The Winslow mail., 1925-04-03
DIR. COTTON ASKS
THAT EDUCATION
BE MADE BROADER

ssively tested, has not yet met the
3RlIest requirements of education,
DR.. F. A. Cotton, president of the
Northern Arizona Normal school,
made an eloquent plea before the
Monday afternoon session of the
Parent-Teacher association for the
broadening of the country's public
school system to focus the child s
eye on his nearest duty and present
condition, instead of having them
look forward to impossible goals
ito make the training helpful for
practical, sensible and healthful
diving.
DR.. Cottons' address, in part,
follows:
Doubtless when Lincoln referred
60 government of the people, by
1he people, and for the people, he
Eneant all of the people. Such a
government as outlined in Mr. Lin
coins address at Gettysburg in
1853 presupposes universal intelli-
gence-a nation in which all of
abe people take intelligent part in
government. Education in a de-
XnOcracy must be for all the people
and it must include the whole in
Giividual. There must be no upper,
no lower classes in education
John Laux's philosophy which re-
served education for the English
gentleman established a false view
IN a great nation. 1t was largely
responsible for the snobbery of the
So-called aristocrats and for the
servility of the lower classes.
I'm a real democracy all men are
created equal-that is, with equal
opportunity. Every child has a
chance to be all that is possible
for it to be. Therefore,. says Owen
Wister, we decreed that every
man should thenceforth have equal
liberty to find his own level. And
by this very decree we acknowl-
edged and gave freedom to true
saristocracy, saying, Let the best
man win, whoever he is" Let the
best man win That is America S
word. That is true democracy.
And true democracy and true aris-
8Ocracy are one and the same thing
At anybody can not see this, so
much the worse for his eyesight.
This ideal can never be realized,
however, till the best, ideal advan-
tages will make it possible for
every child to make the most of his
chance in life. This means that the
whole child will be developed.
eve have in America one of the
BEST school systems in the world,
but the traditional education has
not met the demands of education
IN a democracy. 1t has neither
brought universal intelligence nor
al-around training for the indi-
gfdual. 1t has often created wrong
ambitions and false hopes. 1t has
sometimes taken the childs eyes
off his present condition and his
nearest duty and fixed them upon
remote, impossible goals. 1t has
created the impression that educa-
tion is to enable one to live upon
mis- wits instead of his work. 1t
mas held up the professions as the
only vOcationS worthy of the edu-
acated man or woman. 1t has dis
credited work with the hands and
Brought honest toll into disrepute
in the face of the fact that the
overwhelming majority of the peo-
ple must earn their living by the
sweat of the brow. And so it has
often cheapened the professions and
weakened the industries. Men who
might have been artists in the in
as314 ,fI.in IN
che professions. The false notion
mas obtained that brains are not
essential to him who tolls with his
hands. 1t was very fitting that
system which educated only part of
2he people should educate only part
of the individual We are just be-
ginning to realize that complete
education must include all the peo-
pie and the whole individual. This
means that every individual is to
be developed as fully as possible
morally, physically and mentally.
The education of the future will
mot only try to develop a strong,
beautiful, healthful physique, but
VIII develop the senses so that they
will be of the greatest possible
service Taste and smell and touch
can give just as much service to the
individual in imagery and fine dis
examinations as the eye and ear,
and the education of the future
will make all of the senses alert.
The power of observation depends
quite as much upon the training of
sGpe sense as it does upon the train
1ng of another
THE great need in this nation is
absolute equality of opportunity
Nor every human being. This means
"a good teacher in every school
room in the land
The racial and family back
ground of many teachers is such
that they are not prepared to trans
INIT the best American political and
cultural ideals to the children I'M
der their care. In some states a
high percentage of normal school
students preparing to teach comes
from homes which, although in
America, are entirely foreign in
language, customs and ideals.
1t is the children who are to
be considered in this whole matter
If children are to be we'll taught,