The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-10
7vo H. S. Added the Armies Of the World

omnis divisa in parties tres" and bv
repeating the formula, THE square
of the hypotenuse of a right-angled
triangle is equal to the sum of the
square of the other two Sides
History and literature won't PRIV I'm
sandstone blocks; and when it comes
I to operating on an oak derrick Latin
is about as effective as spear of
swamp grass.
| Too Far In One Field.
While emphatically expressing
full belief in the supreme value Of
history, Latin. literature and mathe.
mates, and the traditional cultural
subjects, Professor Eastman declared
that we had probably gone too far in
the older education in giving up the
whole field to them. But now that
the reaction has come in favor of
practical vocational studies we are in
great danger Of letting our enthus,
iasm for the practical carry us be-.
yond due bonds. Vocational work to
certain extent in the schools is a
|, glorious thing, but we must not carry
| it too far, or consider it the all-In.
all. In the popular mind there is al.
together a wrong idea Of its purpose
.. Il
eral conviction that the greater rum.
Der of boys and girls who graduate
from the high school never expect
to enter college, but do intend to
take up the practical vocations of
| life. 1t is argued that these have
the same right to a training in the
high school for their direct and prac-
tical life work at the public expense
as the more favored ones who may
complete the cultural courses in tie
college. 1t is argued, for instance,
that If the boy is going 70 be a car.
penter he has right to have the
systematic training in hand craft in
the schools rather than be compelled
to rely upon the more casual train.
ing of ordinary apprenticeship. If
the girl Is going to be home-maker
and home-keeper, she has the right
to systematic course in home eco.
nomics rather than to have to rely
upon the more random and possibly
uns cientiflc methods of home expert
ence.
This" said the speaker, 'as not
the real purpose of vocational work
in the schools. The boy in fact
doesn't make much real progress to
ward the mastery of any trade in the
schools except where the work can
be specially planned to cover con-
siderable length of time in voca-
tional school. But even II he could
get technical mastery of trade in
the ordinary high school, which trade
shall 1t be? Which trade do you
want taught in your school? There
are as many pupils who will go to
college as there are who will take up
any given trade. There are scores
of trades in the average town. all
honorable. Which shall it be? The
carpenters trade? Why rot that of
the blacksmith, or the plumber, OF
the mason? The training in one .dosi
rot directly help in the work of tbs
other. The silver-smith's trade does
not practically help the mason. There
is no magic in the subject Of car
pentery any more than there is in
that Of botany or history or Latin.
II the young carpenter is put in
charge of the stone quarry his for
mulae for mortise and tenon and
mitre and dove-tail will no more help
him in moving the broken derrick
than his rules for the gerundive or
his classification of the orchids. 1t
is a mistake to suppose that voca-
tional work In our schools should be
expected to connect directly with any
particular trade, or profession. The
true purpose of vocational training
N our average school is TO train the
hand as an instrument OF ex-
preston to respond truly to the
mind. Its real purpose is to assure
a physical balance, and cooperation
with the mind.
That wonderful thing that we call
life, and sometimes call the soul, that
charges the whole body, that pulses
in the heart, dances in the eye, that
thrills through the nerves, is SO knit
together with the frame, so closely
clasped with that visible instrument,
the hand, that not the finest edge of
steel can make them twain.
The Mind Reader.
You have perhaps seen the per
tormances of Bishop, who has been
wrongly called a mind.reader. In
reality he is a hand-reader. You
have seen him led to the door of a
steel safe with complicated lock.
You have seen him take the hand OF
another man who concentrates his
attention upon the combination. You
have seen him, blindfolded, lay the
fingers of his other hand upon the
revolving knob. You have seen him
turn the knob this way and that
guided by the involuntary signals OF
mind to finger-tips. You have seen
him thus feel his way with the turn
Ing knob. AS the index passed by
razor's edge beyond the registered
number mental protest quivered
through the fingers. 1t was felt, and
obeyed as prohibition, and the knob
was turned cautiously back along the
line of least resistance. until there
was felt again that fine, nervous OBJ
lection An so to and fro it fol
lowed that involuntary communica'
ton from mind to fingers. and from
fingers to mind. until the tumblers
clicked and the miracle which was
no miracle, was performed.
The hand that is so sensitively
united with the mind, should be
trained to cooperate with It, not for
the sake of such phenomenal per
forrr,ances this and not neces.