The Play Idea very soon Grows Toward the Representation of Primitive though Adult Customs and Actions, in which Several Join a Common Body or Company. Hence City Gangs which Merely Seek Romantic Expression
Hence in this problem of education he made a careful survey of the history and development of learning from the beginning—seeking those ideals and standards of culture which had been approved for the scholar, because scholars have always been held in high esteem by those patrons who, being ignorant themselves, wanted scholarship nearby. It was found in the course of his delving that the sciences had originated and developed in about this order, mathematics, astronomy, geology, botany, biology, etc. The arts of expression had of course developed as a group, but chiefly through literature from the beginning. There seemed to be a good deal of recent interest in machines and engineering, and of course certain classes had always tilled the soil, because one must have food; but the study of these activities could not lead to culture, because culture had always had to do with thinking, not manual labor. Therefore it became clear to the master that up to the present time, since the end of all scholarly ambition had been a profession (law, medicine, theology, etc.), education must be a very simple matter. All one had to do was to prepare certain capsules of mathematics, grammar, Greek and Latin, and a few, very few, odd pellets of science, etc., and at stated intervals stimulate the boy's mental organism with the various toxins in rotation. Were these subjects not the very basis of culture, and what would be more logical than direct systematic presentation of the fundamental principles? If the patient did not respond nothing could be done but to use more medicine, more lessons; there could be but one line of treatment. With this question settled the good savant signified his readiness to instruct youth in such branches as were desirable for the educated man, and pupils came in numbers to obtain the precious learning, for the pedagogue was favorably known as a great scholar. But these pupils who came, like the master, happened to live in or about the year 1912, when the chief interests of the people were business, science, and engineering; when transportation and communication had become highly developed and systematized; when farming and agriculture were almost arts, the whole welfare of the nation rested on industry, and utility held high rank as an element in culture among the people who worked. Even when a boy of this period did not seek industrial honors and follow in the footsteps of his father, he must needs be interested as a citizen in so important a source of prosperity. Hence the children who set out to become pupils of the learned teacher were alive to the business and activities of their time and surroundings, and were more than willing to learn when the learning led to a useful end. But the scheme proposed by their mentor was such a queer scheme. Of course it was better to go to school than do nothing and one must study a few things, but how much more fascinating and worth while to talk about birds and animals, trolley cars, the railway, electricity, machines, and doing things with a purpose, than to discuss impossible stories written by people who evidently knew very, very little about young people, to learn unending pages of numbers and definitions and facts, which, since one had no use for them, were speedily forgotten to make room for better material?
A Typical Boy's Workroom and Shop. Pride of Personal Possession Develops rather Early and the Boy Should Have a Place of His Own
The Kind of Shop which One May Have at Home
Now these children were obedient and reverent toward learning and did the tasks assigned them by their master, but in their leisure hours they did a good bit of experimenting along other lines, and found several other studies which were not in the master's scheme much more to their taste. Animals and pets were not only nice, live, soft, downy, fuzzy things to play with, but they had such queer ways and were so useful that one could talk about them forever. And then if one raised numbers of them, often neighbors would desire to purchase, and behold, a business began whereby it was just possible one could make a profit now and then. Again, it was fine if one had even a few tools so that one could put together the toys and playthings necessary to every-day amusement. Of course it was needful to measure and calculate and scheme about materials and costs, but all this scheming led to real purpose, while the questions proposed by the teacher were just questions after all and it couldn't make much difference whether one found the answer or not.