The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-07-17
Writes On ''What Is
a Liberal Education
PROF. SELDEN SAYS EDUCATION
MUST BE MORE PROGRESSIVE
IN LAST ARTICLE.

MUST BE MORE PROGRESSIVE
IN LAST ARTICLE.
Following his article on practical
Education" in the February issue OF
the American School Board Journal
Prof. F. H. Selden, head of the Man
ual Training department, has a sec
ond article on What is Liberal
Education" in the last number of the
same publication.
In this article, Mr.. Selden takes
the position that the whole field OF
education should be progressive; that
as the race develops new fields of
thought are developed, and that our
education, to be efficient, must assim.
ilate these new developments.
Patching no Remedy.
From this he argues that patching
the curriculum is no remedy, for,
"as CIVILIZATION does not develop by &C.
cretion but by expansion, we cannot
affect this growth properly by patch
ing onto the system or ideals Of edu.
cation Of yesterday. No doubt it is
at this point that our attempts to i'm.
prove our schools have parted from
the possibility of success. No doubt
this artificial method Of enlargement
is not only failure to produce sue.
cessful growth, but has also led to the
most inefficient methods Of studying
the needs and the most erroneous Sc.
lection Of material. .-.a~A.,AsA
mo doubt the method Of accretion,
the patching of fads and frills, is the
easier way of presenting an apparent
growth, but as none Of the vital life.
blood ever circulates in these patches
no matter how tightly stuck on, they
soon become only burden and
waste, as often has been observed by
each one who has made any consider.
able study Of the present attempt to
bring up our schools to satisfactory
present standard.
A Definition.
take what view one may Of what
q liberal education should be, deter.
mine its factors for yeste day, and
then advance 1t to present conditions.
II this cannot be done, 1t was not
liberal education Of yesterday or Of
any other day. II it cannot be moved
mp in harmony with the advances Of
civilization, it never was in harmony
and could be considered as liberal.
A False Assumption.
what are all the attempts at a
duel system Of schools but the result
Of treating liberal education as unable
to deal with the progressive factors of
society? Those who advocate the
special schools may not have consid-
cred the problem from this point of
view, yet there is no denying the fact.
It cannot be denied that the theory
of special schools is based upon the
assumption that civilization has de.
veloped factors requiring an educa-
tional effort outside of the possibili-
ties Of liberal education. This is
simply stating either that there is
constantly increasing number of per.
sons incapable Of receiving a liberal
education, which is simply saying that
We are going to the bad; or that we
have become too good to make use of
q liberal education.
Where We Have Failed.
Then wherein have we failed? In
not recognizing the fundamental prin.
ciple that liberal education of any
time or period is the outgrowth Of the
civilization of that period. We have
SO completely lost our standard of
measurement that substantially every
acquisition and activity Of the race,
past as well as modern, Is advocated
as an essential Of some form of school
work.
The Remedy in a New Science.
AS a remedy to the mistakes of
the past, the writer says: I'VE have
no revolution in education to be
brought about, no patching on to the
curriculum Of lads and frills,' no
cleavage Of our system Of public
schools, no changes in our general
plan of courses, only the adding Of
another science with its laboratories
and its teachers and the usual read
justment that must follow the taking
on Of recently developed subject.
This subject takes no special place,
asks no special favors except such as
may be accorded because of its ex-
ceptional value. It has a special and
fundamental excuse for its existence
In the school in its necessity as part
of the material with which the mind