Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-03-12

a basis of psychological study with
the class. And so on through the va.
rious more important vocations. Such
a study probably could not be profit.
ably undertaken with class below the
eighth grade, and would be much more
valuable for the first or second year
class OF the High School.
What, now, are some of the Difficult
ties which a Psychology OF ocations
called by any other name as sweet,
If you wish-would remove. and what
are some of the positive advantages
II would afford?
The Elective System.
One of the great new things in mod
ern education Is the elective system
1t Is here to stay. Whether we like IL
or not, American public sentiment de-
mands today that a part of the long
period of schooling from the kinder
garten (age three) to the glorious
High School commencement (age 1S)
shall be utilized for the purpose of
preparing the student for some special
vocation in life. Public sentiment may
be wrong, and when we have univer.
sity.trained teachers throughout our
schools, thereby considerably shorten.
ing the period of primary and second.
airy schooling, public sentiment may be
less insistent on this point of special
repatriation. But so long as the great
majority of High School students end
their school days with the completion
of the High School course and enter at
once active life. so long will the High
School in particular be compelled to
AFFORD students special preparation
for some vocation. If the vocation Is
a technical profession, requiring cole.
giate specialization, then also will the
| High School student be forced to a
certain extent to specialize in order to
meet the entrance requirements for
his special college work. Inus for
both classes of students. those who in.
tend to go to college and those who do
not. public sentiment demands Ger.
tain amount of specialization in the
High School course, and this specials.
cation can be afforded only by an
elective system.
There is also another reason for the
demand for an elective system, viz,
the feeling entertained by many lead.
ing educators that cur traditional edu
CdtlOn ulu not really meet tne require.
ments of the child's nature as these
have been determined by experimental
psychology and by the ruling philoso.
ply of the times. They tell us today
that the logical and natural culture OF
the child should proceed along the
lines Indicated by his social and his.
torical environment and Inheritance,
rather than along the lines of the elias.
steal culture handed down to us by me.
diaeval schOlasticism. This new con.
ceptiOn OF education demands changes
and the changes must naturally be
such as arise from a closer correlation
of the school and society. that is. the
school must more definitely represent
the current social and economic forces.
hence the Introduction of courses oil
study; either as required or elective
which represent the range of vocations
in the child's social and economic en-.
vironment. ne elective system is
thus with us, as the fulfllment of a.
public demand and philosophical and
psychological verdict as to the nature
and process OF true education.
The Elective Dangers.
But neither public demand nor phil.