Milford chronicle., 1910-12-02
ABLE PAPER ON SOME
EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS
By GEO. A. HARTER President OF
DELAWARE COLLEGE

speak to the ladies of the Century
Club, of Wilmington, upon sub
iect of such interest as the topic as
signed to me possesses. This club,
through its educational committee.
has been ready to help forward on
all occasions any movement that
nromised 10 improve the educational
opportunities offered the youth OF
our State and the intelligent and ac-
tive interest of the members has not
only greatly enlightened those who
are directly engaged in the work Of
the schools, but has encouraged the
general body of oar citizens to a
higher realization of the value of
training for the performance of duty
and the enjoyment Of pleasure. The
organized agencies for the education
Of the young only become effective
when they are connected with other
efforts of society to make the most
OF citizenship in all relations Of life
The Century Club in working for
circulating Libraries for the schools
has added much t. Jieir power for
good. The travelling lferary has done
much to encourage young people of
our state to engage in good reading |
The country schools especially have
been very much helped by them as
furnishing the best reading matter
and injecting into the daily routine
new life. Many a boy or girl has
had a taste for good literature in
stilled into his young life which has
proved a rich blessing in after years.
Far more useful is the habit of read
ing the best books, than any other
accomplishment which is the result
of school days.
Bernard Shaw has lately said that
the mental impoverishment of the
young is appalling, and he makes a
strong appeal to the English people
to encourage the children to go to
the theatre for healthy amusement
This too often fails entirely to furn-
ish a wholesome recreation to the
schoolboy or schoolgirl. Indeed, in
the present state of the stage, it is
rather to be argued against as pan
dering to low appetites and as furn-
ishing very unwholesome food. Then
again, Delaware, outside of Will :
mington, is almost completely rural, :
while Mr.. Shaw has only an urban
population in mind when he is max
ing his impassioned statement of |.
the awful dullness in the lives OF the
people of England. The travelling :
libraries seem to be the best means
of reaching the remote public q
schools, and with the live teacher to a
awaken an interest in the boys and
girls they will find the healthy en- :
ioyment that will make their lives
full and sweet. {
The introduction Of Nature Study Il
into the rural schools offered much L
relief from the deadening pail that v
was wont to settle down over the .
school in the long winter months, q
but, in response to this movement, u
the publishers flooded the market c
with books, which were too often o
compiled by authors who did not u
observe the true bearing Of facts in o
their statement. The nature fakir u
perpetrated some of his widest j
dreams in the name of Nature Study O
and the schools were overwhelmed n
with the tide of misinformation. n
Professor Bailey, of Cornell Univer- v
sity, gifted with a rich poetical tenn II
perament and a wide fund OF knowl- Ia
edge, gained after years of study in II
different departments of natural 81
science, urged the teachers not to p
depend upon books, but to lead the
scholars to study natural objects by al
direct observation, selecting such sc
of nature as the local E
ity and the seasons afforded. But W
the teachers too often tagged out pl
with a hard days work, and not al
being blessed with an imaginative Sc
stumbled along with la
a pitiful make-believe at brightness, at
of what should have been OF
a half hour of relief, rather a period bt
of greater depression than the drill OF
and grind of regular lessons. A sur pt
vival of this movement is seen in a
many of our schools in pots of flow H
ering plants, which add so much to
and interest to the room. tn
1t has spread out to the play ground, Sit
and what was formerly an ugly spot, yC
Uttered over with waste paper and tic
boxes, is now covered with green pc
sward and sheltered by the umbra- til
geous foliage Of trees. tn
This tendency has been extended at
% cultivating waste ground and tic
vegetables, furnishing whole SC
some recreation to boys and girls, is
ind shows how work can be made a
attractive when performed in the an
midst Of DleasaOt surroundings. in