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THE PLACE OF PRINCIPLE IN INSTRUCTION.

"PR

PROF. FRANK P. BACHMAN, VALLEY CITY, NORTH DAKOTA.

RINCIPLE,” says Webster, "is a fundamental truth or tenet; a settled rule of action; a governing law of conduct; an opinion or belief that exercises a directing influence upon life and behavior." It is in this sense that we shall use the word principle.

The position that should be given anything in education must be determined, first, by the value it has for individual and national life; second, by its utility in attaining the aim of education; third, by the influence it will have upon the selection of subject-matter, upon method of instruction, and upon the general effectiveness of school work. To determine the place that should be given principle in instruction, we shall discuss the question from the standpoint of these conditions, considering first the value of principle to the life of the individual.

In the mental life of the individual principle serves as the basis of interpretation. Men through all the ages saw unsupported bodies fall, and wondered why. After the demonstration by Magellan that the earth was round, it was a problem, Why did not houses and rocks on the lower surface fall off? The answer was found in the theory of gravitation. It is only possible to understand these phenomena as they are interpreted in the light of this theory.

Everything in nature seems to be individual. If nature is viewed in the light of fact, there seems to be no order or system. A knowledge of principle enables the mind to see order in diversity, to bring various individuals into classes, to view nature as one organized whole. On the basis of principle animals are classified. Study the bill of the hen, the duck and the vulture as individuals and each is different. View them in the light of the law of adaptation and they are alike. Study the soil, plants and animals of a grove as separate things and there seems to be no relation between them. Study them in the light of organic unity and each will be found to be an integral part of an highly organized whole.

Emotion is the result of a complex mental state. A particular fact the unkind treatment of a woman-may arouse it, but

the deepest emotions are aroused and prolonged by principles. Newton was never so happy as when he first grasped the law of gravitation. The power of an ideal to arouse emotion is even greater than that of an abstract law. One needs but to concentrate his attention for a moment upon his ideal of life, of success, of a home, to feel the emotional effects.

The

Principle exerts nowhere such influence as in the volitional life of the individual. In this relation it performs three functions,-inspires, guides and serves as ends of actions. truth of this is too well understood to need discussion. From this brief analysis it is seen that in all the different phases of individual life principle plays a fundamental part. A knowledge of principle frees the individual from bondage to the particular, gives universality to his intellectual life; it enables him to see the meaning of things, to view the world as an organized whole. Principles are the abiding stimuli of emotions, and serve as guides and ends of action.

A nation is a social aggregate, the function of which is to promote the general good. To perform its function, the nation as a nation must think, feel and act.

A large part of the function of government is the formulation and the administration of law. Few laws are or can be formulated and administrated in the light of the particular case. Analyze the laws in regard to taxation, the protection of property and life, and you will find that they are founded upon principle, and therein find their validity.

Our national Constitution is a product of social intelligence. As such it is not a compilation of facts, but an expression of political principles. If national thought had been guided by fact, the convention of 1787 would have reproduced the constitution of Republican Athens, or that of Connecticut. It was, however, guided by "certain inalienable rights" of men.

An incident may arouse national emotion, but it takes an ideal to prolong and crystallize it. National action is inspired and guided by principle. In the revolutionary times of '76 the people were not aroused to action by the fact that Writs of Assistance had been granted, but by the infringement of the English Parliament upon the principles of the English constitution. They were not guided in their actions by the desire to

secure the repeal of these acts, but by their rights as English

men.

National ideals are always the embodiments of principles. Washington, during his administration, established the idea of non-foreign interference. His dictum has served a century as a national ideal. Washington, in uttering this dictum, had clearly in mind the law of self-preservation.

From the foregoing it is seen that principle has even more value to the nation than to the individual. Principle alone makes government possible; it forms the basis of organization; it is the foundation of law, the center around which public sentiment crystallizes; it is the guide in all public action, the backbone of national ideals.

Before we are in position to say what place should be given principle in instruction, it yet remains to see if education has interests to conserve other than those of the individual and the nation; also to see of what value principle is in attaining the aim of education. "Education," says Kant, "is the development in man of all the perfection which his nature permits." The definitions of Spencer and Herbart are in the same strain: "Education is the preparation for complete living." "Character building is the supreme aim of education." These definitions make the end of education the development of the individual. Education as limited by these definitions is too individualistic. They regard the individual as the only factor in human life, and completely eliminate the life of society, or the social factor.

The individual cannot be educated alone for himself; he must be educated for society as well. Education must be both social and individualistic. It ought, therefore, to have

a triple end in view: first, the harmonious development in the individual of all the capacities proper to the human race; second, the particular development in the individual of those capacities which seem particular to him in so far as they cannot disturb the welfare of society; third, to arrest and check those tendencies and instincts which may disturb society. Whether the aim of education is stated from the standpoint of the individual, or that of society and the individual, neither endeavors to accomplish anything other than their highest welfare.

The value of principle in attaining the aim of education can be clearly seen from an analysis of how its individual and social aim is to be realized. All results in education are secured by revealing unto the child some end, then, directly or indirectly, aiding him to its attainment. Education, to realize its aim, whatever else it may do, must at least set before the student two ideals: give him a conception of normal individual life, a conception of normal social life. Its work, however, does not end here; it must also aid him to realize these ideals. To do this the student must be given a knowledge of the means by which the two ideals may be attained.

The ideal of the normal man may be divided into five minor ideals,-ideal of normal physical, intellectual, social, æsthetical and moral life of the individual. This division is made

upon the basis of the different directions in which the activity of the normal individual expresses itself. The means of attainment can in like manner be analyzed into means of attaining normal physical, intellectual, social, æsthetical and moral life. A parallel division may be made of the ideal of normal society and the means of its realization.

This analysis shows that the aim of education can only be realized through giving the individual knowledge of the end of life, and means of attaining it. According to our definition all this can be classified as knowledge of principle. These principles fall into two classes; those that serve as ends and those that serve as guides of action. Principle is, therefore, of prime value to education, rendering possible the realization of its aim.

We have seen that principle is of inestimable value to the life of the individual and the nation, that it is essential to the realization of the end of education. Principle must, therefore, be given the first place in instruction. The end and aim of all instruction should be to give knowledge of principle. Fact should not be ignored, but should only be taught as a means to an end. I would not underestimate the value of facts. They, however, bear the same relation to the higher life of the individual and society that the mining of quartz does to the getting of gold. It is the gold, and not the quartz that is wanted. It is the principle illustrated by the fact, and not the fact that has value. The test of all instruction, the measure of every fact should be, "Does it give knowledge of principle?"

The question might well be raised at this point, "What principles are to be made the object of instruction?" True, there are those of mathematics, physics and literature. The question has already been partially answered in the analysis of how the aim of education is to be realized. It was seen there that education must give to the student a conception of normal individual and social life, also a knowledge of how this is to be attained. From this it can be inferred that only those principles should be made the object of instruction which may serve as ideals of life or guides in their realization; in short, principles of life.

Present instruction, both from the standpoint of subject-matter and from the place given principle, is poorly adapted to attain the end of education. Subject-matter, in all branches, is selected primarily to give a general view of the subject. In instruction fact is given the foremost place. If principle were given the place that its value for life justifies, and if instruction should aim to give the student a knowledge of those principles which may serve as ends and guides of action, the selection of subject-matter would be revolutionized. Materials would not be selected because of their utility in advancing the science, or in giving the student a general view of the subject. One of the tests, at least, to which all material should be subjected before they are given a place in instruction, would be: Will it help the student to grasp the aim of individual and social life? Does it give knowledge of how to attain this aim?

The selection of materials involves two things: first, there must be a clear conception of the aim of individual and social life, a knowledge of all the principles which control its realization, also a knowledge of the facts which may serve as a means; second, all the various branches of instruction must be analyzed to see what each can contribute to the conception of the aim, to see what principles each contains which control the attainment of this aim, and to see what facts there are which it is essential to know. It is only when this double analysis is made that one is in position to select materials.

If the above conditions were complied with what a change there would be in the subject-matter of the various branches of instruction!