A few Million People now wield twice as much Industrial Power as all the People on the Globe exerted a Hundred Years ago. — A Revolution wrought, not by the Schools and Colleges, but by the Mechanic. — The Union between Science and Art prevented by the Speculative Philosophy of the Middle Ages. — Statesmen, Lawyers, Littérateurs, Poets, and Artists more highly esteemed than Civil Engineers, Mechanics, and Artisans. — The Refugee Artisan a Power in England, the Refugee Politician worthless. — Prejudice against the Artisan Class shown by Mr. Galton in his Work on “Hereditary Genius.” — The Influence of Slavery: it has lasted Thousands of Years, and still Survives. [184]
CHAPTER XVIII.
AUTOMATIC CONTRASTED WITH SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION.
The Past tyrannizes over the Present by Interposing the Stolid Resistance of Habit. — Habits of Thought like Habits of the Body become Automatic. — There is much Freedom of Speech but very little Freedom of Thought: Habit, Tradition, and Reverence for Antiquity forbid it. — The Schools educate Automatically. — A glaring Defect of the Schools shown by Mr. John S. Clark, of Boston. — The Automatic Character of the Popular System of Education shown by the Quincy (Mass.) Experiment. — Several Intelligent Opinions to the same Effect. — The Public Schools as an Industrial Agency a Failure. — A Conclusive Evidence of the Automatic and Superficial Character of prevailing Methods of Education in the Schools of a large City. — The Views of Colonel Francis W. Parker. — Scientific Education is found in the Kindergarten and the Manual-training School. — “The Cultivation of Familiarity betwixt the Mind and Things.”[191]
CHAPTER XIX.
AUTOMATIC CONTRASTED WITH SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION — Continued.
The Failure of Education in America shown by Statistics of Railway and Mercantile Disasters. — Shrinkage of Railway Values and Failures of Merchants. — Only Three per Cent. of those entering Mercantile Life achieve Success. — Business Enterprises conducted by Guess: Cause, Unscientific Education. — Savage Training is better because Objective. — Mr. Foley, late of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on the Scientific Character of Manual Education — Prof. Goss, of Purdue University, to the same Effect — also Dr. Belfield, of the Chicago Manual-training School. — Students love the Laboratory Exercises. — Demoralizing Effect of Unscientific Training. — The Failure of Justice and Legislation as contrasted with the Success of Civil Engineering and Architecture.[210]
CHAPTER XX.
AUTOMATIC CONTRASTED WITH SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION — Continued.
The Training of the Merchant, the Lawyer, the Judge, and the Legislator contrasted with that of the Artisan. — The Training of the Merchant makes him Selfish, and Selfishness breeds Dishonesty. — Professional Men become Speculative Philosophers, and test their Speculations by Consciousness. — The Artisan forgets Self in the Study of Things. — The Search after Truth. — The Story of Palissy. — The Hero is the Normal Man; those who Marvel at his Acts are abnormally Developed. — Savonarola and John Brown. — The New England System of Education contrasted with that of the South. — American Statesmanship — its Failure in an Educational Point of View. — Why the State Provides for Education; to protect Property. — The British Government and the Land Question. — The Thoroughness of the Training given by Schools of Mechanic Art and Institutes of Technology as shown in Things. — Story of the Emperor of Germany and the Needle-maker. — The Iron Bridge lasts a Century, the Act of the Legislator wears out in a Year. — The Cause of the Failures of Justice and Legislation. — The best Act is the Act that Repeals a Law; but the Act of the Inventor is never Repealed. — Things the Source and Issue of Ideas; hence the Necessity of Training in the Arts.[229]
CHAPTER XXI.
EDUCATION AND THE SOCIAL PROBLEM — HISTORIC.
EGYPT AND GREECE.
Fundamental Propositions. — Selfishness the Source of Social Evil; Subjective Education the Source of Selfishness and the Cause of Contempt of Labor; and Social Disintegration the Result of Contempt of Labor and the Useful Arts. — The First Class-distinction — the Strongest Man ruled; his First Rival, the Ingenious Man. — Superstition. — The Castes of India and Egypt — how came they about? — Egyptian Education based on Selfishness. — Rise of Egypt — her Career; her Fall; Analysis thereof. — She Typifies all the Early Nations: Force and Rapacity above, Chains and Slavery below. — Their Education consisted of Selfish Maxims for the Government of the Many by the Few, and Government meant the Appropriation of the Products of Labor. — Analysis of Greek Character — its Savage Characteristics. — Greek Treachery and Cruelty. — Greek Venality. — Her Orators accepted Bribes. — Responsibility of Greek Education and Philosophy for the Ruin of Greek Civilization. — Rectitude wholly left out of her Scheme of Education. — Plato’s Contempt of Matter: it led to Contempt of Man and all his Works. — Greek Education consisted of Rhetoric and Logic; all Useful Things were hence held in Contempt.[247]
CHAPTER XXII.
EDUCATION AND THE SOCIAL PROBLEM — HISTORIC.
ROME.