Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-02-19
PLEA IS MADE FOR
INDIVIDUAL CHILD
DR.. Jessup Shows That the School
Should be Suited to Require.
ments Of the Pupil.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IN PAST
Iowa University Representative Inter-
ests an Audience Of 275 Rock Is.
land People.

A powerful plea for the individual
child was delivered yesterday after
noon by DR.. W. A. Jessup of the Iowa
State university before an audience of
| 275 people in the auditorium of the
Rock Island high school Not grada-
ton according to size, age, or to the
length of time in school, but graduation
according to individual requirements
should be the aim of the school author
ities," declared DR.. Jessup and pro-
ceeded to enforce this plea by fund
Of irresistible logic.
In the opening part of his speech DR..
Jessup referred to the many lines of
development which the school of today
has undergone over the school of a few
generations ago. misunderstanding,
he showed, was the trouble in all cases
and at present school authorities ev-
erywhere are striving to suit the
school to the child.
"The idea held a few generations ago
concerning children was that they
were nothing more nor less than little
grown-ups, smaller in size and lesser
in weight than adults, but in all other
respects exactly similar" declared DR..
Jessup. They were held strictly to
account for the same sort of crimes
and were taught along the lines Of
thought Of an adult mind" He then
proceeded to show how, in geometry,
arithmetic, geography and all other
studies, they were taught as an adult
would be taught such subjects and in
as severely as if they were grown.
People once had the idea that chill
dren were innately bad" he asserted
and showed the truth of his statement.
Environment as MOdifier.
On the other hand, Dr. Jessup admit
ted that there are some people today
who believe children to be innately
good and will do best if left entirely
alone, The public schools are pursu
ing the middle course, according to
him, and are teaching the child the
right way
THE whole public school system of
today is built on the theory that en-
vironment can modify heredity," as
serted DR.. Jessup in this connection
and showed in forceful manner that
he was correct in this statement.
ut was also a long time before it
was realized that the child is social
asset was his next declaration. Now
we see that education is the best way
to make citizens"
The individuality of the child was
then taken up more specifically and
DR.. Jessup showed how various plans
had been followed in trying to meet
the needs of the individual child.
Among these, he said, were sorting of
children according to size, age, and
at the present time, to length of time
spent in school. However. he con-
tended that now even this last method
is being challenged and it is being as
serted that children should be studied
individually by the teacher with view
to proper graduation.
! PICKING Dull OneS.
AS a concrete example he gave an
improved method of giving tests so
that more would be asked of the stu
dent than he would have time to an
swer and in this way the ones who
answered the questions in the best
manner and in the greatest number
could be picked by the teacher and the
needs of the dull ones could be more
easily seen. Other methods of indi-
vidual teaching were likewise adj
vanced by DR.. Jessup and his ideas
were easily absorbed by his audience.
DR.. Jessup's lecture was one OF the
best of its sort that Rock Island peo
pie have ever heard and he will I'M
doubleday be welcomed if he speaks at
the high school in the future.