Newark post., 1912-07-31

Editor. The Post: You recently
spoke Of my attack upon culture.
] am not attacking culture. am
pleading for civilization. In maxi
ing such a plea ! am compelled to
tell the truth and the truth is sell
dom agreeable to politicians or to
class long in control of govern
ment er Of system Of education.
1t is not proof OF the dominance
Of the best in our national life that
|, who am not an educator. should
be expected to give opinions upon
educational work or be appealed to
as one having opinions as to meth
ods. People who have long studied
the subject ought long ago to have
discussed, inquired and discovered
whatever of truth | may be able to
write. But that which the famous
and the powerful will not do, the
unknown and unofficial citizens
must undertake,
The present situation is not hard
to understand. The teachers are
trained to teach according to the
present system, the wealthy find it
to their advantage to have them
the clergy find Latin and Greek less
likely to occasion doubt Of their an
cient theologies than would a prac-
teal understanding Of the world OF
work and the world Of natural ac-
ton. 1t has always fallen to men
of my class to demand better condi-
tions for the mass of mankind. In
the matter Of education the man
who is merely money-maker,
merely rich, cannot be trusted, for
he is usually grossly ignorant of
those finer qualities and more i'm
portant facts as to the life of man,
which should be included in educa-
tional work. The priest and the
clergyman are unit to dominate
education. for they are SO prone to
emphasize the theories that support
their thcolOeies and 50 intent upon
SIlppressing facts that do not sup,
port them, that they so neglect nat
ural science. the development Of a
spirit Of inquiry aud the teaching
of history as it happened, that they
do not produce well developed
minds. hut only narrGw and intense
thinking among the able. and q
crude obedience to tradition among
the mass of the people. Indeed, if
we are to judge by Spain, under the
.JeSuits. or England. under Henry
VIII, or New ENGLAND. under the
Puritans. when. in each country
killing people for their speculative
opinions was common, the clergy
when entrusted with education, no
only sacrifice breadth Of education
but morals as we'll. to their desire tt
promote theological opinions.
Nor can education be entrusted
to any one class. As well might th
manufacturers and sellers Of hard
ware say: "We are the experts. W
are the true guides as to wrenches
reapers and fence wire, y as for th
educators, the clergy. or any elias
to assume that they should alway
authoritatively determine what tn
common people. who buy and pa
for it, shall have as to education
The average taste in music. religio
and decorative art may always b
inferior to the best taste. but it
from average people that the dc
mand for the best of practics
things, like machinery, educatio
and house-huilding. comes. 1t
the business of educators to COZ
form the school and college instru,
tion to the needs of the ciyilizatio
of the day. 1t is because this is NJ
q Latin or Greek age. that | adv,
cate an American rather than
classical education.
In your last week s issue" "A Pa
ent" has asked a few questions.
cannot give the time to a full al
sWer this week. but. though it w
take more than enc article to do
| will reply as promptly as | ca
if my opinions stillseem to be Wort
the space. 10 map ont a course
study as it ought to be is tat
which would be sufficient to occuI
the leisure time Of the entire Amer
can Educational Association f
thirty years. We have much to g