The Story of a Great SchoolmasterWells, H. G. (Herbert George)
History
The Story of a Great Schoolmaster
Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Sanderson, F. W. (Frederick William), 1857-1922; School principals -- Great Britain -- Biography
'(_a_) The work boys are doing should not be for themselves, or
exercises to learn by; it must always be work required by the
community.
'(_b_) Each boy must have the opportunity of doing all the main
operations, and all the operations should be going on in the
workshops.
'(_c_) Whenever a boy goes into the shop he should find himself
set to work which is up to the hilt of his capacity. There is
no "slithering" down to work which is easy, no unnecessary and
automatic repetition, no working for himself but for the community.
'And we can say, and are entitled to say, to the boy, when you go forth
into life, perhaps into your father's work or business or profession,
you must try to do for your apprentices and workers what we have tried
to do for you. You, too, will try to see that every one has work which
exacts their faculties--by which they will grow and develop; you will
see to it that they are working directly on behalf of and for the
welfare of the community, and not for yourself.
'This is your real duty towards your neighbour. It is a vastly hard
thing to do. This duty of believing that others are of the same blood
with yourself, and have the same feelings, and loves, and desires and
needs, and natural elementary rights; this duty of setting them free
to exercise their faculties spaciously that they, too, may get more of
life--is the real duty towards your neighbour. It is a hard thing. If
you think of the works, the factory, the office, it is a hard thing. It
involves vast sacrifice--the hardest sacrifice--the sacrifice of belief
and economic tradition. We need not be surprised that Christianity
has "slithered down" to an easier and softer level of culture and
duty towards our neighbours. But whether the workers know it or not,
this hard duty is essential in considering the relationships of our
community system and our international system to-day.
'It is a hard duty, and boys must be immersed in it in school. The
outlook, values, and organisation of a school should be based on the
fundamental fact of the community service. By habit of mind, and by the
activity of the schools, boys should be imbued with this high duty. It
means a reorganisation of methods and aims.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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