EDUCATION Devoted to the Science, Art, Philosophy and Literature VOL. XLI. of Education NOVEMBER, 1920 Modern Ideals of Child Behavior, and C No. 3 ERTAIN pedagogues of today are visibly shocked at the mere mention of the words "discipline" and "restraint," when connected in any manner at all with our educational endeavors for the school child. Froude, the essayist, in his "Short Studies," states, "In schools and colleges, in fleet and army, discipline means success and otherwise ruin." It is quite true that our ideals of discipline have undergone radical changes with the development of psychology, as far as the method is concerned, but Froude's admonition holds just as good today as it will ever obtain, and applies to all universal activities where harmony and co-ordination of human endeavor go hand in hand. In most schools it is quite manifest that, as far as the room discipline is concerned, a certain amount of success is obtained; in fact, it is doubtful if a better system of school discipline could anywhere be observed than, for instance, in the average room of a St. Louis school-it being the writer's privilege to come in contact fairly often with the schools in this city. Granting that the details which the embryonic teacher has had instilled into his or her mind anent the method of obtaining discipline are correct— and by that we signify that the tutor's personality is the greatest factor to be utilized-we ask in all humility, the result. Has this indirect method of obtaining proper self-restraint in any way altered the attitude toward self-restraint which characterizes our adult American life? If it has not, then we desire to ask further, what is the object of school discipline? Is it merely a tentative sort of arrangement, or is it calculated, like all other factors which are concerned in the child's education, to produce results in later life? Has the supercilious foreigner had less cause to resent our bad manners and rudeness? Well, we suspect not. Nor need we relegate our deductions to the verdict of the only too observant nonAmerican. One has but to see and hear young America on our city streets in any section of our largely populated centers to be come aware of the utter lack of self-restraint, self-respect, or the almost total absence of realization of the meanings of reverence for age, rank, and like factors. "But why even allude to restraint and behavior in these wonderful days of freedom," observes our phlegmatic and self-satisfied pedagogue. For fear of being considered rude, we will not name the category into which this class of educator properly falls according to logical conception; but he does surely resemble in this regard a late candidate for the United States Presidency who suggested that we greet invaders of our land with huge bouquets of flowers. If the present insouciant and negative system of teaching the ethics of behavior has had any influence at all, it has surely tended toward giving free vent to actions that are having a mal-influence on our American life as it should be in a real democracy. When one observes daily the many increasing signs of an untoward character anent this matter of self-restraint, one wonders just when pedagogues will begin to take notice of the fact that their attitude is a very culpable one. It is the educator who will eventually be called to account for this neglect of a topic that should never become confused with psychologic or other theories. To the lay observer it would seem that the matter of self-restraint is not receiving proper attention because pedagogues of today are either lacking in ability to comprehend the true import of good behavior in the child and its influence on adult life; or else that they are totally incompetent to handle the question, even if they do comprehend its import. The writer had occasion to discuss this topic with an educator commanding a good salary and holding, a position where his influence was paramount in the moulding of the behavior of several hundred school children, and on deprecating the present-day attitude of educators toward the matter of the discipline of young America, he received from the educator the following reply: "To have this idea of self-restraint instilled into the minds of children. is radically wrong and is equal to the mandates of autocracy." This statement is not offered as being at all typical of all educators of today, but it is felt that such ideas are becoming widely disseminated and that the modern tendency in education is to adopt the aphorism, "No restraint at all, better than too much restraining." This is obviously a fallacy in view of the present-day attitude of the child toward his environment. We are not bewailing the fact that young America falls short of being a paragon of modesty, but what is being deprecated is the fact that the average child of today is certainly not typifying, in the matter of behavior, the effects of the extraordinary efforts that are being put forth in his behalf by the pretentious educational systems of our large cities, as he is doing in other lines of educational endeavor. In all fairness let us not overlook the great handicaps that have been thrown upon the educator in the matter of discipline. Unfortunately the barrier that formerly existed 'twixt home and school has not entirely vanished, and today it is not at all uncommon to overhear the rejoinder, "If the principal or teacher takes any such step toward my child by way of discipline, I shall certainly see my friend, who is a member of the Board of Education, and who will see that the principal (or teacher) is brought to account." This may be said to be a remnant of that mutual |