The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1912-02-08
CIVIC CLUB HOLDS MEETING
AT HOME OF MR.. AND MRS.
CURTIS, AND DISCUSS SUB
JECT OF SCHOOLS.
ADVANCE METHODS SHOWN
Professor Mcdowell Gives History
of Free School Development On
To the Present Period Of
Higher Education.

The regular meeting OF the Plym-
outh Civic Club was held Monday
evening at the home of Mr.. and Mrs.
w. C. Curtis on north Michigan
street and they were assisted in the
entertainment by DR.. and Mrs.
Preston, Mrs. Work and Miss Barr.
The evening program was opened by
= musical number given by Mrs. j.
Z. Cook at the piano and w. C.
Curtis with the violin. The names
of Mr.. and Mrs. George A. Maxey
were presented for membership, and
on suspension of the rules they
were voted into the club.
President s. E.. Boys then intro
duced the subject of the evening,
Tendency Of our Public School
Education" and Prof. o. E. Nc
Dowell took the floor.
Mr.. Mcdowell stated that the
tendency of the schools of the pres
ent time was to get away from the
methods that prevailed in years gone
by of insisting that the course of
study should consist of only such
things as would tend to the cultural
side of education, and declared that
the trend now was to adopt more the
methods of the modern Y. M. c. A..
Manual training. Domestic science,
and the development of the char
acteristics In boy or girl that
will fit him for the work he is to
engage In through life, is more in
the mind of educators today, than
the mere classical education of a
few years ago.
Mr.. Mcdowell said that this caus-
ed the advanced line of education
al reform to undertake things in our
public schools that many even now
will term outlandish. In looking
at the plans for new school buildings
In the larger cities like Chicago and
st. Louis, he noted many inovations
that would have been condemned bv
our fathers, and even by the large
majority Of our own day who are not
up to the most advanced ideas of
the time.
Mr.. Mcdowell related the stand
ing Of the pioneer schools a century
ago, where only the few could have
advantage of an education. When
We had no free school system at all,
but only the few who could pay for
education had access to the halls of
learning. The time when the high
est education was to fit one for the
Ministry few others having any great
need for education. They were to
take up the tilling Of the soil that
lay virgin to their hands, and If
they could get the strength to do
the work, and few days of school
ing that enabled them to read and
figure little, that was deemed sufi-
cient. In showing the upward
tendency of the free school system
as it developed, Mr.. Mcdowell stat
ed that in 1900 the average number
of days that the American citizen
gave to school in his lifetime was
80. By 1910 it had jumped by the
introduction of the free institution
supported by taxation, till the aver.
age days for each inhabitant was
2O8 in his lifetime. In 1860 it was
432. and in 1880 it had gone to 1872
By 1900 the commissioner of Educa-
ton says it had gone to S98 days.
When we consider the advance one
part of the country had over the
other notably the comparison Of the
north and the south up to the time
of the Civil war, this is a very re-
markable showing. From 1925 to
1850 the free school system had to
be brought about by contest, there
being much opposition to the tax
for educational purposes. The speak.
er spoke of the work of Horace
Mann Of Massachusetts in this line
and said that it was his efforts that
in a large degree brought about the
changes in his state, and which was
copied in great measure by the 9th
err states. In 1870 we had the study
of art introduced, copied from Eng.
land. Then in 1876 came the ideas
of Manual Training, that gave to
the boy the education that was to
do him service as he pursued his
duties in society as worker in the
various trades. Before this the
courses of study had forced every
boy and girl to take up the CLASH
cal lines, that while developing the
mind, and making the student capa-
BILE Of mind application, had little
or nothing to do with fitting him
for life's ordinary duties. In those
days il wss necessary for boy il
he were to become q carpenter, TO