HIS MAJESTY THE CHILD

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3502, 29 November 1913, Page 2

HIS MAJESTY THE CHILD

While one sort of educationist is trying to make the child think for itself, another sort of educationist is wondering where that process is going to stop. Francis E. -L-eupp writes in ‘•Scribner’s Magazine” : New conditions call for new policies and new measures. Hard us it may he for old-fashioned people to face the fact, the child of to-day is not the child of a generation ago. The blood of a hundred forceful ancestors united in his veins is not nearly so powerful a factor in his making a.s the environment amid which ho finds himself as soon as lie begins to -- -nk. V c can almost measure his normality by the degree to which his conduct is swayed by the social instinct. J’ rum the day lie begins to play with other children their preferences weigh more with him than all the admonitions of his elders. In tho era when children accepted both instruction and discipline on authority, it was a comparatively simple matter to govern a school. But now that it is the educational vogue to make every child analyse every subject of study and form his conclusions for himself, is it. not natural that lie should carry the same principle into the domain of conduct, and insist upon his right to decide how he ought to be governed ?