ABSTRACT
IN this discussion of the position of the tutor in adult education, we reach the heart of the matter. The whole purpose of the complex organization of the movement is to bring teachers and students face to face; and its success must be measured finally in terms of the influence which the teacher has been able to exert upon the minds and purposes of those who come to him for inspiration and guidance in their studies. This does not mean that the success of any adult class or course depends only upon the tutor; the members of the group, as mature persons with a rich and varied background of experience, have their own contribution to make to the progress of the group in knowledge and understanding; but if the tutor fails in intellectual leadership or in his relations with the group, all else fails, and the class languishes and sooner or later dies. In no other branch of teaching does the responsibility rest so squarely upon the shoulders of the teacher, in none is the test of his fitness for the task so severe. In school or college the class is there, whether or not the teacher is up to his job or succeeds in maintaining the interest of his pupils. In most branches of part-time vocational education, the pursuit of a qualification keeps noses to the grindstone however dull the instruction may be. Even in the universities, at least the modern universities, there is a kind of compulsion to attend lectures and classes, which depends upon the end to be achieved rather than upon the appeal of the teacher. In adult education, the sole incentive is interest and the sense of achievement; if these fail, while some members may continue to attend out of loyalty to the organization, the group dwindles or is never finally established, and as a result not only this but also future ventures in the particular centre are prejudiced.
