The sun., 1916-08-27

~ HAT the school has a service.
and one Of the highest i'm
p%ortance, to render to society
u obvious the moment W. consider
the nature Of the educative proc
ess. Education. whether II be given
in the homo or In the classroom.
has something to transmit, the
heritage which has been gathered
through ali the past and which 10 held
In trust. SO to speak. by the adult gem
Grafton for the beneft Of the genera
ton which Is to follow. But education
Is also q forward looking and forward
working activity. It has to prepare
the child Of to-day for the work which
awaits manhood tomorrow. With ac-
cumulated experience 4 guide It 10
ciety must provide for Its wi future.
and the provision Is made through the
school and through other agencies
tina, either further or hinder the work
which the schoOr1 Is doing.
Education indeed Is given { the in
dividual. and in the nature Of things
Il must aim primarily at the indi-
vidual's welfare through the develop
ment of his faculties and the enrich
ment Of his mind with knowledge. On
the moral side also It Is the produce
ton Of personality. worthy and strong.
that education should keep In view.
But this does not imply. as has some
times been held. that the individual II
to be educated simply and solely for
himself or MS W advantage. There
Is a certain fascination about such ex-
pressions as acknowledgements" self
fu.flment' and the like. but I have al
ways felt that they could easily be
misunderstood, especially II they were
used to designate the main purpose Of
education. While 1t is doubtless de-
sirable to train youth in independence
OF thought and in self-reltance, Il
would be plainly a mistake to make
them ~self-centred. and II the school
were to accomplish this latter result
It would defeat tho very purpose for
which It exists. since 1t would raise
tho individual above any considera-
ton. other than his " interest and
eventually free him from all obliga-
ton that was not sclf-imposed.
The school. then. in Its work Of
transmission and preparation encoun-
tiers this problem: How shall We bring
out the best that is in the pupil and
make that best OF highest avail in the
service OF society? The problem sug-
gcsts perhaps its own solution. for II
We can reach o common understand
ing and at the same time a correct
idea OF the SERVICE which every ed
ucated person owes to the community
we shall have clearly before u the
object for which we are to strive and
q criterion by which to estimate tho
various reasons that are offered for It's
attainment. Indeed. II may be said
that our difficulties and our disagree
ments In educational matters generally
are due In no small measure to the fact
that we do not give sufficient consider
alton to the question. What Is educa-
- ton for? In the ceaseless discussion
OF details we are apt to lose sight OF
the main thing and 50 to get out of
perspective. There Ii Of course still
greater danger In the tendency to re-
gard education as an end IN itself, a.
though ability and knowledge would
infallibly secure for their possessor
everything else worth having. 1t II.
however. tho direct and immediate
business of the school to educate. and
the way IN which It attends to thb
business u the hrst measure Of IT.
service to society.
A good many people are Just now
asking whether the school gives its pu-
pills an education. whether II teaches
them to Think and hts them for the
practical duties Of life Some critics
no doubt are inclined to e%xaggerats
defects, while others possibly demand
too much. But at any rate the public
has . right to know what return It y
getting ON it, rather large Investment