South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-11-06
LIBERTY is NOT A
MATTER OF SEX,
ASSERTS BIGEL0W

CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE)
in large part merely growth. In the
old days the one foremost idea was TO
develop a man. Nothing then was
heard Of the vocational courses Of
which so much is made today" The
speaker pointed out that to-day it is
recognized that an important phase of
education is the particular develop
ment Of the powers OF the individual
The speaker pointed out the paral-
lei truths apparent in the physical,
the mental and the spiritual being Of
the child which, he showed, must all
be considered by the teachers. As
the physician must know the facts
concerning the physical condition Of
his patient and OF his patients an
cestOrs before he can the most intelli-
gently treat the patient, or as the in
surance company must know the
physical characteristics Of generations
in order to understand those whom
they insure. so the teacher must study
the child and its bringing up 10 in
telligently educate.
Dr. ClaxtOn showed that elementary
education is not IAN Importation; not
a thing foreign to be reached out for
and given to the child ready made.
He declared that education. like reli-
giOn, was not a thing TO be gotten af-
ter the popular acceptation of the
word. The speaker dWelt in an elO-
quent and authoritative manner on
the importance Of moulding the child's
mind during the early and plant
years. He maintained that there is
no such thing TO the teacher as a gen
eral experience of children but that
the great work OF the teacher must
be that of considering the specific ex-
periences of the individual. The plea
of the assembly was for the develop
ment of the childish mind along nat
uTal lines which may result in the de-
velOpment of the individual powers
and character.
Child Learns to Forget.
1T was the declaration of DR.. ClaX-
ton that z > per cent of the things that
the child is taught at school the child
soon does not know anything about.
This, he pointed out, was largely be-
cause of the fact that the child could
not interpret the things heard at
school in terms of the home.
There must be close correlation
between the life OF the child at school
and the life of the child at home" he
said. explaining by various illustra-
ton how futile it is to attempt to teach
the child by memory those facts OF
the past or Of the present which it
cannot associate closely with the tan
gible parts of its own every day life.
Not only did the speaker plead for a
closer welding of the school life of the
child and the home life but he showed
how also one great fault of present
day education is the lack of correlation
between each year OF the child's life
in school The years, he maintained.
should be joined and the pupil should
be made to see the relationship be-
tween the various phases of the sub
jects taught; that is, to properly dove
tail the old with the new SO that the
pupil may always find it possible TO
understand new facts of the present
in terms of the past. In illustration Of
the error along this line which he
held was prevalent in the public
schools the speaker referred TO the.
subject of mathematics which, al
though being a subject with but few
different rules and methods. TO the av-
erage pupil became yearly a subject
more and more confusing to his mind.
This due to the fact that each years
work was looked upon as entirely new
when in fact. in mathematics as well
as in other subjects, each year brought
forth only % per cent of new subject
matter.
Finally DIR. Claxton pointed out that
teachers should always keep i'm mind
the fact that pupils continuously in
quire what for. In other words.
education must Gevelop the student
for the better life in the years TO fol-
low. The schools tend TO develop
groups of hirelings rather than indie
pendent workers, he said, and he
urged teachers to learn the community
in which they live as well as their
students.