The Detroit times., 1916-11-14
Democracy In Education
BY Or. FRANK CRANE
Copyright, 1915. by Frank Crane)

The public school is as you say, Mr..
Schoolmaster, great institution.
But what you teach in the public school
is pretty bad.
The trouble is, you are still under the
spell of the old scholastic tradition, and
are unconsciously training all the children
TO be Literary" one way or another
For those who expect TO become doc
tors lawyers, preachers, teachers, or
authors, this is all very well; but it is not
the kind of an education for lust folks.
Democracy in education is a phrase
we have not yet realized
Democracy in education means that
kind Of training that shall equip every
human being for life. II means the kind
every one needs farmer, the parson.
the plumber, the banker the congress
man, and the railway section hand,
And we ALL do NOT need a lot Of
Junk that now cutters your courses and
crucihes your pupils towit, namely:
Latin and geometry. These two pillars
Of joachim and Boaz that SO long have
stood at the front of the temple of edu-
cation support nothing, are purely orna-
mental, and the temple would be lighter
if they were removed
What the great American Commons
want to know, what they need and what
they will suffer and possibly perish if
they do not get. is instruction upon such
themes as follow:
How TO be happy How to adjust ones
self to what happens--to events, to other.
people, 10 misfortune to time, to the past,
20 the future.
How 10 get rid of fear and its by
products. which destroy life; the fear Of
success. which is worry, the fear of love.
which is suspicion; and the fear of power
Iiy. which is vugarity.
How TO eat How to transfer ones
pleasures over from the physical to the
intellectual plane How 70 use the sex
instinct so as TO derive the maximum OF
pleasure and the minimum of suffering
from IT, Have YOU any classes in these
| things1
How TO enjoy ones mind. How TO be
alone and happy. How TO escape boredom.
/ How 10 use ones thoughts as instru
ments of contentment and efficiency.
Isn't il better to know such things than
10 know the answer to that hypothenuse
puzzle?
How 10 do ones duty 10 ones self.
How to keep well. to be cheerful, and 70
live full life Also how 20 avoid the dis
eases Of self, such as pride pessmism,
and self-pity How 70 be self-relant, and
10 keep out Of the sloughs of despond.
complaint. and whining Such knowledge
Hould help millionaires as well as pau
lpers.
How to be pleasing to others, m ep-
0earance. in manner. in voice. in al we
10. so that we could live together with
ess friction How 10 get along with rela-
tives. How TO be helpful without med
ling
How to have system so as TO live
smoothly How to love simplicity. How
to avoid the superfuous. How to be
happy as we 20 along, and not forever
postpone JOY.
These things, and not language and
mathematics, are the essentials.
These things which are but side issues
in your institution. ought to be its main
concerns.
These things are wisdom; your readin', f,
ritin' and 'rithmetic are mere knowledge
hence knowledge comes but wisdom
Fingers" in your halls
These things represent the democracy
of education.
Your school is keyed to the exceptional
pupil, it ought TO be keyed to the com
mon, to teach what every human being
Ought 10 know.