partial, of course, but certainly sound as far as it goes, to that other question:—What constitutes true Education?
The special point in debate among teachers just now is, whether Education means teaching children truths, or drawing out the faculties by which man discovers Truth for himself.
One of the most terrible facts with which we have to deal in Education, is that on this point all the real thinkers are on one side, and nearly all the practice[1] on the other. Among those who are really thinking about Education, the unanimity is so great as to be monotonous. We have had unequivocal expressions of opinion at the Education Society. Professor Maurice and James Hinton (who by no means agreed in most respects) were both strong on this point:—Education means educing faculty, and does not mean imparting knowledge or instilling opinions. Theorists say—and say very truly—that no amount or kind of practice in remembering and writing out at examinations results arrived at by the investigations made by other people, constitutes any exercise of the faculties by which truth is discovered, or any adequate preparation for solving the practical problems which present themselves in the course of every human life. They maintain that no child is really being educated, except in so far as those faculties are being educed and strengthened, by the use of which Truth is brought to light from amidst a chaos of contradictory-seeming phenomena.
Yet some power mightier than all arguments is preventing these would-be reformers from effecting their
- ↑ This was written nearly twenty years ago. It is no longer quite true; but I let it stand.
