New-York tribune., 1912-03-22
WHAT'S THE MATTER?
Where Social Workers Fail OF
Their Purpose.
A PROMINENT PERSON TALKS
The Prevention of Evil Is Less
Important than Constructive
Effort for Good.

This being the open season for educators
tho writer made bold to enter the sanctum
Of one prominent in that field, with no
more definite excuse than the desire TO
CLEAN 4 few helpful ideas.
We social workers" began the Promi-
nent Person, ARE all doctriuaires We do
not sec things as they are. but through a
veil Of our own convictions. We look out
on the great mass of humanity and try to
teach the ignorant what they should want
instead OF helping them to get what they
do want in the true spirit of democracy.
The same is true of educators. Few
even Of the greatest can write interestingly
on education, and by interestingly do not
mean amusingly. hut so as to answer the
great questions. the real things. The rea-
son they write so stupidity about education
,s not because they lack technique. but
because they haven't the vital thing TO say
Even kindergartners are doctrinaires
They have studied and worked for years ana
have devised games and plays for the chill
dren. and are not yet able to tell whether
the children grow TO be better mon and
women for them. \ game isn't thing OF
chance and il can't be manufactured
That many of these games are not real is
proved by the fact that the children never
play them spontaneously. but only under
the dominating influence of tn" teacher.
III I may run the risk of mixing my
metaphor / might say that play is like
the spleen For A long time none knew
what the spleen was for, but they knew 1t
was necessary. People without spleens
died An artificial spleen to take It's place
can't he made out Of wax, and We can't
successfully manufacture an artificial
social spleen either.
Nor do the schools satisfactorily pre-
rarc children for life. We so into a school
room, and how do We see them employed?
Probably studying mathematics and litera-
ture. We are told the school discipline Is
good for them, but some of the children
get very little Of that. They are not pre-
pared for the states Of mind and the states
of feeling that constitute life.
Il have talked with musicians who had
this same dogmatical viewpoint. They be-
leyed themselves fitted to educate the peo-
pie ND 10 the music that they should have.
With the great masters it was diherent
They merely oppressed what already
hearts.
There are three possible points of view.
First. the cure Of evil. This IS necessary.
of course. but at best most uninteresting.
Then there is the prevention of evil a
much larger and better thing. At this
stage most Of the present day social work
crs have stopped. But the prevention of cVii
Is not the whole thing. Take, for example
some out the-way New England com
munities, where they don't have any dis
eases i'm particular. They don't die very
fast from tuberculosis or any other cause.
hut would rather they had a few more
diseases and a lot more vitality and ginger,
for now they arc practically dead.
But there Is a third and constructive
kind oC mind which Jane Adams and
some others have, but which Ida Tarbell
hasn't. or else she could never have writ
ten thing like The Uneasy Woman
That is merely dlscussive and not con
structive
Il deploro the conditions that surround
many young girls. but instead Of direct
ing all energies toward keeping them out
of temptation, 7 think We should try "a
bring some beauty and romance into their
lives
But" the attentive listener vcntured
anxiously. "how long does one have 10 he
in social work to acquire a dosmatic atti-
tude toward all these things
About minute said the Prominent
Person. we all have it. Now don't try tc
remember what [ have said or to profit by
II. It's not really true. It's only pose
you know You might come in some time
when the weather was different or the
humidity loss and press what you thought
Was the same button and get an entirely
different line of thought