Role of School

The school has always been the most important means of transferring the wealth of traditions from one generation to the next. This applies today to an even higher degree than in former times for, through modern development of the economic life, the family as bearer of tradition and education has been weakened. The continuance and health of human society are, therefore, in a still higher degree dependent on the school than formerly. Sometimes one sees in the school simply the instrument for transferring a certain maximum quantity of knowledge to the growing generation. But that is not right. Knowledge is dead; the school, however, serves the living. It should develop in the young individuals those qualities and capabilities which are of value for the welfare of the commonwealth. But that does not mean that individuality should be destroyed and the individual becomes a mere tool of the community, like a bee or an ant. A community of standardized individuals, without personal originality and personal aims, would be a poor community without the possibility for development. On the contrary, the aim must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals, who, however, see in the service of the community their highest life’s problem.