352 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ideas that is to be propagated through the school system. But it is 

 not in human nature that a man should like to see the state using his 

 money to advance notions of which he disapproves. Particularly is 

 this true of religious ideas. Shall his objection be heeded ? Suppose a 

 person be found who thinks it contrary to equity and good conscience 

 that his children be taught the binomial theorem. Shall instruction in 

 algebra, therefore, be stopped at this point ? Or, shall the objector be 

 forgiven his tax ? Or, shall a school be instituted for his benefit where 

 the obnoxious formula is left out ? Will not the same argument, what- 

 ever it be, hold good for both religion and algebra alike ? 



The great purpose of education within the domain of the state is, 

 I conceive, to make men of their own wills do what is right ; that is, 

 to act for the welfare of the whole organism. They will not so act 

 unless they have the right disposition. Hence good character must 

 be formed to insure good conduct. I do not suppose it will be seri- 

 ously disputed that to accomplish this end, as regards knowledge, truth 

 only should be taught. A character based on untruth or error is not 

 desired by anybody. The controversy always is over the answer to 

 the query of Pontius Pilate. As a discerning judge in one of the 

 law reports remarks in an opinion : " There is no doubt that the plain- 

 tiff in this case ought by his contract to have beans : the question is, 

 What is beans ? " There is, perhaps, room for doubt whether all truth 

 ought to be taught, even admitting it to be truth ; but I shall assume 

 that no one will urge that falsehood should be the basis of instruction 

 to youth. 



Theoretical knowledge may or may not have direct, appreciable 

 effects upon character and conduct. A good deal of this sort of 

 knowledge, when acquired in school education, is disciplinary for the 

 purpose of exercising and training mental powers. Such is the case, 

 for example, with the binomial theorem just instanced. Perhaps no 

 great harm would result to anybody if it were left out of mathematical 

 instruction in public institutions. But some disciplinary instruction 

 there must be, and some one must decide what it shall be. Men are 

 taxed for the support of schools on the theory that it is for the interest 

 of the state that children be educated. Each one must leave to con- 

 stituted authorities the power to prescribe in what this education shall 

 consist ; and even if he has views of his own, he can not be allowed to 

 make their rejection by the school board just ground for refusing to 

 pay his taxes. For similar reasons he can not ask to have a school 

 established for his own ideas or for his own benefit. Besides, this last 

 would be wholly impracticable on an extended scale. It would destroy 

 the public-school system altogether. Nevertheless, nothing that is here 

 said should prevent any one from agitating matters of complaint as to 

 courses of instruction and enforcing his opinions if he can make them 

 appear reasonable, through the regular channels of influence and au- 

 thority. 



