Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-02-28

him in their Both these modes are legitimate
both are necessary 10 their places. No uninstructed
person could at any tne DC led to kaOo the name and
sound of the letter A. by any other than the first,
) direct method some modification oft This know
ledge ia strictly elementary. 1t is the result of
ference, deduction, comparison or other process Of
reasoning Such person. supplied with the proper
elementary sounds, obviously will not need special
instruction as to the sound of each word presented
He remembers what he has learned compares the pre-
sent with former words and gradually informs himself
similar illustration of my meaning may be drawn from
the science of numbers, from the etyology olanguege,
and various other departments of instruction For
the sake of distinction, these methods may be termed
the pOsitire and induere There subjects and &C.
casions which The fret alone can be used and, on
the other hand, may be said, that and
no subject, cannot be used. But, while ndispensa-
BILE sometimes its use, at others, may be Injurious
The Iadaetire method, for instance, be
plcyed 10 teach an axiom, conventional arbl
trary idea BY no process of reasoning can any
be taught, that The whole greater than part that
con is pronounced in certain manner, and in
ther that the forms Of particular letters should be
f what they But the positire method may be
poyed teach, that all the angles Of plain triangle
together equal to two right angles, that the earth is
spheroid, that with other planets it revoves around
the sun, or that two singular nouns coupled by
unctive conjunction require verb plural Such truths,
and indeed all the results of reasoning and deduction,
in every department OF science, may be reduced 10
certain posiulates, called rules and if you provide
memory sufficiently capacious, may perhaps be trans
ered from your mind 10 another This, however, does
not imply that such is the best method Now, it is be-
eved, that far from being the best, it is positively
injurious. To some extent, no position is readily
admitted, universally reduced to practice in
some departments of instruction. Very few teachers
stupid as to tell their pupils every thing Hav
ing furnished them with knowledge of the element
ory sounds of the language they taught to apply
their knowledge in the acquisition Of new words
But Sir, for the most part the positive plan is still
used.
In many Of our schoo-books, one might suppose the
authors had studied how they nigh express, most con-
cisey, the result of their Investigations, in the
formation of rules 1t is true, there are things
for which no reason can be presented comprehensive
| by child not only in rcience, but in morals. He
must receive on trust what he may, perhaps, hereafter
understand But who will say, that boy capable of
remembering Pixies rule for addition, could not under
stand the reason for borrowing and carrying involved
in its provisions? Who suppose, that child capa-
BILE Of remembering the definition of noun an adjec
tive, verb, is incapable of understanding the pro
| priety reason for such definitions? And yet Sir,
how many fought these things at school, in whose
minds there does not exist any rational conviction? Il
by surprising, that arithmetic and grammar
become far more dreadful subjects of contemplation
than balls and hoops nine pins and ves and that what
forced into the mind by dint of repetiton remains
',noies indigsta, and, to pursue thel figure,
falling to nourish, becomes the lanienabe cause OF
mental dyspepsia. Boys and girls "ga through" these
important sciences with very crude ideas of their mean
solve an exempore problem occurring in the business
of life, and after having thumbed and worn out gram.
and exercises with occasional peeps into the key,
can barely distinguish q verb from noun, an adverb
from proposition point out the proper of Sand"
and ssbut. So far from correcting, they habitually
use false synta and unless advanced to the study Of
the dead languages, and by dint of long application,
with greater mental maturity, instructed in the "rerun
causds,' it Will, by no means, be surprising TO hnd
them with other ideas of government and "agree
! han ha rdinayy ifrati md
Of the TERMS while their knowledge OF the English
verb will be very limited beyond inexperienced
though literal Of denition-to be- to do and to
suffer" Indeed, sir, my greatest astonishment has
BEEN that under such schemes exist among there
not far more who, even conquering the incipent
obstacles and acquiring the elements ever after make
any of their learning. Nor am certain that were
the census table TO contain column exposing the num-
bers who read aoeil assuming the lowest criterion OF
good reading the Standard there might not be far
more astounding developments Of practical ignorance,
speak, than the facts before have presented of
the extent of elementary deficiency in population.
And vet of what real use is the mere knowledge that
certain combinations of letters make certain WORDS and
then ngan certain sentences, unless the mind be nte-
rested, improved and strengthened; unless some taste
for reading be nsted unless some thirst for know
ledge be engendered' 1t is the poshre mode of in
strucon which condemns the papess child to the in
erminable spelling Lessons, TO the victory over
"raIetudinarian he is permitted to feast his eyes
on line of words in horizontal order and told, "now
you may read" To the genius of the same popular
system may be ghteousy ascrbed that other erit pro-
life of Seedlings, aohppings, bad empers, hatred of
books of schools, and Of teachers ounces and iders
according to whose process the reading matter consists
Of selections from Johnsens Latin-Englsh, Addsons
Moral Essays Sbakspeares Dramas, Popes measured
rhyme Such selections perhaps unexcepsIonabe tor
purify of style, good English, uhough some might in
sert doubt whether, in all cases, genuine EngllshO
and excellent morality But neither of these desirable
things is the main object in vew ct such period OF
| III y, To IN yoat IN
well, and TO ''love his book, the objects, attain
able by sentences simple in structure, to words and
thoughts, engaging in sentiment, and adapted 10 his CO.
pacy. By proper progression, he builds to day on
the attanments of yesterday, and prepares founda
| ton for the morrow.
have not followed out another very important view
of this subject Mental character is often determined
by the early mental discipline child taught BY in.
fusion of ideas, instead of being trained to their attain
ment, will naturally grow up with mind weakened oy
inertia, reasoning powers passive from long dis
use, and judgment unbalanced from inexpe.
rience Memory may be swelled TO undue proper
tons but the very Of the faculty will destroy its
own power, while it leaves room for its co.ordnaes
in nature and in importance. mind accustomed to
receive and undsciplined to acquire, becomes
sluggish in perception, limited in invention, ndoent in
conce pon, feeble in reasoning and dependent IN de-
duciions II would be melancholy process to trace
out the results Of such mental mbecty in The forma-
ton Of moral character population of Republicans,
to receive for truth, whatever real pre-
tended Teachers convey, afford lair game tor dema.
pogues and fit subjects for tyranny. Accountable
beings moral agents, thus fitted TO the past,
for the present. and prepare for the future to weigh
the evidence for The truth Of the Scriptures, or the
doctrines which make wise to salvston present some
proseytes lnfdety zealots fanaticsm and slaves
| 10 every form of religious error.
But Sir have undertaken 10 discuss, in part of
this letter, subject sufficient Importance and album
dant in material, to be the theme of long essay
must be con,ented TO throw before you these nasty
hints and briefly advert TO the other part OF the gene
raj topic Of illustration before Us.
School discipline is subject, rarely if ever noticed
in our public discussions Education. In some
countries has been thought unworthy Of much and
minute legislation. Could details be presented, it
might doubtless, appear most prolific source of abb
ding good or evil The teacher is invested with great
authority, as well responsibility A school is a
kingdom in miniature, and the master autocrat. He
al once the fountain Of power, and the dispenser OF
knowledge. In nearly every neignborhood complaints
may be heard such as, ",he teacher is too strict,
.r, che is TOO leneni," che is partial" or, "he
is passionate and the like. It is fully belev-
] ed that while parental affection may generally