Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-18
Is Modern Education
Made Too PracticaZ:o
Frequent Complaint

tion TO students pursuing vocational
studies. We have two other classes Of
students These are. first. large
number who are devoting themselves
to the older learning although its adj
Nocates claim for it under present con-
d!tions disciplinary and cultural.
! rather than Il vocational. value. Such
students are not. therefore. profess
sional students. and are not pursuing
vocational studies, and il is said that
their aims are not practical in char
acter. There is, further. numerous
class of students who are devoting a
large part of their time to research
and investigation. Some of them are
IN the philosophical. rather than in Il
technical. professional faculty; others
are. however. III such a technical
faculty: for il must not be forgotten
that in many such faculty much
work in the nature of research and
investigation is carried on with great
success; nor should it be forgotten.
on the other hand. that many stu
dents in so-called philosophical and
nonvocational faculties have. after all.
vocational and practical aims and pur-
poses. They are studying in order to
prepare themselves as teachers OF the
"u'J'N'S NillNH incN nave CHOSEN.
The answer TO the first question
which has been asked must, then be
that education is at the present time
rather less than more practical than
ii was formerly, if we are to Judge
II by the purposes of those who are
being educated. y larger percentage
of students than formerly are at the
present time seeking an education
" a
well-dehned career or profession
CHARACTER OF EDUCATION
NOW MORE PRACTICAL
On the other hand, it cannot be
doubted that the character of the edu-
cation. opportunities for which are
now open 10 the student. is more prac-
teal than il once was.
In the first place, the subjects in
which instruction is given are in many
cases much more closely related TO the
facts of every day life than were those
10 which the scholas ticism OF the Mid
die Ages devoted so much attention.
or than those embraced in the almost
exclusively philosophical and literary
education which was due to the, innu-
cnccs OF the Renaissance
In the second place, there is con.
tnuouS tendency evident in almost all
parts of the European world, and par
tcularly in those parts of ii In which
the attainment of economy and ef4ici-
cncy is receiving the most attention, to-
ward granting some Of the dignity of
learned professions 10 what were for
mcrly regarded as mere occupations or
trades.
Is this tendency TO he deprecated?
II would seem that there can be no
doubt rs TO the answer Any one who
mas had the opportunity to observe
the conditions of "A country like
china. where the educational system
mas had little. II any, relation to the
conduct of the ordinary affairs of life;
Were what is regarded as learning
Is the monopoly OF a literary aristoc-
racy witch controls almost all the
means OF literary expression and in
S!Sts upon the use by all who would
write of an extremely artificial and
conventional STYLE: where there is no
learned profession hut that OF ltera-
tur". where, as q consequence. there
is no career but literary career omen
10 an ambitious man, and where no