The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-11-18

eF grown up. Our tastes il
ing, movies and theatre are Snss9-
~ significant, however. Tha -
desires 10 understand life e."
child wishes 10 cultivate his r.. ~
s.ons about 1t. Children read fsi.-
stories. Most pf the stories in '1 -.
! magazines, nearIy all of our -
les, most of our novels and -
of our stage plays are fairy -
in effect. That is. they all -.
: lovely illusions about life. -.
than study the truth of II NJ
American public is nearly alva--e
antagonized by any work Of y
which sets form the truth aber'
life. '''s--
Why write about such nsi-
things when there are SO ma
pleasant things 10 write about5s
the formula always used.
I Tell me a nice, pretty sfa-,
I Daddy" is what the same iBdivi5
ual was saying al the age Of h,
How much has his point OF vias,
changed, asks the Psychologist
+ Do other nations differ from nj,
J in this respect 1t is probable tbsI
/ in all parts of the world most me-
and women never grow I'D. but IN
the highly civilized European M
tons there is probably large-
percentage of real adults, as in3i.
Gated by the Wuch larger numbe,
Of persons who show a mature
/ taste in literature, drama. art and
music and have a mature outook
on life.
Education to Blame.
What then is the cause OF our
failure TO bring ourselves to a real
maturity? Mr.. Edison has the sun
port of most of the experts WHEN
ne lays the chief blame on eduea.
ton. Our education teaches the
child a lot OF rigid beliefs. il.
stead OF teaching him to think. But
above all it bO-cs him. Literature
science, history-the things which
help any individual TO understand
and appreciate :ife-are made in
expressibly dull for the youngster.
He loses all interest in them.
The moment school is not play.
it is an injurT,' says Mr. Edison.
Il don't know quite the age q
which a chiid's mind atrophies. bU
it is somewhere between The ages
Of II and IA"
Here Mr.. Edison bears out the
psychoanalysts TO perfection. Tie
child's intellectual development is
arrested by boredom somewhere
between Il AMI IA. and along mog
lines it never advances theTeafte..
A little later the child becomes in
terested in making money and that
remains the individual most vital
interest all his life. His character
and personality mature after
fashion, but these can never reach
full maturity without an all
round mental development Hence
the fact that the grown man 50
often has the tastes, the viewpoint
and the amusements Of E Aigl
school boy.
A change in our system Of ed1-
cation seems % be agreed by all
authorities to be the fundamental
need. Most Of our literature and
drama, film AMI otherwise, is in
fantile and fosters the infautile az
titude toward life But there is
plenty of better stuff available
What is lacking is demand for
anything better. AS long as Our
schools are inadequate, as long as
teachers are the most poorly paid
servants of the state, As long IS
all teaching is rigidly censored so
that when teacher speaks his
mind he risks his jOb-as long as
the United States continues to RANK
tenth among civilized nations q
the world in - educational sys-
tenn. just so long, say tho psyCuoi-
ogists. will We rank somewhere
near the tail end of the procession
in the number of truly adult liel
and women We produce.