2l8 



The Review of Reviews. 



A MONTESSORI SCHOOL IX 

 AMERICA. 



Miss Anne E. George, the translator of Dr. Mon- 

 tessori's " Scientific Pedagogy." contributes to the 

 Aogust number of the World's Work an article on the 

 Montessori school which she has established at Tarr\- 

 town. New York. 



After five )'ears of teaching in the Chicago Latin 

 School. Miss George went to Italy to study the new 

 method at first hand. The simplicity of the system was 

 a revelation to her. Nevertheless, she took an eight 

 months' course to quality herself for her work, and at 

 Tarrytown she has been putting her knowledge to the 

 test. The odd dozen children whom she has been 

 "directing" belong to the cultured classes, and their 

 ages ranged from three to five at the time the experi- 

 ment was begun. The first weeks were very trying. 

 Then slowly the children began to orient themselves. 

 As soon as they found their objects of inter- s , dis- 

 order disappeared, and as they ceased to imitate one 

 another they continually showed a growing indepen- 

 dence. They were delighted when they discovered 

 they had done something all by themselves. The 

 training had the effect of sharpening their senses. The 

 finest result of the experiment, says Miss George, is the 

 development of individuality in the children — the 

 mastery of self, the growth of independence, and the 

 recognition and use of the senses. The basic purpose 

 of the method is to bring out whatever is in the child. 



PUPIL SELF-GOVERNMENT IN 

 THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. 



M. KArzER, Esq., M..Sc., pleads most persuasively 

 in Progress for pupil self-government in Elementary 

 Schools. " Even under the best conditions, when 

 the adult rule is kind, gentle, and painstaking, there 

 is always a gap between teacher and taught, and 

 tradition has made the English teacher a person who 

 is to be circumvented at all costs. Can nothing be 

 done to bridge over this gap, can we adopt no means 

 to invite the pupils to range themselves on the side 

 of the teacher, to make them see things with his eyes, 

 so that they may experience feelings of pride or shame 

 according as the condu<l of the class is good or bad ? " 



After describing the John T. Ray System, the School 

 City Plan, and the claims made for them, the writer 

 narrates his own successful experiments in this 

 direction at the Jews' Hospital and Orphan As\lum. 

 His conclusions are as follows: — "The first essential 

 required to make pupil government a success is the 

 enthusiasm of the head teacher. He must believe in 

 it even before he tries it. and he must not be discouraged 

 by the failures he will meet with in the course of his 

 experiments. Then, again, he must have the enllui- 

 siastic support of his staff, and this will probably be a 

 greater difficulty than .any other. 1 know from 

 painful experience how easy it is to throw cold water 



on the scheme while it is on its trial, and it is a very 

 simple matter to strangle the movement at its birth. 

 If, therefore, the head teacher cannot be sure of the 

 help of the teachers, it would be better to leave pupil 

 government alone, or at least to introduce it ver\- 

 slowly. Then, .again, the tone of the school must be 

 good, or the pupils themselves will not respond, and 

 i have invariably found that the system worked most 

 smoothly in those schools where the tone was good. 

 Where the staff claimed that the introduction of pupil 

 government led to the abolition of stealing, indecency, 

 wrong conduct, the use of bad language, etc, it was 

 as much due to the personal influence of the teachers 

 as the direct result of the new movement. Where, 

 however, the three conditions obtain that I have laid 

 down, viz. (a) enthusiasm of the head teacher, 

 (b) support of the staff, (c) good moral tone in the 

 school I believe that pupil government can be success- 

 fully introduced." 



THE PULITZER SCHOOL OF 

 JOURNALISM. 



The Chaiilauipian gives particulars of the newls- 

 opened School of Journalism at Columbia University, 

 U,S.A. This school was handsomely endowed by the 

 late Joseph Pulitzer, one of the greatest " born '" 

 journalists of his time. The staff is composed of able 

 newspaper men. and they will teach the practical 

 work of journalism and magazine editing and writing. 

 The school is expected to revolutionise journalistic 

 methods in the States. Reporters, correspondents, 

 editorial writers, critics, reviewers, special con- 

 tributors, headline makers, and others will be trained 

 by the school as far as any school can train men and 

 women for such work. But the school and its staff 

 realise that the good journalist, like the good poel 

 or actor, is not made. Natural qualifications and 

 "ifts are essential to him — as they are to the realh 

 successful practitioner of any profession or art. Bui 

 if a school cannot give capacity, it can foster and 

 develop it. Moreover, it can give useful knowledge 

 and a \aluable grasp of method. 



B.\BIES BECOMING LONGER. 



In the Lady's Realm Dr. Ezekiel Boyd is quoted as 

 declaring that babies are becoming longer among ail 

 classes. He says : — 



I liave made accurate measurements in liuiidreils of cases 

 (Uirint; that time, and I find that instead of the recognised 

 standard of I.SJ indies at l>irth, the babies that have come 

 nndcr my notice have averaged no less than 22 inches. Babies 

 of even 24 inches liave frequently passeil through my hands. It 

 is difficult to find an c,\]>bnatic)n for the longer babies. I believe 

 it i> due to increased consumption of fruit and the change in 

 the character of the bread eaten by the English people. Then 

 for some time past the people have been getting less lime in 

 their bread. The result is that the bones do not ossify or set 

 so (|uickly, and the constant tendency of the bones is to grow 

 longer. The increase, in my opinion, points to a degeneration 

 in the race. " 



