The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-25
SCHOOL AND LIFE
BY MARCEL PROVOST,
Member of the French Academy.

I would then seenl, to admit that the
| natural tendencies Of the child and the
1 education You give ir are similar to
| the two componenfs of the famous
parellelogram of forces. and the re.
| sultant, the fnal character of the sub.
ject. runs between these, approaching
one or the other, more or less as the
instincts are stronger or weaker than
the education. And truly the solution
would be equitable and definite. if ono
would consider the child only, or the
young man as he crosses from the
threshold Of the school into independent
activity. AT this moment he is really
the resultant of his natural tendencies
combined with his education
But what would be the value of edu.
cation IL it rested satisfied with Great
ing a kind of instantaneous type. and
would take no interest whatever in
the eventual determinations of this type
after Its education was once finished,
IL tho effect of education disappeared
soon after its activity ceased. then the
time spent on education would simply
be wasted.
But when the pupil leaves school he
ceases by no means to respond to the
suggestions which. according to
Guyan's theory. give birth to acquired
habits and incorporate them in the
character. Another school opens its
doors to the emancipated pupil, a
school OF whose teachings no has per-
haps already had a presentiment, This
school Is called experience. Under its
blunt and vigorous rule the young man
rcviaes the theoretical instruction he
has received from his teachers. From
his twentieth to his thirtieth year,
Taine writes tho young man labor
iously strangles his ideals. then he
lives, or thinks he lives. calmly ami
rYf., ~ 81 100, S1ax,'t Ia r
ideals is saying little too much: he
comes to compromise with them. Every
doctrine. everything which Is prac-
tical life, brings him disappontments;
failure and losses he 'nstinct'vely and
promptly discards. In this way the
fully developed character which Taine
says ia reached at the thlrtieth year,
is not the result OF two, but OF three
conponents- tendencies, edit
cation. and experience. When this re-
suit, after mary oscillations, becomes
firm we have the man finished.
And what arc we to conclude from all
this? First that any kind OF education
would be presumptuous, IL 1t ina gineu
itself able to do away altogether with
tho inherited tendencies of the char
acter; and second, that all education
would be chimerical which tried cheat
life, which, taking ADVANTAGE of tue
helplessness of the child. would hide
from it everything objectionahle anu
the consequences thereof.
But it education avoids these two
dangers, that of falsifyins realities
and of d!sparaging the capital import
ance OF inherited tendencies, 1t becomes
IA force equal to that of character and
equal to that OF experience. At the
time when. towards the thirtieth year.
the manifold influences of which the
sum total consists are added up, edti-
cation will, II It had been what Il
should be- make the resultant. the
fully developed character inclines
mostly In the direction OF its influence
Most of the really successful men We
meet in HE will say, il you ask them
that their success Is due TO their edu
cation; they will mention their father
or their mother. or some teacher whose
influence has nodded their character
during their youth, This is because,
with out losing sight o. their inherit
ted tenreneies or experience, they feel
that their education was the most
important factor In making them what
they have grown 70 be,
This is the reason why an tnfaliibis
instinct prompts political parties and
rellgious and MORAL creeds to hsit
Tor possession of the school Ednsa-
tlon Is only ono of the three COM.
moments of human character, but II
Is the only one that may be controlled
by those who want TO guide a genera
ton of men He who controls thu
school, does NOT control everything.
but he who has the school against
him Is forced, in order TO nlaintaiN
his belief aud secure the triumph q
hts ideas 10 appeal from the aehaol IN
the tribunal 81 life and eanstssrre.