New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-21
A SANE METHOD OF EDUCATION
THAT DEVELOPS THE CHILD NAT
URALLY AND EFFICIENTLY

up. The boy stays, but he feels he has thrown
away his chance in life.
"A practical education does not mean life
in a sweatshop. 1t means clear. keen-cut
solution Of .o-day's problems az against AZ
indefinite haphazard fumbling 40 them. b.
which child is intellectually tagged out
through the tyranny Of rule and rote".
The result was that in this school thew
had taken the old and united il with the new.
They had advanced and had learned to de.
velop along lines suited 70 their surround
ings, to children and to the communities n
which they lived. 1t was noteworthy achieve
ment, this blending Of the old ard the new.
"a child may DO an arithmetic lesson" Mr..
Patri continued, land he may DO harder ex-
amples each day and master them But il he
has TO chance at self-development and self.
understanding he becomes q mere machine,
such as produced by the German methods OF
education, which once We so much admired and
Of which we now see the disastrous results"
What do you consider tie fundamental
things in school lie which viii enable tia
child to grow" asked.
Zone basic thing is dramatcs" he answered.
"Not dramatics In the accepted school sense
however. We must not say 10 a child. Nov
move your arm this way and repeat after
me in this tone Of voice the following words
but we must teach him 70 interpret ideas wiki
his body, his voice, as he understands them.
II will teach him to think clearly, and he Will
appreciate the true value OF words in relation
to education. Il will give him a love o.
good books.
"And work is basic force" he went or
"All must work whether il Is cleaning, sweep.
ing, writing or working with tools For work
must have a relationship to things, and when
you have that you have a job done with serv.
ice back Of it,"
| heard the children shouting In front OF
the school. Il was recess time for many Of
them. Mr. Patri looked out Of the window
play is another factor" he said "Plav
makes the body beautiful. The mind RESPONDS
and through physical effort in the gymnasium
and from games children get healthier view
Of life. They are moro fitted TO De better
men and women.
and, lastly, they must hays leisure-tima
for them to think-when they will not be sub.
jected to interruptions, and when they can
reflect upon what they have learned and OBJ.
served, SO they will not be attacked by mental
Indigestion. We need SHOPS and Wa need tools
so they can create. We need 20 make tho
child honest with relation to IDEAS, 10 feel
that his work is not only means OF self
expression, and later self-sUppcft, but OF yaluo
TO other people. In that way he becomes a
liner citizen-for the nation IS made up OF
individual c.tizons"
DO you believe In war;" 7 interrupted.
do you believe in fitting children for future
wars"
knew my own answer to the question,
knew the answer Oh the nation as a whole, bug
| wanted tho answer Of this man, who has
had so much 10 do with children, ~ whom
children arc the most beautiful realities Of
life.
Il believe in this war" no said, "tor the
sake Of democracy. | believe in war - there
is oppression. But by making better men
and women there will be no future wars-that
is, if we will teach children the value OF
honest work and uproot the hal.owness OF
the pretence that there must be such things
as either individual or national superiority"
And so these children in Public School a
are being trained practically to 90 their
share 20 make America a nation Of people
not only conceived IN liberty. but people
whose light Of liberty will spread far oye~
the world