“有用知识”与大众教育--霍尔布鲁克与美国学园运动(1826—1839)

Useful Knowledge and Mass Education:Holbrook and American Lyceum Movement(1826-1839)

一个国家经济的增长和社会的进步不仅是新思想和新观念传播的结果,也与这些思想观念为大众所用的路径有关。随着科学的兴起以及工业的发展,从18世纪下半叶开始,美国知识精英的兴趣发生了巨大变化,“有用知识”逐渐成为知识界流行的概念。19世纪初期,美国的知识精英试图探索将“有用知识”传播到普通大众之中的途径。美国学园运动的主要创始人约西亚·霍尔布鲁克是其中的代表,他通过在全国范围内广泛建立学园系统,建立自助与互助的教育组织来传播“有用知识”,并探寻培养社会公民方案。霍尔布鲁克领导的学园运动不仅为工业时代早期的知识传播和大众教育探索了一条独特的道路,也影响了后来美国公共教育体系的建设。

The economic growth and social progress of a country are not only the result of new ideas,but also related to the path of these ideas used by the public.With the rise of science and the development of industry,the interests of American intellectual elite changed greatly from the second half of the 18th century,and useful knowledge gradually became a popular concept in intellectual community.In the early 19th century,American intellectual elite tried to explore ways to spread useful knowledge to the general public.Josiah Holbrook,the main founder of American Lyceum Movement,spread useful knowledge by constructing lyceum park system domestically and establishing self-help and mutual-help educational organizations,and explored ways to cultivate social citizens.The movement explored unique path for knowledge dissemination and mass education in the early industrial age and influenced the construction of American public educational system later.