New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-05
THE TEACHERS BURDEN.
School the Barrier Bet1ceen Children
and CiUIc Corruption.

THE teacher Is IN a death struggle with the
civic influences OF the great city.
The school IS the only barrier between large
numbers Of -nildren and the swelling floe Oh COZ
rupton ali around them
w hermit those influences in our midst which
,pIlifv all the influence of tho school: ell this
drunkenness and corruption, license and la"less-
ness in our Sums that balance all we Try TO 90
for The children in school
Percival- Chubb was the speaker, in his lect-
IRE on The Modern City as an Educational En-
sironu1enr," at Brooklyn Institute on Thursday.
NO one factor in education can DO the work OF
another factor" said he Thus the schooI cannot
properlv do the work Of the home. We have got
the idea. from Pestalozz. think, that the school
can become = home. and the teacher take the
place OF a parent This is an attempt at some
thing which cannot be done. and brings the school,
end the pupils into false relations. But certain
tasks have been forced upon the school, tempo
rarilv because they are not done at home. So the
school also has 10 bear burden in education
which should be borne by the civic environment.
i has in fact, 10 combat that environment and
save the child from il. instead Of receiving any
ala from #
FUNCTION OF THE HOME.
This civic environment. the great city that lies
all around us does something for that nothing
else can DO. L is the function Of the home to de-
veoD In us the private, the domestic virtues,
those virtues OF delicacy, modesty reserve. which
II IS almost impossible should thrive in the pub
Lefty Of modern apartment house life The civic
environment develops in US the public virtues, the
relation OF the individual TO the public, to society
I at large AS the civic standards of our city are
high. SO will the public virtues be developed in
the children and vice versa.
Now, instead Of the home and the city each do
ing its part in the education OF tho child. tho
school, on the contrary. is struggling in des-
perate attempt 10 combat the evil tendencies OF
both the others.
We demand certain amount OF air space per
capita in the scholhouse, and yet allow the
child 10 live at home with such regulations.
We have provided doctors and nurses for the
child az school, and yet we permit him to live
at home under conditions that make doctors and
nurses necessary.
IT is short sighted policy to do so much for the
child in school and allow it TO be all undone out
side the schoolhouse walls. We shall be absolute
g obliged to consider this larger communal inter-
est Of the child and OF tho community if
70 &c forward a race.
democracy has not proved that it is a success.
II VIII not prove that il is a success until it has
SHOWN that 1t is able 70 grappe with the problem
VI a'y lie. II we are to credit the revelations OF
Lincoln Steffens, the observations of Goodwin
HntA and other foreign students of our institu-
IONS one must admit that democracy is virtually
laiure, so far as our cities are concerned. The
'14ooi is virtually an island of shelter against
V.Hlue influences: barrier against the Ieyjatha-
y 'oIFupucn which We have allowed TO grow
" outsioe-the modern city, which demands its
u'oute OF young souls every year The test OF
az IS whether it can produce good cit.-
-<ns- II Is stu TO be seen whether the modern
a'y-s'ate can do that"
No DECENT RECREATION
ms CITY places no resources at the disposal OF
'he Nottingham for the upbulding of his own char
- not even decent recreation. The schools are
''i-hg 10 the rescue very slightly in the eventno
t1O NE they are Offering but this is only dron in
the bucket ' N0P Al
incl - 'Ne oest governed great city is an exceed
$50, D0u pace 10 bring up child, because of the
C-p'eAity OF his surroundings The environment
~ complex. so stupendous that he cannot CRASH
1orose lItiiiss ny hlther and thther imuelled nv
few 80, va Il y beyond his power to grasp. Just
the pof ation, IN the old horsecars Now we are il,
Dlexty nIrrf,s u b. i2LceS whose bewildering com
Ies the intelligent one into thai inteiectnSi
among CITY children Tbc % c qGh on the increase
he &c ~ contact with simple natural Objects which
not ts s@ ioI bringing up children in the country Is
or hard nr "a PoeFy Or sentimontaliiy 1t is based
s,ss cry mas been chiefly at fault on the hygi.no
r. ~, n nor providing space for chiidren to NAV
with ms ~ SSsaIeely single playground CONNECTED
boys csn ~. NC great new city schools in which
ma smaller games also suffer II is .uTnTjsnr how
syay sdies mat children used play have passed
patbeticsT1c eS Ihey still cling 10 marbles-amost
How IdSssIy But top spinning is practically gone
through the Stree 3G Or s5e GhiidTe tpa9dliag hoops
rrs51 .sA have preserved among themselves from
t6g1floTlc mes, and by means Of which they nave
obliged :. themselves 90 much, they have been
bstsseuu' 40 abandon The big gsmes-foothau and
Ia eel persist because men will have them Emt
lots 1e Doss play one old cat longer in vacant
hOt ,.Ssou ssk downtown mother why she does
yoe Hat ier family 10 Central Park, she will fell
rst II l. a Dig undertaking. and requires from
tie gs - cents carfare So far she is concerned
cites IN might as we.l not be there. Some large
& vs,ete better provided than gye: but New-YoSk
70 h. baoly on FOR parks and Fairgrounds. II IS
pslzatHloP ec that few years win see the munich
fste io1ao. our seafronts, now absorbed by pri-
Grounds eLhhlng has been made in the few play
PROVIDED for children. but It is very very