New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-03
Other Accustomed Studies
Eliminated in Project
of FleXner.
LABORATORY WORK
PLAYS LARGE PART
Languages Eliminated in Plan
City's Museums. Parks and
Libraries To Be Used.

Formal grammar. dead Languages and
useless instruction in history will be
dropped from the curriculum OF the
public schools X ar experiment rec
commended IN a repor. issued yesterday
by the General Education Board proves
successful.
The experiment is described In re
cent paper by Abraham FleIner. as
sistan: secretary Of the educational
body, and involves use OF the parks,
laboratories. art museums and other
institutions OF the city rather than
books Studies that are added 20 the
curriculum simply because former gen
Grafton. have studied and forgotten
them have no business in the course o.
study Of the modern boy and girl.
according 20 Mr. FleXner
The report is prefseed By &
statement of the General Education
Board that Il does no: Endorse or pro-
rulgate any educational theory, but IS
interested in facilitating the trial Of
promising educational experiments
under proper conditions" Papers on
the matter are issued II says, for crit
icism and suggestions.
Science TO Dominate.
Aside from reading. writing. spell
ing and figuring" Mr.. Flexner writes
the curriculum OF the modern school
would be built out Of actual activities
in science, industry, aesthetics. civics.
The work in science would be The cen
tral and dominating feature.
The curriculum includes nothing for
which an affirmative case csnno, nov
be made out. The modern school would
drop the study OF formal grammar.
Such evidence as ve possess points 20
its futility az an aid TO correct speak
ing and writing.
"A modern school would not 60
through the FORM Of teaching children
useless historic facts just because pre-
yious generations Of children have
learned and forgotten them.
Neither Latin nor Greek would be
contained in tho curriculum, not, Of
course. because their llterstures are
less wonderful than they are reputed
70 be, but because their present posi-
ton IN the curriculum rests upoc ira
dition and assumption. A positive case
can be made out for neither
at is useless 20 inquire whether
knowledge OF Latin and mathematics
IS valuable, because pupils 90 not get
Il: and il is equally beside the mark
20 ask whether the effort 20 obtain this
knowledge is valuable discipline,
-ircc failur. is 50 widespread that the
only habits acquired through falling 20
earn Latin or algebra are habits OF
siipshod work. OF guessing and OF me-
Chanical application Of formula not
themselves understood.
Languages Considered Useless.
Languages have 10 value in them
selves; they exist solely FOR the pur-
pose OF communicating ideas and alb
treviating our thought and action
processes. II studied, they are valuable
only in so far as they are practically
mastered no. otherwise; so a. least
the modern school holds. A school try
iug 70 produce resourcetul. modern
type Of educated man and woman would
provide practical training in one or
more modern languages.
a realistic treatment OF literature
would take hold % the child's normal
and actual interests IN romance. ad-
venture. fact or what not. and endesvor
70 develop them into So effective habits
OF reading as may be. Translations,
adaptations and originals IN the YER
nAcular-old and new-sre al equally
available. They ought 20 be used IN
corventiorslly and resoureefully in or
der that his real interest in books may
be carried ss far and ss high as ls for
him possible: and IN this effort the
method. pursued should be calculated
10 develop his interest and his taste,
not 20 train his mind or 20 make OF
him mske-be.ieve literary scholar.
"A man educated in the modern sense
will forego the somewhs. doubtful!
mental discipline received from lorlhh1
studies; he will be contentedly ignorant
O: things for learning which no better
reason than tradition can be assigned.
Instead. MS education will be obtained
from studies that will serve real pur-
poses. It's content, spirit and aim WI!
be realistic and genuine, not formal
The man educated in the modern sense
will bs trained 20 know, 20 care about
and to understand the world ne ives
in both the physical world and the
social world.
Apparatus Needed.
The inauguration OF the experiment
would be at first seriously hampeTed
because OF the lack Of school parapher-
MALTA adapted 20 its spirit and purposes
I extoooks. spparatu. and methods
would have TO be worked out-con-
trived. tentatively employed, remoc-
elled. tried elsewhere. and so on.
IN the end the implements thus
fashioned would be an important factor
IN assisting the reorganization and re-
Of other schools-schoo!s
that could adopt demonstration, even
though they could rot have made the
original experiment.
FINALLY. the modern school, seeking
rat only 20 train a particular group o.