290 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 477. 



Status of Instruction in Social and Eco- 

 nomic Science in Normal Schools: Henrt 

 "W. Thueston, Chicago Normal School, 

 Chicago, 111. 



Special reports from forty-three repre- 

 sentative normal schools in twenty-seven 

 different states show that ten of them have 

 courses in sociology, seventeen in economics 

 and twenty-two in civics. 



In practise there is yet no agreement 

 among normal school men that a course 

 even in elementary civics — to say nothing 

 of economics and sociology — is needed by 

 teachers in elementary schools. 



Still there is a large and influential body 

 of opinion in favor of the study of all three 

 of these social sciences by even those teach- 

 ers whose work will be confined to the 

 lowest grades. Some of the reasons of this 

 opinion are : 



1. Economics and civics are needed to en- 

 able a teacher to teach specific work in these 

 subjects in the lower schools, but to teach 

 geography, history and ciirrent events 

 properly, the economic and political ele- 

 ments in these subjects being so funda- 

 mental, are necessary. 



2. As the individual can not come to a 

 knowledge of himself and his own powers 

 except through his social relations, the 

 teacher must know those social conditions 

 that are fundamentally necessary to the 

 norinal development of his pupils. 



3. The individual hungers for intelli- 

 gence and efficiency in the world of human 

 institutions as well as in the world of 

 things. 



4. A democratic society needs a greater 

 and greater social and ethical efficiency on 

 the part of all its citizens. 



5. The civilization of any age tends to 

 educate its young in the direction of its 

 own greatest needs, hence we are in the 

 midst of a movement toward a better social 

 education of our children whether we will 

 or not. 



Among the more immediate steps toward 

 better social education the following are 

 suggested : 



1. Such an agreement among normal and 

 their tributary high schools that courses 

 in at least civics and economics may be 

 prescribed in one school or the other for all 

 prospective teachers. 



2. Normal schools should keep pace with 

 other professional schools in lengthening 

 their courses and raising the standards, in- 

 cluding social education, for teachers. 



3. "V\Tiere courses can not be lengthened 

 some way of emphasizing the opportunities 

 and duties of teachers in the social educa- 

 tion of their pupils must still be found. 



4. There is need of greater intercommu- 

 nication among normal school teachers in 

 order that the best things in any school may 

 become contagious in all. 



Work of the College in the Formation of 

 Social and Economic Opinion: Robert 

 J. Sprague, Knox College, Galesburg, 

 Illinois. 



From figures comparing colleges and uni- 

 versities as represented by their graduates 

 in congress, it was concluded that the uni- 

 versity had evidently given a greater stimu- 

 lus to the study of economics and social 

 science than the college had. This result 

 was attributed to the comparative slowness 

 of the college in providing departments of 

 social and economic science. College ex- 

 tension work was advised in the locality to 

 establish an educational unity between 

 town and college as to which the narrow 

 sectarian spirit of the college and commu- 

 nity often stands in the Avay. Evening 

 classes open to adults and supported by 

 the municipality afford excellent oppor- 

 tunity and present a new line of duty in 

 smaller cities and towns especially, where 

 such facilities are lacking. Finally, the co- 

 operation of the newspapers is one of the 

 most helpful agencies to the work of the 



