New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-18
Youth and Learning

The chief aim of education has long
seemed to be to keep the youthful mind lar
removed from the practical during the
wears of adolescence Learning has fol-
lowed the Indian method of attacking us
victim from behind tree. 1t has been as
reluctant to come out into the open ana
face facts as if, in the bottom OF ITS heart'
il half doubted whether it was really learn
ing, after all, or only pale spectre that
the sunlight might dispel.
Accordingly, it is a grateful surprise TO
find that an eighth grade grammar school
class in Princeton, New Jersey, is learn
ing hygiene by a new method called the
ease system. Instead of parrotlng over
the number and names of the bones OF
the human BODY the boys and girls are
taught what to do in actual, human emer-
gencies-a measure to make the ancient
shirt of education turn over in the grave
which we hope it soon will fill The Prince
ten Youngsters may not be able to outline
the lymphatic system IN detail, out they
play hygiene games in which they resusci-
tate the drowning, revive the fainting, re-
move fish bones from windpipes and deal
with the simpler of life's common ills.
A bright-eyed, alert and sef-important
lot these BOYS and girls of the case sys-
tenn" at Princeton can hardly be driven
from the classroom when their hygiene
classes are over. The rare appeal to their
everyday intelligence has fascinated them
Tho eternal curtain that shrouded the mys-
terv of education in our own youth mas
heon lifted for them a little. They see the
good of it all. E..
No "whys" as to education were permit
ted in our own schooldays. We learned the
lvmphatic system in detail, even to the
definition Of such terms as the lntraelaVlc-
Mar and the supratrochlear vessels ana
GLANDS; YET we had no more practlcal no
tion of the meaning of lymph than OF
nvmph. if half so much. We counted over
the homes of the body with sense OF
deadly and unacceptable boredom, grateful
that there were not 200 more. We knew
the names of every county of each state
IN the Union and the niclnames OF our
Presidents. We diagrammed. We were able
tn give the botanical names Of 100 plant
families without pausing for breath.
It was our penalty for being young, we
felt. and we accepted it without protest.
treasuring away in our own hearts the
valued bits of real knowledge we owned
AS for botany, we knew where to find the
first anemones, and we could distinguish
between red fir and white because the one
made better whistles than the other. AS
for geography, the high mountains OF our
seaport town fell away, and the earth I'M
folded itself before US, in the stories OF an
old whaling captain of the place. In n.y.
giene. however, we were less fortunate;
M one ever humanized it or dramatized 1t
for us. We thought to the end that 1t had
been created solely for our discipline.
We wish that more schools might adopt
the cease system" or similar one, rely
ing more upon the reasoning than upon
the photographic properties Of the youth
full mind. To Harry w. Haight, Of Prince
ton. who originated the new method, we
offer our gratitude and our congratula-
tons. It would almost appear that ne
must have been young himself once, and
that is compliment one can pay lew
educators.