The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-27

ers in place OF. one-all tend 10 vo-
tahulary expansion and Information
getting. with consequent mental In
terconnection. widely varying IN the
ease Of each pupil.
In part Dr. Socum said.
In the general college course this
ruauysidedness il threatened by an
over specialization which excludes II
from essential fields of knowledge and
experience. Partly through the cleo
tive system. partly In reaction from
It. partly as a concession TO vocational
special za zion, but even more largely
through the influence Of graded school
training upon college teaching ten
dpucy 20 concentration upon a few aca-
6egnfc subjects has set In, which is
f,.ore OF a menace 10 democratic cul-
ture than the old classical course it
self
II the mastery OF mathematics and
the ancient languages as elementary
vholes. long required Of all. involved
the certain memorizing OF technical
details. useless both In every day life
a0d TO habit formation, ii at the same
time compelled moral and Intellectual
habits, which IL not economically Sc
cured elsewhere cannot be bought too
dear If limitation or culture to the
study of Greek and Latin literatures,
u AIDE IL aristocrattc and excluded broad
U4Ids OF modern thought and exper-
fence. IL ensured more many sided con
tact with the spiritual inheritance OF
the race than either the elective sys-
tern. or the moro permanent academic
specialization being seized upon as its
antidote,
An Absurd Basis.
TT f. Uncomfortable folly to substi-
fute the exhaustive study of n few
branches as elementary wholes, with
their great mass of relatively useless
details, for the partial study of all
branches IN general. confined to the
relationship most useful In both the
specific and general sense. Yet this
Is the absurd basis on which the course
cf study is at present organized. "A
fallacious seeking after thoroughness
la the sense of exhaustive detail, for
the sake of discipline. has defeated its
own purpose The thoroughness that
truly makes for discipline liz repeti-
ton of few essential relationships
adeounta to their mental mastery. and
persistent continuity of instruction
necessary to f1leir permanent retention.
III is utter weakness in high
school course TO teach one or two
sciences i'm technical and insignificant
detail. 10 the exclusion of what ia fun
danentaI in nil others; or algebra and
Geometry in the first two years with
out any continuity OF instruction to
keen their essentials alive until they
are reviewed in the fourth, taken up
again in college or forgotten altogether
iM life.
The most serious weakness OF
present day education on the side 81
mental training is its failure to com
pei what Is most useful; its lack OF
pcrsistency in the development o;
tastes and ideals through cumulative
impression, it's lack of the drill and
continuity adequate to the building UT
Of permanently essential habit and
system, and it's failure To ensure the
cpndlltt MS favorable u the general ap-
plication Of useful ideas
Because things are naturally inter
esting or ready Of development in q
particular school grade is no reason
why they should be taught there. II
IL is not naturally interesting, II car
he made interesting through cumula-
tive impression and growing intercon'
uection. IL it is difficult of develop
fnert. il must be more effectively anc
persistently taught"
John w. Withers, president of Har'
rs Teachers college al st. Louis. aist
read a paper along the same lines
p " hict1 embraced several additiona
POINTS. but fo- the r7ost part il was
"a bout the same as that read by Mr
y ocum.
This was the last open meeting o.
the conference and attracted Grove
itut slightly smaller than those of the
preceding meetings at the auditorium