Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-10-11

Much OF the success OF Americans
due TO the way In which republican
doctrines are applied In bringing up
their children
This opinion was expressed by FfoI'
II. l.. Armstrong, an eminent educa-
tor Of England, at a recent meeting OF
the British Association for the Ad-
yancement OF Science, now IN convene
ton assembled at Belfast. 1t was IN
support Of his contention that boys
ought TO leave school at seventeen ana
then go to college. Containing ne
said:
1--WE should set our children free ana
encourage them to be free al an carry
age. We need a discussion OF the lars-
er issues Of national defense through
education The ship Of state Is Of vast
Is greater consequence than the mere
navy. Yet, those who direct attention
TO the insuficieucy Of It's armament are
scarcely listened TO- and there Is not
the slightest effort to secure scientiiic-
ally adjusted and organlcally complete
machinery TO drlll the crew, that -
woefully Incomplete, owing TO the ter
rible absence Of organization ana DIS
cipline.'
VALUE or A &" sCRAP-HEAP.'
prof Armstrong contended that
what British education today heeleu
was to appreciate the value OF q scrap
heap. He asked. why cannot we
follow the example of the industrious
American and agree 20 scrap our
scholastic and academic Ideals u not
our schools and schoolmasters as Well'
and reilt along new inesY'
The keynote Of this counlrys sue
cess along educational lines II struck
I'm Prof. Armstrong; compliment TO
those who have guided It's course. Hec-
ognltlon OF the individuality OF the
child, and an application OF the prin-
ciple that 1t IS better to have rev
well chosen subjects, Thoroughly mas
tered than 70 have only slight NnoWl-
edge of many, is now the rule rather
than the exception in our schools, ana
1t has wonderfully increased the meas
ure Of their success.
Because American educators nave
not hesltated to make many trips TO
the SCRAP heap" TO cast away old IDEAS
and ideals, the schools have kept pace
with the country's advancement along
other lines.
NEED Personal ATTENTION.
All educators agree that the school
In which each pupil comes directly qh.
der the eye Of his or her teacher ana
can be given personal attention Is the
one which IL turning out those VINO are
destined to become the countrys great
men. Such relationship, 1t Is cal
culated, stimulates interest and ami
hilates the idea 80 detrimental TO sue
cess, that school Is prison house
II is in such schools that the pupil is
ever reminded that he Is preparing him
self for the higher education Of the
college.
His studies are those which will best
III him for the line of work he wishes
to pursue in higher educational circles
He Is made TO feel that he has some
thing to work for
The results Of this concentration OF
effort In preparatory schools have im-
pressed university and college author
tiles with the fact that in this later
day applicants for admission to higher
institutions Of learning are capable or nm
ishing their courses in less than four
years. The three-year course IL now
suggested, and at an early date VIII
be established in several institutions
"These ideas Of modern education
may be all very good" says one, but
is II not possible that the modern
school is demanding too much OF chill
dren and is bringing up a generation
mentally oyerstlmulated and physical
~ undeyeloped?"
FAILS TO TRAIN THE WILL.
Opinions on the subject are widely at
variance, for there are those who
maintain that much Of modern educa-
tion II so easy and soft" that II fails
to call out and train the Will. Both
questions, however give rise TO the Inn
portant problem OF regulating school
work to Individual capacity. IL also
raises a third question: How are we
TO know when children are over
worked?"
A prominent professor Of the west
says;
A positive answer Is not easily made
10 any educational question, and this
matter of the normal amount of work
to be required from school children
cannot be fixed by measurement as
floor and air space in n school room
are measured Yet certain principles
can be pointed out that may serve as
regulatlve ones-principles based on re-
cent Investigations into such subjects
as fatigue and the laws Of growth and
nutrition.
Over-pressure and fatigue have en-
gagged much of the attention of science
and medicine during the past half cen-
fury. A little over 20 years aga a Euro
pean scientist published the results of
u series Of experiments TO determine
the effect Of mental work throughout
the five hours OF the school day upon
the child's mental power.
THE PROBLEM OF FATIGUE,
Since that time more than q dozen
investigators In Europe and America
have been working upon the problem
Of fatigue In school children. OF these
Investigations, a conservative writer
observes that they have drawn atten-
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