Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/669

 EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL EFFICIENCY 653

must not let into the teaching profession anyone who is not intel- lectually fit; and we are just beginning to see that we ought to have some method of barring the personally unfit from the schoolroom. There are signs that we shall soon devise some method of examining personal characteristics in certificating teachers. We will take account of the voice, for one thing, since this exerts upon children a very subtle influence for good or for ill. Possibly the intellectually strong, who are in a general way selected out by our present methods of certificating, are also per- sonally strong; but it is probable that this is not always the case, at any rate. Then good stature is of supreme importance in the classroom. A leader must suggest physical strength, among other things. Presence, in all this means, counts for a vast deal. The features are of greater consequence in determining leader- ship in the schoolroom than all the rules a teacher could construct.

Youth is the most vital period in social training. Most people appreciate this in a general way ; even savage tribes have special ceremonies at this time. Rapid metamorphosis is the order dur- ing this epoch, and this is most marked in the emotional life. There is a birth of new emotions and interests, all of social refer- ence. The birth of the tender passion marks the beginning of an entirely new epoch in the life of the individual. Most of his activities for a time bear some sort of relation to it, either directly or remotely. All the developments of this period probably have their place in a well-rounded character ; and in education we must guide and direct, not suppress them. It seems that every power is in the beginning crude and misshapen in the light of present- day needs; but this is at once the opportunity and the justification of education.

The problems of training youth in the social virtues in the small town demand the serious attention of parents and educators. The bill-boards in these places are a source of mischief. Scenes they depict often nourish coarseness and rascality. The absence of ideals is the bane of the town, for the adolescent boy especially. There is little to awaken his higher ambitions ; and the homes, on the whole, are devoid of inspiring influences, so the boy takes to the street. But the models which are presented to him here are