The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-05-19
EDUCATIONAL.

the most important things are being
left unsaid and undone. AS an organ
lied body we do little more than to
scratch the surface of things. We de
mand deficiency" but it is the eff
cheney of the artisan without the soul
of the artist BY our theories we carve
a beautiful statue but we fail to infuse
life into it. We grow eloquent over
scientific methods, scientific tests"
measurements" Scales" surveys"
and other mechanical devices as the
hope of the world and the salvation OF
the schools We are saying, woe to the
group of little souls that fall short of
our tests" Scales" and Surveys"
and woe to the teacher who has not
taken their mental length, breadth and
depth, or who has failed to "evaluate'
and report his scientific findings to his
fellows. BY these signs, symbols and
tokens the teacher is supposed to know
what sort of pedagogical reagent to
use to get a specific mental preciptate.
But, alas he is soon to learn that the
reagent does not always preciptate,
and that when it so happens that it
does, the compound formed is not al
wavs the same. If we are not too dull,
we find out that the elements of matter
are not the same as the elements of the
soul
We are fooling ourselves The human
soul is not to be analysed, precipitated,
tested, scaled and evaluated by such
Oh, yes, these things have
some value, but they are mere unde-
pendabIe devices and must be used with
care if at all Out upon artificial meth
DDS, these bats and owls that shun the
light of the human soul, which is the
real luminary of the schoolroom. What
were the methods of the great philoso-
piers, prophets, and of Christ? BY
what SCALES" "tests," or other trickery
did they "evaluate:" They kindled
fire and men came to it to warm and
to illumine their souls.
"If be lifted up" said the Match
less Teacher, 81 will draw all men unto
me-"
The soul of the teacher must he
lifted above the many fads and catch
penny devices that now atflict our pro
fession. wouldn't give one warm. in
telligent, teaching-impulse of a big
souled teacher, which goes out to q
group of waiting, receptive minds, for
all the mechanical devices, and all
dollar-efficiency tools ever in
vented. The mind is the measure of
the teacher, and the breadth, depth
and purity of the motive give the re-
suit.
The recent world cataclysm and the
present despair of civilization have
come hot upon the heels of the most
practical" age and practical meth
IDS of teaching known in history. The
world intoxicated with materialism has
'un amuck socially, politically and re
igiously. 1t is no longer question of
TO be or not to be, but to shine or not
20 shine, to acquire wealth, to hold OF
ice, to make religion a thing practical
md serviceable in business. Like swal-
ows we skim the peaceful depths, tip
ping our bcaks for few drops to sat
sfy our physical needs, In spring dra-
mas, wholesome and instructive, have
given place to dirty vaudeville, Sala-
cious picture shows and jazz, and, |
fear we are about to jazz our school
methods.
For fifty years a growing emphasis
has been put upon practical teaching
that would secure practical results Our
scheme has been to make men efficient
in money getting, give them power to
lead men, no matter where or in what
so they are man-wise, world-wlse and
wire-wise. On the crest of this wave
of materialism, came the greatest cata-
clysm of war in human history, time
follows when men are running to and
fro and empires are lettering upon
their unstable foundations. Social and
political unrest seethes in every land,
theft, robbery, murder and every man
ner of crime stalk menacingly every
where.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget, lest we forget"
Don't shake your fists at me and cry
"shamer' my fellow teachers, | am not
done yet bid you God-speed in your
well-meaning, scientific methods, all of
which will doubtless accomplish some
thing practical" but warn you
against your efforts to measure the
processes of the human mind, and defy
you properly to "eyaluate," or to give
the accurate mental dimensions to even
an idiot
Our big problem is what can we do
to get the world back nearer its center
of gravity, to anchor it closer to the
best traditions of culture and charac-
ter. The most sublimely practical
thing in the world is a character
twenty-four carat fine, a mind trained
to the appreciation of the best litera-
turc and philosophy, and soul made
divine by its zeal to serve others. In