New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-15
THE DIsHEARrEyED STUDENT.

In q letter from a "Dsheartened Student
published In yesterdays Tribune a voice so
paintive Is raised against some features OF
modern education that the grievances it sounds
demand consideration. The protestant, a pupil
In the New York Training School for Teach
ers is dissatisfied with the work she must do
there She says she is expected TO know some
thing about everything, Including mneralogy
and the internal functions of the grasshOpper
She does not believe that these and other recon
dite subjects are essential to practical educa-
ton and particularly 10 the education useful
to a primary school teacher in developing young
minds. She wants to learn how to instruct
children and make competent living for her
self before dabbling in sciences and systema-
tized ignorance. If the Disheartened Student
and her many companions In misery will listen
to the following words of wisdom and expe-
rience perhaps their anger Will subside to the
level Of philosOphc vexatOn. For, when all
the facts are seriously reviewed, 1t will appear
that the hash called modern education" Is not
without certain great virtues and Il certain
justification.
We refuse to champion the thirty science cur
rlculum under which the Disheartened Student
is suffering 1t is a monstroslty with hundred
parents, every specialist having persuaded an
impressible board Of laymen that his own line of
work Is an indispensable part Of the scheme of
universal salvation. Tragedy and humOr have
never fused more successfully than In the spec
tacle Of educational boards cOmplacently cOnced-
ing floor space to every "-OOgiSt'' In the great
American School (fOr scandaD. But when we
stop to ask why this farce has had such
long run a secret crops out which ought to
pacIfy the Disheartened Students The truth
is that the so-called practical" man is as much
10 blame for the introduction of faddish studies
into our school system as the narrow specialist
IS Cooperation between these two blame
worthless is needed 10 produce the disastrous
result: The specialist must be blind enough 20
think his own nutshell infinite space, and big
oted enough to go proselytizing with fine frenzy;
but at the same time the board member must
be so ignorant of the relative values of things
as TO be convinced by every specialists rea-
soning.
Now, as the spirit of the people rebels at the
suggestion that boards of education be COM
posed of scholars and specialists, how shall we
escape the horrors of hodge pOdge? We can
not exterminate the specialists Therefore. we
can only let the people learn by hard knocks
the lesson of too much versatility. Let the
fads work their own destruction by publicity
The most competent adviser in educational
matters is he who knows ut first hand the
true valuation 10 be put on the various studies
Such a man is free from all illusions about the
"inestimable worth of botany In the seventh
grade" ''the cultural value TO twelve-year-Olds
of dissecting earthwOrms" and so on. In brief
gentle Disheartened Student. the disllluslOn-
ments you are now getting THU, and fast will
help powerfully to give the next generation eff
cient educational board members. You may
not like to toy with picked lungs for the sake
Of the next generation, but you must know
that many bills of the next generation are paid
In advance This is a rule of life applying to
subways and policemen as well as to school
boards 1t pays to be philosophical over it, for
It cannot be amended; We cannot borrow money