New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-11

Educational Enthusiasts Idea of the
Schools Function.

sho.a hours and more culture for the work
ers MAS the gist OF Percival Chubbs lecture at the
Brocklyn Museum last week. He also paid his re-
spects Ia the advocates Of the Three RS" system
NJ education and declared that he would rather see
the schools turn out passionate youns rebels
than cynical youths content to accept the eAlsuhE
order of things
certain educational enthusiasts OF to-day seem
to favor the school laying hands on every
thing" he said. There is no task that they VIII
not Law on the school This tendency comes from
child study the new psychology. Its devotees seem
10 think that a chids nature IS able to stand any
strain We may At TO lay upon IT. From Pro
fessor Search and others OF his way of thinking
We get programme for the education of the child
that is perfectly astounding and bewilderinG
Nevertheless. the school of to-day has got to
shoulder greatly increased tasks. because It has
to prepare children for life of much greater com
piexity than any that has gone before. This has
been true since the modern scheme OF educa-
ton was started in the Middle Ages. There wasn't
much TO study at first except Latin and Greek.
AS life has increased in compexity. new burdens
have been laid upon the school with each genera
ton.
For instance the two principal requirements Of
a good school to-day were not known In the school
OF the Middle Ages First, to educate for char
actcr; second. Tor citizenship. The FIRST was done
by the Church. and for the second the less
people had do with citizenship the better in the
estimation OF their rulers.
What We cal. the higher education'-that CLASH
the necessary possession OF any person entitled 10
the term 'educated-was in its beginning not an
education for life at all. 1t was Al education for
leisure. It was a part Of the renaissance which
sought 70 Tentroduce classical culture % Europe
and consisted mainly in putting in the hands 0f
gentlemen OF ease and leisure the instruments for
that introduction namely, the Greek and Latin
languages. Then came the reaction Of Rousseau.
the discovery OF the child by PestalOzzi. and 50
down through Froebel, Herbart and Dewey; and
each has added TO the tasks Of the schools.
Some OF these tasks are only temporary
They belong 10 the home and the Church. and
must eventually be shifted back their proper
places. The Church is laugushins because We have
no idea of the proper function of church Our
educators must cease 10 ignore, as so many Of
them 90, the true functions Of the home and the
/ Church.
But other of these new burdens are permanent
The school must shoulder them in order TO fit tho
young live under the new mechanical. industrial
and social conditions they will find prevailing in the
| world
For instance. we discovered the elevator We
| also discovered method of constructing enor-
/ mously high buildings by the Of steel With
! these two things discovered the art OF living
/ IN layers. We live now in strata. Instead OF be-
side each other on the ground we used to.
From this the packing OF our large cities. the
/ enormously increased value OF land. the higher
rents. the crowding, degeneration OF family life,
/ loss in health vitality, privacy and morals So
great social and racial changes are nextricabIy en-
! twiued with mechanical invention.
The greatest factors in the compexity
of modern life are the demands for specialization
! and .or NATURALIZATION. Modern industry de-
Inands that the worker must specialize TO succeed.
! man may spend his life in making. not watch,
not the works of a watch but ono particular kind
| OF minute watchspring. The constant tendency
| Of that is to transform the worker into part Of
| the machine
! "On the other hand. democracy demands the in
naturalization Of each person. his development as
a balanced, all around, thinking character Democ-
| racy demands this for its own preservation, as
the old regime never demanded 1t. How IS this 10
| be obtained when the mans whole vocation tends
| to make him a machine; when in industry he is a
! hand in prison he is number
Il have been much interested In the attempts in
| the Girls Trade School in New York 10 give the
| worker an idea OF the whole history or the in
| dustry OF which her own work forms in
! fnitesimaI part; that, no matter how frivolous
| a thing she may be making, she will see II as a
| part Of great whole. and SO her work Will gain