The sun., 1918-11-10

CCHoOLS OF the next thirty years
- will be vastly different from those
Of to-day. especially as they relate
TO the education of children between
aud Q and Of youths between ~ and 90
This was the conclusion at the first
meeting of the year OF tie Scnooimasters
Association of New York and Vicinity,
held on Friday evening. october rs, at
tho Columbia University Club. Under
the leadership Of Prof. Snedden/ OF
Teachers College and DR.. Slosson. editor
of the Independent, some fifty of the
leaders of secondary education In this
community spent perhaps the most In
teresting evening in several years of the
programmes of this orga nization. The
whole series OF monthly dinners this
year will be devoted to various aspects
of the general subject of SCHOOLS OF
Tomorrow" 1t Is probable that with
this topic the ensuing evenings will have
marked effect upon American educa-
ton.
Or. Eugene c. Alder. principal Of the
Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn, is the
new president of the Schoolmasters In
his inaugural address he emphasized
that the problems of to-day have their
bearing chiefly on those of tomorrow.
1T Is for this reason, he asserted. that
the executive committee of the organiza-
ion had determined that the only JUS
tification of the gatherings of this year
would be an interchange of ideas upon
the most pressing difficulties OF educa-
ton to-day.
DR.. Slosson, taking history as his
starting point, declared that even to-day
the usual study of this subject always has
gap in what is actually the most i'm
portant period. viz. that of the last
twenty years. He pointed out that a long
while ago writer's Of geography had
learned that the way to interest pupils
in this vast subject is to start not with
the conception of the world as a whole
but with the schoolhouse itself. then the
town. the county. the State, the country
and the continent. Historians. however,
seem to lose sight of the fact that the
contemporary movements are those most
familiar and most interesting as well as
most in need of study, and that they
should be the starting point. Proba bly,
after this war the chronological method
will not be so firmly entrenched, par
ticularly in view Of the fact that through
out our colleges now the S. A. T. C. is
experiencing the live point OF view
toward history through a compulsory
course upon the issues of the war
DR.. Slosson also predicted that there
will be vastly broader study of science
than at present and that this also will
start from common phenomena. The
general science course now usually
given in the first year OF high school
IL an indication of this tendency. So
far have the English neglected science
that lack of scientific information in
high places probably prolonged the war
year or more. This fact Is clear
from the failure for several years to
prohibit the Germans from securing fat
1t was apparently not realized that
from this comes the glycerine essential
in explosives. Even after the stopping
of animal fats as such they permitted
soap fat TO enter.
The study OF our social structure. DR..
Slosson feels SUE will also become far
more pertinent. By failure to under
stand the various elements which go to
make up our melting pot we have lost
great opportunities. AS matter Of
fact most of the nationalistic move
ments now developing In Europe have
been fostered chiefly with American
money. and had we been at pains as A
nat ton to understand them we could
have the advantage OF their enthusiast
tic friendship. Finland is case In
point. where we have lost hold with
both the Reds and Whites through our
neglect of the Firms In this country.
We are not alone in this ignorance.
France herself knew so little OF the
tendencies in the Ukraine that she pro-
vided money to the Ukrainians Just be-
fore they went over to Germany.
In the teaching OF modern languages
there will also he a vast difference in
method and in content The truth Is
contemporary languages are simply not
understood here except by the rare few
who are highly trained. The proof OF
this lies in the fact that when the
American Army first went to France
telephone girls who could be immedi-
ately useful. Right now the work Of
the censorship office Is being hampered
by the lack OF those who understand
Portuguese. The Intelligence Depart
ment of the army Is experiencing the
greatest difficulty In finding a group OF
men of unquestionable loyalty who thor
oughly understand German.
The spoken language will undoubtedly
he the goal OF all modern language
teaching from this point. Already some
schools are beginning to teach French
throughout, probably so per cent. more
French than any other modern Ian
Euage. Emphasis, however. will also
be laid upon German, italian, Spanish
and Russian. The German will soon
come /, its own because II through
Welding absolutely to the terms of the
Allies the German people are given a
chance for intercourse with the world
we shall want to know their language
Il. on the other hand. they continue our
enemies we shall need to know IT, It
is significant that the University OF
Edinburgh has within the year estab-
lshed a chair in German
A distinguished Russian recently ar
rived in this country begged that at
once there should be despatched to his
people fifty experts who could interpret
TO the Russians what in this country
democracy actually means. This is an
order which II has been found impossI-
HE to fill because OF our complete igno-
rance not only of the Russian people
themselves but of their language.
IL is certain. furthermore. that the
study OF modern languages hereafter
will assume for qualified students the
only form which Is practicable for the
mastery of the language, viz: the op-
portunity to study in the country itself
The happy custom OF exchange pro-
fessorshps. instituted before the war.
is even now being broadened and
strengthened through exchange of schol-
arships.
Education in all It's phases, DR.. Slos-
son concluded. would almost at once
start from the modern point OF view.
The boys and girls will start from the
things which they see about them and
which they read about and hear about,
and work back to the history and the
causes
Prof Snedden remarked, IN open-