The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1937-10-21
Plan Adult
Education In
Sank Centre
DR.. Frank Weber Says That
Stearns Is To Be Expert
mental Proving Ground
TALENTED SPEAKERS
Under WPA Entertainment
and Speakers Can Be
Had for the Asking

StearnS county Is TO De singled
out as an experimental proving
grounds for the new mode Of edu-
cation, DR.. Frank Weber, organic
err of this district, told sprinkling
of an audience Tuesday evening at
the initial session Of the adult edu-
cational forum, conducted under
WPA.
Endorsement by the group and
by Supt. w. A. Kohl was given,
followed by the outline Of the plan
given by DR.. Weber in his organic
ing address. The group assembled
Tuesday are to be missionaries"
to bring adult education to a great
er number of people in this section.
AS plans now stand, the sessions
will be held on Tuesday evenings
on alternate weeks. DR.. Weber ex-
planned that talented speakers from
the University and other institu-
tions could be secured, entertain
ment can be furnished, and all for
the asking. There is no obligation.
Briefly the theme of his message.
in which he explained the growth
of adult education and a new out
look on education, revolved around
the fact that schooling does not
make one educated. Mushroomlike
has been the growth of adult edu-
cation throughout the country as
adults clamor for learning, finding
their schooling unable to cope with
changing, perplexing problems. The
knowledge of cultural subjects,
alone, which at one time, he said,
were thought to hold the essence Of
education in the palm Of their
hand, makes one only a parasite.
Vocational knowledge alone makes
one inadequate. There must be
balance Of the two, said DR.. Weber.
Blasting into the fallacy that be-
cause a subject has been taught and
is being taught in public schools Is
this new adult outlook on educa-
ton.
Slowly it Is dawning that the fit
test mind is not that of a child but
that of an adult because he has the
experience to back up his convic-
tons. He pointed out too that the
new modes will be bound to move
the compulsory age bracket from
16 to IS for public school attend
ance. Therein lies the formula for
this adult education, said DR.. We
Der.
Adult education, under the WPA,
embodies one other principle: that
of giving the adult exactly what he
wants. At their offices they have
On flo roouactc FROM, auar,, co,,rco
asking that lectures, programs, en-
tertainments be given on a variety
of subjects. Since adult education Is
conducted on a voluntary basis,
without the measure of compulsion,
it is the wish Of those in charge to
give them what they want, contin-
ued DR.. Weber.
Universities like liberal Minneso-
Ia and still more liberal chicago,
said DR.. Weber Monday evening,
have recognized the adult educa-
tiontal sphere. Minnesota conducts
its Continuation Center where
adults may come and get exactly
what they want. At Chicago college
students are compelled to do moth
ing. If they are apt enough stud
ents and can make the grade a de-
gree can be had in half the re-
quired time. In other words, he
pointed out, it Is not a question of
college professors knowing what is
best for us; it is for us to decide
what fits in best with our life. And
ask for it.
Quickly changing conditions in
every sphere of our daily lives have
rendered standard methods of edu-
cation inadequate, DR.. Weber con-
cluded. He offered this reversal of
the teacher-pupil plan, now employ
ed in schools, for adult education.
That is the adult pupil deciding
that which he wants to study. He
offered the new mode as a cure-all
for ills of the world which will be
a long time process. He pointed out
that when witchcraft was studied.
it died out; when men bored into
the slavery problem, 1t doomed as
no great threat. War, he said, too.
can be eliminated when a public
studies it and demands that it be
eradicated.