The sun., 1916-08-27

the adoption Of the complexities. The
time needed for spelling and arithme-
tic was given to singing and biology.
to drawing and geology, with such
necessary consequences In our day as
that the colleges will not accept the
graduates Of the system because they
cannot spell, and the critics declare
that the system takes five years too
long for what 1t teaches, and the exc
perts have built up q host Of prepara-
tory schools to make up for its def
ciencies. The theory that culture can
take the place Of religion. that the
citizen IL entitled to culture at the ex.
pense Of the State. made up the second
factor.
The third was the desire to form the
patriotic citizen in his school days.
This reason was as genuine as the
first and we'll founded. All training Of
the human being must begin In the
home. and hen be continued in home
and school and church together. When
Europe sent millions Of its people to
our shores II was seen that the State
school would be . potent force In
moulding the children Of these immi-
grants into the American form. 1t
was at first supposed that the asslmi-
lation OF these foreigners would be a
tremendous and critical task for the
republic. It has not so proved. The
school system absorbed the children
without difficulty, and the other gra-
clous influences Of American life.
plenty Of work. fair wages. freedom
and opportunity. have made assimila-
ton up to this moment an interesting
but not difficult problem.
The fourth factor in making the
State a ~pedagogue was the opportunity
which a wealthy State system gave tho
theorists to carry out their dreams. A
study Of the State school in the popu-
lous districts will show with what sue
cess these people worked. In sparsely
settled regions they have not laborcd.
although not without some influence
there. Their theories were concerned
with everything connected with
schools, and their principal theory was
borrowed from socialism,: That the
State should do all for the child and
the parent nothing. Hence the various
schemes to provide the children with
free lunches. tooth brushes. spectacles.
clothing. artificial teeth and SO on
down q long list; next the rise to
higher things by providing restaurants.
dentists. ~oculists and the like: finally
the advocacy Of military training for
the boys. Of cooking for the girls. OF
manual training for both. and the in
PRODUCTION Of an army Of soldiers,
cooks and athletes, with their para
phernalia. Socialism itself could do no
more. Had not common sense and the
expense interfered the American child
would have become q martyr to edu-
cational schemes and his teacher q
dolorous victim Of he theorists. On
the whole. the American school system,
while topheavy with unnecessary
studies and undemocratic colleges and
universities. has done well. It's strik-
ing merit Is that society never before
made so splendid an effort in behalf OF
popular education. Out of it should
normally develop q noble system for
the real training Of the children, frecr
from the theorists. better adapted to
the popular needs and purged Of the
stiffnecked bureaucracy.
From this brief review Of the State
educational system and the factors
which helped to turn the State into a
pedagogue. It is easy to see why. and
how the study Of hygiene got its place
In the curriculum. Health Is q price,
less asset of life and the only asset
which the democracy may DO said to
possess. The culture idea Of Emerson
and Horace Mann never received any
respect and support from the multi
tude. and has long been relegated tc