The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-18
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK

AZ IAe EulLOr OF Inc journal. t1pFs EtlS|Rs.aE4
Il There appeared in recent issue Of Tho
> oHrnal a communication from a Mr. Eric.
son on the defects of the high schools and also
an editorial ON the same subject Both T. O
there Is a defect somewhere in our educational
system, but neither seems to know lust where
the defect lies, nor has any a specific remedy to
Offer = $1,000 ~
There seems to be lack Of ANALYSIS of n.
situation III both cases. Mr.. Ericsson thinks that
review of the grade subjects in the high school
would remove the difficulty. But would II :?
"ould nor Mr.. Ericsson substitute a teachers
preparatory school for the present high school I
The high school would be just as one sided Just
as Impractical for the great majority. grad
uate OF the high school could only teach the
grade subjects, and would not only lose the cul.
ture that the present curriculum gives hit
would nave no more practical view of life than
the present graduate, and perhaps not so much
What Is the real fault with our system ? To
hnswer~this we must ask what the schools should
90 for the young people. They should do three
things, by all means First-They should furnish
the child with knowledge The child must know
ana that does not mean that he must know only
the common school branches; he must know the
world In which he lives. He must get a correct
and comprehensive view of his environments
without which life is but blank, listless wan
der1ng Secondly he must get culture. No
broad-minded man disputes that He must culti-
vate his power and will. His finer feelings
must grow He must be right-minded cool
headed, levelheaded and self-controlled. Thirdly,
he must learn to be useful. He must become a
productive agency. He must be an economic
worker -.. ~
It Is this last that our schools utterly neglect
not only the high school, but the grades as
well. They give some attention to imparting
knowledge, altho much of that is cramped, and
many narrow minded teachers make what they
| impart more falsehood than truth. That we need
more actual leyel-headed truth In the schoolroom
is beyond question They also try to give some at
tention. to culture, atho the culture distributed
Is often thin and far between. But our schools
almost Invariably neglect applicability of knowl-
edge. The child never gets into the habit of ap
plying what he knows His ability to do that he
gets outside Of the schoolroom.
The greatest fault with our high school gradu-
ate, ana the graduate of the grades as WELL
is that he has not the business knack he is not
ready to go out and make himself useful. he can
not go out and compete with his neighbor in the
production of wealth. What we need then Is in
dustrial education Teach the child to do. Teach
him that the world can be redeemed by doing;
that mans highest duty and greatest blessing is
d proper amount of proper work. 49,.
The graduate, of the industrial school has no
difficulty In taking his place beside the farmers,
carpenters, blacksmiths tailors and cooks that
are already doing the work of the world. The
boy that Is brought up the farm has no
difficulty in making his living any day by doing
farm work. The worthy graduate of good
business school has no trouble in holding his po-
|5sItion. The graduate of the engineering mining
and chemical department Of the university has
no trouble in doing the expert work in. his
line. But turn boy loose upon the would at the
age of is or 20, who has never been taught
to use what he knows. and how can you expect
him to be able to work right? Tt Isn't that he
cannot add or subtract numbers, or can't write A
letter, but he has never been shown the .connec-
ton between the figures in his books and the
actual numbering and counting of business; he
has never realized the relation between the meas
urements in his arithmetic and the calculations of
lengths, surfaces and distances In the erection Of
a house. r
The Journal complains that the high
school studenR forgets what he knew in the
grades. The fact is that he never knew it. He
never knew. what he YVES taught in the real
sense Of the word. He never realized it. 1t was
never part of him or his natural environment
He could not handle it.
Now what is tile remedy? The remedy is to
teach the child to farm, build, draw, sew, cook
ma Ike things of all sorts from raw material and
give the child the Intellectual education and Gull
ture besides maintain that you could give a
child this industrial education and teach him
what he now learns in the time that he now idles
away. Every teacher knows that the child spends
hours every day In idle dreaming, drifting or
7 coming things that he never understands. The
pupil will understand If he is allowed to han
lie and see the inside of things. We spend
years teaching child things that he could learn
In much less time in another way. 1t takes d
| long time to explain to a child what plantain
is, but let a child see one handle it and he will
remember 1t as long as he lives.
But, you say, would you teach all trades and
business methods in the school? No. would
teach the representative trades and fnpart skill
in most common emp1cyments, and give knowl-
| edge of methods of government and business. The
habit is as valuable as anything. If you teach
| a child to use what he knows and give clear
expression to his ideas, he will invariably do 1t
] in any position in which he may be placed. The
man who has the knack of writing up news and
grasping situation can pass to special CORE
! spondence without any trouble. The man whu
can well handle a small business according to
approved methods and has the habit of applica
| bility, can pass to larger business success
| fully.
So repeat. it is the habit Of assimlatine
knowledge and applying it that we want. Let
this be the underlying thought In our educational
.systa1n: and In time our schools will grow to be
| what they ought to be- and. will help the home
| and society in making our boys and girls, mer
and women and ma king them useful and sensible
citizens and a credit to the country IN which
they live.
i Jacob Hodnefeld.