The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1862-03-06

3sUuIs OF Study.
\ very remarkable psnphiot has re
Gently made its appearance IN England,
containing statements Of facts that
evihtct wSSfa: Il" pG1nPpTlct Is v viii IT.
ten by + Chadwick, ESQ.,, G. b, and
published pursuant to an address Of the
House OF Lords. The subject of Ihi-
pamphlet is education, and it is devoted
to the discussion Of three mattcrs-thc
organization Of schools, the hours of
study, and physicai training. Onr atten-
,ion has been arrested By Mr.. Chadwick's
statement of the facts in connection
with the second Of these three ,ubiccts--
the hours of study
"Struck BY the f,ightful disproportion
between the powers of childish attention
aud the length of school hours, he has
directed questions to many distinguished
teachers Mr.. Donaldson. head mast er
# the Training College of Glasgow,
states that the limits of voluntary and
intelligent attention are, with children
of from > to years of age, about l5
minutes; from to 10 years of age,
about 20 minutes; from II to lG or Is
years of age, about 80 minutcs;' and
continues, II have repeatedly obtained a
bright and voluntary attention from each
of these classes, for or 10 or l5 min
ute, more, but | observed it was always
at the expense Of the succeeding lesson. -
The Rev. j \. Morrison, Rector of
the same College, speaking on the same
subject, says:
II will undertake to teach one hun
dred children, in threo hours day, as
much as they can by possibility receive;
and hold it to be an axiom in education,
that no lesson has been given until it has
been received; as soon, therefore, as the
receiving power of the children is ex.
hausted, anything given is useless; lay.
injurious, inaSmuch as you thereby wea-
ken instead of strengthening the recci
wing po~cr. This ought to be first
principle in education. | doubt it is
seldom acted on"
The truth of these pregnant remarks
is made more aud more evident by all
competent witnesses. We respectfully
submit to all school commissioners,
teachers and parents, who may read these
statements, that they are not of charac
ter to be glanced a; and tossed aside, bu,
are worthy of being thought Of and ac
ted upon. From Carly yle's pictures Of
German schools, and from al! dcscrip
tons Of tho English schools, there is 10
doubt that in both those countries there
! is a lamentablc want of understanding on
the part Of scholars Of the subjects which
they attempt to learn. The matter is
still worse in France and Austria, and it
is the prominent vice which pervades
the whole American system of education.
| Onr failure to secure an understanding
Of the things which We try to teach is,
| doubtless, in part owing to the fact that
VIC endeavor to teach too much in a Civ,
en- time. but it is also in part attributable
to the circumstances that we waste more
than three fourths Of the time trying to
impart ideas when the mind Of the pupil
! is not in condition to receive them
This journal has heretofore sdrocated
the practice Of having recesSes in schools
of ten or fifteen minutes every hour, but
| from the experience Of the oldest and
ableSt teachers in Great Britain, it seems
that the rccesses ought to be grar ted
even to the oldest scholars. as often as
once in half an hour. \ teacher might
as well expend his efforts upon carved
wooden images Of children az scholars
after their minds are tired out -Scien-
t;fc american.