The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-09-17

one generation may be the capitalist
class Of the next ana vice versa.
The Schools Function,
This tremendous change In our CIV :
ilization has placed upon US, In xchn1l
work. great responsibility. Come Ut
us argue that the schools have but
one function: to teach the same old
subjects, 30 that the children may
learn to read. write and compute, with
such other information a. may be
given them In an Incidental way. At
first glance this seems plausible, but
when we consider that whAsNver
trade or occupation one may attempt
to enter under our new indus trial .cn-
ditions 1t In expected Of a novice
that he shall have at least some knowl-
edge, the necessity is upon the achosls
OF trying to train the boy or girl for
| some definite occupation, and not
simply to give q training confined en-
tfrely to the three RS IL some
knowledge Of business, or OF m oecu-
patton, 10 demanded Of the apprentice
at the time that he begins the work,
the schools must go beyond me.ely
the so-called Essential subjects. ana
Introduce that which gives the boy
Or girl the fundamental b:.sis m Will IN
to build several trades or occupations.
The school must. therefore, deal with
many phase sof industrial life. The
city Of Munich, for example, lays the
foundations in its schools Of NOT less
than ono hundred and thi.ty-three oc-
equations.
You must not assume that because
reading, writing and arithmetic were
the only subjects stressed in the old
days that they are the only subjects
to be stressed today. !, This does not
mean that desire to have them less
stressed. The mere fact that In the
spring Of 1910 we. gave more tlme to
reading than had ever been before
given In our schools is an Indication
of the importance that Iattach to the
teaching of this essential The mere
fact that have insisted upon more
language work Is an indication that
writing and spelling, as well an read
| in. are to be stressed. for writing and
spelling should be taught In close
connection with language. The mere
fact that ! have insisted on having
arithmetic In the first year OF the high
school indicates that ! do not think
! that arithmetic should ever be Drop
! ped. But II we know that the child
Is not going to be In school but a
few years 1T Is wrong to assume that
he should be fed on arithmetic, read
ing and writing to the extent that he
| has no conception of the ways OF life,
and does not learn to use his hands,
thus going away from school untaught
I In any essential
II we are out OF touch with modern
| life and modern thought and the con-
| ditions that surround us, we are not
| qualified to do the right thing by the
| children. II we cannot adapt our
| selves to modern conditions and the
| demands OF modern life, then we are
not qualified to train children who
| must adapt themselves to this mod
ern life. Half the battle. therefore,
depends upon the spirit with which
we take UP the work. Tire entire Sc
cret of success in teaching, in my
| Judgment, lies in the spirit and OF
the teacher.
The Teachers Work.
The work of teacher liz hard and
the strain OF the class room il try
Ing, consequently We are prone TO
follow the line Of least resistance.
We fall into habits of mass teach
ing; we look upon the class as a
whole, failing often to consider the
individual instruction. Over-crowd-
ed conditions in the school room
Frequently prevent this individual In
struction. Often the nearest APP
proach that we can make to indi-
vidual instruction Is teaching in small
sections. AS far as possible these
sections should be SO arranged and
adjusted that they are constantly
shifting in personnel, according to the
progress Of the children.
~. Success in &aachinx also meAns that
VIC do not tell the pupil everything.
but that we train him SO that he will
dc certain things in the best and most
natural way, By the time the child
Is ten years old the foundation for
cholarship should have been laid:
his curiosity should have been ex-
cited, so that, In a sense, he n ready
to investigate, 30 that he may work
independently, SO that he can realize
what work Is.
Our theory of education also car
ries with II great stress on physical
culture. For the first Ave years Of
school life the physical condition Of
and much time devoted to physical
exercises and play. Great respnnsi-
lbility falls upon us to guard and
guide properly the physical develop
:fnAnt OF the child. Our school build--I
ingS ara not always heated and ven
tilated as they should be. Ventiia- |
tion Of the rooms should be carefully |
observed. A contractor who under |
takes to put up building may make |
a serious blunder: he has an oppor-
tInity. however. to rectify It. be.
cause he can pull It down and re-
buiid. 1t may be expensive. but the |
mistake can be repaired Such Ii not |
the case In teaching. We have the |
child In our hands. and II we destroy |
his habits Of industry and natural |
habits Of thought and ruin hfa physi- |
cal development, we have made a
blunder which can never be fully |
Htoned for. IT 7-7 t
Teacher and Minister.
In my Judgment. the teacher with
thu proper spirit ID 4 IN ore tInpur- |
tant factor In tina community than |
the minister. The teacher begira 10
deal with the child at a tender. Inn /