The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-12-10
COTTON MAKES PLEA
FOR OLD METHODS
SAYS That Reading, Writing
And Arithmetic Must
Be Taught.
MANUAL TRAINING NO FAD.
STATE SUPERINTENDENT MAKES
EXCELLENT ADDRESS BEFORE
THE COMMERCIAL CLUB AT
MONDAY NIGHTS SESSION.

The Commercial club was entertain
ed last evening by State Superintend'
end of Education Fassett Cotton, who
spoke on the modern educational sys-
tenn. Mr.. Cotton was introduced to
the club by r. A Mott, superintendent
OF the public schools Mr.. Cotton, IN
the course of his address, said:
THE educational problem Of the
present and future is different from
that of the past. In the early day the
school was based on the idea of the
single nature of the child-the spirit
ual. The school as organized today,
recognizes that the child is both phys
ical and spiritual. Grace and beauty
in form, strength and health of BODY,
and skill in execution are all matters
OF education and are provided for. in
the modern course of study. The course
OF study in .ne future will provide for
"a complete system of manual training
in the kindergarten, in the grades and
in the high schools, and, in fact, in
many of the higher institutions Of
learning
when this course is finally perfect
ed it will be a complete adjustment of
the work Of the head and hand. The
hand work will supplement head work.
Every trace and all suspicion of mere
busy" work-that is, work intended to
keep the child quiet-will be eliminat-
ed, and real manual training work. in
Guiding work in agriculture, domestic
science, etc, will have passed the fad
and experimental stage and will be
part and parcel of the educative pro-
cess. The schools must teach the
three RS. The things that the chill
dren bring to school with them must
be the basis Of the school work. The
life and experiences of the children
must furnish the subject matter.
In teaching arithmetic, the problem
is to teach these children with this
setting to think and number accurately
and rapidly and to apply principles I'M
der actual conditions.
likewise the life Of the children
should furnish the spelling lessons.
There is farm and home vocabulary
and it is essential that the children
it accurately and intelligently. The
spelling lessons should be as thought
full and as interesting as any other les
son in the curriculum
What is true of arithmetic and
spelling is true of reading. Again,
the childs world must furnish the ba-
sis of choice in reading. The end is
to train the child to read understand
ingly and, when he reads orally, so as
to be understood.
In the future the so-caled academic
subjects, like arithmetic. spelling read
ing and geography. will be taught
more intensively, as indicated above
SO that time can be given to regular
work in domestic science and other de-
partments of manual training.
,"Arithmetic. reading, spelling and
language so taught for ten Years would
bring about a revolution in the atti-
tude of the children toward home life
in this nation.
Il do not know better how to close
this address than by quoting a few
lines from James f. Russell of Teach
ers' College, N. Y:
There never has been time when
we were more in need OF sound educa-
ton, and in the struggle for existence
that is yet to come we shall need a
better education than we can conceive
of today
I'VE boast of our equal opportunity
in America, and that our great pub
lie school system DrOyides alike for
every boy and girl taking advantage
of 1t. The fact is, our school system
grants equal opportunity only to those
who can go to college, and the univer-
sity. 1t takes little account of the
boy who cannot go, or thinks he can
not go to college. All those who
drop out at the age of twelve or four
teen to earn living nave missed their
opportunity"