The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-04
Broad Education .

The few preadamtes who cling 10
The long obsolete gospel Of the three
RS must he hopelcSsly dazed by that
all-sciolistic compound which the wis
dom of the moderns calls education"
Imagine the old fashioned farmer
brought up on THE American Precep.
tor" Pixies Arithmetic. the Bible. THE
Pilgrims Progress" opening the Octo-
her Educational ReriCr at the article
by HOWARD T. LEWIS of the University
Rural Education" Very likely the old
codger was n competent land surveyor,
hut what in Sam Hill" he might SIX
with artless objurgation. as n social
survey" Well. hear him of Idaho:
Suppose. then. for purposes OF illus
tration. that we have two communities,
and r. Having undertaken a social
survey and analyzed the localities. let us
suppose further that, with regard to 4,
the following facts are revealed: II is a
fruit growing community. most of the
farmers are OF native white stock. they
publican. they borrow little money. their
average income is above that OF farmers
in general. they largely own their own
farms. and are predominately OF Protes-
tant faith In 3 the number Of renters is
very high due to the high cost OF land.
the population Is OF foreign extraction,
they secure meagre income from mixed
farming. socialistlc tendency Is quite
marked. and rellgiously they are largely
Roman Catholic. There is no grange no
lodges OF any kind and there is no effort
at cooperation"
In the dark days of readln', 'ritin'
and 'rithmetic nobody would have
thought that the Big Three were jew
or Gentle. Catholic or Protestant,
Federalist or Whlg, Democratic, Loco
foco or Barnburncr But see 1.-THE new
er tendencies in curriculum
making" And what a word OF wizardry
Is curriculum
'Curriculum,' Curriculum"
o. verbum ter ridiculum.
with which the pedants tickle 'um'"
Observe the curriculum maker AMI
social surveyor at work
"a really sympathetic Interpretation
OF rural selection Is rarely met with
But It is difficult to see why, In place Of
those who always give the urban point Of
view, we might not introduce more WHIT.
TIER. LoNGrELLow, and perhaps ISAAC
[scl WALTON. GRAYs Letters and
80 far as these particular communl-
tics are concerned. Is II not the part Of
wisdom 10 emphasize in community A
such rural writings as will stir them
from their lethargy and compel them to
question and think? In this connection
THoREAU's Walden and some OF BUR
ROWS fsicl, and perhaps even OF RoUs-
sEAv may not he out OF place :.
In II, on the contrary, quoting, more
satisfied tone II called for. and The Vicar
OF Wakefield and WHITTiER's Snow
bound and LoNGrFLLow will not be
amlss"
For native Republican Protestant
farmer prOprletors THoREAU, the Sage
OF Slabsides and honest JEAN JACQUES.
For Catholic tenant, presumably Demo
cratic or Socialist, farmers, GOLDSMITH
WHITTIER and LoNGrELLow This Sym
pathetic Interpretation" is mysterious
hut doubtless admirable. Our ancient
farmer would wonder at II. just as we
may be permitted to wonder at com.
munity Il, which is Mt once 'largcly
Roman Catholic" and with quite
marked socialistic tendency.
As arrestIng and engaging ms sym.
pathetic curriculum making wouldn't
"curriculihcatIon' wear as pOrtly a
chest?) IA the social surveying re.
qured Of teacher. Professor LEWIS
wants to know how many teachers
reputed successful, can answer with a
reasonable degree of accuracy" list
Of questions which long as il is. Tur
SUN hlithey reprints az precious doe
ument in pedagogy, social surveying
and ''educntlon":
Has the population OF your township