The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-03
An ENGLISH INVASION.

An ENGLISH INVASION.
Five hundred teachers, chosen from
the English schools, will soon come to
this country in groups of twenty, 10
study the American educational system
in every section and make reports OF
their findings for the benefit of the
British schools. They all come as guests
of Alfred Mosely, one of the greatest
of English philanthropists, who has
beer impressed by the American public
schools so profoundly that he wishes to
give his own people the advantage of
observation at first hand
Mn Mosely was interested In the
American system first by Gardner Will
liams. himself an American and expo
nent Of the national energy and intelli-
gence. To see for himself the English
man came TO this country and visited
points that promised to be best fitted
for study of results. While making a
tour of a Pittsburg factory. he said to
young superintendent: What strikes
me about your country is that your
workshops are filled with college bred
men like you. At home a varsity man
is graduated into a frock-coat and
Stoves. Here he Is educated into over
ais. That seems to be the key
note OF American education. 1t trains
for efficiency. And the keynote of
America seems to be education.
After his tour of the country. Mr..
Mosely commented on his conclusions:
The Americans believe intensely in the
education of the masses. Three strik-
ing features are: First, the large
amount of money devoted to education
al purposes, the magnificent buildings
and lavish equipment: secondly. the
teachers are enthusiastic, and, thirdly.
there is thirst for knowledge shown
by pupils of all ages which is largely
lacking in England
Great Britain's system of public
schools is unbelievably antiquated and
inadequate. The social gradations and
barriers which enter into every walk of
life and every phase of public activity
have made it in a sense a sort of char
ity to accept instruction at public ex-
pense. The schools like Harrow and
Elton are not for the son of the common
man; the universities entirely lack the
democratic spirit which characterizes
the best of the American schools. The
conservatism which in England has un-
consciously regarded education as an
exclusive prerogative of the well-born
has gone far toward making the public
schools inferior and obsolete in their
methods.
Here IN America the money spent on
education is paid more cheerfulIy than
any other tax. The people realize that
the salvation of the nation depends
upon the education of their children.
No boy who has gone through the
grade schools can fail to be patriotic
and equipped TO a degree for his duties
as a citizen. Entirely apart from its
materialistic value, its force as a factor
i'm the production of wealth, the public
school is the great leveler. the one
power that compeis boys and girls To
realize that merit is the only true
American standard of measurement.
Until recently our schools have not
been planned TO meet the modern de-
mand for industrial efficiency, and
there is room for great improvement
along this line. But they have served
admirably to preserve the spirit of ma
tional institutions in the heart of the
people, and promise to be the most po- |
tent means of preserving the national !
integrity. If England were to adopt |
anything like the American school |
system it would inevitably result in a |
social revolution. even though it might |
be long deferred by the prejudices and /
precedents OF naturally ccnserva- /
tive people.