The Washington bee., 1911-06-24

As a matter of fact, it has again
and again been conclusively demon
strated that the elementary school of
our day teaches the three Rs better
than these school arts were taught,
say 100 years ago The mechanics of
/ reading, writing, and arithmetic are
| the tools for acquiring knowledge.
the instrumental studies. In addition
to the three RS the modern eIemen-
tary school offers an introduction TO
those helds OF real knOwledge-the
sciences, the fine as well as the in
duStrlal arts, literature, history, and
| c1yics-Whlch constitute the studies Of
a liberal education. This enrichment
OF the course Of study of our elemen-
tary schools has been effected some
what IN the spirit of the acute Eng
liSh schOOl-man who wrote these
words early in the 10th century: DE
tain not the child too long in the te-
dlous grammars. Let not the childs
| tervent desire Of learning become ex-
tinct by the time he cometh to the
most sweet and pleasant reading of
old authors. The boy who never
| attalns the high school, has neverthe-
less had some taste of the elements of
liberal culture; his real education has
fortunately not been postponed to the
| high school for it began in the indi-
ments even IN the kindergarten.
As matter of fact, experts in edu-
/ cation are today less inclined than
| ever to assert that from any study
say, Latin or Mathematics or chem
istry-Will develop 4 reservoir of
! power which may be drawn upon for
! any and all the purposes of business
/ and lie. Training in Latin is prima-
rlly a discipline in language; train
ing IN science primarily is a disci-
! pine IN the study of Nature. If the
/ doctrine of formal discipline were
) true, the content of the study would
be unlmpOrtant. Choctaw and chess
would prove excellent disciplinary
material; even whist might have its
value! Training the mind means the
/ development of thousands of particu-
! lar independent capacities, the forma-
, ton OF countless habits, for the work
ing OF any mental capacity depends
| upon the concrete data with which
} It works. Improvement of any one
mental function or activity will i'm
prove others only in so far as they
possess elements common to it also"
The best informed opinion regards
/ the particular studies offered in our
high schools as valuable for yielding
not so much general discipline as an
insight into the various resources and
problems of life and for developing
ideals of method, of labor, of excel
lence. Chess and Choctaw are not
educational materials because they do
n nt
contemporary life and civilization.
The high school, presupposes al
mastery of the school arts and pro-
Ceeds at once to the liberalizing
studies. This at least is the theory
of the matter. The painful fact IS
that some pupils effect a surreptitious
entry into our high schools whose
reading, writing, and arithmetic need
crutChes, bandages, liniment! The |
high schools must, Of course, begin |
with the pupils where they are on
entrance rather than where they are
mott
But, with all the qualifications that
must be made, it remains true that |
the high school distinctively offers a |
systematic and labOrious study of the |
elements of liberal culture.
Now, the magnificent fact is that |
these higher studies naturally lead to |
the discovery and development Of |
special interests and aptitudes in the |
varying individual students The stu
dent is permitted under wise restric- !
tlOns, to study what he most affects. |
Shakespeare understood the problem;
he says in The Tanning of the Shrew:
mo profit grows where is no pleas
ure ta'en;
In brief. sir, study what you most
affect"
Be it remembered that life would be
far more interesting if most men and
women were not of a neutral tint; |
less conventionality and more person
ality would make the world more real |
and vigorous and rich Then, too, |
each human being has a moral right |
to the development of the best that
is in him as an individual In this |
graduating class no two students
have found in the studies and social |
life of the high school precisely the
same interests. Each has been en-I
COuraged to avail himself of the |
lilii'5o -A-CSt oPPlO ittlC ~ MS OWH
personal interests and powers. Thus, |
has the high school liberated the in
dividualities of these young men and ]
women.
Now, the best justification which
our American communities have for
the generous expenditure OF public
moneys to equip and operate high |
schools, lies in the fact that leader
ship IS vital in a democracy, and lead
ers are born in novels as we'll as in |
palaces The high school, then, must
not only discover and develop the, q,
gifts of the individual youth-and |
every human being has some supe-
riOrity-it must render these gifts ser
viceable to our own day and country. /
Among some who occupied seats IN |
the boxes at the commencement ,ex-i
ercises Wednesday at the Howard /
Theater were Auditor r w. Tyler |
and wife, Attorney Napoleon Mar
shall and wife, Judge Gibbs. Assist
ant Attorney General w. H. Lewis, !