The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-12-04

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schools which in medieval times. were
attached to churches and monasteries
whose function was to teach bows to
read and copy classical manuscripts
and to prepare for the priesthood.
Industrial supremacy is Americas
rightful ideal. She has boundless ma
tural resources, ample facilities fol
transportation, inventive ingenuity
millions Of capital, and industrial lead
ers Of marvellous ability. This coau.
try needs as never before men who
can work. Our industrial problems
will never be solved by the leisure
scholar class who would sit in their
library before the fire and tell the
world how ii should be run. The prob.
lens facing our democracy REQUIRE
more than the exercise of statesman,
ship on the part of a few and more
than the possession of mechanical
skill by the many. The education OF
the mass OF III people is the hope OF
democracy. Men must not only learn
to serve because they must live, but
also 10 live that they may serve. The
coming century will see marvels in
the development OF social justice as
well as maryels of industrial enter.
prise that crowned the last century.
Educating the workers must go fur.
Their than making the man fit the lob.
1t must do what ii can to help make
the job fit the man. This is no idle
play On words for We find that the
status of the job itself is always
changing. Scientific applications enter
into it. New fields of science open up.
New questions of economics arise.
When a man takes only a job, he NAV
be a farmer. When he trains himself
for the job, he is likely to become an
agriculturalist. A man may be a
horse doctor or a veterinarians; a
plumber or a sanitary engineer: a
machine hand or a machinist; a poll
tician or a statesman. 1t all depends
on the simple question-has he fitted
himself to the lowest level of the Job,
or has he brought his job to the high
est level Of the man.. Industrial
efficiency must be had. And this de.
mand for efficiency is bound to find
expression in a system of education
supported by this people.
All criticism harps upon one fact
more than upon another, that our
schools in carricula and administra-
ton have got too far away from the
life of the community. Thirteen per
cent of the total enrolled school popu-
lation receive a high school education.
Does the education the other 81 per
cent receive in the elementary school
suffice to do their share Of the ma
tons work efficiently? Cherished as
the manual training panacea has be-
come, educators and social workers
have been forced to admit that it has
not met the conditions. Still the chill.
dreen leave school for active life, only
20 per cent Of these according to sta.
tistics for actual economic purposes.
The schools do not hold their interests
by using their natural energies in a
manner that appeals to the average
boy or girl as practical. They feel
with force what Bill Nye said of edu.
cation: "Pd a sight rather be ignor.
ant than to know so much that amt
So" The same feeling possesses the
child In facing the heterogeneous mass
OF knowledge labeled in courses and
supposed to fit him for life. He is
forced to take something, SO like Alice
in Wonderland he says, II don't think
1t matters much which way 1 go, so
long as l can get out of here soon"
All too often the teacher and parent
can reply no more wisely than did
the Cheshire Cat, You'll be sure to
get somewhere If you only keep going"
With few exceptions American Ele-
mentary education assumes uniformity
OF course for all chiiGren through the
eighth grade, approximately through
the fourteenth year. Nowhere in the
world do We find similar practice. But
as I have before stated that 81 per
cent Of the children In the public
schools either do not complete the
eighth grade or do not 60 beyond them
and all OF these may be assumed to
quit school as soon as the law allows.
European practice In all countries
make provision for differentiation at
twelve or earlier. The time IL here
when We must recognise the following
facts: IA Secondary education
sAould involve differentiation accord.
Ing to educational needs, and this be-
gins 10 manifest itself earlier than
the TRADITION Of American education
has established: In fact after the sixth
grade there should be allowed come
opportunity for differentiation. ca
Whether or not We choose to call all
tAs course thenceforward secondary
not. they should all be regarded as
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