Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1838-12-27
From the Boston Mercantile Journal.
INSTRUCTION.

|
.M. Con,Je's Lecture on Education. We he
lievc TINT the correctness of his views viii
be generally admitted. We hope that ere
long an Infant School will be established IN
this vicinity on Mr.. Wilderspin's plan which
he so highly recommends. Let one be es
tablshed and they would soon multiply a
round us.
Mr.. Combe said that the next TO training
children the great object of education was t.
instruct. The necessity for instruction must
be obvious to every Phrenologist. The in
tellect is mere faculty Of acquiring knowl-
edge of external nature and It's capabilities
The savages are specimen of mankind un-
instructed. The best means Of acquiring
know ledge, is to become acquainted through
our senses with natural objects. This Is
much more effective than any description
| The form, the size. and the color of an objec
should be seen by the child, before it will
| fully comprehend its nature. Individuality
which takes cognizance Of things will always
direct children TO objects. They shonl Id also
at a proper age be taught to take cognizance
of causes and effects, by being frequently
questioned in relation to certain principles
and thus induced to trace out the cause and
| effect.
1t is great and common error 10 coniine
ourselves to words, as a means Of intellectual
education, as well as moral admonition. IL
is much easier TO understand the nature OF
an object by seeing it or handling it than by
hearing it described. Mr.. Wildcrspln, who
had introduced into England oil admirable
system Of teaching infant schools, recognizes
the principle Of interesting and exercising the
perceptive faculties in young children. He
teaches by objects, and the children are at
tentive and amused while they are gaining
knowledge. In this way Mr.. w. succeeds
in communicating a knowledge OF matae
matcs, and other studies. There arc no
books for the children to study, objects only
are produced, and they are delighted with
this mode of instruction. lie sometimes pla.
ces before them stuffed rabbit or bird, anC
gives them lecture on natural history adap-
ted 10 their comprehension. calling their at
tention to it's eyes, claws, &C., and then ex'
cites their Eventually by telling them story
about it, which rarely fails Of making last
ing impression on their minda. lie continues
in this way for some time, exercising by turns
all their knowing faculties, by introducing I
great variety of objects.
The next point in Mr.. Widerspin's mode
Of education is to avail himself Of the purali
ty of orgaus. The children should not b.
confined to one subject, they soon grow fa
tigued-and he will probably call upon then
to sing. They will take delight in this, as j
stimulates the organs of Time and Tune, ant
relieves Form, Individuality, &c. He viii
then, perhaps, give them lesson in Arith
metic, in which it is possible to interest them
much by making use of plurality of organs.
lie deals in no obstrictions-the children
count by looking at things, and in this way
are taught to exercise Form and Number
After little time he tells them to clap their
hands, keeping time meanwhile, then to move
their feet, &c. This all tends to circulate
The blood, and prepares them for another men
tai exertlon. At The end Of half an hour,
they are turned out into the playground to
indulge in exercises Of different description
for few minutes, and their diversions are SO
managed as TO call into action their intellect
and moral sentimcnIs, and 10 repress the ac-
ton Of the propensitcs.
II The children are taught to watch over the
conduct Of each other-anG to Judge Of th'
| proprieiy Of each others conduct. If one Of
them has offended against The rules Of the
school, he is brought forward, and the case
is publicly examined into-the children ar,
then required to decide whether he is guilty
or not--and their decisions are generally
very correct; they are thus taught to exer
else the organ of Conscientiousness they
are also taught to name what kind of punish.
ment should be inflicted on the culprit, which
is generally OF very mild character
BY the arrangements in the school, the
children are required TO fix their attention
but short time on any subject and it is
well known, that in infancy the power Of at.
tention is exceedingly limited.
MIR. Combe rem ,rked upon the import.
ance Of training child to exercise in his
studies plurality Of organs. In learning q
task. as many faculties as possible should b'
employed. 1twas common in schools to rely
600 much OIL the organ Of language-thi'
faculty was strained until it was ready L,
crack. This was great error. There were
other modes Of instruction which made q
much stronger impression on the mind than
merely teaching by words. 1t was formerly
customary in the schools OF Scotland to teach
mathematics only by words-they were re-
quired to solve problems in geometry, with
out having the diagrams before them. Geog
rnphy was also taught without maps and in
his early youth he had studied the geography
Of the world in that manner; and felt the
error involved in this principle of education
TO this day he had forgotten the words, and
as no images were fixed on his mind, he
found himself mserably deficient in geo.
graphical knowledge. He pursued this sub.
ject at some length, and pointed out the i'm
portance Of attending to the combination OF
faculties in improving in various ways, the
memory.
II lie next considered what constitutes in.
struction. This was not words-which were
artificial signs to represent ideas-but when
they gave specific ideas Of things which ex-
ist in nature become valuable. lie thought
that vast deal too much time was spent BY
children in learning words and that this
practice Of teaching words, and by words, ~
schools and colleges was not only injudiciou.
and unphlosopbical but absolutely crucl.-I
lie described the course OF instruction at the
seminary in Scotland where mosi Of the time
of the students was employed in studying the
lsngusges-that is, learning words. There
was no variety in the study-a plurnlity of
organs did not act io concert; and the men.
tai fotigue was exceedingly great. The stu.
dents became wearied and unhappy and af.
ter they left College, it was customary ipl
speaking to each other Of their college stud
les. to ask under uhaf Teacher they had suE
yerd! lie said, that owing TO this great
isult IN the mode Of education. the associa
tons IN his miDd connected with his college
lltt. a l... I'll