Evening star., 1923-03-13

A few days ago cannon which
had once belonged TO a company COM
manded by George Washington was
sold at auction at the Virginia town
where 1t had stooc tor nearly two
centuries and 1t was knocked down
to the highest bidder for $50. The
first law book that Abraham Lincoln
ever studied Gas certified by his law
partner) was auctioned ia New York
this week and sold for $500. It was
The Revised Laws of Indiana"
about 100 years old.
The passion for old books is entirely
apart from a thirst for literature and
the probabilities are that the $500
Lincoln volume will be read no
ofterer than the George Washington
cannon will be fired. Aside from sen
tlment, one is as worthless as tho
other. The cost OF the book would
pay the college expenses of a boy a
whole year in almost any of the great
colleges.
! With all the months Of congress
sional consideration of the classifica-
tion bill. Congress finally passed it
with serious blunders, affecting the
pay of the poorer employees Of the
government-charwo and manual
year less than intended by the COM
mittee, and the errors are said to be
clerical blunders in official copying.
| The incident serves to demonstrate
| that the hurried and anxious passage
| OF the measure in the closing hours
Iof the session was all unnecessary,
FOR the new rates do not go into effect
1tor year The errors Will be cor
rected next December, so no hard
snip whatever comes through them.
Yet this bill crowded out of consid-
Grafton and passage the bill to ADJUST
the pay of school teachers and so lett
Washington schools in d demoralized
| state, for the teachers increased pay
would have affected the next term.
beginning four months before the
next session Of Congress meets.
* x = +
| President Hardings long letter 70
Bowdoin College, commenting the
college upon its establishing an in
stitute of modern history, emphasizes
the superf7ciality Of much of the his
tory instruction given in public
schools and colleges. The President
points to the vast Importance of
more general familiarity with the
story, not only of our own country.
tbut of all other countries, since Our
development cannot be UNDERSTOOD
without Il knowledge of how 1t Is
linked with the growth and problems
| of other countries.
| x x X x
| Much has been said in the way OF
criticism of the history text books OF
the Washington schools. More might
be said of the failure of all schools 20
make history of the last decade alive
to the pupils who happen to have
lpassed the particular grades where
history is taught while SO much OF
recent history has been in the MAX
iing-of the causes and events of the
world war, for example. To that
point must come the Importance OF
the daily study and discussion in al
grades above the primary of daily
newspapers, so that pupils VIII tie UP
the text book lessons" of the CEN
ituries with the current events of the
ipresent world. for most of these
events have their roots in the centu-
ries preceding.
| BY thus linking present and past a
lmore intelligent comprehension VIII
be acquired and both history and
news" will take on new interest.
This cannot be done with text BOOKS
alone. nor even with merely copies
| of the daily papers: it must be inter
preted by oral discussion, led by III
! telligent teaching. History thus taught
! becomes very different from the dry
| relation of dates of battles; il takes
| on life and meaning, which fascTnatH
| in proportion to the Skill of the
teacher.
| President Harding says most wisely:
| "It is everlastinGly true that, on the
whole. the best guide to the future
lis to be found in the proper UNDER
standing of the lessons of the past.
I Copyright 1893. by p. V. Coilins.)