Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-09
RUSSIAN SCHOOLS
AGE YOUNG PUPILS
Individuality Crushed by
Plan, Dr.. MandeI Sher-
man Says.

A land of s-year-olds who act and
talk like adults but of children who
distribute their candy voluntarily and
EQUALLY among their playmateS. and
vino apparently never fight-such as
the depressing picture of Russia and
East Europe brought back by DR.. Men
del Sherman. director of the National
Child Research Center here, who has
tust returned from a Summers study
of primary and elementary education
there.
He was decidedly disappointed at the
conditions he found. Progress in the
schools, he said. by no means has been
so notable as has been reported and the
apparent object is exactly the opposite
of that of American education.
In the United States the idea is 10
develop the individuality In Russia
Austria. Poland and other East Euro
mean countries visited by DR.. sherman
the object to to subordinate the lndl-
vid,lal to the group--to educate masses
rather than men The child IS edu-
Gated and acts entirely as member OF
the group. a general level is maintained
and the particularly DrlllIdht Cl4iu Il
simply out OF luck.
This idea. DR.. Sherman said. per-
meates all the schools he visited ana
nroI,ahlv is intended to create an in
tense nationalism. While it doubtless viii
raise the cultural level CT the mass. NJ
feels. it is deadly towards the develop
nent of special talent, which Is con-
sidered of such importance in American
education.
Watched Poorer People.
DR. and Mrs. Sherman travelled IN
third class railway coaches through
Eastern Europe in order to observe the
behavior of the poorer people. Dur
ing all this time. he said. he never saw
two children fighting. frequently saw
candy given to one child in group
and Immediately divided among the
others. and never witnessed cnlld
"tar1trum," Also he very seldom saw
child playing alone-which would have
a tendency to develop the individual
The educational process, he said, Is
much faster than in the United states
and there is great deal OF cram
ming" Eight-year- old boys and girls
study subjects which are not taken up
in American schools until the children
are Is or Is. This has resulted IN
deceptive early maturity in their con-
versation and behavior. When he APP
piled some standard mental tests 10
these children, however, he found that
their actual intellectual development
was no greater than that Of American
children of the same age.
Apparently remarkable progress has
been made, he said, in raising the liter
acy of the adult masses. not only IN
Russia, but in the other countries OF
Eastern Europe. but the object OF TINS
has been largely to facilitate the gov
eminent propaganda.
Cites Polish Example.
In Poland, for instance, he found
that many peasants recently hao
learned the bare elements of reading
and writing-so that when an airplane
concealed above low-hanging clouds
dropped on a village gaudily printed
sheets stating that the Virgin Mary
directed the villagers to vote for So
and-so" they were able to read the
message from Heaven and act accord
ingly.
DR.. Sherman visited several of the
famous schools without discipline" in
Russia, where the teachers leave the
maintenance of order entirely to the
children themselves, and found that
the idea works very WELL
Despite the rigid Standardization and
the intense poverty on every hand DR..
Sherman reports. the picture of educa-
ton in eastern Europe is not entirely
depressing and some work is being done
which might be copied in the United
States. While school health clinics are
almost unknown even small villages
have child mental clinics in which the
psychological problems of the children
are aided by experts and the people
hare come TO take this as a matter of
course.
He was particularly anxious to study
some of the groups of wild children"
who have been reported roaming around
Russia, but, although given every facil-
1ty. ne was unable to find any and con-
cluded that they probably didn't exist.