The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1912-02-08

of years after he had finished his
school days. He must often learn
this by hard knocks and often be
retarded in his growth in knowledge
by circumstances. With the new
ideas of a Manual Training the boy
gets what will fit him to at once
take up the line of work his posi-
ton in life opens. The school has
encouraged him as he has shown
ability and adaptation in a given
line, and he is often more finished
mechanic than many older men. The
same ideas are being introduced in
the work of Domestic Science, and
the girls are given the education
that they will need to enable them
better to perform the duties
that come to them in after life.
Mr.. Mcdowell told of the unfold
ing of the educational system as we
now have it from the pioneer days
of the household stage, on to the
old grammar school, and the col
lege, that only fitted out the minis
ter, on to the introduction of art,
drawing, then manual training,
domestic science. Kindergarten
work, music, labratory experiment,
and the efforts to show how to do
things, as opposed to the mere
telling how Actual demonstration
of the work, and the actual doing
of it. Not merely telling the
pupil how to do it.
He dwelt on the tendency of the
time to increase the period Of
compulsory education in the var
ious states. The increasing of the
years of dependency, the increase
of the period of infancy as it has
been aptly called Taking our
own state, the limit now is four
teen years. After that it is OPP
tional with the parent weather the
boy shall 60 to school longer.
From the new view the public
school is to be a labor and time
saver The intellect is to be de-
veloped, and with it the body, and
the latest idea is that as parents
fail in marked degree to see to the
moral side in the home, where it
should be taught above all else, the
school must add to its labors the
task of making boys and girls
morally better. Thus the fitting Of
the youth to enter the life that
comes after his school days, better
mentally, physically and morally is
the huge task that confronts the
public school workers of the present
day. s4
This calls for a different sort of
teachers than formerly, as each Of
these lines of effort must be de-
veloped by the person fitted to do
the work. An educator of youth
must not only know by mere book
learning what to impart to the
pupil before him, but must be able
to do the thing, and so develop the
boy that he can also do that thing
Not a mere superficial knowledge
for knowledge is not wisdom. But
the end and aim is to give the child
what he shall need as a man.
Mr.. Mcdowell touched on the
subject of keeping boys and girls
in school through the High school,
and not having them drop out as
they finish the grades. He spoke
of one place where the years were
divided into six and six. That is
six years of grades and six of
high school. The idea was that if
You can get the child to enter on the
last stage of his school life early
in life, he will be more apt to stay
with it till finished. The work need
not be changed so much as the SIM
pie dividing of the time.
In our Plymouth High school the
work is so arranged that in the last
two years in the grades certain
work is given the pupil that en-
ables him to enter high school with
several credits. This is an en-
enlargement to still 60 on. The
first two years of the high school
here is largely compulsory, and
made up of such studies as are
necessary as a foundation. Just
what the boy will need if he elects
to enter a college, and just what
will be the foundation for him if
he shall choose a commercial and
business life. The last two years
are largely optional. He may elect
to take up a course that will fit
him to enter a higher institution Of
learning, and the course gives him
the advantage of entering at once
many of the colleges. of the land.
On the other hand he may make the
last two years an English Com
mercial course, including short
hand, typewriting, book keeping and
kindred studies, the object to give
the student "a choice as to whether
he shall 60 out Of our high school
ready and fitted for entrance into
college, or for chosen line Of