The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1912-09-14

from the vicious and hurtful evils whlcn pfeVan
ctical results.-EDIToR.1
the compulsory education law? Now
this is not theory, not an idle statement,
not personal opinion of mine. i am
not advancing personal opinions in this
article; / am studiously avoiding them.
am giving you actual facts Of record:
the observations of educators, princi-
pals and teachers the country over.
Not men and women here and there,
but American educators almost as an
entire body. For a man to make a
practical success in the world on what
he actually learned in the public schools
is practically an impossibility, and i
will tell you why.
have said that the first reason for
the failure of the American public
school system is that it is stupid in
method. Why is it stupid? Bear in
mind first what education is: that it is
to prepare child for life; to make him
effective for his work; to develop his
capacity. Mark you well, for this is
important for you to bear in mind: /
speak of a particular child; his partic-
ular life, to develop has capacity. Not
children, but oxs child-your child.
Now you, as mother, and know one
fundamental truth if we know no other:
that no two children are alike; your
John is no more like your Harry than
the day is like the night. As matter
of fact it is your constant surprise, and
so is it mine, that two children from
the same parents can be so absolutely
different, so entirely unlike in almost
every taste, every instinct, in every
way. We don't understand it: it baf-
des us. But one thing we do know:
that Is, they are Internationally
different Of course you handle the
two boys differently in every way.
Naturally" you say. You believe
that not only is this common sense, but
sit is the only way" you say. And of
course you are right.
| Now what does the public school sayf
IAN bosh!" it says. "All children are
alike" Not only does it say this, but
it also boasts of it as its greatest char
scteristic-that is, uniformity. Uni
form hours, whether the child is young
or old; uniform methods, whether the
child is strong or weak; uniform studies,
whether a child is bright or dull; uni
form everything. "All children are
alike" is its watchword. So into the
system 60 your two children, absolutely
different. You know that; you recog-
nize it. But the public school doesn' t
and won't As Professor Swift says in
that wonderful book that every parent
should read, mind in the Making:
MASS education, on a universal plan,
creates democracy, but it is democ-
racy of stupidity.
| In other words, the public school sys-
tenn attempts the impossible feat OF
making one course for all children, alb
solutely irrespective of physical
strength, mentality, Inheritance, home
environment, or whether the children
are to become lawyers or blacksmiths,
artists or car conductors.
What child, then, has the public
school in mind? The bright child
Hardly. Because it is the uniform
opinion of educators that the system il
hardest of all on the bright child, since
no matter how bright he may be, he
has got to wait for the d all child tt
catch upl
, Then is the system intended for tbs
dull child? That can't be, because o.
, the tears shed by the many. children
who. despite all that their Ii tile mineI
, can do, cannot keep up to grade.
Who is it for, then, if not for the dull
child nor for the bright child?
For the average" child, dear read
er. Who is the average" child? NJ,
body knows, nobody can tell. VIII,
not? Because he does not exist. JUS
. try to strike an average between /,
, goose and an eagle. Can you do it
OF course not. The thing is impossible
And even if you could what becomes O
, the goose and the eagle?
Al Now add dull pupil and q bright pu
pill together, and what do you get
''You can't do it, T" you say. Of cours
not. You get nothing. And that is ex
actly what the public school gets
, nothing; because it attempts the i'm
, possible.
,l 1t is a case not as it should be:
school to fit the pupil; but the pupil, n
matter who or what be is is made I
e | fit the school. And that il why e.