Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-02-26
UNITY URGED IN
SCHOOL SYSTEMS
DR.. Poland Says individuality
End Sought by Some, Is Aris-
tocratic, Not Democratic.

DR.. Addison B. Poland. superin-
tendent Of the local public school
SYSTEM was the principal speaker
this afternoon at the annual conven-
ton of the department of superin-
tendence. Ma tional Educational Asso-
citation, which is beng held in Phla-
delphia. He discussed a paper on
The Uniformity of Standards in
School administration"
DR. Poland holds that to obtain def
nite ends in education progress and
uniformity must go hand n hand. So
long as attempts are made to reach
the same end by different ways, DR..
Poland stated it is simply an admis-
sion that the best way has not yet
been discovered Once this is dis
| covered. however there is no excuse,
Dr. Poland declared. for using any
other unless simply to maintain
diversity He said in part:
Admitting that certain individual
characteristics should be cultivated,
the general aim and purpose Of edu-
cation, as l conceive it, is not to de-
velop individuality, but social unity.
Ny plea. therefore, is not for indi-
viduality. but for unity. which results
in efficiency and is rarely or never
attained except by and through uni
formity of some kind
Quotes de Constant.
Baron D'Estournelles de Constant.
peace delegate to the United States
from France, speaking before a mass
meeting of school children in the
Metropolitan Opera House, New York,
made this remark 'Disagreements
among nations, which sometimes lead
TO war, often originate in simply d
misunderstanding of one another s
viewpoints 1t is important in this
discussion that we agree upon the
meaning of the terms employed Thus
by uniformity of standards in school
administration we do not mean
identity of standards
Uniformity is the relative term Il
admits degrees. There is no sucf
| thing as absolute uniformity. Uni
| formity, for instance, may be predi'
| Gated of the school systems of st
Louis and Boston, unlike as they are
| in many respects. Both cities have
relatively small boards. Both citie'
] have boards elected at large. Boil
cities differentiate executive from leg
islative powers. In these fundamen
| tai and typical characteristics ther'
is uniformity, while in many matters
of less fundamental Importance Their
is wide variety. Uniformity, as il
nature, may exist amidst infinite va
riety. The well understood distinc
ton of genus and species suggest
what have in mind.
DIR. Eliot's Proposals.
I'm 1904 the Public Education Asso
citation of this city, dissatisfied will
the conditions that existed, invited
President Eliot, of Harvard Univer
sity to come here and to propose how
the public school system of this cit,
might be improved President Elio
suggested:
'First-A small board, which SHOULD
confine it's powers to legislation.
3" 'Second-That executive function
should be left wholly to experts, tina
is, to the city superintendent and hi
staff.
'Third-That matters of finance b
In the hands of the board with
graduated, predictable income deter
mined by law.
These principles, he said. ha
worked out successfully in certai
other cities where they had been triet