Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-06-07
Or. CYRUS ADLER
On Vision In Education

A LTHOUGH II self styled conservative,
"A vision and sympathy with the progrcs.
sive and modern educational viewpoint would
seem to guide the course of DIR. Cyrus Adler;
president of Dropsie College for Hebrew and
Cognate Learning and newly elected mem
ber of the Board of Education.
Goodness" said DR.. Adler. 'should be
the most desired quality in the educated
man or woman. 1t is all very well to be
trained for efficiency but citizen must be
decent and honest, or, better still, honor
able, If he is to be an asset to the COM
To these qualities, of course must be added
effectiveness.
LAS q member of the Board Of Education,
I do not want to uproot things, nor to as
sume that those who have gone before me
knew nothing. | shall cndeavor to learn
from others and to the best of my individual
ability the facts. To my mind one of the
most necessary things to insure accomplish
ment of any desirable end and TO avoid use
less conflict and friction is to have and TO
cultivate understanding.
Education at the present time is enter
ing into one of its most important epochs.
There are many problems to be studied;
many improvements to be made, much that
is intangible to be more definitely fixed.
Higher Education Is Vital
There are many who say that public
money should not be expended for public
school education beyond a common school
or lower grade education. The higher
grades, they believe, may take care of them
selves. or at least that individuals, If they
want higher school or collegiate education,
should pay for it themselves.
'Thc answer to this is that the COM
munty, the State and the Nation, are des-
pcratcy in need of leaders, of those who
can do things that require special equip
ment. In crises such as the war or the
influenza epidemic, it was discovered just
how poignant was this need.
I'VE must have doctors, lawyers. edu-
Gators, engineers, scientific men. II we are
to get them from only those who are able
to pay for such educations we should soon
degenerate into class rule. The State must
therefore, provide literally for something
more than a common school education, be-
cause 1t is vital to its own welfare and
money thus expended is to be regarded as
an Investment and not as an expense.
1T IS not only desirable but necessary
that education of the higher type should be
extended One of the dangers that this
country has run in the past has been the
great number of half baked young men and
women who have been turned loose before
they should have been.
Many of this sort not only can do moth
ing more than bookkeeping, stenograDhy.
carpenter work and the like, but they can
not always do 1t well. Much of the dis
sensiOn and discomfort that often leads TO
dangerous things has been the result Of an
education of this sort.
Cultural Education Important
'On the cultural side 1t is important IL
we are to have scholars, musicians or men
who do big and fine things in any walk of
life, we must have those who appreciate
For every scholar, it has been said there
Is necessary hinterland of 10000 who can
appreciate and understand.
1T is impossible to have all education
uniform. We cannot all be carpenters any
more than we can all be authors or Sci
cntists. At the same time there are many
things that all of us should know in com.
mon. For that reason | believe that up to
a certain point education should be more or
less uniform. After that, however. it must
necessarily diverge. The question il, Wbero9
"0ne of the prime things that must be
considered Is that, after all. education is
meant to enable one to think. One of tho
most necessary things to be developed is
the ability to think through. During the
war the statement was made that at least
- per cent of the men were suffering from
general incptitude.' General Crowder char
acterized it as mental slouchiness. Mental
muscle is. therefore, one of the great needs
Of the day. Memory Is an important factor
which is not TO be confused, however, with
recollection.
This brings up the question of electvo
studies do not believe that students
should be shackled with cast iron cola
TO be worn Unfortunately by every ono.
but do think that on the whole tho o"Oe' Une'
tion OF elective studies is one that has heon
carried too far. Harvard University CO..
instance, which took an extreme position ~, on
that matter, has lately developed a ta,J JI
f;ncy ;nst wS.n 70 reeeSe from it. The question Of
sell or herself what kind Of a carser I'm.
VIII pursue is a variable one. Soma .ney