The Dickinson press., 1913-05-31
THE SCHOOL OF TOMORROW

THE SCHOOL OF TOMORROW
The aim of education is social
efficiency. Social ecfiiency means to
be a productive member of society. To
be productive a mar must pull his
own weight either directly or indirectly
by inspiring, building, educating others
to productive effort. Productivity de-
ponds on the skillful use of the hands.
True education develops the child for
the community. the state and the ma
ton. Its object is to make the shoe
maker 60 beyond his last, the clerk be-
yond his desk. the surveyor beyond his
chain. the lawyer beyond his brief, the
doctor beyond his prescription and the
preacher beyond his sermon
Country boys do not develop into men
who have no love for the farm because
they do NOT know how to grow crops as
is sometimes argued. and city boys do
not develop into men who have no con-
ception of property rights. no power of
application, no ~thoroushness, no m
bition but to do as little as possible
and get as much as possible. who are
lazy.eyed servants. self seeking aabby
characters because they have not been
taught a trade. But the country boy
seeks the city and the city boy is what
he is because they have been taught
that work is a curse, igaoble, and a
thing to be avoided. Work transforms
works legendary curse into a blessing.
Primitive man, in order to produce
enough to live upon was compelled to
work. Nature furnished him the re-
sources: earth, air. water. seed wheat,
timber and threw him upon them. She
might have furnished him food. 1t is
sometimes charged that nature is a
cruel taskmaster in exacting so much
labor for so much bread. The civiliza-
ton of the hot belt of darkest Africa is
abundant answer to the complaint.
Through labor man conquered nature.
harnessed her forces, and set her to
work in his own service. Through this
struggle his powers were trained and
nourished. To gather food, to find
fuel, to weave clothes and 10 store up
wealth against a time of need required
industry, and industry has been the
maker and educator of the race. Act
ion and reaction are always equal.
There is no single bodily act but
stamps its impress upon the mental
powers.
In this struggle. as Drummond has
aptly said, man found not only mater
ial satisfaction. he found himself. 1t
was this that made him body. mind.
character and disposition. Gradually,
tremendously, parallel in time and
place with mans mental life. there is
the advent of methodical industry. The
capacity for methoiical labor is Cod
given, is n of the most fundamental
qualities of civilization and among the
most valuable of all heritages that a
father can .bestow uoon his son or a
mother upon her daughter. Not only
does methodical industry und erlie our
material civilization; it is the basis OF
all morals.
Moreau has shown that idleness and
vagabondaee are almost always with
children the source of crime. Sichart
found that out of /. 84S thieves So per
cent hated work. Feniani found that
out of I, 1000 minor criminals IS per
cent were altogether idle. Wright
states that out of 4, $40 convicts at one
time in the Massachusetts p%enitentiary
So per cent were returned as having nc
occupation. Wines says that "a pei
cent of the homicides have no trade.
Dugdale in the Jukes, states that after
disease the most uniformly noticeable
trait of the true criminal is that he
lacks the continuity of effort. Steady,
plodding work is the characteristic. not
only Of the honest and successful indi-
vidual but of all nations that have
made their mark in history.
Mr.. Leonard of the Mansfield reform.
atory, says that it is fundamental that
the ,reformatory inmate, before being
restored to society should have acquired
the necessary skill and habit of indus
try to render him self-supporting. The
young criminal may be awakened to a
new intellectual day by the education
al methods of the reformatory. He may
be %quickened into spiritual life by the
inspiration of moral truth and Christian
teaching, but he will stand secure only
when his feet rest on the rock of econ
lomic independence.
AG