The sun., 1919-08-03

InlS reason was as genuine as the hrSt
and well founded. All training OF the
human being must begin in the. home,
and then be continued in home and
school and church together. When
Europe sent millions Of its people to
our shores it was seen that; the State
school would be potent force IN mold
ing the children OF these Immigrants
into the American form. 1t was at first
supposed that the assimilation of
these foreigners would be a tremen-
dous and critical task for the republic.
1t has not so proved. The school sys-
TEN absorbed the, children without
difficulty, and the other gracious infiu-
ences of American life, plenty Of work,
fair wages, freedom and opportunity,
have made assimilation up to-this mo-
ment an interesting but not difficult
problem.
The fourth factor in making the
State pedagogue was the opportunity
which a wealthy State system gave the
theorists to carry out their dreams. A
study of the State school In the popu-
lous districts will show with what
success these people worked. In
sparsely settled regions they have not
labored, although not without some in
fiuence there. Their theories were
concerned with everything connected
with schools, and their principal theory
was borrowed from Socialism,: That
the State should do all for the child and
the parent nothing. Hence the various
schemes to provide the children with
free lunches, toothbrushes, spectacles.
clothing, artificial teeth and so on down
a long list; next the rise to higher
things by providing restaurants, dem
lists, oculists and the like; finally the
advocacy of military training for the
boys, of cooking for the girls, OF man.
ual training for both, and the intro
duction of An army Of soldiers, cooks
and athletes, with their paraphernalia-
Socialism itself could do no more. Had
not common sense and the expense in
terfered, the American child would
have become a martyr to educational
schemes and his teacher doiorous
victim of the theorists. On the whole,
the American school system. while
topheayy with unnecessary studies
and undernocratic colleges and univer-
sites. has done we'll It's striking
merit is that society never before made
50 splendid an effort in behalf OF pop
ular education. Out Of it should nor
nally develop noble system for the
real training of the children, freer from
the theorists, better adapted to the
popular needs and purged OF the stin-
necked bureaucracy.
From this brief review OF the state
educational system and the factors
which helped to turn the State into
pedagogue, ii is easy to see why ana
how the study, Of hygiene got Is place
in the curriculum. Health Is price
less asset of life and the only asset
which the democracy may be said 10
possess. The culture idea of Emerson
and Horace Mann never received any
respect and support from the multi
tude, and has long been relegated to
the school garnet For the poor, life
has lust two things worth while--get-
ting a living and keeping in health 10
genuine educators 1t has always
seemed absurd to spend millions on
teaching the olOOieS to the poor De-
fore they have learned how to; get
living and how to preserve their
health, It, was not difficult for per-
sonal hygiene to get strong footing
in the educational system, hence the
growth of gymnasiums and text books
en- physiology. Strictly speaking.
hygiene has no more right to q place
m the school curriculum than cooking
or manual training; but the democracy
wanted It instead OF the culture. idea,
it Is now strongly intrehched. and We
have here. to. discuss only .the reason
for its presence and the best uses Of it.
IT Is wen to bear in rnfid how strong
a hold the science and the art Of hy-
giene have upon society at the present
moment The pair are but little
more than half century cid, yet in
Vulnerable scholars devote their lives
to the science, physicians to the art
and, millions to the: practice Of per-
sorial hygiene Splendid books. have
been written about all its divisions,
personal. civic, racial. Its wonderful
dchievemepts have won the praise Of
mankind, as its alterations have be-
gun to excite alarm. The study Of
foods is reported in the daily papers.
Cniversities make experiments in
feeding for the benefit OF mankind.
Some restaurants print on their menu