Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1908-07-10
True Education

When Archmides leaped out OF his
bath tub and ran thresgh the streets Of
Syracuse, stark naked, shouting. IL
have found it," he vas excited.
His manner was scarcely less dis.
turbed than that OF some so-called
teachers from the time OF Archmides
TO the present day. They are always
finding il. Five hundred years from
now they will be doing the same thing.
This has been the result Of the unayoid.
able error Of trying to classify people.
Il is unavoidable because it Is neces-
sary 10 have method in order 10 accom-
plish anything. A teacher must have
= general method 10 apply 70 the whole
crowd. but in doing this ne is liable TO
injure the individual. IL is reasonable
10 suppose that Edison could be helped
little by an application Of general
method. A general plan must miss
the individual in this sense. And this
cannot be helped. There has never
been a single human being that could
be placed in exactly the same class az
some other individual. And here Is
where the instruction that comes from
others must cease. We cannot say
that teaching at this point must fail.
Such teaching cannot fail because II
cannot commence.
We can be classified in certain ways
We have mingled in large crowds anC
have tried to place people where the,
belong. We have watched them wan
der to and fro and have thought Of
ponderous volume that might be rule
and have headings at the top OF eacl
division, and Of whatsoever kind maj
or woman was we would place then
where they belonged. After we ha'
placed all OF them in their prope
sphere, we would try TO classify our
self and here We would have 10 pause
, for We did not know where we shout
be. Do all other individuals reaso
the samel They must.
7 The Normal School man is sometime
: accused Of being narrow. Under pres
ent conditions OF school work in IN
United States, he is not narrow, Unde
: conditions that will come some day "
) hope. he would be marrow. We refe
| TO the time when the school will b
. emphasized less and the individual NOR,
The children Of the Spartan belonge
5 TO the State. The individual did nc
T. count. The welfare Of the individui
o in any school may have to be sacrifice
a In order to do good TO the create:
number. The methods all fail
$ There is q point where self educatio
J. commences and il is not only entireI
separated from methods aud rules bl
is entirely isolated from the minds az
the experiences Of other souls.
Il is all right TO study Caesar. Virgi
n Xenophon and the immortal prince ,
letters. who was from Stratford-ol
Avon. II is all right to study the Ca
\ eulus. These are all Of good repor
> But there may be far better and MOI
enduring ways TO discipline the in,e
lect besides the mere study Of langua5
Q, or the propositions OF Euclid. The u
y crary people Of all ages have been ~
IS cessful not because they were learn,
or ignorant: not because they wei
bond or free: not because they we,
~ pressed for time or had great leisur
y but, because they TAI lived. Son
~ people have lived little. Because son
m people have greatly lived they ha'
M been able TO influence other people
w work, then TO think, then TO see, al
finally to become educated, IL may
forty years after they had left COLES
and had forgotten nearly all the tee
pieal learning that they had ever a
Il CURED.
This great education must be pr
AZ ceded by the destruction Of shadow
~ Shadows are what we feel and hand
Il may commence before the shade,
90 have ceased entirely to obscure o
90 mental vision, but as they are more a
Is more destroyed. 30 will this great
% dividual education progress more a
Il more.
- In the Development Of the individr
46 We must go alone. yet not in the sense
being lonely. Through the developms
OF ourselves pc each Oil nicke In I
great plan that causes one unit
lend assistance 10 the other. Can
he of US be educated individually in 4
ar sense? Yes, we all inevitably must
he hut anna NJ ma will he dvvarfed and !