The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-02

any character you please through edu-
cation. and cited the Spartan system In
support of II.
Standing on the threshold Of a new
year. and looking out upon the field
of education with all its manifold and
splendid activities and enterprises. I do
not know any other message that Is
as timely or so freighted with good po-
tencies as this one that comes ringing
down the grooves OF time from almost
a century ago.
To the thoughtful and experienced
educator to-day there are two things
that tower like commanding mountain
peaks above all the mass OF educational
history and conditions and facts.
First. the ogress n achievements
In the field of education. so vast that
to the toilers in this field in 1876 they
would have seemed incredible, like idle
tales" As We look back we see that
the great gulf. then seemingly impass-
able. has been crossed. Horace Mann.
standing in tn" dark and chill at the
dawn Of educational interest and prog
ress. is truly n voice crying In the will
d%erncss. and how pathetic ls this noble
figure. in spite Of all its grandeur. AZ
We look upon him spending his life
and expanding three fortunes to improve
the educational system OF his grand
old Commonwealth of Massachusetts {.
And how perfectly his faith and his
suffcrlngs complete his apostolic char
ac,er.
So. as we come sweeping up out Of
the past centuries in the march Of edu-
cational progress and activities. and
catch the first rays OF the rising sun
NJ a new year. the vastness and the
splcndor of educational achievements
constitute one of the great outstanding
facts
Aud yet the glory Of educational his
tory and of the promise OF the future
are not altogether undi mined. For when
We go thoughtfully into the past or look
closely into the present We are all too
painfully aware that this splendid prog
reSs and these we'll nigh incredible
achievements In education have not been
along all lines ar part" OF mans ma
ture and interests. Some fundamentals
show all the more in the almost dazzling
light of general educational interest and
progress, the indifference and even the
ncglCr' they have suffered. Speaking
briefly and gcncrically for the limits OF
this article. we must have borne In
upon us that the balance in our present
educational system is not maintained be-
tween obstruction and development,
there being what mounts to indlffer-
enCc aud even neglect Of the latter In
comparison with the former. May |
dispose of this general proposition by
citing a we'll worn phrase, educated
fOOlS"H
But to be specific, under this rropo-
! sltion Of the ncglec, Of some of the
fundamentals in our present educational
system, need only say that with
All our boosted and actua progress and
achievements in education in the past
century we have, in some Of the most
important things. gone not very fdr,
since Fisk made the claim in his intro
ductory address that W. could give 10
the youth Of IA nation any character We
please by education. To show that ""
have not attained this great end of cdu-
cation, ! need only cite two facts. First,
no one will contend that we have given
the youth OF our nation any character
we pleased. Behold the great army ~
youth as II passes forth to the battle
Of life from the schools OF our and
and tell me II they have been given
duly the character element In their
equipment.
ON the other hand. go into our schools
and look through our Curricula and lis
ten to the recitations and the lectures
and behold the disposition at the time
and the attention of the faculty and
the students. and then tell me how
large "A place has character held. Com
trast what IL given To instruction and
development with what is given TO
knowledge and to character. Therefore
my New Years message as an educator
Is the importance of maintaining the
balance between instruction and devnl-
opment in our educational system and In
our graduates. our youth, between knowl
edge and character. OR, putting my
message in Emcrson's words, ] would
say What We do not call education
is more precious than what we call so"