EDUCATIONAL ADVANCE 545 



the production of goods requires the cooperation of a constantly in- 

 creasing number of workers. Each one forms but a link in a great 

 industrial chain, and consequently sees only a minute part of the 

 entire operation necessary to make the completed article. Machine 

 production aims at making a uniform and interchangeable product. 

 The workman is unfortunately bound down to a rigid and monotonous 

 routine; he becomes in time almost automatic in his movements. He 

 struggles blindly on, working and producing, without recognizing the 

 end in view, without feeling that he, himself, is an integral and 

 necessary factor in the formation and operation of a great industrial 

 machine or organism. 



The school must aim to demonstrate the social necessity of each 

 worker's task, and to give a clue to the great, intricate industrial 

 labyrinth. The problem of the relation of labor to capital can not 

 be solved until the work and function of all factors of production are 

 clearly understood by a majority of the people ; when such a condition 

 obtains, the question of the proper distribution of wealth will be greatly 

 simplified. The school attempts to meet the new economic condition 

 by enlarging its curriculum; it now aims at more than mere mental 

 training and discipline. Manual training, nature study, kinder- 

 gartens, athletics, physical training, commerical training, agriculture, 

 domestic science, cooking, sewing, drawing, modeling, painting and 

 music are now incorporated into the course of study. These added 

 features are merely tentative attempts to give training which was 

 formerly provided outside the school, but which can not be so pro- 

 vided under present conditions. Much of this work has been added 

 in a haphazard manner, in order to fill a vaguely defined need, without 

 proper arrangement or agreement with the older portion of the school 

 curriculum. These additions, the direct result in many instances of a 

 vigorous popular demand, have increased the importance of the school, 

 and have made it a more potent factor in the industrial, economic, and 

 social progress of this country. Nevertheless, after this enlargement 

 and enrichment of the course, there still remain many gaps in our edu- 

 cational system which are yet to be bridged over. 



The order in which these additions have taken place is fairly well 

 defined. As scientific discoveries and the practical applications of 

 steam and electricity multiplied, our industrial methods underwent an 

 almost complete transformation. A universal need for scientific and 

 technical knowledge was felt. The first notable change from the time 

 honored curriculum was made in response to this demand. The phys- 

 ical sciences, physics and chemistry, were advanced to a position of 

 equal rank with mathematics and language. Next appeared a demand 

 for the kindergarten, manual training, drawing and domestic science. 

 This demand is the result of a conscious or unconscious recognition 



