Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-10-07
Superintendent Of Schools Lee
lures Before women's Club
and Friends
THE VIEWPOINT IN EDUCATION
Three Hundred and Fifty People Lis
ten to Most Interesting Discourse at
women's Club Rooms Monday
Night-Home and Education Depart.
ment in Charge of Evening.

Somewhat Of a departure in the regu-
lar sessions Of the Marshalltown Won
ems Club was taken this week and,
instead of the session usually held on
Wednesday afternoon the club enjoyed
an evening meeting Monday. at which
time Mr. William I. Crane, superinten-
dent of the city schools, addressed
the club on THE Changed Viewpoint
in Education" The meeting was a
most enjoyable one and was held under
the auspices of the Home and Educa-
ton department. of which Mrs. II. a.
Kinnan Is chairman.
The club rooms were crowded to
hear Mr.. Crane, the department hav-
ing issued invitations to husbands OF
members, the city teachers, and few
other friends. In opening Miss Besse
Beaver, supervisor of music in the pub
lie schools, delighted the guests with
a solo, being accompanied by Mrs. Belle
Waldo.
The speaker of the evening was intro
duced by Mrs. Kinnan. chairman Of the
department under which auspices the
lecture was given. Mr.. Crane said, In
substance, that our attitude toward
everything is governed by our view.
point, and he proposed to show that the
trouble with the prevalent educational
system Is that Its viewpoint Is wrong.
that current systems Of education pay
attention to the course Of study rather
than to the growth OF the child. He
showed the logical nature of q doctors
treatment of his patient, by showing
how the doctor makes diagnosis OF
the patients case, and then uses his
medicines, not as ends, but as means,
toward bringing his patient toward a
certain condition. Then he showed
how this same viewpoint OF a greater
attention to the student, and of the
use OF the course Of study as means
should characterize the work in tbs
public schools.
Mr.. Crane further illustrated what
he meant by showing the excellent
method of instruction given in physical
gymnasiums, in which thorough di-
agnosis of a mans physical state is
lercises. The gymnasium director finds
where the student is weak, and where
he Is strong, and from this diagnosis
he devises means to put the man thru
such processes as will make him
symmetrical. He applied this illustra-
ton to educational systems and showed
that teachers do not follow this plan.
that they take the child thru processes
without stopping to think what the
purpose of the process is in fitting this
child TO meet the conditions of life that
he must meet
Mr.. Crane said that nothing can be
done nationally without purpose. That
the steps Of all doing were as fol-
lows:
5First-The formation Of the purpose.
Second-The determination of the
steps necessary to attain the purpose.
Third-The finding of means to take
the steps to attain the purpose.
Fourth-The application of the means
in order to take the steps to attain the
purpose.
He showed that the physician and the
gymnasium director followed these
steps logically, but that the teacher
usually begins at the fourth step; that
is, he begins the applications of things
which are not means, to take steps
which have not been thought of, to at
tain purposes which have not been de-
termined upon. and therefore the result
can only be an accident. He showed
that we must change our viewpoint
from the course of study to a watchful-
ness over the growth Of the child, just
as the doctor watches the change of his
patient from worse to better. He laid
down the following principles:
First-The purpose of the school is to
At the child to meet the conditions of
life in his world.
Second-This would require teachers
to determine what conditions the child
must meet, and then from this to find
out what qualities and what knowledge
the child must acquire to meet these
conditions.
Third-With these qualities as pur-
poses, the next step would be to study
the child and find out to what extent
he possesses these characteristics and
this knowledge.
Fourth-That the course OF study
would then be such an environment as
such process as would develop such
characteristics as would fit the child to
meet the conditions of life in his world.
Fifth-That the teachers work would
be to guide the child thru these pro-
cesses, and to watch his growth by their
means, rather than to administer set
course of study to the child.
Mr.. Crane, in an interview, expressed
the greatest pleasure in the fact that
the new viewpoint is held more largely
in Marshalltown than in any other city
of his acquaintance, and he is especially
pleased with the intelligence and 10y
atty and teachableness of his corps Of
teachers. He believes, as when he came
here. that Marshalltown is the most
promising place possible to carry into
effect the new viewpoint in education.
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