Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-13

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he specially commended. partly because
few can engage I'm it and partly because II
is not a safe sport for matches.
Serenuosity It's Glory.
..Foot hall itself does not deserve the
censure 1t Is now fashionable TO mete ou''
The game is strenuous, which Is lts gory'
for Young men need training in that quar-
ity: but 1t is not rough in the sense most
naturally assigned that word. Prayed uH-
der due oversight. foot ball preeds no'
lousness, but kindness and restraint 40
schooling in alertness, courage, sel-lhaS
terry motor-efflciency, exact disclpiihe anu
determination to achieve, 1t mas no equaI
short of army or navy service. No ,,oia,
else In or about college is in these points
comparable Its advantages reach not Few,
but many. Evils, of course attach 10 tne
sport as to everything worth while lhese
are to be deplored and represSea' not e
aggerated or paraded. No few OF these we
ourselves create by artificial and unreasoh-
able regulations on eligibility
'The benefit of sound physical education
reaches beyond the BODY. Many spotts
prevalent in universities are OF extraoroi-
nary intellectual value. Foot BAH exceis
in this respect Good play proceeds fnueh
more from brain than from muscle. Inc
same Is true to considerable extent OF
base ball and tennis. Nearly all earnest
sport properly carried on also mas 1or an
participants immense moral value. II oe-
yelops Independence of action. the sense
OF individual responsibility, and at the
same time fits for joint activities, co-opera-
ton and obedience to authority. 1t cuit'-
Yates the will, particularly the power OF IN
Simultaneous decision. 1t trains the sense
of justice. 1t imparts moral poise, the
ability to be fair when under powerful
provocation to take advantage or to be
partisan.
Refers to Organization.
There are criticisms of another stripe
which perhaps we cannot quite so success
fully meet those. namely, alleging defective
university organization; faults In the men
tai work done at universities; teachers
hating and wry modes of presenting truth.
errors into which pupils are suffered to fall
in connection with their choice of studies,
and various distempers. mental and moral,
of which it is said pupils are permitted to
become the victims through their intel
lectual pursuits.
"a belief exists that university teaching
on certain subjects is here and there BIZ
ased, perverted. dishonest, not rejecting
the best results of scientific investigation,
but shading, ignoring or suppressng these
at the beheSt of powerful interests, Social
monetary or political To meet this, pressure
so silent, that the victim is unconscious of II
will suffice, and It is in this quiet way that
freedom in teaching would be most often
destroyed, II at all. This evil has not gone
far and there is no danger or ltS becoming
general in the United States, but the NAL
ady is in It's nature SO terrible that single
case OF it even the threat of such may
well prompt precaution, like the rumor thai
a cholera ship has cleared for America
from foreign port.
How ineffably important how vital lib
erty Of teaching is l need not set forth
here. Even the most arbitrary govern
ments have sought TO guard 1t in their
schools. The argument has been ably gone
over point by point hundreds OF times. But
there are two remarks which 1 beg to en-
phasize.
Privilege of the Professor
1.-THE professors privilege of declaring In a
proper manner what he believes to be the
teaching of science-this personal preroga-
tive is not the main thing The regnant
the towering consideration is the public
welfare. The world cannot afford that any
truth any representation which In
telligent and honest teacher believes to be
the truth should be forcibly kept under
cover. Part OF what professors teach will
be false, of course. All the more. let It
be aired that 1t may be refuted and we
know its untruth. II the teaching Is the
truth, all admit that II ought to be pub
lished though the whole world at first de-
ride the prophet who lifts his voice to
proclaim it. The more any theory snubs
our preconceptions the more ought we to
wish II opened to the world and put to
proof.
Another indictment relative to uniyer-
sity teaching touches the manner rather
than the matter of 1t, and Ii has, I must
say, good deal OF justification. If col
lege and university teachers could be
brought to honest confession nearly all
would in Sackcloth and ashes plead guilty
to monstrous sin, that of inattention
to pedagogical principles. How few In
structors cultivate good voice or expressive
gesture. how many enunciate poorly and
use the nose as a vocal organ There is
in most university teaching little effort duly
to intersperse serious with lighter matter
in order TO arouse and conserve interest.
Suppose one of us selected by lot were to
be asked questions like the following.
What is the natural order of presenting
your topics In such or such a course taught
by you? White among these topics do you
most emphasize. and why? How and how
frequently do you conduct reviews? What
Is the true end or aim to be attained In
an examination and what sort OF an ex-
animation ought to be set in order to COM
pass that end or aim? / am afraid that
many professor thus catechised would
be found rather badly at sea. Apathy
about examinations is crying evil. Some
institutions only quiz and do not properly
speaking examine at all, negleeting a VI
tally precious mental discipline, that of
acquiring mastery over subjects as wholes
and over parts In their relations to each
other and to the totals.
Too Little Study Of Logic.
MUST we not. most of us who teach ac-
knowledge that we study quite too little the
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