Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-10-17
DUCATION.
From the Journal of Commerce.
New syst EN- OF 2 du c tiOn.

Olu, Ou UelnS dSheU NH"t quo ulo at
school, replied, Il sag A and B, and SIT
on q bench Well would it be for socie-
ty, and humanity. if the A, b, and sit
ting on a bench system, was confined to
primary schools; if it did not extend,
both in spirit and in form, to Colleges,
Theological Seminaries, and almost eve
ry other class Of literary Institutions.
One of the first and most unfortunate
mistakes ever committed in this course
of education, as it is the origin of many,
perhaps most others, is in forcing children
into books, at too early an age. This
mistake is now extensively felt and ac-
knowledged, especially by Physicians, who
state that numerous children are injured
both in body and mind by this unnatural
and repulsive practice
To AVOID these worse than tfultless at
tempts at an artificial, unnatural and fore
ed instruction of children, they are now
encouraged aud aided in acquiring what
all are eager to learn, viz /: knowledge
of things objects which surround them
the works of their Creator, fitted by their
aII.wise author for the capacities of her
intelligent creatures, even at their first
existence.
Children cannot be prevented from
learning the natural and artificial produc-
tions placed before them and az their
ewes are never satisfied with seeing, their
ears with hearing or their hands with
handling, if these objects were increased
ten fold, or hundred fold, they would
learn the whole with equal ease, and great
" increased pleasure. --.#-.
Not only the general, but the specific
names, characters and uses Of objects, are
learnt by children at an early age, not
with reluctance but with pleasure. For
example, they readily distinguish GER
tain class of objects, under the name OF
trees and a white oak from black oak
They also learn that tree is composed
of wood, bark leaves, flowers, and fruit
or seeds. With equal ease and pleasure
! they learn the specific names and forms oil
leaves, as vened, nerved, serrate, pinnate,
| bipinnate, crenate, palmate, pedate, sinu-
ate neItate. and hundreds of other terms
with their meaning, ten times more readi-
", and thousand times more agreeably
and successfully, than they ever learn the
twentv-six letters of the alphabet, or a
single column of spelling lessons.
Animal and mineral productions and
| the productions of nature changed into
those Of art, are learnt no less readily or
agreeably by children than the numerous
specimens, andthe specific names of plants
/ If written or printed names of objects
are connected with the things themselves
spoken aud written words and languages
are learnt at the same time. For exam
pie, if upon specimens of wood are past
ed the printed or written names, white
oak, black oak, red oak, grey oak; white
ash, red ash, black ash; white maple
FED maple, &C.. children by the exercise
OF their organs Of Individuality, which
! phrenologisls say are always large anc
active in early childhood, learn the thins
!, and name, both spoken and written, a
the same time. and with equal pleasure.
By this means they learn a large mum
!. Der of written or printed words, Will
their specific meaning, before they tax
their first lesson from book, and whe
that lesson is taken, they are prepared t
read and understand it, as it is compose
Of the words with which they are alread
E familiar, aud that too, as connected wit
: ideas; as strange as it may seem tia
such a thing should happen in schoo
as connecting ideas with words.
Reading and writing, both being pr
cedei by drdt0ing. commcnce at the sam
: time, and are constantly carried on togetl
r err; by which process, the eyes, ear
+ hands, ntellects, and feelings, are brougl
a to the aid of each other, and all in Il
n delightful employment of acquiring ide;
r. and learning language at the same tim
. BY this process, it is impossible for chi
: not to be a correct spelier. 1t is indet
II surprising to see how soon child wi
g become so familiar with large porto
at of words in most commcn use, as TO r
l. quire an effort, or a special design,
rs spell one of them wrong.
II AS these exercises give daily and a
most constant occasion for written e
- preston of ideas, while the pupils are q
g quirine them, they necessarily acqui
n Skill and taste in constructing sentence
. not only in spelling, and penmansbip, b
h in grammar. rhetoric, and logic, thou,
Of they may never have seen or heard The
- names
~ Among the important aids and instr
as ments for conducting this natural, agree
err hle, and successful mode of educati
pc children instead of the unnatural, il
an some, and forced process of loading tn
the memories with volumes of words with
~ meaning, are Family Cabinets, or c
~ leclions of natural and artificial prod
ing tons, arranged in shelves or in cases,
= be performed, in a great measure. by
her L. Il -. -. IL ,roc IL Is nrnha blu