Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1851-01-31
!rDBoNTloNNif,.
From the Mausehusst. Teacher.
Multiplicity OF Studies in School.


teaching, and because youth acquire create
amour, Of knowledge a, a specified age, thar
was formerly attained, even at more advanc
ed period of life, many Of the community
seem to entertain expectations altogether eH
travaganl. II is needless to say that ,hcs,
expectations are seldom realized and when
ever they are realized, Il is oncn At the eI
pense of health aud even the life Of The youth
fIl prodigy. Numerous Instances have oc
cured within the observation Of the writer
to verify this assertion. School committees
parents, and teachers, ssem to overlook III,
grcs, law Of nature. that III healthy growth
whether in the physical, moral, or inicll,c,u
al world, mus, BE- gradual and IN aecordlne,
with prc.cslablishcl laws. The strength o
the oak must be- the result Of many years
the enlarged humanity of Howard was the
fui, ~ extensive observation, careful rcacc'
ton, and onrcpcalcd sclfdcuIil, and the
great genius Of Newton or I.apllcc would
never have been developed, withou, long-con.
tinted cNcriion and profound sucntor.
Tha, the growth Of ,hs youthful intellect
be vigorous aol healthy, the energies must
be cxcylcd on few things At a time, and those
few mus, be studied faithfully, and, a, least.
somca hat extensively b., such is not zen.
orally the case. Th"r. ar', indeed, cVccp-
lous. and among the most decided exceptions
10 this country, NAV be- mentioned the Mllu.
rs Academy at We, po.a' The course
thcic embraces comparatively f.N banchc-
ior four y,lrs s,udy, but those bnnchcs arr
thoroughly learned. True, ,he Goyrrmra,
of the Academy v.rlds a POWER which q.
mos, no other sraIcm.cai so,,um-ut las. OF
a. least, which aluos, uo other prrslmrs Ca
exercise, the power to dismiss ihc .ululea'
ari Inefficient. d., after all, concentration
of energy j. thc mos, clGc.cu, means or suc.
cess Hence, the numIcr of distinguished
engineers and other eminent scientific men
graduated at that institution.
but how IS II with mos, of our colleges,
academies, high and grammar schools, and
even those Of a lower grade, especially when
these institutions depcnd upon th- popular "a,
yor for support An array Of studies is -four.
shed abroad, sufFcicn, to occupy ones Ilf-.
time sometimes a single one of them would
an up three score years and ten and the tyre
Is expected to master the whole IN year OF
two. Such a splendid prospectus promises q
rich and vared harvest, but u most generally
rro,,- ,v l., q ,toP hom s-ud ba0s i-.~~'
these liberal promises ough, TO be regarded -
yrima fls,, evidence OF inciIiclcncy, as pr,
sump,yc proof ,ha, the amour, really leamo,
will be 10 the inverse ratio to the number o.
studies.
Lc, US look into the school room, and SC,
the operation oi tins muluaucu, sy,lem.-
The nrIsr once visited an academy in which
thirty Rotations per day were heard BY SIN
Gle teacher, and they were jus, such recita
lions a, might b. expected, ,-ab'olutely no
thing. Til. pupils were merely asked !
they found any difficulties, ard It may be in
ierrcd that they found ycry few, for It va
a,kln. the blind to distinguish colors, or III,
deaf To detect d!scori In music. Under sucl
a system. the learner is hurried from on
thing io another no time is leil ior reflection
40 opportunity iur research and investigation
truth and error are strangely conioundci -
wha, j. attained, is learned by roir; and, wha
is mo,l to DC deplorrd, the youth imagine
,ha, be has sounded the whole depth Of sub
lec,, when BIS eve has merely lol'ed over IL
surface. Hence, concci,, the offspring of ig
norancc, the banc Of al progress, Is carl i im
planted IN the mind, and can be eradicate,
unly by severe disappointment aud mortified
ton. The effect up-n the teacher also is bad
cspccnlly lf,h, slme person has many hrlnyh
Is to teach H. can neither devote the nc
ccssary time to scltprcpala,ion, nor cNpcn
sufficient labor in drilling to de,clopc the ab.I
llies Of h.s pupils. \ smnttcrins Of the text
book Is all that the pupil requires, and ,h
teachers view Is necessarily quite limited.
Now We DO no, obJcc, to learning man
things, but We rcpudia,e the idea that all ca
be puf,ably pursued Al the sane time, or tha
any considerable degree Of acquaintance vii,
all can be acquired IN an inconsldcrsble spac
Of time. let so few studies be pursued a
once, that the student may become intere.tc
IN each, ,ha, he may study each understand
ingly, and so thoroughly as to strengthen hi
powers, and give him such knowledge as wi
be Of real and lasting service To him.
I. But, it is said, children ought no, to leay
school wllhouthaying learned something NOR
than the commonest branches Of education
aud 1t is better to learn a little Of many brar
ches, than To be entirely ignorant Of sever'
uf them. The correctness Of such an asset
uon may well be doubted. This suppose
that education terminates with the schoOl.bo
days, which may be, ia a plurality Of case'
practically true, ba, whenever true, !, ls
melancholy truth. Education, nay, hook &C
ucation, should be the business Of life and
this age and this country, there is no reaso
Why it should not be co-oNiensive with lli'
II, then, youth are 10 make progress in lear
ing subsequent, 10 leaving the school'roou
will they be more inclined to ocarry on III
work ,aNer their curiosity has been sllei by II
knowledge Of few facts and elementary PriI
ciples, after they have formed aNain conce
that they are masters Of all good learning,
after they have acquired mental discipline al
thorough knowledge as far as they have gon'
II ,h., ,lora many hluhl