New-York tribune., 1907-09-07


dividual teaching and can avoid its unavoidable
expense are looking with more favor upon prl-
vate schools without disparaging public in
sttutions many families formerly sending their
sons and daughters to city schools deSertins
these because they cannot possibly handle stu
dents save as soldiers in the ranks in many re-
spccts. Private Schools which have doubtless
suffered somewhat temporarily from the sudden
rise of palatiaI public schools and their elaborate
equipment have already learned not to fea
their competitors.
DEVELOPMENT ON TWO LINES.
Progress In practical education is following
two lines. High schools and coli, gcs which
must always offer cultural studies, are learning
to teach the humanities as to make them
truly humanistic; history is no longer a dreary
wilderness of detached dates: foreign languages
have ceased to be foolish schemes of syntaX ard
letters. English is being taught as to make
the student accurate and fluent in expressing
his thoughts. And the duties of citizenship are
being made plain at all stages of school life.
beginning with the simplest instruction in local
pride and patriotism and continuing through the
study OF government up To the cole giate lect
ures and discussions on economies sociology
and the philanthropics The other Development
Of practical education is in the direction of
training business men. artisans and skilled Ia
borcrs. our country to-day is making its first
sure, long strides along the long road of indus
trial education. Up to a few years ago host
Of commercial schools and small! number of
manual training schools were the sole repre-
scntatives Of this great branch of teaching; but
stung by the tautalizing example Of the German
Industrial schools and the commercial success
their thousands of graduates have brought the
country American educators have opened such
institutions as the Philadelphia Central High
School OF Commerce. the New York High School
II Commerce. the commercial departments OF
the universities OF Pennsylvania. California,
Illinois Michigan Vermont and Wisconsin, the
Lowell Textile School. the Worcester Folytech-
mic Institute. those two remarkably efficient
schools for higher industrial training. the New
York University school Of Commerce. Accounts
and Finance and the strictly professional and
graduate Tuck School of Dartmouth. II IS the
ambition OF the founders of these schools to
offer eventually instruction in every important
profession. trade. craft and line OF enterprise,
and if past achievements and the present tenn
per OF the people toward education give any
clew this ambition viii ere long be realized in
large measure. And who viii venture TO prophe-
sy what revolutions in Anne ricau foreign trade
will be wrought after we have trained army
OF experts to make the most of t-lc countrys
limitess natural resources and advantages: IL
poverty stricken overpopuiated Germany, h" the
aid Of her Industrial schools. push us hard
in competition. what Unheard-of wonders shall
we one day work in the worlds marketplaces
with million more graduates Of business
colleges and trade schools. all trained in their
specialtes as thoroughly as our lawyers
and doctors now are?
As vet no word has been spoken about the
progress Of kindcrSartens. evening schools, uni
vcrsty extension work vacation schools. farm
crs' institutes. military academies and. inStitu-
tions for the deaf dumb blind and crippled
But who could tell half the story Of the progress
of American education in less than thick vol
ume? our educational system is as vast and as
complex as 4 well ordered government preSd-
ing over the dcstinies of millions of young peo-
pie has to be And with improvements going on
in all branches enumeration of every pro-
gressiVe measure is as hopeless a task as count<
ing the atoms in a swiftly rising FIRE.