Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-09-17

"fhen the whining school-boy, with his satchel
 And shining morning face, creep ing ke snail
 ulwsllingly to school.'
 Vacation days are over. The school house portals, closed through the long hot summer, were opened wide yesterday to receive the host of ar dent young Americans who are enter- Ing upon a nine-months' tussle with readn', writin', and 'rithmetic and other friendly opponents more or less formidable.
 The pleasures and freedom of the vacation months become fond mem- cries. The old swimmin' hole is de- serted. Silversides aud suckers flash in and out the shallows unmolested. "The barefoot boy, wth cheek of tan" fefractorily encase,s his stone-b bruises in shoes and stock 'ngs, shoulders his tsatchel andtrudges manfuly to school
 The opening of the school term has been described i'll just this tone for years. The same figures and parts of speech were used a genera tion ago. Bat the school i self and educ lticnal methods have changed with the times.
 Ths log cabin schoolhouse of our fathers has long since been cut into stove wood. Buildings of br elk and stone, heated, lighted and ventilated by the latest scientific methods, are being added each year to the number alre ally in comm ssion.
 In the United States two hundred and fifty million dollars is spent annually for education, and the 1e- suits justify the eXpend ture. T" O. thirds of this amoum. is raised by To- cal tax, one-fifth by state tax, and the ialance is derived largely from permanent funds and other sources. The preponderance of local tax shows that to each community S en- trusted u'he important matter of de- oiding as to the quality of schools it will maintain. The people of Ark ansas and Pine Bluff believe in good schools. The American people have always been liberal in the matter of providing for their schools, and 20 money is voted so freely by legisla- tive bodies. as tha, necessary for the education of the young. No man lemurs at paying a schocl taX-not even the crusty bachelor.
 Educational methods have reached a higl degree of efficiency and per- fectisl in tns day and age Of general enl' ghtment. It is not that further advancement along educational lines is impossible or that the methods Il vogue in cur fathers time were hope lessly wrong. It is simply that ideas have advanced with the times and meti ods have been modified to meet conditions
 Tne old idea in educat on was that nature must be assisted by art, that civilization is itself an art fic al state of society and education which fits a child for it must be large y al, ificial. Wh .le it was admitted tha education is natural process the olo school of educators attempted by unnatural means to force 1t into cer' tain grooves.
 The rev educational zdea inclines to the dcctline tha, nature is righ and safe guide. It holds, tco, tha hobb' es are 'hurtful, but that ther' must be advancement in methods. A Edward Turing aplly puts IL: Eau cation means tra 'niug for life. Live not lessons, are dealt with; with t coroilary, that no system whica bat tens un books is true"
 Of he three great pioneers I modern educational methods, Ro,ts seau, who may be considered tn author of new educat on, defines to be: "the art of guiding wlthou precept, and of doing everything b doing pCthing.' SummaTiz ng he say ttat natural education must 1t
 man for all human relations, bu must not leave the child to grow Il as chance may direct He held tina artific' alities, which weaken lhss llass bod. and degrade the intellect. musg P shunned; that the instruc,or mus be not 90 much teacher as 2 guide that no attemp. should be made t X s.E s v.