Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-02-15

youth are to be most proftably employed !;
and still further, when we are to turn the
man or woman upon the world, the mas
ter or mistress of his or her own fortune,
with principles, thoughts and habit fitted
for the great ends of men and women who
are to take our places and develop the re-
sources of the country, to build up what
has been destroyed, and TO secure the
practice of morality, the utmost care and
thoughtful consideration must be used in
determining the points presented:
To our minds the combination Of moral
and physical force is essential to any dis
cipline, and we are convinced that the
former is by far the most desirable and
effectual in influencing any young person,
especially child. It is but rarely the case
a child will be found who may not be quickly
taught that love of appreciation which will
be greater stim1llant to worthy efforts
than any fear which dread of physical suf-
fering Or public disgrace could effect. 1t
is not to be supposed that we advocate the
entire disuse of corporeal punishment to
those of tender years, for it is often the
case that a child cannot understand
reason if it were applied, besides, q neces-
sity for ready compliance with d proper
discipline might not be wrought by such a
process and a resort to the birch may
be necessary to produce a salutary condi-
ton of the child's mind. But nothing is
more reprehensible than that wholesale ap
plication of the rod for all offenses of omis-
sion or commission, whether arising from
idleness or incapacity from thoughtless
ness or actual vice. This much for the
very child ; but we utterly abhor that prac
tice of fogging any boy or girl who has
reached an age to feel degraded and dis
graced by such punishment, for then it is
the utmost refinement of cruelty, besides
being utterly destructive to every sense of
high-toned manliness and feminine refine
ment.
We now come to treat of the method best
calculated to develop and form the mind.
The system of teaching recently adopted,
both at the North and in Europe, seems to
have for its object the perfection of the
reasoning faculties to the almost entire dis
regard of the memory and moral qualities.
Until the mind is sufficiently instructed in
the elements of learning, it can hardly be
expected that the reason can be exercised
to any advantage in mere metaphysics. If
this process be too closely followed, the
memory must suffer Unless the memory
I all 1ol 10
storehouse in which to be preserved, and
every tendency will be to lead to vagueness
and inaccuracy, and the mind will be INCA
pable of receiving a wide and general cul-
ture This is often exemplfedin the strict
mathematician, who, while he attains great
proficiency in this particular branch Of
learning, is mere child in other know
ledge. 1t is not at all incompatible, how
ever, for both the memory and reason to
be improved and cultivated together, and
this should be the object in all teaching. -
Let the memory seize the facts and hold
them for the use of reason. No teacher should
be satisfied with crowding the brain with
what it does not understand; and, from the
~
en- to both memory and reason. 1t is i'm
possible to say which is first exhibited, but
neither should be exercised to the preju-
dice of the other. These are the two first
qualities, and upon them rest, or from them
spring all others employed in the business
of life. Particular gifts Of genius it is not
our purpose to discuss nor for the present
to touch upon education for special occupa-
tons.
1t is perhaps proper to be more definite
in indicating the means by which the
memory and reason may be developed and
improved unitedly i'll primary education.
It is by sight and sound that the child is
taught the alphabet, and by the same the
art of spelling and reading is acquired
From this fact the teacher should take the
hint of how most rapidly to impart these
most important clements. This may be
particularly applied i'll teaching to read
Instances are not few where persons have
learned to read before they could spell !;
and as all know, there are those who
are comparatively educated, and who are
unable to spell the ordinary words of a SEN
tence Reading is entirely an act of mem
DRY so far as pronouncing the words goes,
and spelling is nearly the same. If to these
two parts we add some study which will
store the young mind with facts, incidents,
and moral truths, we shall apply all that is
necessary for the assistance and exercise of
the memory. History and the morality Of
the Bible, together with memorizing prose
and poetry, will be all that we need. By
history we mean such as is suited to the
capacity of a child.
Join to these arithmetic, and nothing will
be needed until the child shall have pro-
crossed far enough to go out of primary
school. From the very beginning of the
science of numbers, reason is constantly in
action. It must be so OF there can be no
understanding of the subject. The proper
teaching of this necessarily implies thor
ough knowledge of its principles. AS a
mental exercise, for closeness and accuracy,
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