Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-01
NEW LIFE FOR SCHOOLS
Or. Finegan Means to Make Them Fit
the Needs Of the state Better
Than at Present
BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN

"A affairs of the state is impending. Two
| bills passed by the last Legislature are
among the indications. More than this the
| new chief executive officer of the state
Board of Educaton DR.. Thomas Edward
| Fincgnn, is pcrfccting plans with this end
| in view.
Under the long regime of the late DR..
| \. &. Srhncif"r. state superintendent of
| public instruction. number of barnacles
| attached themselves to the system. In some
| respects also Doctor Srhapffcr's methods
| were old fashioned.
The department at Harrisburg was lat
| tcrly charged with being an institution for
| pensioners. In its personnel were men who
had outivcd their usefulness. Doctor
Schacffcr was IA kindly soul and had hesi
| fancy about replacing with younger men old
| rctancrs who had devoted the best years of
! their life to school work As result and
| | do not say it unkindly. for | knew Doctor
Schncffcr personally for quarter of II cen
| tury, there was a ''dry as dust" atmosphere
cnycloping the Department of instruction.
| What il needed was rcjuvcnation. Some
! were unkind enough to say revolution, No
| Governor. however. indicated any disposi
tion to replace Doctor Sclacffer. The death
of the venerable, we'll beloved educator
! solved tn" pcrplcXing problem.
| A TALL. man generously built. with pre-
"a maturcIy white hair. iron gray mus
! tnchc and kindly blue gray eyes that looked
! through rimlcss Spcctarles. greeted me as 7
| entered tho Office of the new superintendent
| of publ" instruction: an impressive man
! in who's" manner there was not only cor
! diaity but sincerity
| \ gentleman whose full rounded features
! indicating abounding health. also denoted
not rs markedly. however. as his name the
| tact that his ancestry goes back TO "thc
| little grccn isle. Such man is DR..
| Thomas Edward Fincgan. late assistant
| commissioner of education for New York.
now superintendent of public instruction for
| Pennsylvania. He has an impressive indi
| viduality. He imprcssrs you first with his
commanding presence and geniality. and as
| you talk with him he impresses you with
the clarity of his views as to the task he
| has undertaken.
1t was daring thing for Governor Sproul
| to go outside the state in the selection of Il
| man to Till the position of superintendent of
| public Instruction. But it accomplished one
! thing besides securing the services of Il great
| educator: it lCvClcd at one blow all petty
| Jealousy that otherwise would have arisen
| over the appointment of a Pennsylvania
| man. Doctor Finegan is particularly
| pleased over his hearty reception from the
! educators of the state. He describes it as
spontaneous, sincere and unreSerycd
There will be an ovrrturning of method
and tn" introduction of new blood in the
personnel of the department. There will be
nothing drastically or hastily done. Ample
| opportunity will be afforded every one d.
rcrtly in touch with the department to
! align himself to the changing conditions.
One paramount idea of Doctor Finegan
| is, as far as possible. to adjust the public
/ school system to the demands of the indus
| trial conditions that play such a compre-
| hcnsvc part in the life of the state
Under the existing system a child in the
" public school is permitted to 60 through
| various grades before any. distinct trend is
| given to his studies. Even then the course
! pursued in strictly agricultural community
| is. with few minor variants. the same as
| that followed in Il mill district or manufac-
| turing center. 1t is Doctor aFincgan's idea
| to difIcrcntiate. as gather il. in the courses
! of study ms adapted to the great fields of
human endeavor. There has been too much
of II tendency to generalization. If boy or
! girl resides in an industrial community with
| the Indications that his future will be spent
| in that or similar environments then his
! course of study should be shaped with that
| prospect in view.
And this particular trend should not be
delayed until the pupil reaches an ntprme-
dat" or higher grade. There is no reason.
! Doctor Finegan believes. why a special
| turn should not be impaired in the primary
pcriod of thc child's instruction In nthnr
words. the function of a public school as
visualizcd by the new SUPERINTENDENT is NOT
/ merely to give the pupil a grounding in the
| three RS. but TO shape practical education
with the purpose adequately of arming him
to fight his battles along certain lines
| While Doctor Fincgan did not express
any direct view on the subject. 7 infer that
the two great fields in which the prosnoctive
changes in our educational system are to be
como effective will be industrial and oiqri! !
cultural, 1t is also the Durpose Of tbe
doctor to build m m organization that will
p,ucc thc nublic school system NOT only on n
nor, with other great states. but in advance
of them.
To accomplish this hi. assistants will he
men, with brood outIook on life. vida
| exucripncc of thc world and of mon Tbey