New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1919-03-18
HEALTH ESSENTIAL
in ALL SCHOOLS
Progressive Education Depends
on Pupils Physical Condition

About AN months ago, G. Bernard
Shaw said: II thank my stars that
as the German system of education
differs from ours only in being more
thoroughly carried out, and much
more seriously believed In, we may
win the war by virtue of being less
educated than our chief antagonist"
The crushing disasters that have
hefallen the Central Powers strong
hold of the fetish System in
cidentally the land of child suicide
make the brilliant Irishman's para
doX less startling today, than it was
when spoken. And did it take tho
collapse of Germany to make us
tyrannized over by the laws of for
nal procedure, especially in relation
to our school system?
American parents have never been
wholly receptive to the tedious class
room grind, the long hours devoted
to homo work. examining for exam
nations, and our underpaid teach
ers: but we We're a bit cowed by re-
ports of the excellence achieved in
Germany by these things, and we
assented to them against our better
Judgment.
The sporadic questioning in various
parts of the country as to the bene-
fits of these methods has finally be-
come focused in The Associa ton
for the Advancement of Progressive
Education" of which Doctor Charles
w. Eliot president emeritus of Har-
ward, is honorary president. The
movement for progressive schools
throughout the country could have
no better sponsor than Doctor Eliot,
SO long and brilliantly identified with
formal education. now in the past
two years, coming out for sweeping
reforms. He declares himself in COM
plete sympathy with the organization
whose plans have been worked out
by a small group of men and women
in Washington and Baltimore, par
ents, progressive teachers and lovers
of youth, who believe that no amount
OF information or mental discipline
can atone for a cramped soul Pro-
gressjve education. they say, implies
the freest and fullest development of
the individual. based upon the scien-
tific study of his physical, mental,
spiritual and social needs.
The affairs of the association are
in the hands of an executive COM
mittee of about fifteen. a majority Of
whom are resident in Washington, or
near enough to attend meetings there,
since the headquarters are to be. quite
properly, in the nations capital.
The advisory council contains
seventy-five to a hundred names of
men and women identified with
progress in one line or another, and
all agreed upon the crying need of
fundamental changes in educational
methods.
Local sections are to be established
wherever a sufficient number Of
people in a community indicate their
desire to cooperate with the asso-
citation and to avail themselves of the
aid which it offers to those who wish
to establish progressive schools or to
gain a better understanding of the
methods used. Baltimore, Philadel-
pnia. and Boston are ready to take
up the work at once.
Much interest has been shown in
the formation of this association by
progressive educators and laymen in
terested in education. all over the
country. DR.. Ernest G. Moore, presi-
dent of the Los Angeles State Normal
school, says of the association: 1T
has long been needed, and I hope
that it Will become a great and pow
erful agency for making education
what it should be in these United
States. l am glad DR.. Eliot is to be
president; he is a, leader about whom
all should rally"
Some of tho aims of this asso-
citation are: To act as an exchange
bureau for progressive education, to
give advice to parents. to establish
means for training teachers in the
principles and methods of progressive
education.
One of the first considerations Of
progressive education is the health Of
the pupils. The action Of the human
machine is found TO be startlingly
direct And when the early Christian
spoke of the body as the temple OF
the Holy Spirit he was merely fore.
.+oIjoey ,,,cdcr10 soicnra thp ire.