tals shall be reserved for the big
objective thoroughness, of the habit of mastery, and that the means be
given in small letters and as sub-heads.

We may indulge in the conceit that a flag floats at the summit of a lofty
and more or less rugged elevation. The youth who essays the task of
reaching that flag will need to reinforce his strength at supply stations
along the way. If we style one of these stations arithmetic, it will be
evident, at once, that this station is a subsidiary element in the
enterprise and not the goal, for that is the flag at the top. These supply
stations are useful in helping the youth to reach his goal. We may
conceive of many of these stations, such as algebra, or history, or Greek,
or Chinese. Whatever their names, they are all but means to an end and
when that end has been attained the youth can afford to forget them, in
large part, save only in gratitude for their help in enabling him to win
the goal of thoroughness.

The child eats beefsteak because it is palatable; the mother prescribes
beefsteak and prepares it carefully with the child's health as the goal of
her interests. Moreover, she has a more vital interest in beefsteak
because she is thinking of health as the goal. For another child, she may
prescribe eggs and, for still another, milk or oatmeal, according to each
one's needs. Health is the big goal and these foods are the supply
stations along the way. The physician must assist in determining what
articles of food will best serve the purpose and to this end he must
cooperate with the mother in knowing his patients. He must have knowledge
of foods and must know how to adapt means to ends, never losing sight of
the real goal. The inference is altogether obvious. A superintendent must
write the prescription in the form of a course of study and he may not
with impunity mistake a supply station for the goal. He must have
knowledge of the pupils and know their individual needs and native
interests. Having gained this knowledge, he will supply abundant electives
in order to assist each child in the best possible way toward the goal.

If, then, the relation between major ends and minor means has been made
clear, we are ready for the statement that these major ends may be made
the common goals of endeavor in the schools of all lands. Thoroughness is
quite as necessary in the rice fields of China as in the wheat fields of
America, as necessary in the banks of Rome as in the banks of New