Virginia statesman. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1828-1829, 1828-10-15
TO THE PUBLIC.

caster TO the instruction OF numerous class
es in which twenty or more scholars will
occupy little more of the time and attention
of the teacher than a solitary pupil. Mr..
Neef has therefore been solicited and has
consented to receive a limited number of
pupils to be educated with the children of
the subscriber. So soon as a class shall
be formed for instruction in Music, the
course of instruction will commence, so of
the languages and other branches--the plan
will be fixed on as soon as the number wish
ing instruction shall be ascertained. Ofthe
competence of Mr.. Neef as a teacher, the
following letter which is in perfect accord
ance with his own Judgment, the subscrIb-
er thinks will be satisfactory to the public.
BENZ. TAPPAN.
PHILADELPHIA, I4H September, 1873.
BENZ. TAPPAN, ESQ.
DEAR SR-lf my friend Joseph Neef
obtains that regard TO his moral and intel
lectual worth which is due to him, and a
sufficient number Of young persons are
placed under his charge to reward him for
his services, it will be a fortunate occur
renee in your community--ot all the men
whom, in a varied and comprehensive
course of life, l have met with, l have new
er known his equal as a man Of accurate
knowledge, the most capable Constructing,
and the most dlsinterested and eiiectuulIn
has transactions.
Mankind are the mere creatures Of hab-
It's originating in times of profound gno-
rance and superstition, and such Is the
force ofthesc habits now, that when natu-
raj and simple mode of instruction, a fair,
simple, 81 certain mode of acquiring knowl-
edge is offered to our regard, the force Of
prejudice is generally opposed to receive
truth and knowledge thro' the obvious and
natural channels. have perceived that
the various classes ofteachers and school
masters, and old women, are opposed to
Neef and Pestalozzl's system; and like all
combinators who combine to subserye their
craft, they make a great noise, and are not
very scrupulous of lying and mIsrepresen-
tation. 1t is very true they have some
reason on their side-they subsIst by max
inc their pupils write certain number of
copies and sums in Arithmetic, and getting
few pages of some Grammar, Spelling
Book, Geography, or other book by heart;
their labor Is very easy and requires very
| little knowledge to accomplish it and get
their money:-but God help the pupils; |
have raised several children and speak from
my own and their experience.
Neefmakes a pleasure to the children of
their exercise-they see--hear-teeI and
understand. His instruction does not con-
sist of technical rules construed IN words,
which the learned only comprehend and
often dispute about, they cannot proceed
but with knowledge, and boy Of eight
under two or three years instruction by his
method, / have known abletO Insructmany
who protested to be teachers Of others.
Yet his method is strictly the method of
nature-vou find it exemplied by Locke
and Condillac-but where do you find
teachers by profession who pay any regard
TO eitber-altho' Locke and Condillac have
in fact done no more than to die the himaR
mind out of the mass of artificial and UNI
natural subtlety IN which it had been sub
merged for ages. Bacon taught mankind
to disregard artificial maxims and search
for facts; but even then until Locke pointed
out the only source and origin of ideas, the
theory of Bacon was lmpertect-W hat
Bacon did for true science, what Locke
did for knowledge of the mind-Pestalozzi
of Switzerland accomplished for education
before him, Locke was known, but not
tauoht-in some universities Locke was
excluded and the enemies Ofhuman liberty,
all who had an interest in human ignorance
exclaimed against Locke, and although IN
our day Locke has an immortalized emil
nence as a philosopher and citizen, ne
was prosecuted while he lived and denoml-
mated an atheist by bIgotry. Pestalozn
carried into education the principles OF
Locke's doctrine of ideas, he taught to APP
nlv words according to their true sIgnitica-
ton, the use of words applied to things.
The first impressions on the senses he per-
ceiyed according to the objects present
were those of forms and cOlors and mag
niudes. The form Of tree differed from
the form Of a house; these forms were COM
pretended in an outline; painters learn
These facts in the first time when they ap-
o,4 fha Dr,niiS cf Nnet cannot