The San Francisco call., 1904-02-06
PUBLIC SCHOOL INSTRUCTION.

NV a problem and multitude OF persons ready
TO instruct the teacher how to solve it. In
this country we have large number OF educational
conferences every year and each OF them there
numerous speakers point out evils III the existing
courses and methods OF instruction similar cond-
ton of affairs prevails wherever there free schools
and free speech, and doubtless will continue to prevail
to the end OF time. The instruction that suits one age
and locality does not suit another so that except
in where bureaucratic obtains and
where fixed systems of instruction arranged Tor
whole nations, is likely there will ever be
ment as to what instruction should be given, how.
Time was when educators believed that few things
well taught more profitable than many things half
taught. Those the days when men talked much
about the man of book when great stress
laid upon the fact that Jack of all trades was master
of none To-day of the foremost educators teach
the opposite doctrine. They would have the public
schools give smattering of well nigh everything,
leaving for the pupil determine later in life what
special study trade he would follow and then perfect
himself in it after leaving the lower schools. Such
views are held only this country, but in
scrvative land Great Britain; and among those who
teach them is less person than Sir Oliver Lodge
principal of Birmingham University.
Al conference of the Teachers Guild of
Great Britain Sir Oliver was the principal speaker In
reporting the the London Daily News says
"Sir Oliver approved of person having smattering
of large number of subjects, and gave the Greek
alphabet of the things that everybody should
know The early outline of nearly everything could be
acquired quite easily, but before a subject gone
into beyond this rudmentary stage should be
sdered whether the circumstances and ability of the
pupil such make it likely that he would pursue
the subject to useful, practical end. In his
concluding remarks, Sir Oliver Lodge spoke of the i'm
portance of teaching courtesy the of the
for driving and walking, poleness each other meth
DDS of life saving, the avoidance of panic case OF fire.
the advantages and objects of municipal government,
how preserve the teeth how breathe cleanliness,
the evils of expectoraon and other foul habits
proper of the body"
public school curriculum including everything from
the Greek alphabet to the the teeth would GER
tainy have scope enough satisfy almost any 1t
appears from the of Sir Oliver at
the public schools of Britain are doing hardly
anything worth doing. The report quotes him as saying
that majority of the schools turned out boys who
ignorant who did know how acquire knowl-
edge who found interest in it. and did respect
who ashamed of their ignorance and were
usually not aware of it. What he desired to see
was that the whole processes of instruction should be
overhauled, the methods studied organized and made
efficient and the work conducted by trained and en-
franchised teachers under improved conditions
In this country better satisfied with our school
system Our reformers go further than advocate
little tnkerng here and there; the radical among
them would probably be startled by proposal of any
such radical that of the principal of
mingham University. 1t the only things Sir
Oliver would have taught up to a utility point in the
public schools modern languages He cites the fact
that Nansen able lecture English French and
German because he had been taught those languages in
the public schools of his country and he recommends
similar careful training in British schools.