The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1916-09-28
THE ONLOOKER>
Word Sketches of Topical Events
By "Ham'

emily word with narrow meaning.
1t admits of no expansion. In the
small sense of the word it is confined
to certain geographical limits. 1t has
been the cause of war from time
immemorial. Any appeal to patriot
ism sets into motion one of the most
primitive instincts of man. This feel
ing is the love of possession. In the
narrow sense of the word, patriotism
carries itself constantly with chip on
its shoulder-at the slightest move
ment of the chip, engineered by poll
teal or commercial, religious or i'm
perialistlc motives, as the case may be.
patriotism sounds the tocsin of war.
For centuries patriotism Las been
the right hand of despotism pro-
badly more appeals have been made to
its tremendous power to satisfy greed
than to it's power to satisfy honor.
Surely there is a liner, a nobler
patriotism than that confined within
the limits of geographical plane.
The greatest Apostle of Peace brought
us message two thousand years ago
that defines true patriotism-the pat
riotism that is broader than acres or
miles, the patriotism that is not of the
'holier than thou variety the world is
indulging in at present.
The time is rapidly approaching
when the people of all nations will
more closely analyze the cause of an
appeal to patriotism, and in time will
discover it's broader meaning, i. e. that
true patriotism is not a matter of
tongue nor climate nor borders, but
embraces the entire brotherhood of
man.
The writer of an important arti.
Gle along educational-reform lines. in a
recent issue of a popular monthly
magazine, gives great prominence to a
pertinent query addressed to the
general public. The author, in COM
mon with many students of educa-
tional reform, seriously questions the
value Of many studies at present taught
in our public schools. He asks the
reader How much do you remember
about acknowledgements Proper
tion--Progression-UnrealF Fractions
The Adverbial Objective Ger
und, etc?
Well, in so far as the Onlooker is
concerned, land his case is probably
typical of the men who have received
preparatory schooling as supplied by
the public school system), it may truth
fully be said that while a dim recol-
lection exists of bygone days of strug-
gle with higher mathematics and the
intricacies of grammar, twenty years
of education in the school of life,
where only useable knowledge brings
results in negotiable paper, has forced
into the discard the things learned in
school for which no market exists in
a world of business.
The article referred to above quot
es ex-President Elliot, of Harvard, as
stating that the present school system
is relic of slower age and not ad-
apted to the present day. The mag
azine writer refers to the fact that
only an extremely small number of pu-
pills make practical use of a consider
able part of what they learned in
school, He claims that the European
schools graduate their students quicker
and more efficiently than is possible
with our cumbersome and out of-date
method of learning things for which
we will not find use.
No one doubts but that the school
system needs recognizing from be-
ginning to end. The average age of
man is but forty-fve. The average
child begins to go to school at the age
of six. He enters high school at about
fourteen. If he remains there for
three years and then attends college
for four years be will have spent fif-
teen years getting ready for prof
essiOn-just preparatory work! If he