Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-05-09

of the school along vocational lines,
several other detectives being Of
greater importance than the voca-
tional.
THE present situation cannot and
need not be changed suddenly. Many
proposals have failed because they
involved sudden change imposed
from without. Assuming that the
detectives of education are the aims
we are pursuing, 1t is proposed that
the present subjects of the curricu-
lum be required to move the school
in the direction of those detectives.
Suppose we ask, for example, the
mathematics teacher and the Latin
teacher to move us in the direction
of one or more of the detectives
sought. Thus, if Latin is one of the
studies by which culture is to be
secured, then the Latin teacher may
advantageously be called the teacher
of culture, or at least given some
other designation which will put her
in mind of her aim.
Guidance is desperately needed in
every one of the activities and at
titudes as will be seen by any seri-
Gus minded person who attempts to
analyze the task in any Of the OBJ
jectives and to estimate the efflcien-
cy CO. efficient of the school, home,
church, or any other institution, as
measured by present effort and re-
suits in measuring up to the actual
task.
1.-THE guidance viewpoint Is an i'm
portant one because we are all
agreed, / suppose, that in the last
analysis it is worth while activity on
the part of children that we wish
a.. ~, VIE ~
character is measured by it. Ethical
character will grow for itself If we
can organizer a juvenile world of
important activities carried on under
the guidance of ethical principles"
Committee on Citizenship Standard
Principal c. L. Smith Of Belfast,
chairman of the committee on Citi-
zenship Standards of the Maine
Principals Association, then report
ed in behalf of that committee. the
other members of which are Princi-
pals C. B. Haskell of South Portland
and N. L. Mathews of Waterville.
He pointed out that it is a prob
lem to find leaders to take care of the
various activities of the school. He
said that it was his opinion that
morality cannot be divorced from
religion and neither of the two can
be separated from good citizenship.
Fifty-five per cent, of the children of
this country of school age do not
have any religious contact at all, he
declared. adding that there are three
things that principals must do:
/. Teach the child that there Is a
standard. 2, Create in children the
will to choose the right of any two
things. 3. Give the children practice
in some things similar to those they
will encounter as citizens.
Referring to the practice Of citi-
zenship. Principal Smith said that in
the school he has charge of, Belfast
high, the students had elected
school court and that court had de-
cided on the case of one of the boys
who was a mischief maker. The boy
pleaded guilty. The court decided
that the boy was not fit to be In a
hall where unsupervised study was
carried on.
Student Government in Schools
= In the general discussion which
followed this report. DIR Brewer
said that surely students do need
practice In citizenship, but he de-
clared that in student courts there
is danger in allowing an unru'ly stu
dent to plead before the court He
cited an instance where boy brought
before such n tribunal, entered the
plea Of insanity"
Principals told of their success in
student government through student