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THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
Friday, April 25, 1947
Horse and Buggy Education
(Editor's Note: This is the second of the editorials on
education by Paul Keller.)
It is one thing to criticize, any fool can do
that, but unless some suggestion is offered in
place of it it is better to say nothing. Too many
of us write letters to the Nebraskan criticizing
this or that and end up by saying "something
should be done about it." There are some things
that can be done immediately to cure many of
the ills of our present teaching methods. Other
faults require further research and consideration
before improvement can be attempted. We can
be thankful for such organizations as the Car
negie Institute for the Advancement of Teaching
and others who are devoted to this task.
For the present, at least, our knowledge of
visual and audio aids could be used a great deal
more than they have been. Psychologists say
that 90 of our learning comes thru the eyes,
yet the use of motion pictures and slides is sadly
neglected. The subject of history is one which
most of us consider quite boring. Motion pic
tures lend themselves very readily to this sub
ject. For example, the teacher baits Johnny into
saying that the second World war would never
have happened if Churchill had been at Munich.
Then a film is shown depicting the rise of Hitler
to power. On the screen are flashed scenes of
soup lines, strikes, book burnings, balcony ha
rangues and goose-stepping, brown-shirted le
gions. Titus in a short space of time the real
cause of the war is presented in a thriling,
non-forgettable manner. This could be followed
by a short quiz to drive home the important
facts.
Cartoons can be used to teach subjects to
children at an early age. Biologyv physiology,
and many other subjects can be made exciting
and interesting to the juvenile mind. Survey
courses of subjects, usualy considered of a col
lege level, could be given. This would not only
help him select the course he will take in college,
but it will give those who do not go to college
a brief insight into philosophy, psychology, the
professions, and so on, subjects which the aver
age high school graduate knows little about.
With cartoons they can move inside a diesel en
gine, or watch the fight between white corpuscles
and disease germs in the body..
Audio aids, particularly in the teaching of
languages, are still not used to their fullest
extent. Fortunately their value is now realized
and some students are learning the languages
sans American accent, the records in most cases
having been made by natives of the tongue. x
It does not require much imagination to see
the many other subjects to which these two
"tools" of teaching can be applied. They alone,
however, can not do the job. A new approach
to each subject must be considered. Much extra
neous material is still being taught in practically
all subjects in grade schools to universities. We
can all look back and remember how much we
have forgotten, mainly because of disuse. This
forgotten material has collected in professors'
"outmoded lecture notes" thruout the years.
New developments in their fields are filed away
in the own minds and not considered in relation
to the elementary subjects which they teach, day
after day, year after year. This extraneous ma
terial should be eliminated and courses of study,
particularly in the technical fields, brought up
to date.
An entirely new attitude toward the student
is also another radical, but essential, revision in
our educational system. No attempt is made to
segregate the genius, or even the above average,
student from the dullards. In any society, it is
necessary that there be scientists, members of
the professions, skilled and unskilled labor. Why
should these all be thrown together and taught
at the same rate and the same subjects during
their first 12 years of school? Why should a
boy who wants to be an auto mechanic learn
algebra and trigonometry in high school?
Obviously these are radical departures from
standard methods. All of these suggested im
provements cannot take place overnight. It is a
long range program. Practically any serious
minded and intelligent thinking person will agree
that "something must be done." Walter Adams,
associate editor of Better Homes and Gardens,
has said, "One thing is certain, the old educa
tion isn't enough, we must improve it, either
this (the GI) way, or some other."
The only way wars, strikes, depressions, and
assorted political doctrines can be banished from
the earth is by the production of an intelligent,
liberal-minded populous. A liberal education is
essential. Yet the present ponderous methods of
education, and the wealth of useless material
which must be learned in order to "pass", make
it impossible to spend much time on the liberal
arts, particularly for students of the professions.
This is equally applicable to grade and high
school students, who probably need a knowledge
of the liberal arts even more than college stu
dents, since the majority do not go on to college.
You who read this are probably saying,
"What can I do ?" . In a democracy, yes, even
under a dictatorship, the weight of public opinion
is inexorable. Perhaps now you are slightly awed
by educational institutions. However, when your
children start to school you will look back upon
your own educational experiences and wish that
your child could be spared the inconsistencies of
the present methods.
; There are several things you can do. The
first is to discuss the subject as often as possible
thereby causing others to think seriously about
it. Let them know that something can be done
about it if enough people raise their voices
against present methods. Secondly, see that re
sponsible, progressive minded people are elected
to school boards and appointed to the boards
of regents. Thirdly, since this will require money,
elect men to public ofices who are in favor of
increased appropriations for education. There
can be no better invesment of public funds.
. , P. K.
Verdi's Memorial Mass Sung
For University War Dead
BY SAM WARREN.
Verdi's "Requiem," which will
be performed Sunday in memory
of university war dead, was
written as a memorial to Ales
sandro Manzoni, Italian states-
Classified
FOR 8 A lift Lor Log Duplex DesltriB Slide
Rule. Phil Swanson, Union Club Thura.
eve. 8-11 or Sat. 3-9.
FOR SALE Doctor' degree academic cap,
hood, and gown, pure dye (ilk, velvet
trim large size. Call 3-4580.
FOR SALE Single breasted brown stripe
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Both ln good condition. Phone 5-8658.
FOR SALEL. C7"8mltfi typewriter, small
type, In very good condition. 5-7947.
FOR SALE 1944 Indian "74" motor
cycle. 3211 Starr Street Call 6-3170
after 5 p. m.
LOST Alpha XI Delta sorority pin. Call
2 6095. Reward.
BUS BOYS
YOUNG men who have time free between
the hours of 11 to 2 will find Interesting
and profitable work In our Tea Room.
Apply Tea Room manager, Flftn Floor,
after 3:30 P. M.
MILLER PAINE
man, poet and novelist. Verdi
wrote the requiem in 1873 to
honor his compatriot.
Originally Verdi undertook the
writing of a requiem mass for
another immortal Italian, com
poser Gioccimo Rossini. Twelve
other Italian composers, now
mostly obscure, planned to
share the venture, but because
of a lack of unity among them,
the project was abandoned. Upon
the death of Manzoni, Verdi
took up the requiem again and
completed it alone.
Called "a typical disposition of
the requiem text in a large scale
setting," Verdi's "Requiem" is
divided into seven parts. They in
elude (a) Rest eternal, and, Have
Mercy: (b) Day of Wrath: Hark
the trumpet, Now the record, What
affliction, King of glories. Oh re
member, Sadly groaning, From the
accuser, and Ah, what weeping;
(c) Lord Jesus; (d) Holy; (e)
Lamb of God; (f) Light eternal
and (g) Deliver me,
A relatively few number of
composers have set the Requiem
Mass to music, in comparison with
these who have given musical set
ting to the normal mass. Among
WANTED STUDENT HELP
IN THE UNION CORN CRIB
Afternoon and Evening Hours
IN THE DISHWASH ROOM
Afternoon and Evening Hours
IN THE UNION MAIN OFFICE
5:00 p. m.-7i30 p. m. Monday Through Friday
INQUIRE AT UNION OFFICE
Free Flicker Show
Old-Time Movies of Yesterday
Charlie Chase in "Bromo & Juliet"
Laurel fir Hardy in "Do Detectives Think?"
Andy Clyde in 'Taxi For Two"
8:00 p. m SUNDAY, APRIL 27
" , : . , . . Bonnie Compton, Organist
! M . UNION BALLROOM i
the several other composers of re
quiems are Palestrina, Vittoria,
Mozart, Schumann, Bruckner,
Faure, Dvorak and Berlioz.
The Choral Union under the di
rection of Dr. Arthur Westbrook
will number over 500 voices Sun
day. Soprano Arrell Mace, con
tralto Mary Berner, tenor J. Day
ton Smith and baritone Dale Ganz
will be the four soloists. The con
cert, sponsored by the university
convocations committee, will begin
at 3 p. m. in the coliseum.
Junior Division
Junior Division students who
have not already made definite
appointments with their advisers
for the planning of their programs
of subjects to be carried during
summer school andor the first
semester of next year are urged
to see their advisers and make
such appointments at once. The
worksheets for registration should
be prepared and handed in to the
Junior Division Office a week be
fore the date Indicated on the ap
pointment - for - registration card
obtained from the control commit
tee, Nels A. Bengston, dean.
JBathj SNVhraakan
Member
Intercollegiate Press
FORTY-FIFTH YEAH
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rojlege rear. $3.00 mailed. Single copy 6e.
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Lincoln Nebraska, under Art of Congress,
March 3, 1879, and at special rate of pmt
ae provided for In serttnn 1103, art of Oc
tober t, 1917, authorised September 30, 1921.
AH LSA members interested in
attending Camp Brewster in
Omaha, May 24, may sign up in
the LSA office, 101 Temple, any
afternoon this week.
Free Variety Show
Sociia Ilcnie Hay Milland
Robert Ciiinmings
"EVERYTHING HAPPENS AT NIGHT"
8:00 p. m., Sunday, April 27
Ag Union College Activities Bldg.
Plenty of "Spectators by
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FIRST FLOOR