Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-10-17
HOURS OF STUDY.

A very remarkable pamphlet has recently
made its appearance in England, containing
statements of facts that ought to command the
attention of the civilized world. The PAM
phlet is written BY E. Chadwick, Esq. c. B..
and published pursuant to an address of the
House of Lords. The subject Of this pamphlet
is education, and it is devoted to the discussion
of three matters-tbe organization Of schools
the hours of study, and physical training
Our attention has been arrested by Mr.. Chad
wicks statement of facts in connection with
the second of these three subjects-the hours
of study:
"Struck by the frightful disproportion be-
tween the powers of childish attention and the
length Of school hours, he had directed ones
tions to many distinguished teachers. Mr.
Donaldson, head master of the Training Col
lege of Glasgow, states that the limits Of vol
nntary and intelligent attention are, with chill
dren of from to 4 years Of age, about Il
minutes; from to 10 years Of age, about &c
minutes; from 10 to IL years of age, about 81
minutes; from II to l6 or Is years of age
about 80 minutes" and continues, Il have re
peatedly obtained bright voluntary attention
from each OF these classes, for ) or 10 or II
minutes more, but observed it was at the
expense of the succeeding lesson"
The Rev. j. A. Morrison, Rector of the
same College, speaking on the same subject
says:
Il will undertake to teach one hundred
children, in three hours day, as much as they
eAn by possibility receive; and hold it to be
an axiom in education, that no lesson has been
fore, as the receiving power Of the children is
exhausted, anything given IS useless; nay, in
furious, inasmuch as you thereby weaken in-
stead of strengthening the receiving power
This ought to be first principle in education
l doubt it is sealom acted on
The truth of these pregnant remarks is made
more and more evident by the testimony Of al
competent witnesses We respectfully sub
nit to all school commissioners, teachers and
parents who may read these statements, that
they are got OF character 10 be glanced al
aud tossed aside, but are worthy of beinq g
thought Of and acted upon. Frem Carlyle's
pictures Of German Schools and from all de-
scriptions of the English schools, there is no
doubt that in both of those countries there i:
lamentabe want of understanding on the
part of scholars OF the subjects the attempt tC
learn. The matter is still worse in France anC
Austria, and it is the prominent vice which
pervades the whole American System of edu
cation.
Our failure to secure an understanding of thC
things which we Try to teach is, doubtless, ii
part owing to the fact that we eudeavor Il
teach too much in a given time, but it is also
in part attributable TO the circumstance tina
we waste more than three-fourths of the timt
trying to impart ideas when the mind of The
pupil is not in a condition to receive them.
This journal has heretofore advocated tn,
practice Of having recesses in schools of ten .
fifteen minutes every hour, bat from the ex
perience Of the Oldest and abest teachers il
Great Britain, it seems that the recesses ough
to be granted even to the Oldest scholars a
often as once in half an hour. teache
might as well expend his efforts upon carvet
wooden images of children as upon scholars a
ter their minds arc tired out.