Evening star., 1915-11-19
Commissioner of Education
Decries Tendency to Make
Machines of Men.
SAYS OUR DUTY is TOFIT
CHILDREN FOR CITIZENSHIP
Teachers Institute Also Hears Ad-
dress by ]. Adams Puffer on
Vocational Guidance.

Asserting the right OF all individuals
to be men and women, not machines,
and the right to be filled with divine
discomfort" the most worth while thing
In life, DIR. Philander p. Claxton, United
states commissioner of education. To-
lay declared he had no sympathy with
any scheme or philosophy of education
mat mas tendency to make mere ma
chines OF human beings or divide ctti-
zens OF this country into peasant and
'tner classes. His address was deliy-
| 'red before teachers of the public
schoois assembled at the First Con
sregational Church for their annua,
institute
The greatest vocation of all ts bu-
man life, said the educator. ..I knovv
of no reason why one class sbou,d
nave the fulIness of life and snothc,.
class not have We must recognize hu-
ianity in all things
ir. Claxton outlined three point.
"nich he said all good educational
agencies should ernbrace-frst, the de-
vomanhood; second, the prenar,tion
or GOOD citizenship. with its attendant
responsibilities and duties: third. ed,,s
cation for making living
Pictures q. s. in Days to Come.
During the course Of his talk the
commissioner pictured the United
States In days to come. The bows and
girls who are being trained now will
live here when the United States has
population of zoe. 100000 fnha bftants."
ne said. They will live here when
problems are greater in quantity and
more complex. They will Iiv, here
when this nation has cities of 10. 600 600
inhabitants and many of 1000. 900.
we must fit these boys and girls Tor
SIlrtei1ehship-that III is part of thet life.
We must teach them how to g, or
their health. and to solve prob, OF
nyglene and sanitation, and aust
erain them for making a livin-
Ihere Is no relief by so-calIed phil.
anthropy. Each person living must eat
wear clothes. have transportation hear
nusic' read books and participate in
NE. The rich are as eaEer--not
!.nrough their fortunes: not through the
investments OF money made by their
the world as are the poor.
Work Done by Cooperation.
Work now is done by cooperation,
and with scientific principles underly-
ing. No longer can things be learned
" imitation 1t used to be that the
shoemaker learned his trade by sitting
beside another maker and observing
him. The doctor learned medicine first
py sweeping the Office of another ply
siclan; later by compounding his medi-
cnes Tor him; then by making trips
around in the physician's buggy. and
nnal!y by seeing how patients died. An
old doctor once told me shat N a chill
dren's hospital in which he was sta
toned the death rate was 100 per cent.
No child ever went forth from its doors
to live while he was there
80 today we are tea.'hing things
scientiically-notb by imitation. Wher-
ever the flag of this government .lies
we are training children. We are not
by which they may be useful to en-
ployers, but We are giving them a lib
eral education which will enable them
TO to- earn arm a; Lying LYING and yet find liberty
DR.. Claxton expressed the hope that
the day would not be far distant when
every child, irrespective Of race OF con-
dition, would be given an education ex-
tending through high school At pres
ent. he said, 81 per cent Oh pupils get
to the high schools. He urged the adop-
tion Of the "six-and-six" pan, whe. eoy
the elementary school course H. COM
pieted In six years and the hisl school
course extends over simila. pe.,ou OF
time.
White Collars a Drawback.
]. Adams Puffer director of the Bea.
con vocation bureau, Boston, Mass,
who gave an address on practical vo-
cational guidance from a standpoint of
the grade and high school teacher. said
that one of the most needed things in
this country is to get away from the
white collar and dressed-up" attitude
He read letters from boys and men,
who, being of a mechanical turn OF
mind, had been induced to follow other
lines because their parents liked them
to be dressed up at work
He urged teachers to w.Ite out brief
character sketches of the children uu-
der them. This, he said, would not
prove SO easy a task as it might seem
at nrst thought. t'o.Iowins his ad
dress he conducted a conference at
which he answered number of Ques-
tionS.
Henry P. Blair. president of the board
of education, spoke briefly on the value
of the institute. He complimented the
teaching corps of the city on the work
it Is doing. Supt. Ernest L. Thurston
introduced DR.. Claxton, and Stephen L.
Kramer. assistant superintendent of
schools. presided at the remainder of
the meeting. Several musical selec-
tions were played by the Technical
High School Orchestra, assisted by
pupils of other schools, and directed by
lore Walten.