GIVE THE "MOTOR MIND" A CHANCE

Dissatisfaction with the system of secondary school education in this country has long been smoldering, and those who seek a more progressive policy will find an able spokesman in Dr. Mather Abbott, head-master of the Lawrenceville School, whose statements appear in another page of the CRIMSON. Dr. Abbott believes the two greatest difficulties are the "bugbear of college entrance requirements," and the failure of modern schools to realize that the "schoolboy of today is entirely a different being than the schoolboy of fifty years ago." He recommends the example of England in separating the intellectual sheep from the goats and paying especial attention to the scholars of promise.

There is no doubt that our school system is fundamentally deficient to meet modern conditions, but the adoption of the English system would only partially solve the problem. It would provide for the so-called "scholars" and give them a chance for full development. The failure of the English system is that it does not take care of those not so quick at their books and overlooks the powers which may lie hidden in these men. What we need is a system under which the ability of those men who do not learn from books will not be wasted.

It has been proved experimentally that there are several distinct types of minds which assimilate under different conditions. The man with the auditory mind learns by hearing or reading; the visual minds learns by seeing; and the motor minds learns by doing. The present system of education completely overlooks the third type and gives only half a chance to the second. The man who is skilfull with his hands--the mechanic, the painter, or the musician, is not given the same opportunity for development in an ordinary school that the pure student receives. Although Dr. Abbott recognizes that some men master languages more easily than mathematics, and therefore recommends early specialization, he does not provide for the man whose mind is not adapted to book-learning.

Several educators have tried to remedy the present situation by teaching in their schools shop-work, drawing, and music, and by placing these subjects where they belong,--on an equal basis with Greek, Latin, and History. The chief obstacle is the college entrance system. Under the present requirements, the school devotes its whole ener-by to cram into a "dull" brain a certain type of knowledge to which it may be entirely unfitted, wholly ignoring the fact that the most "stupid" boy might be able to put the teacher to shame in the workshop or studio,--in a subject in which he has received no encouragement from his school. So long as present requirements exist, the school must continue to prepare its students for college, instead of preparing them for life.

Dr. Mather's suggestion of adopting the better part of the English system is a good one. To go still further in the specialization of the "average" student--so as to give the "motor mind" a chance--would uncover a vast amount of latent ability, and utilize much material which is at present wasted.