The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-27

OF sex; time when horticulturist on
a California farm. blacksmith In
virginia. a telegraph operator in New
Jersey. a teacher In Fraoce. coun-
try-sentleman in England. an army
| surgeon In Cuba, a social W orker in
chicago render services to their gen
GRAFTON more meritorious than that of
statesman or ruler; a time when a
mighty tidal wave is sweeping around
the earth. purifying. regenerating, and
upiiiting the race; time whose ideal
Is neither Alexander OF Maccdon nor
ST. Simeon of the stylus. bu,
Pdstcur. Reed. Kelvin. Helmhoitz.
cur!e. Edison Bell. Burbank
As mountain climbers who. having
long to!ied through fog and bog, upon
emerging into region of siglshIne
| and pure air look back with horror
contrasting our age with those that
nave gone before. Involuntary we
ask wha; good genius has guided US
nither? Certainly. It was no, decropit
schoiisticism.
While American sehooimasters have
been sitting selthypno,.zed over tho
lessons set By Abelard and Duns
scotus. the great world outside she
school-room moved on, forward away
from them. encountering% unacadernic
Proolens and solving them. meeting
obstacles and surrounding them.
changing and enecting changes. So
,nat when ;he hustle and stir incl
d"nt 10 the close OF the nineteen IN
I; century aroused schoolmen from their
self-cast spell. those cspa BILE Of think
ing were startled to discover that
science had rendered the equipment OF
the educational arsenal as antiouatct
as the heuberk and crossbow And
this fact reveals the cause OF the pres
ent educattona unrest.
advance no claim to being the
Feary OF this pedagogic pole Thirty
: years ago the fact that science is the
guiding genius OF our age was admitted
oy every ono. But society is natural
iy conservative. and educational lead
ers were tim.d. So. instead OF at once
throwing the old curriculum upon the
scrap pile. thousand efforts at read
iustment were made. Science, IL was
haio' Is valuable. yes; but Il Is young
Let US proceed cautiously SO A little
OF the new wine was poured into tho
old bottles With Just such disastrous
results as might have been foreseen
me old curriculum burst and scraps
the elective SYSTEM resulted. The
old course of study was known to
nave lost validity because that world
tor which II had been devised to pre-
pare youth no longer existed. But the
elective system never had any objec-
tive. II was chaos Doubtless a hope
was entertained that the student
would elect enough modern courses
TO prepare him for real life: but at
me same time he wRs sedulously urged
not 10 neglect those ancient subjects
which alone. * was asserted, were
capable of innpart!ng vague, in
tahgi6fe something termed culture
lust as certain rites OF holy church are
oeIeVea ystieaiiy to confer grace
upon the participant. The origin of
this superstition have already Dointed
out. Here I Will add that the ANALYSIS
Oh what your neigh5or means when he
uses the term culture shows that II
signifies a certain grace of manner and
charm of presence. SAVIOR faire ct
savoir vivre. which comes--now as II
aid five hundred years ago. not from
the study OF any book, but-from
early and long continued association
with polite society. which. as every
one recognizes when he stops to con-
slider. is generally composed largely
OF individuals who can lay no claim
10 being educated In any sense of the
word cannot but believe that all
scholars viii agree with me when |
say that whatever study develops in
the student ability TO thinN. educa ties
and that education is to be measured
solely in terms of efficiency. Only the
clean. well-nourished. we'll clio thed.
wel-housed individual is capable of
leading an active. productive. self-sup-
porting. self-respecting, and intelli-
gent life. And to-day true culture is
plant which can grow in no other
soil than this.
Wherefore. / venture to advance the
proposition that the time has arrived
for demonstrating our course of in
structlon (from primary grade Of the
common school to the university in
such manner as to constitute science
the skeleton on which the whole Is
framed.
Science merits this honor as the legi-
innate successor OF Latin. the only sub
ject other than itself that ever illumi.
II rational objective. and impaired TO
II vitality. Science Will eventually
achieva this honor, not by arbitrary
action of some educational autocrat
or conven;ion.-for none has authori-
ty 10 decree or power to enforce an
edict,-but by natural evolution Any
one who has not already remarked
this trend OF the times. will be amazed
when he sees 10 what extent readjust-
ment has already gone. The trans
formation OF education is making
hopeful progress; but the good work
may DC helped just now in two ways
nrst by conscious recognition of It's
eAlsience; second, oy intelligent Jirec-
ton of the movement. have already
called your attention TO the scientific
trend. 1t remains to essay the Sec
ond. and more difficult task.
Socrates was the first to mention
the fact that q horse Jockey quickly
and certainly trains a horse; but, how
ever, much parents may desire wise
and virtuous offspring, they are not
able to have them at Will. nor are
teachers able to produce them lie
recurs to this problem again and again
in the Dialogues In the Laws he
says. Not TO know what is necessary
for mankind in general, and what is
the truth. is disgrace" And again,
How can our law sufficiently train the
director of education himself: for as
yet all has been imperfect. and moth
ing has been said either clear or salts
factory" He concluded that wisdom
cannot be taught.
| confess that this problem puzzled
me for years: and doubt NOT that