p. 6 | Industrial Education and Evolution by Editor

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 6, 1908

Industrial Education and Evolution

By Editor

In an editorial in The Independent of January 23 occurs this paragraph:—

During 1907 industrial education received a mighty propulsion. Massachusetts passed a statute of a broader and more thorough sort, creating a State system that touches every primary and secondary school, as well as all higher institutions. The very conservative University Convocation of New York opened its classical doors sufficiently wide to invite radical leaders of industrialism to discuss the problems involved in the changes now going on. Our colleges have yielded ground somewhat charingly, but they have found the number of scientific pupils steadily increasing. The Southern States have yielded with less grace, but more rapidly. The doctrine of evolution, and the sciences which are now permeated with this view of nature, can be taught in any university of the South almost as readily as in Harvard. Trade schools, which were opened with some doubt in our larger cities, have been overflowing with pupils. The graded town schools are slowly facing the farm, instead of the college. Mere education, or mere erudition, without application of what is learned, is losing favor. During 1907 the ruling discussion in all our educational conventions was how to work the industrial elements into our common schools. These schools have been so overloaded with mind-culture that the education of the senses finds no room. We have still to find out whether a supplementary set of schools must be established.

This shows how generally educators are arousing to the importance of industrial education, and should cause gratitude for the instruction so long since given this people in reference to this matter. It should also stimulate every educator to plan “how to work the industrial elements into our common schools.”

But while we rejoice at these evident tokens of progress in “education of the senses,” we may well be on our guard against thinking that soon there will be no necessity for our maintaining a separate system of schools; for it is not only true that “the doctrine of evolution, and the sciences which are now permeated with this new view of nature,” can be taught in Southern universities, but they are really being taught in all grades of schools from the kindergarten to the college.