The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1914-01-28

may fairly be considered as, in many
respects. the least fortunate of his
life. lie was successful as a judge.
and he was successful as an adminis-
traitor. In Il large way he was doubt
less more successful as n president
than many Americans believed, but
during his entire term he was the
center OF a political storm. Since his
retirement from the Office. and his ms.
sumption Of duties more in line with
his tastes and temperament. he has
impressed those who have followed
his movements with the wisdom OF
his observations on man subjects.
and the breadth of vision which has
characterized him.
During his term as president Mi.
Taft was frequently called II rcac-
%tionary. though tho term was Scarcely
deserved as it MAS applied. In Il re-
cent address at Philadelphia lie tool
a position which will again doubtless
call for tho use Of that term, n in
This case his position is rcactionary.
H'iN WV! lhopSiiN SJ, b't Nv iltSLtN
Il protest against II Of tho modern
tendencies. and for n return in quite
~ large measure L" tho practices and
ideals of q former period.
Mr.. Taft'$ protest was against that
movement which has won many fol-
lowers. whose aim and object is to
make life easy and pleasant. to abolish
such words as labor, and duty, and
to place oNe tho acts of old and young
alike tho sugar coating of play. In
this attitude he is rcactionary. and
this is a case where there should he a
reaction.
Life is not game. IL is serious busi-
ness. II consists. must consist, large
~ of work that is hard, work that is
absorbing. work that is inspiring,
yer kind it is, work. Play has its
place. and its highly important place
in the development of our natures
but one of the first and most useful
lessons that can be impressed on the
mind of the child is that there is
MtI Is l " w uotS US we'll dS pa ~ uS
enjoyed. And human nature, given
q fair chance. takes as we'll to- work
as to play. Tho little toddlcr who in
sfsts on helping her mother to wipe
the dishes wants to work. not to play,
and she should not he besuilcd into
doing the useful thins under tho suisc
of play. That is tho mistake made
by many kindergarten teachers. They
make play of everything. n tho child
under their tuition fails to learn that
there is such a thing rs work. The
child out Of such a school presents one
Of tho most difficult problems to the
teacher in the regular grades, because
there real work is demanded, and the
miSdircctcd child has no conception of
anything but being entertained. Some
teachers try to get over this by con-
tinuiny this extreme form of kinder
gartcn work W through the grades.
The effort is never a success. 1t may
be continued through IL few grades
perhaps-but there comes a time
when the child must forget play for
ia litlS uiio SSl oo"h ~ ~ sHIA
even il it were possible to keep this
sort of thing up during the entire
school life. the results would be doub-
Ny unfortunate. for the youth would
isomctimc he obliged to face the real
work, and he would step out of a
fools paradise into a world of actual
tiles, and he would fine it necessary
to adjust himself to a new set of ON
ditions, to fit himself into n scheme of
things of which he has had no knowl-
edge. and to do the thing which is
hard. and disasrccablc, and distaste-
: full. just because it is the thing which
ought to be done.
Mr.. Taft is not by any means alone
in seeking to impress this view on the
public which has, in n measure. been
carried away by the movement which
would make play of everything. 9th
ers have seer tho direction OF our
drift, and are trying to get the course
changed. The sooner this is done the
less damage will be inflicted.