bailey] HUMANISTIC ELEMENT IX EDUCATION 45 



immediately set about to show that it is not true. They still say 

 that there are "exact sciences;" if there are such, they must be 

 those not founded on observation and experiment. I heard a man 

 expound for an hour, with floods of numerals. He said that he 

 had "proved" something. I do not know what it was. 



So the deeper we settle into Science the more do we discuss and 

 explain, which means only that we are trying dimly to understand. 

 And the scientist becomes an hypothecist. To-day the plant- 

 breeder is a mathematician, the zoologist is a speculator, and the 

 geologist is a seer. And it endeth in Literature, Philosophy, Art, 

 Religion, — what you will. 



And it came to pass that men said one way was the best way and 

 other men said their way was the best. And one man called his 

 way Humanistic and the other called his way Scientific; and 

 straightway they made much trouble for themselves. 



One day we may forget distinctions that do not distinguish, and 

 we may devote most of our energy to doing our piece of work well 

 and to making ourselves to be as little children that we may teach 

 simply and easily and directly. 



Perhaps it would be impertinent, but I do not see how we can 

 ever understand human beings or know what their habits mean or 

 judge them fairly unless we observe them impartially and objec- 

 tively. Now we judge them by ourselves. We think of them 

 mostly as bearing "conduct" rather than as exhibiting characteris- 

 tics. Never can we realize the brotherhood of man till we divest 

 ourselves of prejudgment (which is prejudice), of assumed stand- 

 ards of ethics, and study human beings impersonally. Medicine 

 could make no progress till it passed the idea of demons, of control 

 by extra-terrestrial agencies, special providencies, and judgments 

 for sin. Our actions and habits issue from causes and they follow 

 courses which may be understood. We do not understand them 

 by sitting in judgment, although by that means we may protect 

 society. The new penology has its root here. We begin to see 

 that conduct has a rational basis. 



All the "humanities" in education are worth as much as the 

 "sciences" in the training of the young, if there are as good teach- 

 ers, with as good facilities, to teach the one as the other. All these 

 subjects are organized out of the human mind; the same quest of 

 truth is in them all ; the same integrity of thought may characterize 



