Street at Night-Wickersham Scholarship- ing of City and Borough Superintendents. 416. Educational Interest of the Commonwealth : Educational Opportunities of Western Pennsyl- Education and the Higher Life : Ideals—J. L. Education for the Young-David Swing, 258. Emotional Element in Education-M. G. English Puritan, The-T. B. Macaulay, 128. Ethical Training in the Public Schools, 525. Facts About Great Mathematicians-Lewis R. Facts about Alcohol, 200. Fanny Price's Proverb-H. A. Hawley, 252. First Night at School: "Tom Brown at Rugby Formative Studies: Poetry, Grammar, Lan- Fractions Made Pleasant-Rhoda Lee, 248. Frances E. Willard: Tribute to Her Memory- Function of the Office of School Director -- Functions of a National University-Lewis R. Gems of Thought-E. E. Olcott, 300. Good Books-John Ruskin, 121. Good Memory Work. No. I. The Drunkard-St. Graduate of the State Training School-Grace Grammar and Rapid Addition, 147. Grammar School Course of Study-J. M. Ber- Growth and Duty: Address by Bishop J. L. Growth of the Soul: Object of Life-Emma Henry Drummond: Eloquent Tribute-Ian Historic Progress as Viewed by a Historian- Home of the Soul (Music)-E. H. Gates, 234. Hopeless Case, 267. How the State Aids the Farmer, 544. Hygiene and Sanitary Safeguard of the School Indian Corn: A Wonder Lesson -J. P. McCas- Indistinct Utterance: Personal Care and Watch- Items from Reports of Superintendents, 42, 136, Kindergarten in the Public School, 482. Lady Henry Somerset, 533. Law of Habit: Doing Things Automatically— Learn to Labor and to Wait: Do not Expect Leisure, Genius, Books and Reading-Augus- Libraries: Sir John Lubbock, 301. Library Legislation-N. C. Schaeffer, 181. Light and Darkness-Editorial, 359. Little Sir Galahad: "Bright, Heedless Pupil of Lord, With Glowing Heart I'd Praise Thee, 324. Look for Best Things-Edith G. Alger, 538. Mann, Armstrong & Company, 542. Meetings with American Poets-What We have Is Not What We Are - The Curfew Law-Per- sonality of the Teacher-Keep to the Divine Mistakes in School Room: Golden Rule Meth- Miriam: "She Looks as if Listening to Angels" Mrs. Oliphant and her Work, 552. "Shells of Music Pages: "Home's Not Merely Four Square Ocean"-J. W. Cherry, 140. Somewhere,' 188. "Home of the Soul"-Phillips, 234. The Snow Bird"-F. C. Woodworth, 278. "Lord, with Glowing Heart I'd Praise Thee" -T. H. Bailey, 370. The Star Spangled New Child and its Picture Books, 10. New Lines of Co-operation Among Superinten- New Profession: Supervision of Schools- Object Lessons in Training: From a Supervisor's Object of Arbor Day-Andrew S. Draper, 526. Observance of Arbor Day-D. J. Waller, 449. Office of Superintendent-L. W. Compton, 218. OFFICIAL Department: August-Recent Leg- islation: Aid to Public Libraries-Free Kin- dergartens-Smull's Legislative Handbook- Abolishing Independent Districts-Protection of School Houses, etc.-School and Building Taxes-Free Public Libraries-Special School Tax-Use of Books During Vacation-School Laws and Decisions--Transportation of School Children-Teaching Stenography and Type- pulsory Education Law-Distributing State Appropriation-Annual Per Capita School Tax, 90. September-County Teachers' Insti- tutes Certificates to College Graduates-New Legislation Protecting the American Flag- Indebtedness of School Districts- Items from Reports, 134. November-To School Direc- tors: Distribution of State Appropriation un- der the New Law-Items from Reports of Su- perintendents, 230. January-Sixty-fourth Annual Report of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 279. February-State Teachers' Certificates to College Graduates-Items from Reports, 364. May-Superintendents Com- Oh, Why should the Spirit of Mortal be Proud? Old and the Young (Poetry)-C. P. Crauch, 11. Old Fashioned Teacher-E. Converse, 350. Open to Question-T. J. Chapman, 554. Panama Canal: "Will be an Accomplished Fact Paragraphic Variety Anecdote of D'Arcy Thompson, Rural School Libraries, Mistaken Ideas, Anthracite Coal, High Ideals, Personal Habits, Nagging, Anton Seidl, Against Schools, Controlling Aim of Teachers, Rus- sian Proverbs, Ciphering Match, James Rus- sell Lowell, Stories of Elephants, etc, 5c9. Pennsylvania Germans-Editorial, 224, 271. Pennsylvania History-N. C. Schaeffer, 182. Pennsylvania State Association of School Direc- tors Proceedings of Third Annual Conven- tion at Harrisburg, 372. Opening Address by President, Hon. J. P. Elkin, 373; Address of Welcome, Supt. L. O. Foose, 373; Reply to Welcome, etc., H. H. Hubbert, 373. The Function of the Office of School Director- Henry Houck, 374. Are Teachers Selected for Competency and Efficiency?-D. F. Fort- ney, 376. Selection and Appointment of Teachers: Discussion, 380. Relation of Com- mon School to College-W. J. Holland, 381. Earlier Disbursement of School Appropriation Wm. McGeorge, 385. Disbursement of State Appropriation: Discussion, 389. Hygi- enic and Sanitary Safeguards of School House-F. R. Brunner, 391. Sanitary Safe- guards of School House: Discussion, 398. Resolutions, Officers, Reports, Record of At- tendance, 402. Permanent Certificates Granted, 505. PENNSYLVANIA STATE TEACAERS' ASSOCIA- TION: Forty-second Annual Session, 45. Ad- dresses of Welcome, by J. A. Gardner, Esq., and Supt. J. W. Canon, 45. Responses for the Association, by Dr. George W. Hull and others, 46. Limitation of Organization in Education-D. J. Waller, Jr., 48. The Teach- er, Real and Ideal - W. C. Robinson, 58. Ed- ucational Opportunities of Western Pennsyl- vania-R. G. Ferguson, 55. Child's Motive an Essential Factor in Education-Anna Buckbee, 61. The Emotional Element in Ed- ucation - M. G. Brumbaugh, 66. Report of Dr. Thomas H. Burrowes Memorial Commit- -H. C. Missimer, 76. The Race Element in Pericles, the Athenian-John S. Stoddard, 547. Philadelphia Museum-Editorial, 39. Pleasant for the Teacher-S. B. Todd, 292. Pleasing Other People-J. P. Muller, 200. Political Language Lessons: A Group of School Politics and Education-C. D. Warner, 253. Proper Use of School Houses-Aaron Gove, 30. Protoplasm: Animal and Plant Life, 18. Public Library in Pennsylvania-W. A. Wetzel, Slaughter of Birds: For London Millinery Somewhere the Wind is Blowing (Music)—A. Song in the School Room, 117. Spirit of Nature Work-B. B. Waterhouse, 549. Story for Mothers-Rhoda Lee, 310. Story of a Piece of Coal-C. E. Pattison, 446. Subconscious Impressions, 529. Suggestive Ideas from Older Classes, 143. Sulphur, What is Said of it, 535. Summer Days: Niagara Falls, etc.-J. P. Mc- Supervision of Rural Schools-H. Sabin, 11I. Supervision of Schools-Henry Sabin, 344. Teacher, Real and Ideal—W. C. Robinson, 55. Teaching as a Business-C. W. Bardeen, 313. Teaching Songs-W. C. Schaeffer, 124. Tendency of College Life: Advice to Students- Thanksgiving Sermon-V. C. Mellville, 536. Thoughts for Arbor Day-D. P. Rosenmiller, Three Greatest Poets: Dante, Shakespeare, and Three Interviews with Fate, 437. Tom and His Teachers-J. H. Vincent, 524. Tommy's Heart in His Gift, 530. Training in Primary Grades: Cumulative Power Training of Teachers: Thoughts for Thinkers- Traveling Pictures-Elvira Buckley, 124. Truant Schools-John Morrow, 462. True Teacher a Queen: Power of Personality, Uncle Sol's Criticism, 30. Use of Education: "The Life is More than Value of a Dollar: How Much for Charity, 16. Value of Education-Xeno W. Putnam, 296. Victoria's Long Reign: Wonderful Progress in Visit to the Tuskegee Institute-Chas. H. Al- Weergo Weergenese:" English Etymology- Western Prairie School-Adda Hayman, 113. What the School Library Did for Me-Marga- Where Plants Originated-C. E. Osgood, 253. Whittier and Childs: Two Philanthropists- Women on School Boards: More Needed-El- Wonder Story of a Piece of Coal: Told in Fa- Writing for Publication-Edward E. Hale, 522. IT ASSOCIATION. JULY, 1897. THE AESTHETIC ELEMENT IN EDUCATION. No. 1. BY DR. FRANK A. HILL, SECRETARY MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF EDUCATION. T needs no expert to note how easy it is in education for the ways and means of doing things to become divorced, as it were, from the great things that ought to be done. The philosopher analyzes the things that children should know, finds the elements that are common to them, and puts them in order in some scheme of study. The teacher presents these elements; the pupil studies them. The attention that is focused upon them magnifies them unduly. Almost before we know it, they usurp the supremacy that belongs of right to those things only from which they have been detached and to which they are clearly subordinate. And a dreary supremacy it is-this exaltation of the real or supposed means of expression above the things to be expressed, the school life expended on the former and the latter left to the haphazard of contingencies. In drawing, for instance, are not children sometimes kept penciling away at lines and angles and such juiceless things, as if these things were not the paltry means of expression but great themes in themselves? In manual training, are they not sometimes kept at work with surfaces and joints, without a hint of the larger language whose alphabet they are learning? Our philosophy, indeed, is all right. It holds before us ideals of direct work in stimulating thought and feeling in the child and securing their immediate expression; it admits that to do this main work, the child must be drilled in the means of expression, which drill must be kept subordinate; it claims that there is a possible happy union of the main work with the subordinate so that they may both advance in mutual sympathy, with equal step and effectiveness. But when it comes to our poor practice, unsupported, as it often is, by personal attainment-hampered, as it always is, by untoward conditions-inclining, as all else inclines, to the lines of least resistance-we have to admit its downward trend. Our beautiful philosophy survives in these Bethlehem meetings, but our rebellious practice keeps on in school. And so it comes about in education as in religion that we need frequently to reason with ourselves, and have others reason with us, if we would not lose sight of our ideals. We are told on eminent authority that art is "the solidest and sincerest expression of human thought and feeling,' and that, if we seek for its grandest law, we shall find it to be this: "To be much within and little without, to do all for truth and nothing for show, and to express the largest possible meaning with the least possible stress of expression." But the thoughts and feelings of human beings cover innumerable themes in the world of God and the world of man. They find expression in all forms of human activity,-in gesture, in conversation, in literature, in every art of production and in every art of design. The higher expressions of thought and feeling, whatever their medium, form or robe,--expressions that are eminent for their truth, their strength, their fitness, or their beauty, that never cease to tell their impressive story and are always suggestive of more to tell, these belong to the domain of art. The great doer, whatever he does, is, in some sense, an artist; and those that feel the thrill of his workmanship possess in varying measure the artistic feeling. Art, you see, has, as it were, two sides. If it is in the expression, it is in that which prompts the expression as well. If it is in the product, it is also in the mind that inspires the product. The mind may take in and enjoy what is artistic; it may give out and do what is artistic. There is the passive, interior, receptive aspect of art; there is its active, exterior, creative aspect. There is art in posse, as the lawyers say, and art in esse-art in idea and art in execution, art potential and art kinetic. One may be an artist in thought and feeling only; one may also be an artist in doing. The feeling for an art enlarges the field of human interest and happiness; it is a prerequisite to creative art; it is ample in itself to justify any education that fosters it. If such feeling blossoms forth into high doing, as sometimes it will, it is an additional argument in favor of the training that nourishes it. No large view of art is possible that does not ally it with that which makes for righteousness. Both send their roots. down into the same soil of truth, fitness, sacrifice, power, beauty; and if either is at all estranged from the other, it loses something of value and bloom. We feel that something is missing both in the art of a Byron and in the righteousness of the Puritan. We want the soundness of art as well as its beauty in the one; we want the beauty of holiness as well as its soundness in the other. If art is taken in this large sense, it cannot properly be ignored in any system of education that is worthy of the name. This is another way of saying that the aesthetic element is an essential element in education. Whatever the form in which the expression of thought and feeling exhibits itself, there are always the elements of such expression for the the pupil to learn; there is always its common, everyday speech or language in which he should become proficient; and there are its master-pieces for him to study, to enjoy, to aspire to, and possibly in time to equal. This means, of course, three corresponding levels of attainment, first, of disconnected elements separately learned; the second, of these elements united in the ordinary language of the expression; the third, of the language put to its noblest and most finished use. He is an unpromising pupil who cannot readily occupy the first level while in school and, during the same period, make a beginning, at least, of standing upon the second. As to the third, the pupil's soul can be touched there long before he can hope to accomplish much better. We may think of the student as trying to rise to these levels through successive years of schooling; we may think of him with equal propriety as trying to occupy them all during each and every year of his schooling. The elements, the language, the master pieces of expression, have their places in the rank as well as in the file of educational means, in the woof as well as in the warp of the educational fabric. This conception of growth, affecting, as it does, the scheme of instruction, has already yielded us good modern ideals for the study of English. There are its elements for beginners in reading and writing, there is its language for ordinary daily use, and there are its artistic expressions known as its literature,—the primer at one end and Shakespeare at the other, with long years between mastery of the former and high appreciation of the latter; and yet each advancing year the child is exercised in them all,-the elements, the language, and such literature as is suited to his years. The logic that frames such an ideal for instruction in English would frame a similar one for every great means of expression; for whatever the means, there is the same long and varied range from low to high as in English. Every means of expression has its exalted something that corresponds to the literature of English. The gamut of drawing is from the child's rude scrawls to Michael Angelo; of color, from daubs of barbaric red to the splendors of Rubens; of the moulding of form, from spheres of mud to the Venus of Milo; of the art of building, from the child's crude playhouse to St. Peter's at Rome. It is so not only |