American Notes-Editorial

The notorious failure of the public to accord to teachers the kind of consideration and respect that used to be shown toward them is an effect, and every effect must have a cause. What has caused this change of sentiment and conduct on the part of the public? Those of us who can remember conditions as they were several decades ago will recall the honor and affection which was bestowed upon nearly all of the teachers of our youth. A large part of them were in the work for life; some of them were young men from the colleges, who thought it well worth while to spend from one to three years in teaching school as a preparation for their own life work. And what an opportunity was theirs, and how splendidly they measured up to it! How many life currents they set in motion in the souls of their pupils, -currents that flowed out into the great centers and resulted in distinguished careers in business, in the professions, and in political life! There was no reason to look down upon the teaching profession in those days. And there was no teacher shortage. This work commanded the highest respect, and those who engaged in it were welcomed in the best homes of the community. Out of such conditions sprung such great teaching careers as those of Mark Hopkins of Williams, Samuel H. Taylor of Andover, Julius Seeley of Amherst, and countless others whose lives have counted large for humanity, learning and progress.

What has produced the change of sentiment toward the teaching profession and the average teacher of today? We believe that it is largely the result of the entry upon this work of large numbers of young, inexperienced, poorly-equipped persons, merely as a makeshift to get a living,-without any high sense of duty or any serious aim to make their work a real contribution to the public welfare.

With the great increase in the population came a much larger demand for grade teachers for the public schools. To supply this demand, Normal Schools were created, with short courses which were inadequate. Hundreds and thousands of young girls, immature of mind and with inadequate preparation to enter upon the courses, rushed into the Normal Schools as an open door to a respectable employment that would yield them a living. That was about the limit of their vision. Such schools were a necessity. Their Faculties have done their best to train these well-meaning but immature minds for their work. Probably the Normal Schools and their courses have

been, under existing conditions, as good a makeshift as was possible. They have been a step in the right direction. Of late they have been making wonderful progress in the right direction. But from them has flowed, it cannot be denied, a mixed stream of diversified personalities into the ranks of the grade teachers, and the public has had to take what was offered. "By their fruits ye shall know them." Ask the mothers and fathers, who have had several children who passed through the grades of an average urban or suburban town, for their opinion of the teachers who have taught their children. In most cases the reply will be somewhat like this: "In such and such grades my child did splendidly,-got along fast, was happy, loved to go to school, admired his teacher, and brought home excellent report cards; but in such and such a year exactly the reverse was the case; in those years my child was unhappy, had poor marks, barely 'rubbed through,' and came near learning to hate schooling and books and teachers."

Now, in our opinion, here is the cause of the major part of the present disrespect on the part of the public for the teaching profession. One poor teacher, with no professional fitness, tact, or vision,-and with an uncontrolled temper, it may be, or a selfish and unhappy disposition, "queers" teaching and teachers for a whole community. Where, then, lies the remedy? Truly, it is a hard question! We can only suggest three or four ways to modify the evil.

First, there should be a still further elevation of the standards of the Normal Schools, together with a fuller measure of frankness on the part of their faculties in advising pupils who are manifestly handicapped by an uncontrolled temper, or by an abnormally frivolous character, to seek some other calling.

Second, a much more serious effort should be made by the voters of our towns and cities to put the best qualified citizens upon the School Boards.

Third, a stronger emphasis should be laid upon personality by committees, in examining candidates. Character should always count for more than scholarship or training, important as these are. It is, as a matter of fact, often made a secondary matter, if not altogether overlooked by the average committeeman, in deciding between several candidates.

Finally, parents can do much in this reform by cultivating an acquaintance with the teachers of their children, inviting them to their homes, visiting their classrooms, learning to understand and co-operate with them, instead of standing aloof and criticising them and their work. Thus may the unfortunate shortage disappear and the old-time teacher and the public regard for him, come back again.

Strong bodies and trained intellects are very desirable results of education, but they are not enough. True education means these, and something more. This "something more" is indicated by the word Culture. A cultivated person is one who shows, by words and acts, that the entire character is in harmony with whatever is true and beautiful. Kindness and consideration for others are unfailing marks of Culture. Good books, music, and above all, the influence and example of noble lives, lift us to higher levels of Culture. Strength and efficiency alone are characteristic of a machine; self-control, sympathy for others, and love for all that is beautiful are qualities of a truly developed human soul.

Experience is a word to conjure with in our day. We turn to experience for the demonstration and verification of all our theories. This is well. It may be well also to consider the nature of experience itself. Just what is experience? In general terms we may say that experience is the impression made upon us by the world in which we live. Two factors at once emerge: there is the outside event, and the inner mind which perceives the event. The impression received, then, is something like an image in a mirror. It may, for all practical purposes, be a very accurate and reliable image; but, picture it is, nevertheless, of an objective fact lying outside of us. It is one remove farther off than the mind which perceives it. Therefore, the first lesson of experience must be that we are more sure of the mind itself than of anything else. All we can ever know of anything else depends upon the reliability of this mind to perceive and report truly about it Mind is our starting point, and the basis of all our procedure.

Another fact soon emerges, namely, that we are also surrounded by a multitude of other minds. These minds all receive impressions and react in a manner similar to our own. This uniformity is so great that we may be sure that the grass is green to all, the snow white, the sunset living fire. This marvelous unity underlying all individual minds is what makes language possible. Words must stand for the same objects, convey the same impression, carry the same meanings to myriads of separate minds or a common medium of communication would be impossible. This unity is also responsible for systems of philosophy, of religion, of government, of education; it makes possible our common heritage of intellectual, moral, and esthetic values. The important thing just now is that this unity is

a fact. How shall we account for it? When we consider the leaves on an oak tree, and discover that they are all alike in general character, we explain this similarity by the observation that they are all leaves of one tree, all parts of one living organism. They are alike because they have one common ground of existence, one source of being. Unless all the analogies and inductions of science are false, this explanation applies to the human mind. Its unity is to be referred to a Basic Consciousness, a Universal Mind, in which all individual minds find their ground, their meaning and accord.

It is natural that this One Mind should make itself manifest in certain great, universal insights, common to the best minds, if not to all minds at present. One such insight, which might almost be called a new faculty, is that which is commonly known as the "historical sense." It is the discovery of human solidarity in time. One mind made history; one mind writes it; and this mind must interpret it. There may be retardation, even retrogression; but one movement goes forward through all time.

Another "new sense," destined to work marvelous and salutary changes, is the sense of universal sympathy. This is the recognition of the solidarity of the race in feeling; it is sympathy for all, recognition of the rights of all, as members of one human family, regardless of race, color, sex, creed or condition. This universal sympathy the great world teachers had. Buddha had it; it made Buddhism a missionary religion. Christ had it; it dictated the great commission, "Go teach all nations." It is the living impulse back of every disinterested effort for the uplift of humanity. But even the best minds of classical antiquity seem not to have possessed it. To them, all "outsiders" were regarded with open hostility. They could not look upon foreigners as being other than potential enemies. The great idea of the oneness of humanity had not dawned upon them; hence the selfishness of culture, the localization of the various civilizations, each in its turn to be extinguished,-swallowed up in the surrounding darkness. We are learning now that civilization, culture, religion, are possessions of the race, to be shared by all; and that we can insure the perpetuity of our civilization only by making it universal. Humanity can no longer tolerate anything which is merely local, partisan or exclusive. The misguided Germans, looking upon all others as outlanders, and thinking of themselves as the chosen race, destined to give law and order to the world at the point of the sword, called

down upon themselves the united opposition of the world. The mind of man is attaining a new level; it is gaining a world-wide vision. The heart of humanity is being stirred by a new impulse-the feeling of the solidarity of the race; and all true education must rise to this level. In the hands of teachers is the future unity of mankind.

Schools and school men are asked to send samples of record cards, report forms, new courses of study, teacher-recruiting devices and posters, fund-raising publicity and other printed material, to be shown at the educational exhibit to be held in the Commercial Exhibit Hall at the Atlantic City meeting of the Department of Superintendency. The N. E. A. has set aside a special booth at this meeting, in which will be shown material issued by state departments, city systems, special schools, that will help educators save time and increase efficiency.

At the same booth will be shown sample copies of all standard tests and measurements, with references and studies in which they have been used. All schools are invited to send helpful material to the Institute of Public Service, 423 West 120th Street, New York City, which is co-operating with the N. E. A. in preparing and conducting this exhibit.

A new feature for the commercial exhibit which will be held in the large meeting building (Steel Pier) at the Atlantic City Convention of the Department of Superintendency and Society for Vocational Education, February 24 to March 3, 1921, will be a composite showing of leading educational publicity. The N. E. A. and the Institute for public service are working together to bring into one central booth at least one sample of each one of the over one hundred educational magazines, in order that visitors may see and compare the valuable material which is being furnished by educational journals. Copies of many publications will be given out, and each visitor is invited to consult this exhibit.