Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-12-30
Old Education and New.

Even as superintendent of public schools
In Springfield, DR.. Thomas Ballet estab-
lished a reputation throughout the eoun-
try as a high authority on educational
matters. Now that he has become dean
of pedagogy at New York university he is
in position to speak to larger audiences
and have a wider hearing and when he
speaks he has something to say. Not long
ago he was one OF the speakers at the
opening of the second season Of the
Brooklyn Heights seminary and advanced
what seems to be a new idea when he
said that increased love and respect for
children was the most significant charac-
teristic of the education of today and that
all the improvement that had been made
along educational lines had followed the
development of this new attitude OF
teachers toward learners. In the scheme
of education the children themselves had
become factors. They were being studied
scientifically and sympathetically, from
the standpoint of psychology and medi-
cine and the sympathetic standpoint OF
the mother and teacher.
He also called attention TO the chang
ing ideals of education The acquisition
of knowledge was formerly the aim and
teaching was called imparting knowledge.
While such acquisition still has value
it is regarded as of secondary importance
the main object being to acquire ability
to think, ability TO use the mind ana
ability to deal with new problems, ana
DR.. Ballet believes the college men ana
women of today show more vigorous mem
tai capacity to do greater thinking anu
are better observers than the students OF
earlier days. This theory does not per-
nit the gauging of a students capacity
by his class room marks or his stanalns
upon the day of his graduation. lie mas
then just reached the probation point
and il remains for him to show Whether
his experience has endowed him with
vital force or loaded him up with an un-
productive accumulation.
Other educators have held similar views
The wise head of Williams college 10,
over 80 years, of whom President GaIAe'u
said that a bench with Mark Hopkins GU
one end and a student on the other con-
stituted a university, used to impress up,
on his boys this same idea. He tod mem I
that in the actual ecquisition OF Know
edge the college could do very niue ~.
them In four years. Its purpose "Ss ,SS
train them I'm such a way that they Cou' s
do for themselves, with minds suihui" ~
and adjusted to grasp and CONQUER tar
problems that would confront them las ora
This general proposition is now mTl'
widely accepted than it was then, ou. u
stead of harmonizing methods "ppaI
emily leads to a wider divergence . no,
ever While our educational institutes
are striving TO reach the same ,esu nsa
some of them choose one ROAD anu So
another, instances of which are nara nara
and Princeton. But DR.. Ballet in'e ,n os
his counsel for the secondary schoo 113,a 90
much as for the colleges and unVel I',s1ot
The process of mental direction ct az he
begin too early, The child IS nos u5ont
loaded down, but trained TO lnuepe lTools
action. He must come out OF the nock
prepared for the race, not me's has
horse to carry about that which ~ ,,sar
accumulated AS the new schoo' .Sink
progresses this is a good thing to THINK
about Boston Transcript