The San Francisco call., 1910-07-31
3


N nearly every large city in the union
there is one or more schools where
in active operation is being carried
out an idea backed by former Presi-
dent Roosevelt and scores OF other
prominent Americans This idea is the
much talked Of school republic"
Since 1891, when the Patriotic league
which was the organizer of the sys-
tenn. sprang into existence thousands
and thousands Of bright faced children
in all parts of the world have been
taught by practical demonstration the
value of student self government
Each school where the system is in
force has it's own government This
consists of a mayor, a judge, a coun-
Gil, clerk of council, a health officer
and court of aldermen. These officers
are elected by the children of the sew
eral schools and make the laws which
govern the student body. Never
court met in temple of justice that
exhibits more sincerity in it's conduct
than do these school courts in their de-
liberations.
SO successful has been the idea that
this year it is planned to go a step
further and introduce the system into
the many vacation schools that are
conducted in most of our large cities
Wilson L. Gill, president of the Pa
triotic league, which has offices in In
dependence hall at Philadelphia is the
inventor of the school Republic" or,
as it is sometimes called, The School
City idea.
Mr.. Gill is primarily an educator. He
Inns m la of
democracy in education" His plan is
not merely to put democracy in educa-
tion, but to put education into democ-
racy.
Mr.. Gill conceived the idea that the
best way to teach self government is
by putting self government into the
schools He saw the truth that learn
ing the chronology of historical events,
imbibing the most intense devotion to
the flag and learning the forms of civil
government would not necessarily
make the best citizen for a self-gov-
erning state.
Indeed Mr.. Gill observed, as thou
sands of others have done, that the cit
izens who most habitually neglect their
duties, those who take the least part in
the processes of government and who
are most Indifferent to the failure of
democracy in American cities, are the
ones who have had the greatest oppor-
conventional lines.
So Mr.. Gill, as a scholar and a pa
triot devoted his trained intellect to a
solution of the problems presented by
the invincible indifference of so many
Americans toward their cities and
states
How to cultivate In the minds of
Americans the habit of thinking along
the lines of self government? That
was the question. How to induce the
average citizen to regard himself as an
important part of the machinery of
state and to assume the responsibilities
as such? The problem was pedagogical,
psychological 1t was matter of men
tai training, and Mr.. Gill, as an edu-
Gator, thought out the answer.
He recalled the difficulties in the old
days of teaching chemistry. Pupils
were required to sit day after day in
class and listen to learned lectures on
analysis, and when the course was done
they were turned out with a certain
amount of theoretical knowledge of the
science OF chemistry, but they were not
chemists. Not until the students were
put into the laboratory and required to
do actual work did they become chem
lists.
In other words, it was the old prob
lem of learning to swim without going
into the water
So Professor Gill determined that the
way to teach self government to the
youth was to put them into the swim