The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1902-02-14
HIGHER STANDARD.

y
plants and criticisms, just and un
Just, offered upon the inefficiency
and efficiency of our public school
system, and we trust that many
of these are made in good faith,
and that they will materially as
sist in working out the evolution
of schools in general. As to the
chronic grumbler, we leave him
to the tender mercies of God, the
only thing that can redeem his
condition. There are serious de-
fects In the school law, and in the
general administration, but it is
our purpose to deal only with the
practical administration Of the in
dividual school as we find it.
The most serious question, look
ing at it from the standpoint of an
experienced teacher, is the low
ness of the standard of require
ment by the individual teacher
Thomas Carlyle says ''the most
seeing eye never comprehends the
full Specification OF the commonest
object" Our curriculum is broad
anu extensive enough. But cur
instruction is not intensive enough.
Americans at large are condemn
ed by foreigners for their never
ceaslng rush. Rush in every oc-
cupation and business, bringing in
Its train, Indigestion, nervous
prostration, insanity and ruin.
And for what? A life utterly de-
void of happiness.
The analogy is easy, if not APP
parent, in the mad Il use the word
deliberately in the mad rush for
promotion" and passing" from
grade to grade and ultimately
''graduatlon," the great essential
point, and what should be the end
and aim is missed; that of. a growth
of higher intelligence, power of
reasoning, and the obtaining of a
broader base of intellect in gener-
al. Hence the whole goes down
often times in crash and with it
many bright God-given intellect.
Drill, drill, drill. Endless. Set
answers for set questions, till the
pupil who should be a vibrant,
thrilling force electric with a ra-
diant intelligence and insight, be-
comes u very toy monkey who
will do q given dance for certain
pull of the string.
There is no such thing as ''ill-
ing young minds" with pure max
inns or facts or with anything else,
if they be normal minds. And it
is best they cannot be so filled.
For nothing external nor artificial,
which can be drilled into any
mind, will, in even small degree,
approach to the excellence of the
smallest self created thought.
Still men of no mean intelligence
have an idea. that sense" into a
child, as apples may be put into a
basket, instead of growing within
him naturally, as the fruit on the
trees. And, too, they do not seem
to understand that every activity,
destructive or creative, is born,
controlled, impelled and accom-
plished from within and of its
own subjective conditions. But it
is true. Hence man is good or
bad, as his ideals are good or bad,
and each contains his own ideal
quite independent of external re-
lations.
What are we to do then? We
are to create ideals. We are to
feed the mind, the heart, the sen
sibilities of human SOUL No fear
but 1t will be big enough and ex-
cellent enough when at maturity
without borrowing elsewhere.
Why study geometry, algebra, and
physics? Simply to learn how to
use levers and draw angles9 Ger
tainly not, the average pupil knew
that before he went to school.
Why then9 To develop intelli-
gence, to stimulate a search for
truth, to recognize truth when it
is found, last and greatest to love
the truth for itself. Suppose they
forget all the technical education,
the faculty remains and the power.
Given, the faculty of looking
into the heart of a matter, and of
the essential point, and
the details will take good care of
themselves, be the matter what it
may. But such faculty is rare.
Still it need not be. Had you ever
thought that all our WOndrous and