The Washington herald., 1921-10-09
Educational Research.

~ try no other has equal interest and equal
= = value with that in education. There is no
possible excuse for any city having back number
schools, this whole educational research for that
is what it is, centers around and concerns the pub
lie schools Very much remains to be done; but
enough has already passed the stage of experiment.
that poor schools, or any but excellent school
system be charged only to ignorance, where
there should be intelligence, among those in author
ity, what is worse the stubbornness of sef-suf-
hcient complacency.
There are now cities, a considerable number of
thenl where complete courses of study, thorousblv
correlated, carefully adapted to local conditions and
the JOINT work Of those familiar with each grade
are operation tried out and found practical There
are individual model grade schools and ,hgh schools
which are experimental laboratories and whose re-
suits are free to all city superintendents For sew
era years this experimentation has been carried on
until It is now practical in any city to organize
complete and harmonious system, and this is the
next step which is quite generally under way
The Lincoln School of Columbia University
Teachers College, is one of the individual labora-
tories 1t has this, its fifth year. an enrolment of
24o for the twelve grades through high school.
Ihis is Just twenty pupils in grade There are
thHty-eIght teachers. The pupils are of many ma
onalities and Of all social classes bat the teachers
methods and theories. They are working out and
applying what amounts to complete system.
They are observed and criticised and observe and
criticise each other, is welded to an opinion
nor fixed in belief
In descriptive article on this school are found
number of interesting statements Geography, his
tory and civics taugh together as but aspects
OF the same study. Here The Herald feels indorsed
only we would now add and the day is near when
this school will add, economics as equally related
to these three subjects and equally an indstineusb
able part of them. There is distinction made be-
tween vocational training and manual training. The
ttormer IS tabooed and the latter emphasized
Again. We are indorsed.
- vocational work as such does not belong in the
pnbhc school, Children should not be trained for
any distinct vocation, trade or speciality But thew
Should be trained to think through, with. and bv
their hands. Manual work should be used .s :.
demonstration inseparable from class work. In this
way the child can readily adapt himself to anv
chosen vocation; he will be led to find himself and
later will place himself in the vocation for which
he has fitness, talent and so liking. School age is
not mature enough for the final selection of 4
specific vocation and distinctly vocational training
is narrowing as applied to the young
Another thing which is emphasized is art. Once
more We are in agreement. In fact the predomi-
nance gwen to art IS pointed to as "the princnaI
difference between its curriculum and that of other
schools But 1t is not there are cities where
this same distinction is given to art as this article
says OF the Lincoln School, mot to produce art
artists cannot be made by hand-but as necessary
part OF the education of people who are going to
appreciate and understand art and know the nI,c.
OF art as part of life"
We would go further than this in that art has
its distinctly utilitarian value 1t belongs everv
where, in every study, in every vocation not alone
as cultural element increasing and broadening I'm
derstanding and enjoyment but also increasing
earning value. There is not vocation in which
art is not material factor of value There is MT
an article in which art does not express both in
creased value and enjoyment with added selling
price The worker in any vocation who is canab-r
OF expressing art in his product has distinct ad
vantage over the one who is not Whether this is
in digging ditch or fashionng gown. making
tool or piece of furniture, it is equally true
Art, music, manual training cannot be ov.r-.r,-
-phaszed IN the Schools sit is through them, most
OF all, that there comes that mental unity that CO.
ordination, that all-round development which
teaches the child where to find what he wants IN
know, how to dig it out and what to do with il
after he has it.. They also teach comparativ.
values, how to estimate and distinguish these how
to pick the good and discard the bad, and through
appreciation to secure that self-development which
is the sum and substance of good citizenships
Bolshevism can at least claim credit for