The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-28
INTERESTS OF POPULAR EDUCATION
HABIT AND INTELLECTUAL FORCE

in his coming activities. One uses his
intellectual force mainly In his life
business. and q studious reading OF
all that relates to that business DUR
ing tho whole lifetime is the best pos
sible help to brain power
The line between habit and INTEL
lectual force Is n narrow one, but
originality or inventivencss, resources
fulnoss or Judgment, may be regarded
as the distinctive marks of the latter.
From the nature OF intellectual force
and of education, we must conclude
that intellectual force can owe nothing
to education directly. All education
the basic knowledge and habits to
start with, after which the FORE 50
far as original must go alone a. d be-
self-educated.
Education may give one routine
knowledge and ability which cores
pond with machine production. But 1t
cannot make the inventor of new ma
chimes. 1t can not give the trader the
force to drive bargains always con-
fronted by new circumstances affect
Ing prices. 1t cannot give the farmer
the executive ability to carry on the
simultaneous production Of several diff
fercnt articles under discordant cir
of weather every morning, and new
conditions of tho market several
times n season.
1t is impossible to teach one oriSi-
nality or invcntiveness, or resource
fulness or executive ability. No school
training can give the foreman of a
gang OF men the force to drive the
men. and the Judgment to know the
limit. and the resourccfulness to take
advantage of every phase of the work
as it progresses and make him efficient
in emergencies. The men who can do
this generally come up from the gang.
a man shows his faithfulncss In his
work, and is tried as foreman. and
fails or succeeds. Every contractor
runs n training school of efficiency.
1t is part of the training OF the
intellectual force. that 1t should cor
rect It's own mistakes. A teacher or
investigation director on hand to cor
rect mistakes, is just as bad as any other
pcdagoguc. He generally cannot allow
originality. 1t shocks his traditions.
With him, originality indicates mis-
tnkN loss of the way from the
beaten path. which Is the only one the
knows, or he would be investigator and
not teacher
When a business grows ana be-
comes large, it is reduced to system.
by which the work of the multitude OF
employees is reduced to routine leav-
ing only few at the head with the
greatest interest in the business. and
with financial aspirations. This prin-
ciple cannot work In education. Large
institutions for education must sys-
tematize and reduce to routine. but
then the education Whicn is Q, SUI
preme moment to each individual stu
dent. is nothing but dead. worthless
routine. which undertakes to turn out
scholars like locomotives out OF a
factory.
When you reduce intellectual effort
to system or routine 1t is nothing nut
routine. matter of habit, not OF
true Intellectual force. The great in
stittions and foundations now SO
popular. will soon become great social
amendments by collecting the FORCES
OF progress and reducing them to rou-
tine in the dead hands of the past,
and thus destroying their power FOR
real progress. They VIII become inc
refugees of hidebound. lazy and In
compctent directors, and Will support
in idleness plausible routine invest'Ga-
tors while the real scholar VIII. as
he should, pay his own way ana aolde
by his own results.
Teachers are too much maehltyiHs
their calling They are teaching too
much for too long time. and alto
Eether taking up too much of the at
(tention Of the scholar.
What the teacher does for student
,s not an exercise OF his own brain
power, and nothing an ordinary teach
en- can do In an ordinary way can train
the force OF the intellect. Except by
suggestions to tho Individual student
the intellectual force cannot be aided
by any teacher. Habitually' taught
and guided, the intellectual force is
reduced to routine The. teacher OF q
class or of n school finds his stu
dents in established grooves. and SIM
ply keeps them at work in such chan
rels. working on routine matter by
routine methods.
1t Will make the subject more plain
if we analyze the qualities Of the in
tcilectual force and try to determine
just how any educational routine car
strengthen each particular kind oil
brain power.
intellectual force is manifested as
Cd Economic abillty--(a) mechani-
cal ability, Including inventiveness
(b) commercial ability, including bar
gaining power: (c) Industrial direc-
tive ability; (d) general educative abil-
ity, the same in government executive
offices as in the executive Offices of 8
| mandatory or railway.
| (2) Political ability, including: (a)
| leadership; (b) craftsmanship; (c) ora.
: torical ability. a pure and free gift OF
nature.
60 Religious ability. which is emo.
tional or devotional force, q gift OF
| God.
(4) Professional ability. including
| (a) legal, and (b) medical ability
which apply n fluid and uncertain
science to the ever-varying condition!
of separate cases. involving judgmen
and resourcefulness.
(5) Scientific ability:' (a) the power