Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1914-02-22
schools As WORK
Shops OF Experience
BELIEVES A MORE PRACTICAL
THEORY SHOULD BE TAUGHT
IN SCHOOLS.

TULSA, Okla, Feb. 2l.-To the Ed
tor of The World: No better or more
lasting tribute could be paid 10 the
watchfulness ana untiring vigilance
Of the American people than our sys-
TEN # public schools Every school
house on the hill is neyer-dting
monument to the progress and up
building Of our country, and every
urchin in that school is u composite
part Of that monument
In the public school lies the hope
Of our country. Without them we
would be forced to submit 20 the most
abject slavery In our ignorance With
out them this fair lard Of ours would
become the stamping ground OF SIN,
and would be converted into Nerita-
BILE brothel for the strong as against
the weak and oppressed.
Education is the one great equalizer
and when you remove the forces that
make for education and Intelligence
You take away the last Vestge of free
dom and pave the way for slavery.
But let us not flattcr ourselves that
we have reached perfection even in
our public school system. on the
other hand ! belieN that We are only
starting on the journey to that COW
eted goal.
There are many defects in our school
system which must be corrected as
we proceed, for the road to successful
perfection is n long one and cannot
be travelled twice.
IT will be my intention now TO offer
helpful suggestions and improvements
instead Of objections and ridicule.
/ believe that one Of the worst mis-
takes of our present system is the
rigidity of the course Of instruction.
Every boy or girl is forced to complete
a prescribed course of study, along
certain lines, whether he or she is the
least adapted to that line OF work.
Certain rules are expected of them,
they are expected to come up to GER
tain measure in studies absolutely
foreign TO their nature, and if they fail
the result is too frequently a loss of
interest and non attendance.
Now. as a remedy for this and 9TH
er defects ] offer the following sys-
TEN. That every school house be
converted into a workshop of eX-
perience; that every school be fitted
to teach practical subjects by demon
stration instead Of theory, such as civil
engineering. mechanics art, oratory,
etc, and thus turn out the finished
product trained in the school OF eN-
perience and ready for the battle OF
life without them having to finally
complete their education by taking n
course with correspondence school
in order to secure that practical and
working knowledge that so many OF
our high school graduates lack; that
the nature Of every child be closely
studied from his first entrance and that
their good traits be encouraged so that
they will expand and grow to such
an extent that they will crowd out the
bad: that every student and especially
children be allowed the greatest iib-
erty to choose according to his or her
own peculiar nature and inclinatlons,
and that those inclinations and char
acteristics peculiar to every child be
cultivated so that they Will be made
TO feel that they are in a great charac-
ter building foundry, and that each
one IS the moulder of his own.
Then as a student progresses along
his chosen line Of work he will quickly
perceive his need OF knowledge In
great many other lines. For example
If ! make history my chosen work
cannot but see my need of geography
and civil government. And In TINS
way children will be led in an educa-
ton instead of being driven as the at
tempt now is.
When this system or one similar is
adopted it will be a joy to go to school
instead OF a burden, and the tuant
officer will be no more.
Some one has said, go teach them
how TO die" but ! believe in teaching
men how 10 live. NENl.
Receipts from the use Of national
forest resources were greatest in Ari-
Yopa last wear,