Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-08
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

~ AN boy or girl be taught to b
sympathetic, honest and cour.
~. Can character be developed
by a public school technique
of training and discipline, as well as
the ability to read, write and do sums?
These questions, of far-reaching sig
nificance for the future Of public
school systems. are engaging the atten-
ton of educators everywhere. They
may indicate the next step in the reVo-
luton of educational methods and OBJ
jectives which, for better or worse, has
proceeded so rapidly during the past
quarter of a century.
They now confront the school off,
Gals of the District of Columbia as an
aftermath of the "dirty-neck" contro-
versy which recently divided the Board
of Education. Some members favored
withholding diplomas from pupils who
displayed certain marked character de-
fectS. A compromise was reached with
a proposal to establish in the schools of
Washington course in character edu-
cation"
During the past few years. it is shown
by reports in the files of the National
Education Association, several COM
munities have experimental with this
sort of training. But the methods have
1ished procedure, there has been little
agreement as to character" stand
ard, and there has been little verified
information as to the actual morality
of the normal school child. The sub
ject is still virgin territory for pioneers,
and because of the intangible nature
of the elements involved is extremely
difficult to chart.
VOYAGES Fall Short Of Goal.
The human soul is still a misty I'M
known Of dragons and devils to science,
where, so far as Is known, the ship of
research may at any time drop over
the edge of the sea of knowledge into
unfathomable depths. There have been
some adventurous voyages, but they
have not reached the land beyond.
Perhaps the most colorful experiments
to date have been the studies in deceit,
conducted for five years at Columbia
University by DR.. Mark A. May and DR..
Hugh Hartshorne, in which the research
workers sought to determine by objec-
tive methods the actual state of honesty
among children, the factors contribut-
ing to individual difference, and posi-
bic remedial procedure. Large numbers
of children were subjected to cleverly
designed tests in which there was every
opportunity to cheat or steal, but in
the scoring of which the dishonesty
would be instantly apparent to the
examiners.
AS a result of these tests, based on
objective data, they reported that mo
one is honest or dishonest by nature
Where conflict arises between a child
and his environment deception is nat
ural mode of adjustment, having in it
self no moral significance. If indirect
ways of gaining ends are successful,
they will be continued, unless definite
training is undertaken through which
direct and honest methods may also
become successful"
Matter of Arranging Environment.
Here is the principle of character"
education in a few words. Cheating
and stealing are obvious ways for the
child to solve its problems; that Is, to
adjust itself to its environment. Char
acter education, training in honesty,
becomes matter of so arranging the
environment that the easiest and most
satisfactory adjustment is by honest
methods, thus building UP a habit" of
honesty and conditioning the individual
against dishonesty. Opportunities to
cheat must be eliminated from the
child's environment and the system of
rewards and punishments so arranged
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cheating to prove a satisfactory solu-
ton of a problem.
The two experimenters found little Of
educational value in preaching" APP
pealing to the better nature of the
child, expression of horror over deceit,
weeping in hypocritical disillusi tent
by parent or teacher. THE mere urg-
ing of honest behavior by teachers or
the discussion of standards and ideals
of honesty, no matter how much such