The Jersey City news., 1906-05-05
A LIBERAL
EDUCATION
President Woodrow Wilson
Defines tt and Describes
It's Method and Object
DEVELOPMENT OF MIND
MERE GAIN or KNOWLEDGE
NOT THE END BUT RATHER
THE AWAKENING oF. ALL -EAC-
ULTIES

AT a lecture this week In Newark,
President Woodrow Wilson gave his
views on liberal education He said
THE free elective idea, originated by
the University of Virginia and adopted
at Harvard and Cornell universities. was
attacked by Princeton's chief, and the
recently reorganized limited system of
elective studies at Princeton defended A
liberal educstion was not intended for the
majority of the youth Of the country, he
said, because our national Industrial life
made technical education a necessity
for the greater number. A liberal adu-
cation justified itself; it was justified
only by its relation to technical educa-
tion, and university ceuld be justified
only 50. far as it supplies liberal edu-
cation.
Education in general is the states
manehip of the mind said DR.. Wilson.
s'It is the utilization and training of the
mind for national use. The gsst Of a
/ technical education is knowledge, infor-
nation; but the gist of a liberal education
| is not knowledge and it is not informa-
ton There are some useful men who
! cannot give yon many facts in a given
/ case and there are Some useless men
who can swamp you with facts, but they
are like an attic filled up with unassorted
things. I wiuld rather have gone over
the field of knowledge aRd have lost all
than have remembered all and have lost
energy. If you know process you don't
need to carry the results of that process
in your mind. knowledge is not infor-
nation, ana wisdom is not knowledge
"What we wano in an educatitn is
the releasing of the faculties by exercise
The object of an education is, then, the
exercise of the faculties, and as manv of
them as you can exercise"
/ The speaker then proceeded to attack
| the elective systems Of some Of the lead
ing institutions of the country.
TT is foolish" he said, sto say that
| boys and girls should choose their own
courses. They would choose the lines
which they are accustomed to, in which
! they already have strength, and would
let go powers they never had been called
/ upon to exercise
Education is first Of all discipline,
| but modern education has passed from
! the pupil to the teacher-the teacher
does all the hard work. The modern
| student seems to be tender plant
| which must be shielded from exercise
| Child psychologists tell US that we must
be careful not to weary the minds of
the children, but the only way you can
| develop is to weary.
Make children attempt things then-
| selves and attempt them alone. Disci-
4 pline carries with it the idea of unwill-
ingness. The worst thing that could
| happen to a person would be to do all
! the week only what he wants to do l
| believe that a child should be made TO
do things that it don't want to do.
4 Stand over it and see that does it. e
Hearty applause greeted this point.
DR.. Wilson continued
ssThe gymnasium is q perfect picture
of what we are trying tc' 40 IN education
/ No man uses in business what he learns
in the gymnasium, but the gymnasium
makes red blood in his veins and this al
lows him to do business What we need
is more mental gymnastics
! DR. Wilson said the second object of
| a liberal education was enlightenment
mo mind is enlightened, he said
whose light does not es,me in from the
wide reach of the horizon. The mind
/ must submit to the variety Of human ex-
| perience. and in respect of its culture we
must put the mind through the process
/ fhat the race has been through.
sits third object should be the sorienta-
| tion of the mind; we must train the mind
so that it can get itsow1lmental longitude
l. /.