The History Teacher's Magazine, Vol. I, No. 4, December, 1909Various
History
The History Teacher's Magazine, Vol. I, No. 4, December, 1909
Various
History -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals
After adverting to Herbert Spencer’s dictum that an industrial society
and militarism are incompatible, Professor Ford demonstrated the
falsity of that statement by instancing the cases of Switzerland and of
Germany, where the harmonious development of both types is in progress.
In Great Britain there is a movement to promote military efficiency for
the very purpose of promoting industrial efficiency. While many details
of wars may with profit be omitted from our teaching, we cannot afford
to ignore those great forces in the development of national life and
character.
The Association was also fortunate in having present Professor Eduard
Meyer, of the University of Berlin, who, in continuing the discussion,
heartily-endorsed Professor Ford’s views, at the same time wondering
how the question of eliminating the study of wars could ever have
become so general in this country. We must not confound sentimentalism
with ethics. The great responsibility laid on statesmen in a country
of universal compulsory military service is a guarantee of no war
except for good and unavoidable causes. The danger of war is less, he
believed, than in a country with voluntary military service or in one
with an army recruited from the lower orders of society. Germany’s
militarism is a guarantee of peace, as was shown by her attitude last
year in the acute stage of the Austro-Servian controversy.
Professor William MacDonald, of Brown University, taking up Professor
Meyer’s question, how the movement against militarism has come about,
suggested that it was owing in part to a movement to make things
easy and agreeable, resulting, in the case of history teaching, in
eliminating dates, memorizing, hard study of facts. Furthermore, the
growth of emphasis on economic and social elements has tended to lessen
the attention to political and military events. It is due, also, to a
tendency to carry reform movements to extremes.
Still, there is a question of what shall be done with the ethical side
of history. Professor MacDonald doubted the value of singling out any
study and making it the basis of ethical instruction. In teaching
civil government, for instance, for “good citizenship,” we may fail
to teach civil government. How shall the teacher deal with cases of
the “lie direct” in history, followed by highly beneficial results?
Or characters who have violated the laws of personal morality and the
results have apparently not been injurious to public welfare? These and
similar questions the teacher would better leave untouched. History,
except in advance work, does not afford a good field for ethical
instruction as such.
The discussion was continued by Dr. Jessie M. Law, of Springfield, and
Mr. J. C. S. Andrew, of Lynn, the last speaker strongly combatting the
views of Professors Ford and Meyer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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