American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-01-20
educational department.
From the Pennsylvania School journal
Definitions Explanations.


better be accustomed to make his own
definitions. Others, perhaps equally as
good, insist upon the utility and necessi-
ty of committing to memory the book
definitions, as being better than those
which any pupil or most teachers can
make for themselves. Is it not possible
that both are, in measure, right, and
that if they had thought the subject out
in all its bearings, they might be found to
differ in no very important particular.
The full definition of word, and the
mere explanation of the same word as it
stands in given sentence, are two very
different things; and the confounding of
these two terms produces a supposed great
difference of opinion among teachers,
when probably little in fact exists.
To DEFINE is " to determine or ascertain
the ertent of the meaning of word or
term: that is to state with precision yet
fulness its meaningin every relation which
it can possibly occupy in the language.
To EXPLAIN a word, is merely to ex-
press, in other and more simple words the
particular meaning intended to be con-
veyed by him who uses the word"
Now, while few will deny the utility of
habituating the youthful mind to both
processes, no one will assert both to be
equally within the unaided reach of the
pupils own powers. The ability to give
full and accurate definitions, must be ac-
quired either directly from the books Of
definition, or from such course, of com
parative reading as cannot be completed
though it may be. commenced, in school.
The ability to explain ones own meaning
is power which every sane mind innate
ly possesses, and can exercise after very
little practice.
Book definitions which present to mind
the whole, but not the required particular
meaning of the word, will make apedan-
tic scholar, but never thinker Where
as off-hand explanations to suit the con-
text, may elicit thought and readiness of
expression, but never in sufficient degree
to constitute the close-thnker and full
minded scholar. But the judicious union
of both processes would, probably, correct
the evils of each, and confer readiness
and soundness of thought, with precision
and truthfulness of expression.
A teacher of the class of mere book
defners tells a pupil to write down the
definition of every word in this sentence; :;
Il purchased an arithmetic" Either
from his own memorized store or from the
dictionary he writes "I-the personal
proao,m achtch denotes the speaker or 1crt-
ter; an--one Of an tadcfnite Kind arith-
metic--the scieace Of computjag numbers
By fgues" Now this 81 all regular and
scientific definition; but it is a regular
mess for all that.
A teacher of the anti-defnition class
gives the same sentence to one of his pu-
pills, with this result: b" "I-you" (point-
ing to the teacher y "purchased-boughG
an-a; Arithmctic-cipherag book
This, at first sight, seems better, but it is
not really explanation; it is little more
than the expression of the same idea in
synonymes,
Now let the pupil who has been accus-
toned not only to study every shade of
meaning of each word but to give it the
exact meaning required by the context,
explain the sentence, and probably he
would say: tile person qcho speaks 4;
purchased-obtajaed By paying its price /;
an--one; arithmetic-book for jast,Wc-
ton IN The science Of number" Here
would be manifest power of discrimina-
ton, only deducible from knowledge of
book definitions and rendered practical and
useful by constant off-hand explanation.
Definitions, strictly so called, are oftwo
kinds, |, of scientific terms, and 2, of COM
mon words.
The first ought not only to be closely
studied but committed verbatim to memo
ry. They are not merely general explain
ations Of terms they are statement, in
the shortest yet mostfu and accurate form
possible, of the nature, use and extent of
the defined term, as contra-distinguished
from all other terms. Hence while every
word made use of is significant and ne
cessary to the completion of the idea, it
also follows, from the very closeness and
brevity of the definition, that many of the
terms used also themselves require ex-
plation to the unlearned. We should
like here to exemplify what is conceived
to be proper mode of explaining and
impressing upon the mind definition of
this class, but have not space.
The other kind-defnitions, as they are
called, of common words-might be.made
| an interestino as well as most usefu1 mart