Lawrence High School - Lawrencian Yearbook (Falmouth, MA)

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Lawrence High School 13 In the nineteenth century, after the War of 1812, a wave of patri- otic and national enthusiasm swept over the country. Citizens de- manded reform, changes, and im- provements. Further attempts were made to introduce the study of American history into the public schools, but the process was very slow and only moderate success was attained. Most of the schools still specialized in the classical history, and American history was still lacking. Horace Mann and His Influence on History In the year 1837, after repeated attempts to gain state supervision for the schools, the Massachusetts Board of Education was created by the legislature. Horace Mann, in after years referred to as the Fath- er of the American Public Schools, was appointed as Secretary of the Board. With the appointment of Mann as Secretary, a position that he soon elevated to one of great importance, our subject gained a great champion and defender. To create the idealism and na- tional destiny necessary to a na- tional union, Horace Mann urged that history, especially that of the United States and the Federal Con- stitution, be introduced into the schools. He urged that children be taught the story of their own coun- try so they would be better able to understand its form of government and uphold its high ideals. He strongly advocated that all schools include complete history courses be- cause he sincerely believed that the study of history provided for ' a fuller and more purposeful life. His suggestions were gradually accepted, and thus the subject of history, in- cluding the new American history, was given a position of far greater importance in the schools. By the time of the Civil War, history had gained natural recognition and was gradually being accepted in the regular school curriculum. History Today History now occupies a central place in the social studies program of the secondary school of today. It is taught in every secondary school in the United States and re- cognized all over the world as being essential to a complete educational system. We have at present a concept much more broad, far-reaching, and inclusive than that of the past. We no longer study it for its political value alone. We study it because it portrays, in addition, the econ- omic, social, and cultural life of mankind. We study it because it concerns the history of the masses of people, as well as the history of monarchs and classes. The principal reason for this new and better conception of our sub- ject is due, primarily, to the dras- tic change in the people as a whole, from a spirit of personal and in- dividual freedom to a spirit of na- tionalism. This nationalistic or co- operative change has expanded, broadened, and enlarged our views on the purpose and means of edu- cation. Accordingly history in the sec- ondary schools today includes econ- omic, social, industrial, scientific, and cultural aspects. The courses include United States history, Eng- lish history, Roman antiquities, Greek antiquities, world or general history, mythology, and ecclesiasti- cal history. Conclusion Educators believe today, in ac- cordance with Horace Mann, their

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14 The Lawrencian pre decessor by one hundred years, that the study of history not only makes a more liberal, intellectual citizen, but in addition, it provides him with a means of interpreting and understanding life and its many social problems. History educates, trains, and socializes our citizens and in so doing provides for a bet- ter government and a higher, finer civilization. Donald E. Hurford COMMERCIAL EDUCATION Horace Mann’s educational re- forms took place in the first half of the nineteenth century. The tre- mendous advances which have taken place in the business and industrial worlds had barely started, but even then he realized the need for com- mercial courses in high schools. He once asked, “Can any satisfactory ground be assigned why algebra, a branch which one man in a thou- sand ever has occasion to use in the business of life, should be studied by more than 2,300 pupils, and book- keeping, which every man, even the day laborer, should understand, should be attended to by only a little more than half that number?” If he were here today, he would be pleased to see all the modern busi- ness courses in high schools, many more than just book-keeping. Much progress has been made in the field of communication, for ex- ample, since the pony-express days and since the days of Horace Mann. Then it took weeks to get news from one part of the country to the other. Now, by means of newspapers, we read glowing accounts of events scoi after they happen. Of course, there were many inventions, developments and improvements made between the pony-express days and the pres- ent time. The invention and the de- velopment of the typewriter was an important step forward in this pro- gress. The typewriter enables one to write much more rapi dly and accurately, and it insures uniform legibility. Shorthand has been great- ly improved and now is a great aid to the typist. The two go hand-in- hand for speed and accuracy in business. Then there is the printing press, which has developed from the hand- press to the present day Miehle two- revolution press. Instead of the weekly edition of a small newspaper, we now have several editions of many newspapers daily. In order to do this we must have, besides the improved machines, trained men and women to do the work required. There are those who must get the news, copywriters, and many others on the newspaper staff who do the kind of work that re- quires a business education. Besides news, advertisements form a large portion of newspapers. Persons with a good business education are re- quired to write advertising material and, since every business and in- dustry has a certain amount of ad- vertising, this business offers untoll opportunities for the commercially trained men and women. So all these modem inventions and developments have opened vast opportunities for trained book- keepers, stenograohers, and secre- taries. Realizing this fact, the high schools of today have installed ex- tensive business courses to train stu- dents to fill these positions. Students themselves realize the demand for trained young me and women in the business world today and conse- quently more of them are now tak- ing up the commercial course than ever before. This realization goes back and can be directly connected