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Show MAKES POINT ON EDUCATION Writer Seems to Think That All Is Not Right With Present Sys- , tern Employed. Here is a healthy boy of twelve. What we most want of him is that he shall develop himself in character and ability to the utmost extent of which he is caimble. If there is a precious little spark of originality or germ of leadership anywhere about him, we most want him to discover that and develop it, for there is never enough leadership and originality in. the world. We are always wanting inventors and leaders in industry, In politics, in science, sci-ence, in art. So we take this boy at half past eight in the morning and stick him in a hard seat, right behind a hard desk, and tell him he must not budge if he values his hide. lie must not even shuffle his feet or look about; he must not whisper to the boy next him. We give him certain carefully prescribed pre-scribed bunks, none of which Interests him very much, and tell him it makes no difference if one of them happens to interest him more than another; ho must give exactly the same attention to all of them for rigidly proscribed periods. pe-riods. He is "good" in proportion as be takes the books, just as some well-regulated machine takes whatever is fed inlo It. He is "good" in proportion as he submits to a cast-iron, mechanical reglnien, and represses all impulses that are not In strict conformity wilh unvarying rules which, for a healthy hoy, means repressing practically all natural impulses. The school is a ponderous, pon-derous, close-webhed machine for compelling com-pelling absolute uiiil'ormily. In the matter of rigidity the Prussian military mili-tary regimen is liy comparison' quite lax and roomy. Is that the best way to treat Hint hoy. when what we want of. him most of nil !: that he shall develop initiafive and leadership? Saturday- Evening Post. |