Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-03-13

young aSpirant would not have made
a blunder in his choice, and, at all
events, his spirit would have been
saved. But again, just because he is
child. the 14.year-old boy might de.
eide, in spite of psychological dis.
couragements and his own apparent
lack of natural aptitude, to be min
lister. for there is simply no telling
what castles in the air boy will build
and live in, for boys usually have tire
mendous theoretical courage.
Study the Pupils.
Now, while the students are study.
ing vocations with the teacher, the
teacher will be studying his pupils.
and If he is psychologically trained and
in addition has a few grains of com.
mon sense, he will rot be at this class
work three weeks before he will be
able to give both the students and
their parents some sound, corrective
advice as to what intellectual and ner.
vous and physical qualifications his
pupils have, and within certain limits
what they can and what they cannot
do In life. II. for example, he finds
a boy who has to take three minutes
to add up a column of three figures,
but who has a strong and quick per.
ception Of rythm and responds quick.
ly to poetic form and expression. and
has good command OF language, he
certainly would make no mistake in
advising that boys parents to keep
the boy at mathematics throughout
considerable portion of his school
course, for the sake of decent mental
balance. but by no means allow him
to choose course of study or a ca.
reer based on facility for mathemati.
cal calculation; rather to make his ul.
innate work In the region of language
and literature. Under a capable teach.
er. such a course of study would be.
come a magnificent intelligence Blu.
reau, for students, teacher and par.
ents, and would not only throw out
many warnings as to the election of
courses of study, but would greatly as.
sist and oftentimes greatly encourage
students In the selection of courses.
Another positive result of a course
In Psychology of Vacations would be
step toward the positive and intelll.
gent relating of the child's self to his
community. What our schools are
more and more insisting upon. what
leading educators are demanding as
fundamental, and what, in fact, has
given rise to this elective system in
the schools. is the positive correlation
OF the school and the community. No
matter how much Latin, Greek and
history of by.gone ages the student
may know, we insist even more EN-.
phatically In these stirring times, that
he shall find his place in his commu
nifty: that he shall understand the va
rious elements of society; that he
shall prepare himself to be a respon.
sible and active member of society.
And so we give him the elective sys.
TEN! But gather up all the elective
systems on the face of educational
earth TO-DAY. in them all or with them
all, how much are we actually teach.
ing the boys and girls. who are prepar.
ing for responsible living, what life is.
why men do this, that and the other.
how people act, live, work, succeed
ara fail? Nothing! Just nothing, is
the sum of positive instruction in this
direction. We take the earth. the sky.
what men did In Greece and Rome. a
few Of the battles they have fought
during the centuries, some Of the lit
erature they have written, how to
count In the concrete and calculate In
the abstract-and then. behold our
henefcent and provident 6cts! we
shake this all up. divide 1t by three
~ four along the lines of least resist.
ance. and tell the student to come and
take of the water of life freely and
get ready to live! II Psychology of
Vacations could do even a little by
way of imparting to the student an in.
tellIgent view of tde various elements
Of society of which he is a part, and
point out to him the probable possible.
ties and impossibilities lor his life In
society. 1t might go far to solve the
question of the intelligent relation of
the students school life to society.
Some order might come out of our
elective chaos, and the school might
be somewhat helped to accomplish
hat II wants to do now, but is not
doing, viz, give the nature which God
puts In the child a chance to grow in
the way it wants to, and prepare 1t to
do the work In the world II is fitted
by nature to do.
A cnIld comes to us and we offer him
tlia 'iAOlSc DtlMtSu lNO lnluBS ne mas
never seen before-an axe and a
spade. He chooses tie spade, posi-.
U!y because II Is less liable to cut his
fingers, and jumps to the conclusion,
Tot altogether without reason, that II
Is good thing for cutting wood, and
he begins to try to cut wood with II.
We leave him strictly alone, for II
would be a shame to deprive him of
the splendid character-moulding proc.
ess Of independent choice AMI self.di.
rection! And his American father and
r.gther are altogether too busy to ex.
am ne this new tool, or to enquire what
he is trying to do with 1t. He is faith,
full and is working hard oh. yes She
will come out all right In the end: so
We let him hack away, and II he does
not cut enough wood in four years, we
drop him. The college will not re.
ceive him, Yes; he has worked faith.
fully, but has not accomplished
enough. Too bad! Poor quality!
Meager endowment! We encourage
him to drop school and go into bust.
ness-driving a grocery wagon! 1t
never occurred to our splendidly edu.
Gated, productive, inventive, method.
cal, philosophical, executive North
American intellects that we might have
told the child in the beginning that
the spade Is good for digging In the
soil, not for chopping wood, and that