Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-12
TRADITION CHECKS
TEACHING SYSTEM
Trenton Normal School Head
Says 1t Is Education's
Greatest Danger.
Especial TO the newark start

TRENTON, Dec. 12.--Emphasizing
that the greatest need in our State
at this time is a better understanding
of the meaning of education in the
| school sense, DIR. James NJ. Green,
principal of the State Normal School,
in this city, presented Acting Gov
ernor Taylor with the fifty-ninth an
nual report of the institution, Dr.
Green says education is expensive at
best, hence for the sake of economy
and efficiency the State should be very
definite in the part 1t assumes by
means of taxation.
DR.. Green points out the tendency
is to use terms very Unfortunately,
Education is made to mean anything
from a trip to the North Pole or
South Africa to specializing on the
motives OF a work of fiction. We are
constantly piled with requests to have
IN our schools lectures and exercises
on all manner of subjects and cover
ing a scope extending from the kin
dergarten to- the university, and in-
Guiding anusements as we'll as
studies.
Normal schools Not Separate.
1.-THE state normal schools are an
organic part of the school system of
the State" he continues. They grow
out of the State system as a director
ate grows out of a company They
are set apart from the other schools
of the State only as a department in
any institution is separated from the
rest of the institution. IT Is hard to
appreciate this fact only as II is din
cult to acquire State viewpoint and
realize large community action. The
word State has had such emphasis in
our vocabulary that we think of 1t as
being apart from the people, hence
we hear localities remark that they
would resent State interference or in
wife State aid. How much more per-
tinent ii would be should they remark
that they would resent interfering
with themselves and invite helping
themselves?
1.-THE public schools are the States
institutions for the teaching of what
ever the people wish taught, The nor
NAL schools are provided for the prep
aration of teachers to teach in the
public schools whatever the people
wish taught in those schools. The
problems of education are so intimate
in all their parts that conference and
corporation should be the constant
talisman.
1.-THE greatest danger to education
is the adherence to customs and ira
ditions because of their honorable
origin long after the causes that
brought them into existence have be-
come modified or entirely changed,
There was time when Latin was
the one thing needful, but today the
sciences have been born and are ex-
pressing themselves in our occupa-
tions The study of an ancient sub
ject may be of value as q process of
thinking, but If 1t solves no useful
problem it. is extravagant,
Greater Need OK system.
There never was q time when
there was greater need of true econ
ony of effort, true efficiency In edu-
cation, than there is at present The
unrest that is prevalent in labor, in
business, in the professions and in
government, has pervaded the schools.
Some would commercialize them,
some would make them mere time
markers, some would make of them
machines to perpetuate their own Pc
culiar notions This unrest will be
followed by development or deteriora-
ton, depending upon the clearness of
our thought and the nature of our
purpose.
1.-THE above comments are made to
emphasize the fact that education 10
not q private or local matter. but
rather general or State matter, and
| that If our State is 10 succeed 1t
must be organized and have its State
centres as well as its local centres OF
learning. These State centres should
be the normal schools, the nstitu-
lions the State has built for its State
work.
"Learning to teach is learning the
problems Of education and learning
the problems of education is learning
the peoples interests, the interests of
all the people and not simply of any
one class, as the very young chill
dren's
Teach HenlthfuIDess.
I'VE have not yet fully outgrown
the disposition to patent education
and commentaries it, but we are
making progress. Our normal schools
should teach the health conditions
and the health laws OF the State, the
industrial conditions and practises,
etc, and those interested in these va
rious lines should visit the normal
schools and Cooperate In every way
they can for the sake Of the common
interests of the people
1T makes no difference by what
names State institutions are called,
but 1t makes a great difference what
| use is made of these institutions"
The report congratulates the Legis-
lature of 1913 for it's generosity in
| recognizing the needs Of the State
school for improvements by appro-
priating $4,000 for new wing The
| Legislature also appropriated $4,000
for the requirement of playground.
The report shows the enrolment for
the fiscal year to have been 634 pupils