The Nome daily nugget., 1914-05-30

Hutchins Hapgood reports. in the New York Globe. an enlightening in- terview with Mrs. Marietta L. John- son. principal of the School of Organic Education at FAirhope. Alabama He says that in this day of general doubt as to the soundness of the fundamen- tai methods and principles of our school system the ideas of a woman who has conducted . school of what may be called revolt. are of interest Her general idea that the child's needs should be studied and the system serve the child rather than the child the system. is familiar. But she ex- presses it freshly and gives some tell ing concrete illustrations. For in- stance:
 Why" she asks. "when there Is an increasing tendency to become near sighted. do we continue to require the children to look at the white marks on a black board at the distance now pre- vailing? Can the school be a place for acquiring more life when the condi- tions cause eyestrain Why not allow the children to move freely to the board if they desire to read what 's written there?
 Activity 1s Q law of childhood. Why then should little children be ob.isel to sit in rows of desks with folded hands waiting for orders? E:ery thought is accompanied by an impulse to act. This is very marked in child hood.
 Interest in the occupation and the nature of the work itself will afford sufficient 'disicipline' 90 that the teacher need not fear disorder if the desks are removed and the children be allowed to move about freely.
 elf occupations were submitted for lessons the reasoning power would de- velop unconsciously and naturally thus insuring 6 stronger. firmer. mentality. Children should not consciously strive to know. any more than they should consciously strive to grow.
 eff the child is bored. apathetic. un- happy. unwell, the environment must be changed. For the school is to serve the child. Tn our fear that the child will not know the things he should in later life, we often dull or cripple the mind in the early years by forcing the learning of things for which the mind is not ready.
 Fear of failure to meet require ments. fear of reproof or being deemed inferior, fear of any kind. weakens the will power and undermines chara cter. Strain and anxiety-desire to keep up'-causes nervousness and destroys true interest.
 eff the occupations and exercises provided are in harmony with the de- mands of the child's nature. the res- ponse will be satisfactory-that Is. the entire organism-body. mind and spirit-will be comparatively active. and the child will be doing what he loves to do. When the child desires the result of his work he will endure hardships for those ends, thus devel- oping will power of the highest order. When he works under the will of an- other his will is being weakened.
 "The child of slow development has as sacred a right to that slowness as the quick developer has to his rate of growth. It is unwholesome to force self elf-consciousness by calling attention to either retarded or rapid develop ment, 90 that one child becomes ego- tistit al. or another lacking in self con- fidcnce
 "At our school In Alabama" says Mrs. Johnson. i've have no require ments or marks. We serve every child the best we can at the age and condition be happens to be in. He goes Into the high school when he reaches that stage no matter how much or how little he has learned pre-