398 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Passing through, the systematic routine of instruction in wood- 

 working tools, then the metal-working tools, the instruction in 

 the materials of construction and recording his work systematic- 

 ally in his short-hand the drawing, the boy thus correlates things 

 apparently detached; trains his judgment, and is fully able to 

 supplement through self -study whatsoever special knowledge he 

 would find desirable in a given time. Such a boy is sure not to 

 depend for his living upon a special kind of machine. Why ? 

 Because he has learned how to understand and read machinery. 

 The next point sure to come up, whatsoever we treat in our mod- 

 ern times, would be that of cost. Considering the return of very 

 desirable and highly probable results, the outlay w5ll be very 

 small indeed. Some system, some logical analysis of purpose, 

 some honesty of purpose especially, and we have it. Time and 

 money being the chief considerations in the matter of public 

 schools, a few suggestions may be allowable. 



We are far from condemning the instruction, and far from 

 making a crusade against the selection of branches even. Having 

 visited educational institutions in many countries, the writer con- 

 siders the American system superior to the others, and as most as- 

 suredly answering well the purpose intended. The only question 

 is, whether that purpose is desirable. If collegiate education of a 

 non-scientific professional character be the golden door of life's 

 success, then the public-school system is the one wanted ; but if, on 

 the contrary, industry and commerce be accepted as the more im- 

 portant fields, then the system is a failure, not on account of its 

 practice or standard, but simply as not supplying the demand. 

 One of the most enigmatic objections against the innovation 

 intended (emphatically), "The state has no right to prescribe 

 the future occupation of the growing generation," sounds very 

 decisive indeed, but has but little, if any, real bearing on the ques- 

 tion. To answer one generalization by another, the writer may 

 with the same weight put the following query : " Has the state the 

 right to educate for no special occupation, although such is un- 

 avoidable in actual life? Or otherwise, has the state the right to 

 teach the boy first that he is created with equal rights to enjoy 

 life, to teach him what to desire, how to enjoy it, but not how to 

 get it; and then legally crush him for having got, or at least 

 attempted to get, the thing accepted as desirable, the best way he 

 could ? Many an educational veteran may puzzle over it. 



Then, again, the argument that the instruction received has 

 helped rather than obstructed many a case of the desired success 

 in technical or commercial career, it may be answered that the 

 proposed change will by no means prevent any individual from 

 becoming a minister, a poet, a teacher, a politician, etc. On the 

 contrary, it appears very plausible to admit that a manually 



