New-York tribune., 1920-03-01
! ( : S

Perhaps you can answer the chal-
lenge TO american educational insti-
tutions contained in this letter from
Il. G, Wells" writes Floyd Dell. q
can't (neither am able to think of
anything to reply TO the question which
he counters to my We're You Ever a
Child"-'Nere You Ever Parent2'
But that won't embarrass you)."
I'm afraid that by dint of writing
now and again about f. Sd | have
managed to pass myself of as a
chronic parent For ell the assurance
With which have put forth certain
theories on the care and education Of
The young, many of them mere re-
aections Of DelYs book, admit at the
outset no qualification to answer the
challenge of Wells even if were sure
that an answer were possible For all
| know IL. Sd viii grow up to rob a
bank and curse me that he was not
spanked with due moralzing and
ceremony three times week. How
ever, the letter from Wells is as
follows:
Dear Floyd Dell: Yours is a good
wise book-so far But there is a
devil-several devils-of Incidence in
child. Have you ever been parent?
That too is useful
do you know anything of modern
English public schools? How many
Americans do? You know OF Bee
dalc's and Abbotsholm, crank schools,
but you know nothing Of Audle. Have
your ever heard of Audle? Audle has
30 boys (two of mine). No class
teaching practically, boys working in
research groups, big botanical gardens
library, concert hall, picture gallery
big engineering laboratories and a
&ood biological one. Boys encouraged
to read stuff like The Iiberator' and
me. Sex via biology (see Joan and
PeterD. This isn't 1947. This is now.
Wake up Americal"
i ought perhaps to add" writes
Dell in postscript, that the hand
writing of my fellow member of the
advisory council OF the Association
Tor the Advancement of Progressive
Education is peculiar hieroglyphic
which it IS sometimes almost impossible
to decipher. Thus, | am not quite
sure whether he says my book is a
good, wise book or something quite
different. Some Of my friends who
have seen the letter think that he says
1T is "A God-awful book The hiero-
glyphics translterate equally well
either way. But I do not think that
particular descriptive phrase is used
N England Anyway, you can take
your choice
If FLOYD Dell can't think up any
thing to say in defense of American
educational methods Pm sure can't.
1t seems to me that almost without ex-
ception our schools are sdevoted to
that process called large scale pro-
Guction"
4 can tell any graduate of your
school at glance" said a man in my
hearing They all bear your stamp
unmistakably"
And the schoolmaster grinned with
delight.
Practically all our institutions of
learning are finishing schools. We are
told, for instance, that the modern pub
he school aims to turn out 100 per cent
Americans 1t seems to me that 90
or even 81 per cent would be better.
That would leave the child some mar
gin for growth and development based
on actual experience rather than pre-
eept. I'm afraid that the 100 per cent
may represent nothing more than some
thing poured in by the teacher. and l
doubt II many of our educators are
sure enough of eye and hand to stop
exactly at the minute notch marked
100 There is always the danger that