The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-10-24

OasS WI VI N1uSISs duu next all
inspiring address by DR.. Woods
Hutchinson on The New Education.
The concert was thoroughly appre-
ciated, as was the courtesy Of the art
lists in providing 1t for the visitors to
the city. The numbers were given by
Miss Cora Hulburd, pianist. Miss Jen-
ME NJ. Anderson, soprano, MIR. Louis
U. Rowland. pianist. Mr.. Charles A.
LAMBERT. v%iolinist. and Miss Edith NJ.
published in The Herald yesterday
morning was followed. and the selec-
lions were rendered in a n thor
oughly artistic. The audience showed
its appreciation by liberal applause
and close attention.
Dr.. Woods Hutchinson Of New York.
was introduced by President Wolfe.
and entered at nee on the delivery OF
a mastery address. The name of DR..
throughout h country by means OF
his magazine articles and books. and
he has been read with interest and
benefit by many thousands of people to
whom his common sense, his humor.
and his tendency to deal directly with
the essentials of his subject. and to.
brush the cobwebs aside. In his ad-
dress last night these characteritics
were again exhibited.
New Living Condition Responsible
In answe to the inquiry why the
new education is new he said that. 1t
was largely the result Of changes
which had been made in the methods
Of iife and the creation Of wealth
and largely because OF the conditions
OF society. education was something
for certain privileged persons, a thing
not for the common masses. and it was
intended to make more strongly the
differences. in society which existed.
New conditions of society have arisen,
and society is adjusting itself to those
conditions. The old religion" may
will be good enough. but the old ed
ucation is not, for the time has come
when man is able singly to control
and direct more of natures forces.
and there is a pressing need for an
education and a development such as
the world has never before experience
ed. The new education stands. not for
other. but for the service Of humanity
by all men.
The field of education has increased
through the better knowledge of what
education is. The defects of the old
system were not, due to the system It.
self. nor to the teachers. but to the
conditions Of society which existed.
and to the conception which society
had of what education meant. In the
older days 1t meant chiefly the keep
ing Of the child out of mischief. Our
school system is largely an outgrowth
Of this idea. Just as the modern ply.
tsician Is the heir. and the successor OF
the. old charlatan who doctored his
patients with nauseous doses and
wierd lamentations, the modern teach
er 10 the successor Of the old dame
I RyhN woa Am r1AvAH Ia to1A ooR4 nd
the children Of q neighborhood and
keep them out Of trouble. The teach
ing OF some rudiments of knowledge
was incidental to this employment.
Now we are coming to an understand
ing Of the fact that the child must be
not merely kept out Of mischief. he
must be given an opportunity for the
play of the forces of nature. and the
development Of the possibilities that
are inherent in him.
Industrial Needs Create Changes.
The changes in methods Of indus
trial life have created the need for
many changes in educational methods.
The village boy could onc see many
of the processes Of industry going on
under his eyes. He saw the black
smith at work, the carpenter at his
bench. the harnessmaker sewing his
straps and putting them together in
the finished harness. and he was able
to obtain, entirely outside the school,
q wide knowledge of what was going
on about him. and why. In the west
these conditions have not entirely dis
appeared. but in the great cities espe-
ciallv, the factory Is SO ofEanized that
tunity to understand its workings. and
we must depend more and more on
the school for the information and de-
velopment which was formerly gained
elsewhere.
Reversed Attitude Toward Child.
Again, We have reversed our attitude
toward the child. and changed our
conception of him. The child is not.
as we have supposed. a little creature
a few months or a few years old. but a
creature twelve million years old. with
a life that has been growing and de-
veloping during all those ages. a life
that will continue to grow and develop.
and which. will do so rightly. II given
time. and the. doctors told US so. that
the things that the child wanted were
bad for it.. and the things that 1t did
not want would probably do 1t good.
We have learned that the contrary is
true. and that the normal desire Of the
normal child is for the things that 1t
needs. In the matter Of foods we have
l AouAIu tAdk ~ 40 Vcil W per lIlC
child to have those things for which
1t has a real taste. and we have large
ly discarded the bran and sawdust up
on which we thought fit to feed the
child. There has been a parallel to
this in the development Of the work
Of the medical profession. The old
doctors depended largely on drugs and
special formulas. The patient must
be forced in this direction and that.
and there was believed to be q sort or
patent process for making people we'll.
We have discovered that 1t is neces-
sary rather to find Out what nature is
trying to do. and then to cooperate
With nature. and to remove SO far as
possible. the obstacles to that work.
So 1t Is with the education of the child.
We formerly believed that the child
must be taught. and taught continue
ously. or 1t would never learn any
thing. We thought he had to be
taught to walk. so We set him on his
feet, and balanced him. and put him
in a sort Of go-cart in which he could
paddle his way along the floor. with
the result that he learned to walk not
i moment soone than he otherwise
would have done. and became bow
legged or ricketty in the process. We
still try to teach him to talk. and we
mimic his attempts at intelligent. con-
thoroughly humiliating to him. We
try to teach him to read. and to write.
and to do a number Of other things
which. If permitted. he would learn
much better by himself If we would
but wait until he feels the need for
these accomplishments. and has a
| brain sufficiently deveiOned RI annra.