1958. Public Education. The Southern Presbyterian Journal. 3–4. Feb 5
Public Education
Since the system of Christian Schools, which is in vogue with
the Christian Reformed denomination, is not widely adopted throughout the United
States, our churches and our seminaries must mainly depend on public education for
the academic preparation of their ministers. Therefore we, not only as parents but
also as church members, have an interest in the public school system.
Public education in the U.S.A. has been receiving a great amount
of adverse criticism lately, especially since Sputnik has shown that not only are
England, France, and Germany better educated than we are, as has always been the
case, but that now savage Communism has outstripped us in several particulars.
The U. S. News & World Report (Jan. 24) carries material
on this subject that is intensely interesting, factually detailed, and most humiliating.
It shows that the enemies of intellectual attainment have gained control of the
educational machinery and have cheated our children of advantages that they ought
to have.
The details of the interviews with Professor Bestor of the University
of Illinois, President Griswold of Yale, and Dr. M. M. Boring of the National Academy
of Sciences cannot here be repeated. They ought to be read in full. But perhaps
I may be permitted to add one item of evidence.
When I was a boy I attended a Manual Training High School (Northeast
of Philadelphia) . There I took four years of Latin, three years of French, and
three years of Greek. They also gave me four years of mathematics plus several semesters
of physics, chemistry, and zoology. Now that the professional educationists
with their powerful lobbies have captured the state legislatures, how many High
Schools in the U. S. A. still offer these opportunities? I venture to guess that
nearly all provide much fewer advantages for their students.
Foreign language is of particular interest to the Christian church.
Ministers are needed who can read Greek, and even Hebrew, and read it with ease.
But unless Greek is offered in high school, the ease will be difficult to achieve.
And unless ease is attained, natural disinclination plus the burdens of the pastorate
will result in less and less attention to the New Testament.
Since at this time the poverty of public education is in the
public eye, those of us who are interested in high academic standards (and this
has always been a characteristic of Presbyterians) have some hope that our voice
may be heeded a little. It would be well if many of us would write letters to the
editors of our local newspapers and of the weekly periodicals. If there is some
volume of protest against the recent policies, possibly we can obtain the advantages
for our children that they deserve.
It should be kept in mind that the high School teachers themselves
are generally in favor of better education. They are hampered and sometimes cowed
by political pressure. But I can think of only one High School teacher of my acquaintance
who approves of all the methods courses and other devices for submerging the content
material. The Latin teachers want to take courses in Latin, the historv teachers
want to take courses in history (to get a Master's degree) and even the art teachers
want courses in art. But they are all forced by payroll requirements to take silly
courses in methods — methods of teaching Latin, methods of teaching history, methods
of teaching art, by educationists who know neither Latin, history, nor art. And
they don't like it.
With a minimum expenditure of time we can help these teachers,
we can help our children, and we can help the future Presbyterian ministry.
— G.H.C.
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