626 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



SOME OUTLINES FROM THE HISTORY OF EDUCA- 

 TION. 



By W. E. BENEDICT, 



PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AND LOGIC IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI. 



I. 



IT is noticeable that, upon the subjects of education and religion, 

 almost every one believes he has something to say. It is notice- 

 able also that this belief is often quite apart from knowledge or special 

 preparation. In mathematics, we wait for the judgment of the mathe- 

 matician, in chemistry, for the judgment of the chemist, while in 

 education we wait for no one, but bring forth our opinions loudly and 

 dogmatically. We have, as a pleasant consequence, the fact that the 

 nonsense written and spoken about education is like no other non- 

 sense for completeness, except that written and spoken concerning 

 religion. What fledgling does not think it in his power to produce a 

 helpful tractate about God, his nature and modus operandi ? In like 

 manner, who can not write a scientific tractate upon education ? 



It is a consideration of much moment, when approaching such a 

 subject as education, to reflect that true science ends controversy. 

 The Ptolemaic and Copernican systems may not share the heavens 

 between them. Is it said we have various systems of theology ? This 

 is painfully true, the reason being that we have not a scientifically 

 adequate one on the face of the earth. The same is the case with sys- 

 tems of government and political economy. We may safely conclude 

 that the fact of the existence of diverse systems is proof that the given 

 subject has not been reduced to scientific expression. 



From earliest times there have been teachers and students ; from 

 earliest times great-minded men have given themselves to the work of 

 education. "We see throughout Europe ancient seats of learning cared 

 for by governments and reverently regarded. More than this, during 

 the past two, even three centuries, enthusiastic efforts have been made 

 to found education upon its true bases. Most fitting opportunities 

 were granted to men who thought they had the science of the matter ; 

 experiment after experiment was tried ; and yet to-day we find our- 

 Belves in the very thick of the conflict, on the threshold of great 

 changes, and apparently no nearer the education-science. Naturally 

 the question arises, Why is this so ? as naturally also the further 

 question, What have we to expect? These inquiries are vitally re- 

 lated, and the answer to the second follows from the answer to the 

 first. 



Past endeavors have not given us a science of education because, 

 from the nature of the case, education is the last subject that can be- 

 come a science. Who is it whom we seek to educate ? Man. What 



