American Notes-Editorial

Here is an educational executive who has learned a great lesson from the business world and is applying it most happily and successfully in his scholastic "realm". Let other school and college executives "sit up and take notice". James M. Wood, President of Stephens College, a junior institution with a modest endowment and enrollment of less than five hundred young women students and a modest cluster of ivycovered buildings at Columbia, Mo., decided, recently, that his college had a $10,000 problem and therefore needed a $10,000 man. He found his man and called the trustees together and laid before them his plans and they voted to a man to accede to his wishes and cooperate in carrying out the same. The educational reasons for this bold move are set forth most interestingly in a recent number of the Kansas City Star, somewhat as follows,-and thereby hangs an educational tale:

"Stephens College receives its entrants now at the age of 18, after they have passed through eight years of elementary school and four years of high school. Other colleges and universities do the same. "At that age," Mr. Wood said, "many young women feel they have enough education to fit them for life. Eighteen is the breaking point. If we could get the girls two years earlier, at 16, or even 15, we could open un a definite path of interest that would hold them until their college education was complete.

"How shall that be done? There is our problem. Examination of the educational and physical development of boy or girl reveals that an important period occurs about the eleventh or twelfth year. That is the age of adolescence, varying slightly with the individual. It is a crisis in child life.

"Now Dr. Judd of the University of Chicago is working on the theory that elementary education should cease with that psychological change. In other words, what we now know as the public school course should last only six years instead of eight, ending with the twelfth year. High school or preparatory work should be advanced two years, to pick the boy or girl up in the period of adolescence. It is a period when the young mind is hungry for a broader field of knowledge.

"By eliminating two years in the elementary course, without rushing the child or omitting any important step, we bring youth on the threshold of college life at the age of 16. At that age the average girl

or boy can afford to try a year of two of college life, whereas if one waits two years longer the call of work and freedom would divert the student entirely. The problem is to fit the elementary and high school curricula to the physical, mental and psychological development of youth."

That is the chief task the new $10,000 dean at Stephens College will have. Working in co-operation with Dr. Judd of Chicago, he will endeavor to break down some of the old customs of education and open up a broader field. Stephens College will also provide $5,000 a year for research work to enable the new dean to fulfill his task.

Adequate salaries for faculty members and liberal dealings with other administrative problems is not a new thing with President Wood. He told the "Star" reporter that when he assumed the presidency some eight years ago the college had but fifty-two students and paid its entire teaching force a total of scarcely $10,000 a year. The first year he had a deficit of some $13,000. But by careful management the enrollment was doubled and he soon had the balance upon the other side of the ledger. Applying the principle that every penny that could be saved (from some features of the college plan that were discontinued) should be thrown into the faculty payroll, as soon as the college began to show a surplus at the end of the year, the fund immediately was applied to faculty salaries for the ensuing term. That policy had a definite, swift reaction. More competent educators were attracted to Stephens, and greater efficiency was obtained from those already on the payroll.

"When I increased a professor's salary from $1,600 to $2,000 a year," Mr. Wood said, "I found I had no longer a $1,600 man, but a $2,000 man. Sometimes the increase carried the professor's efficiency definitely above his new salary.

"That policy paid dividends from the start. Today, with a faculty numbering nearly thirty, and a payroll of $50,000 a year, Stephens college is able to look ahead without fear of a deficit. We are able even to plan $75,000 dormitory with assurance that it will be amply filled."

Eight years ago the maximum salary at Stephens was $700. Todav the minimum is $1,000 and the maximum (for strictly professional work) $5,300.

"Stephens," said Mr. Wood, "has come to realize that the strength of a school lies not in fine buildings or expensive equipment, but in the brains of its teachers. We are putting that theory into practice."

We have quoted this interesting educational "note" from "The Star," thus at some length because it seems to have more than a local interest. It suggests that in education as well as in business, wisdom

and profit lie along the line of courageous, liberal-handed expenditure of energy and money even when we cannot see just how we are coming out. Don't run a $10,000 enterprise on a $2,000 plan!

We trust that our readers will not tire of our editorial insistence on the continual use of encouragement as one of the strongest incentives - f f pur dispos po especially in the earlier stages of the educational career. It is a potent force and its proper use will save more lives, educationally speaking, than any other single influence. The writer of this paragraph speaks from experience, both as a student and as a teacher, and his experience as a student includes both the positive and the negative influence. He came "within an inch of his life", scholastically speaking, at the hands of a scolding, brow-beating teacher, on the one hand,—and was stimulated, we had almost said "resuscitated", by the kindly, sympathetic touch of another who saw more deeply and truly the causes and meaning of his poor work and failure, and spoke the enlightening and encouraging word that brought new interest and fresh effort, at the right psychological moment. It is wicked to wreck a young intellectual life and career. It is Christlike to be the stimulater and lifesaver of an immortal, imperishable mind and soul. These remarks are suggested by a schoolroom incident just related to us by a young, successful business man, who is "making good" every way, as a wholesome personality among his associates in business and social life,and along lines of scholarly interests and effort, as well. From the standpoint of his present success he can look back calmly, but none the less indignantly,-to an occasion when his instructor (it was in a prominent, endowed academy with a high reputation) said to him, before the whole class, that he might just as well take his books and go home, for it would be a waste of money for his father to spend any more in trying to make him a scholar, etc., etc.

Such words are not infrequent even in high places. They may be spoken with good intentions, and sometimes, as in this case, they are not fatal; but often they are fatal to the future scholastic careers of the unfortunate victims. An ounce of praise and encouragement, in our opinion, is worth a ton of blame and discouragement. At any rate teachers of all grades should regard this matter as one fraught with momentous consequences and should weigh their words with the utmost care. To praise is better than to blame. Praise is a more powerful educational tool than fault-finding. Many lives are saved by praise, many are ruined by blame. Which are you predominately using?

During the war a virulent sentiment against the study of German in the high schools of the United States was in evidence. It was apparent that as a language study for us, German was doomed. Would anything take its place? What would it be? These were the questions that many people were asking. Some predicted that Spanish would supply the demand and some thought it would be French. Neither of these enthusiasms seemed to hold up to their early promise and lately it has become apparent to many interested that the prophesy of the astute souls who predicted the return of Latin to its timehonored position, is materializing. High school superintendents who formerly gave little encouragement to the culture and discipline sought for in the study of Latin are experiencing a change of heart. They have had a vision of the dangers of too much "kultur" in the education of our future citizens. Latin teachers in the high schools feel a distinct change in the attitude of those higher up, toward their work. This attitude is manifest in a new willingness to draw a little on the treasury to strengthen their work. Heretofore the Commercial, Manual Training, and Science Departments were allowed a plump budget while the Latin teacher was left to draw help from the inspiration of the subject which is far-famed for coming cheap. The willingness to bolster up this inspiration with a little material help has come as a pleasant surprise to the faithful Latin teacher. It is the first time, in the history of many, that they have been invited to send in a request for material help. Even those who have not been formally invited to do this are venturing to ask for some of the aids to help in their classrooms.

It is not easy to see just where this awakening of interest in Latin originated. It may be with the educators or it may be a reaction in society to a faith in the culture of their forefathers. Whatever the source there is a distinct revival in many parts of the country. Germany did some things for us that were not down in her war plans. Contributed.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Book Reviews

So many books are sent to this department of EDUCATION that it is impossible to review them all. Naturally we feel under obligation to give preference to the books of those publishing houses which more or less frequently use our advertising pages. Outside of the limitations thus set, we shall usually be able and glad to mention by title, authors publisher and price, such books as are sent to us for this purpose. More elaborate notices will necessarily be conditional upon our convenience and the character of the books them. selves.

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY. By Walter S. Hunter, Professor of Psychology in the University of Kansas. The University of Chicago Press. $2.00 net; $2.15 postpaid.

We can view only with approval the broad ground taken in this book, that a study of psychology should consist not simply in an observation and analysis of human nature and human behavior, with the emphasis placed on the intellect. "As such," the author remarks in the Introduction, "it was (until the middle of the 19th century) the study of mind, consciousness, or the soul, and the limits marked the uttermost boundaries of the science." But after reference to the "genuine scientific movements in psychology since 1830 in Germany, France and England," he goes on to say that "from these early beginnings first one phase of human experience and then another has come under experimental scrutiny, until in the past decade the chief contributions have concerned the nature of thinking and the measurement of 'general intelligence' in the various grades of men." He now divides the subject-matter of psychology into two significant classes: the facts of consciousness and the facts of behavior. He proposes that his book shall "make clear that the science of psychology, as it is actually developing in the laboratories, involves both classes of data." He begins with a most interesting chapter on “Animal Psychology." Looking over the chapters of this volume the reviewer can plainly see that no pains has been spared by either author or publishers to present a thoroughly up-to-date and adequate text-book of psychology for college use. The chapters on Animal Psychology and those on Social and Racial Psychology are particularly striking; while practical educators who are dealing with abnormal cases of arrested development and feeble-mindedness will find real help in estimating causes and applying methods. The book is illustrated with most excellent drawings, tables and other illustrations.

LEADERS OF THE GREAT WAR. By Cora W. Rowell. The Macmillan Company.

The author has done a real service in putting together in one volume of convenient size, brief, but not too brief, biographies of Joffre, Petain,