Part 8 (1/2)

And this is precisely the case Crahout Germany to the level of a fine art It is done, I must confess--for I was myself subjected to the process for some years--more completely and effectively than in this country That is to say, the pupil is not craets all that has been stuffed into hi it h, in all conscience It may be, as it is elsewhere, the pestle and mortar system But at least the pestle is applied consistently, and each ingredient is perfectly mixed before the next component is introduced

If, therefore, the object of education be to produce an article of a certain type or consistency, then the Prussian school stands far in advance of our own cra institutions It may well be taken in that case as a model for us to copy

People should, however, ask themselves these questions: Is it international commercial rivalry that produces the necessity of a State systele? Or is it the State systeanized attempt to manufacture a race of traders, which has artificially created the state of co?

The answer seeh

The individuality of individuals is rapidly disappearing throughout that part of the world which has chosen to subject itself to uniforlishman is much like another, in the same way that Russians, or Germans, or Frenchmen resemble each other In other words, the only individuality which education is leaving us is that of nationality; and the reason of this is because the manners, the customs, and the school systems of various countries still differ to a certain extent

Instead, therefore, of the individual co the point where the whole strength and resources of each nation will be eainst the rest of the world And this is no mere natural outcome of evolution Gerht, invented the gao She has spent the best part of half a century equipping herself, hand over fist, for this kind of co in order to obtain this triumph of the trader?

There cannot be a question that she is deliberately and syste away the most precious of all human possessions--the character of the individual At the Berlin Conference on Secondary Education, held in 1890, Dr Virchow observed: 'I regret that I cannot bearthe character of pupils in our schools When I look back over the forty years during which I have been Professor and Exaht in contact not only with physicians and scientific investigators, but also with many other types of men--I cannot say that I have the i up th of character On the contrary, I fear that we are on a doard path The number of ”characters” becoe in private and individual work done during a lad's school life For it is only by means of independent work that the pupil learns to hold his own against external difficulties, and to find in his own strength, in his own nature, in his own being, theover them'

The inevitable result of this sacrifice of individuality must be the intellectual decay of the nation, or at least its degeneration into a state of hopeless mediocrity Unless, therefore, Germany can persuade other countries to adopt similar tactics, and to meet her on the plane where she has already obtained the start of a generation, she rief in the future

Unfortunately, there seems every indication that the statesmen who lead rival nations are only too ready to follow Gernorance of the people which is holding back those who are anxious to cos, and pence into Gerinality and character out of German heads

This educational suicide, it must also be remembered, can only be cooverned country like the Gerovernment, a complete measure of State control in educational matters would create a political pande

The party struggles of the future would, if this Prussian system were transplanted here, centre round educational control The schools would no longer be regarded as establishments for the instruction of youth; they would be looked upon simply as the nursery of the future voter A Conservative Govern into the curriculuressive ideas, whilst a Radical Government would try to banish from the schools all established beliefs and conventions

Between these opposing stools the round He would be neither fish, flesh, nor fowl

There would be a perpetual chopping and changing in the methods of his education, froratefully acknowledged by Wordsworth, of being neglected by his teachers

To talk of beating Gerht of absurdity Nothing could result from such an endeavour but ruin to the country Under our party system it is obvious that it could not be done with the remotest chance of success And even if it were possible to obtain steady unifor always towards a specific end, Ger the pressure of cra the evils which have been but faintly depicted in the foregoing pages

CHAPTER XIV

THE GREAT FALLACY

That the world is badly ordered for humanity is a self-evident truth of which the observant scarcely need re It is equally obvious, froetable life, that Providence is not to blaed to lead the majority of mankind

Man is himself responsible for the present state of hus have been undeniably acconificent achievements of exceptional individuals pale beside the stupendous blundering of the many

It must surely be clear to everybody that there has been some evil influence at work to arrest the fair promise and development of the huress froes to the brilliant dawn of the nineteenth century, with its glittering array of enius, has been suddenly brought to a dead halt Here and there, during the past generation, great figures have struggled up on to the world's stage and grappled with the ebb-tide But the majestic stream of mediocrity has swept away their dykes, and obliterated their land volume

The remarkable fact can hardly have escaped attention that the more humanity attempts to equip itself for the serious business of life, by forcing itself into an educational strait-waistcoat, the enius, and even of ordinary talent Everybody is getting ground down to a level It is scarcely possible to point to a single civilized man and say: 'There is somebody in whom every faculty has been developed and natural talent perfected to its utmost capability' The oes a Carammar-school man, and when you have knocked all the nonsense out of him you'll find he's not a bad fellow at bottom'

We are not e have made ourselves, but e have chosen to allow others to make us Whatever may once have been the nursery of the hureat extent the school Soenerally is the best part--of education takes place outside the class-rooenerally inated with the conventional traditions of the school and of the university

The evil influence that is so obviously underht in the principles upon which education syste than to reflect upon the unintelligent grounds on which people base their adherence to the principles of et over the fact that their forefathers were brought up in the same fashi+on before them