education of the manual and visual
faculties by imparting an experimental hiowi-
edge of the general principles underlying tie
industrial and graphic arts Ihe piac.ce ao.ine
clr;des the manipulation OF tools and pract,ce
I'm drawing A lower form of this training seeks
TO irnpart specific instruction IN carpentry ot
metal working, and TO girls the knoMleoge OF
sewing housekeeping and cooking. The grow
ing severity of the international struggle ioi
markets has had much to do with the dlhusloh
ne in5ne.riaI education 1t is not only by con-
scious national design, but in large part by
national necessity, that living NATIONS nave
been forced TO adopt compulsory elementary co.
ucation. For much the same reason they are
being compelled to broaden the area or INDUS
trial training.
SCIENCE RIVALS CLASSICS.
The same set Of influences which established
nr.on a lower plane the various commercial,
trade and technical schools, and which led to
the frequent inclusion Of manual training as
part OF secondary education in the United
States, has not been without marked influence
lgpon the character of higher education the
world over The advocates of the more eX-
tended study Of the physical sciences have chal-
lenged with increasing vigor the classical pro-
gramme which at the beginning or the century
was dominant in all of the higher institutions
OF learning The classics, along with pure nlath-
ematics furnished the exclusive preparation
for learning and
of the material of study in the universities then-
eelves Not satisfied with the gradual infiltra-
tion of science into the staple Of the higher
learning the advocates Of the study or science
have built up schools exclusively devoted to TINS
quest In Germany the first Realschule-or sci
entifie high sehool-dates from ls32 Since that
time in France, in England and in the United
States the schools of science have developed
both in an affiliated relation with the older
classical colleges and also as independent in
stitutions devoted to the higher scientiilc study
of technology. Very commonly the curricula OF
the scientific schools have substituted the study
OF modern languages for the study Of classical
literature. The most recent phase of the move
raent is seen in the attempt 10 make the phe-
= nou1ena of the commercial world the basis Of
the same serious study hitherto has been
accorded TO the hunlanities and TO physical
science Schools OF commercial administration
and corporate finance have recently been or
ganized, both i'm England and the United States,
upon these general lines. Their pernanence as
institutions Of culture and apart from the
preparatiOn they may afford for commercial
rr1rsuits Is not vet beyond question. On the
whole the contest for the exclusive possession
OF the field OF the higher learning which has
been carried on so long and so bitterly by the
advocates OF science against the defenders Of
the older classical culture seems TO be resolving
itself into a compromise which promises TO Sc
cure to both parties permanent territory fairly
commensurate with the cultural and disciplinary
capabilities of the two systems
UNIVERSITIES VS.. COLLEGES
The history Of the higher education in the
rrnited States in the nineteenth century stands
Il a way by itself. IT has been here in state OF
transition. Only in the last quarter of a century
has the university in this country clearly diff
ferentiated Itself from the college out of which