Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-22
Continued from First Page.)

' why pal lldl TISulS Oh CltlZenSIllp, eu-
uca ton was a luxury for small
! group. This view was intensified in
Europe with the renaissance of Greek
| and Roman culture, but when. after
| the dark ages, the Roman Church
assumed the role of bringing order
! out OF chaos as both temporal and
| religious power education became pc
| culiarly the task of the church and
| the prerogative of the priesthood
This idea persisted in America. Wit
ness: for example. how largely the
| colleges of our country We're religious
| in origin and purpose
| With the growth of the Democratic
political IDEAS, education has become
secular. and not only the privilege of
the many, but, in the case of elemen-
tary education. necessity which the
State attempts to enforce upon ALL
I'VE have wisely separated the func-
tons of church and state, but, in avoid
ing the Scylla of political interference
,, with religion, we have steered upon
the CharybdiS of State education
without religion. 1t is doubtful if we
AN introduce religious instruction in
the public school without interference
with religious freedom, but we must
| find way to produce chara cter eff
fectvely. Just how we are to solve
the problem is difficult to suggest We
There are the various plans whereby
children are dismissed from the school
FOR religious instruction in the church
of their choice. such as are in use at
Gary. Ind. Toledo. Ohio. and other
places. Then. too. we are making con-
siderable progress with moral instruc-
ton. The Character Education In
Stitution has done "a great deal to
stimulate research in this field of
n of
resulted in the Iowa plan. Moral In
struction has been tried on a large
scale in France and reports are that
results are gratifying. The methods
can be successfully evolved and lie
outside the scope of this discussion,
but we are stressing the obvious need
OF character as a primary purpose OF
the elementary school.
Suggests Objections.
Il believe that we have sufficient
empirical knowledge today that en-
ables us to point out certain detectives
of elementary education that should
be stressed at this time, without wait
ing until the possibilities Of natural
law and human experience are ex.
hausted If any of these paths lead
us astray, or others must be added,
experience and increasing scientific
analysis should enable us to detect
them. And just as each of the various
openings and gambits in the chess
game attempts to bring about char
acteristic relation of pieces and pawns
from which an attack is made TO
checkmate the king, and thus num-
Der of tentative detectives converge
upon a single grand purpose, so II
may be that we may venture to sug-
gest that the several general obJec-
lives of education at this time are
driving toward some supreme end OF
highest significance in the age In
which we live
"If the detectives of elementary
education could be established In TINS
way, even tentatively, we would nave
a. working basis upon which 10 con
strict a curriculum. All curriculum
content could be tested in relation TO
these detectives, and those materials
which we're found to be most effective
in promoting the ends desired couid
no included. Materials unrelated TO
our detectives, or duplicating other
materials more effective and already
sufficient for the purpose, woulo tnei.
be eliminated from the curriculum;
some such practical device tor testing
curriculum methods Is not soon ADOPT
I'D nendine the completion of Sclen-
tifcally constructed curriculum Whlcn
will require a long period OF years. !
fear that the public, the over-burdeneo
70 ynayer or some one else, Will rise up
and take the matter in hand.
Health Is Fundamental.
81 believe that there is general
aereenent that health is a funda-
neantal objective In the elementary
Schools. I am aware that the sclen-
tinc curriculum makers will say: NO
hodv knows what health is or how II
shoi,ld be taught" Strictly speaking,
that NAV be true, but in our present
understanding Of social problems,
health and notwithstanding, do we not
know enough to say that better heath
Ia something devoutly to be wished for,
proper eating, drinking, sleeping. exer'
ctsing, cleansing. breathing. protection
from disease, correction Of remedlable
defects and certain other things upon
which we are reasonably well agreed?
M we not know enough about health
teaching at the present time to say
that II ia useless to attempt to teach
the philosophy or principles OF hygiene
to children in the elementary schools,
but that successful health teaching
denends very largely upon the forma-
tinn of proper health habits among
children Of this age, and good health
habits can be formed If we have sys-
tematfc physical examination, periodic
weighing and measuring, daily lnspec-
tons, regular and careful supervision
of exercise and play, complete records.
and 80 on through the program that
our present experience suggests?
Furthermore, when we know that
mental phenomena are somehow cor
related with and organically cond1-
toned upon health and bodily vlgor,
QPnnrQfA
data with reference to the existence
of physical defects among school chill
dren, when we know that one-th1rd
of the men examined in the late war
were found to be physically unfit for
any kind of military service and one
half unfit for unlimited service, and
when we know that our Nation suffers
an annual economic loss due to pre-
ventable disease and death among
wage earners that Is greater than
our entire annual expenditure for all
kinds Of education, and when we have
other information equally as agnifl-
cant with reference to social condt-
lions. are we not safe In saying that
our present knowledge Of the condi-
tons in the country, Of health and
methods of teaching, justify us In as
serting that health should be made q
fundamental objective in the philos-
ophy of elementary education? l be-
lieve that we can answer all these
questions very emphatically in the
affirmative.
Can Proceed Practically.
I'VE can then proceed practically
in the light of present knowledge and
needs, while the scientific analysis OF
health, methods of teaching, relation
of mind and body, human experience
and other related matters may con-
tinue from time to time to shed new
Iierht unon the nrnhlemS involved !"