928

[Illustration: THE RAND McNALLY PRESS
RMN
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Made in U. S. A.

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[Illustration: PREFACE]

The series, of which this is the third volume, is an attempt to meet a
need that has been felt for several years by parents and physicians,
as well as by teachers, supervisors, and others who are actively
interested in educational and social progress. The need of practical
activity, which for long ages constituted the entire education of
mankind, is at last recognized by the elementary school. It has been
introduced in many places and already results have been attained which
demonstrate that it is possible to introduce practical activity in
such a way as to afford the child a sound development--physically,
intellectually, and morally--and at the same time equip him for
efficient social service. The question that is perplexing educators
at the present time is, therefore, not one regarding the value of
practical activity, but rather one of ways and means by which
practical activity can be harnessed to the educational work.

The discovery of the fact that steam is a force that can do work had
to await the invention of machinery by means of which to apply the new
force to industrial processes. The use of practical activity will
likewise necessitate many changes in the educational machinery before
its richest results are realized. Yet the conditions that attend the
introduction of practical activity as a motive power in education are
very different from those that attended the introduction of the use of
steam. In the case of steam the problem was that of applying a new
force to an old work. In the case of practical activity it is a
question of restoring a factor which, from the earliest times until
within the last two or three decades, has operated as a permanent
educational force.

The situation that has recently deprived the child of the opportunity
to participate in industrial processes is due, as is well known, to
the rapid development of our industrial system. Since the removal of
industrial processes from the home the public has awakened to the fact
that the child is being deprived of one of the most potent educational
influences, and efforts have already been made to restore the
educational factor that was in danger of being lost. This is the
significance of the educational movement at the present time.

As long as a simple or