Barton County democrat., 1913-06-27

tne school II greater tnan tn0Se VINO
stay out.
What have We done for the boy
who, because of economic stress, can
only come a year or so? We have
tried to teach him to swim by giving
him chemical analysis of water. We
have offered him a curriculum Of ad-
mittedly little practical value, how
over well it may be decided as basis
for something farther on. where he
can never hope to 60. 1t is as II a
salesman out Of employment should
ask for a letter Of introduction to the
owner Of big department store and
be given passport to Russia.
Why High Schools Fail.
"The high school is failing TO solve
its social problem for two reasons:
First, because its course is too mar
row; second, because the method and
scope Of its teaching is cramped into
the Chinese shoe of tradition. The
broader course that will meet the
needs Of all classes of boys-from the
footballer' to the book worm-must
place on an equality its foreign Ian
guages, mathematics, history, civics,
economics, sociology, agriculture, busi
ness training and manual arts.
Moreover, the content Of the
courses in each of these lines, and the
aims and methods of instruction, must
be determined by the capacity Of the
students as they are and by social and
economic needs, rather Aan by the
foundation required for advanced
courses or by professional theories as
to complete and logical organization
of subjects.
"The high school course should he
rich in science. Through this study
the boy should understand the world
as he sees it-in plant and animal life,
in wind and weather, in heat, light,
mechanics, electricity, chemistry, bac-
teriology and hygiene. He should be-
come able to read the worlds story in
hill and valley and stone, and see the
Divine hand in the universal rule of
immutable law. If the scientific proc.
ess is to become habitual it must find
point of contact with his life and
must deal with problems which he
sees are Of vital interest to him.
"The high school must give every
boy some experience in handling mate
rial things. Nowhere else in the course
is there so great an opportunity to
fasten the interest of the motor-mind.
ed boy who refuses to sit down and
study a book. The public Is paying
for the high schools. The public is,
therefore, entitled to the largest pos.
sible service to all the people. The
high schools largest service Is the
best possible training for economic ef.
flciency, good citizenship and full and
complete living for all its pupils"
Democracy Against Despotism.
DR.. Lewis then takes up the discus.
sion Of the various details of our edu-
cational system, analyzing the girl and
the boy in the grammar school and
in the high school, dissecting the
methods employed by the colleges and
showing the advantages and disadvan.
tages Of the old style, classical educa-
tlon. After declaring that the issue Of
4 better and more comprehensive edu.
cational system embodies the issue be-
tween democracy and despotism, he
concludes:
"Come on, Mr.. Common Peoplel You
and | don't care three-cent piece
about educational tradition. We do
not care a great deal about the social
think of the next generation. We
care about their standard of civic
righteousness; We care about their
efficiency in government-in doing to.
gether the things that all the people
must do together; we care that our
schools turn out a product that we, as
a people, can use, and we care a great
deal about our own boys and girls.
We want them all educated. We want
those who need the classics and the
higher mathematics to have these sub.
jects; but we don't want the doors Of
the schools we are supporting
slammed in the faces of those of our
children who don't care a tinker's OBJ
struction for the classics"
We are beginning to get ready to
start something in the line Of real
democratic government. Let's try to
get democratic education.