The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-12-27
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ArlthmstIc and Grammar IA he M",.
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perintendent ofthe Public Schools Of
the city Of New Bedford, showing that
the educators Of Massachusetts, were
awaking 70 the apprehe that men.
tai pressure upon children ia injurious.
By some inadyertsnce Of the composI.
tor, the moat important extract upon
the study Of Mental Arithmetic was
omitted, leaving part OF the article un.
lntelligible.
The following further extracts, while
discussing the study OF Arithmetic and
Grammar. will, however, supply the
deficiency Of Tuesday as to the effects
ofearly pressure. itlg.
"As has been said, Arithmetic and
Grammar now engross the most OF the
working hours OF our schools, not 90
much for their intrinsic value, as for
the vicarlo lous part that they are expect.
ed to perform In dlsciplinlng the mind.
The Mathen. atics being m exact study,
has the credit Of training the reasoning
powers better than any other branch,
and Grammar 10 held IN special honor,
on the ground that the study OF the
structure OF language best disciplines
the memory and judgment. Now the
hrst thing 10 be done, In order TO q fair
estimate ofthe relative values OF Gram
mar school studies, ID 10 dislodge from
our minds every lingering prejudice
that II ls needful to- carry forward any
vicarious exercises of the kind, We
want TO settle fairly andsquarely down
upon the principle, that he mind viii
get discipline enough from any stpdv
Dhdteper, t0hich Is U0rtIty The name Of a
study, MGt u systematically and thor.
oughty pttrSaeS."
"Bigoted adherents OF the traditional
system will assail us with the cant OF
their school OF thought, and with sha-
king heads, cry In dol1rous tones (:
"Abridge Arithmetic and Grammar,
those indispensable Instruments Of dis.
clpline! 1t Is 10 take the very heart out
Of your system OF educationl" They
must not be needed. Their day has
gone by. Ut,
Said prominent educational official
to me, not long ago: !"Our schools are
sacrificed to Arithmetic"
AS now apportioned, Mental Arlth-
metic, | believe, painfully anticipates
The ability Of Lhe scholars 10 understand
Il. The analytical formulas by which
beginners are required to explain It's
problems. are usually forced upon them
through dreary process OF iteration
and reiteratlon, and reclted as an act of
memory that has scarcely CLEAN OF
Intelligence behind 1t, Now II have
rightly observed the course OF nature,
she does not furnish forth the mind for
an Intelligent comprehension Of such
processes anta al least eieUen or twelve
years Of age. She Is satisfied with her
children, II up 10 that time, they are
busy with eyes and ears Ia gathering
into their mental receptacles data for
The reason to use, when, more nature.
I shall be capable of severer logical ef.
iOrt. Our scholars must work, work
hard. Study is good for nothing that
1oes not involve bard work, But there
IS all the difference In the world be.
.ween the activities OF mind that Is
put upon It's energies with.
y the sphere Of its cdpdcftg, and those
hat IL is forced 10 exert IN a puiRful
ttTIEg0te 70 grasp tDhut Is beyond its ca.
1dctty. Make u child open its eyes TO
he light, II the Light be before them:
but for humanity's sake and con.
sciences sake, do not require II TO see
when there 10 no light
In my Views on this point l do not
expect support from many OF our edu-
GATORS. l am, therefore, all the more
Iratitied TO be supported by such a
mathematician and educator as PresI-
lent Hill, of Harvard University. In
A note received from him lew DAYS
ago, he says, "When / went to Wal.
iham, boys began Arithmetic ut the age
ot SIX or seven years, and studied
u about twelve hours week for eight
years. kept them back until the Iye
Of ten, and then let them study 1t eight
hours week for five years, Thus |
reduced the time in the ratio OF ninety.
Si1 10 forty,
"The consequence was, that the schol-
ars, at the age Of fifteen, knew a great
deal more OF Arithmetic than thew did
formerly. The change was principally
In beginning with the mere counting OF
beans, etc. then taking Written Arith.
metic, aud finishing with Colburn's
First Lessons, reserVing this last book
TO the age OF from thirteen 10 tifteen.n
The great problem Is, how to intro.
duce greater freedom and find room for
studies now neglected, without abatlng
one Jot OF that orderly system and thor.
oughness which are the gloryo OF our
schools. Arithmetic, dealing as II does
with conceptions of quantity under
various forms OF expression, and with
a various application TO universal phe.
nomena. is based on solid utility and
must be accurately and systema tically
taught. But this may be abundantly
secured, | think, with the expenditure
Of half the average time now devoted
10 the subject. From four 10 tive hours
a week Is ample. The abrldgment, Is
to be effected by cutting OIL In the frSt
place. all those ererciScS that are i'm.
posed, only for The sake Of Ne drill Mev
qgord; second, all duplicate modes Of
nrTIUtng at khe same results third, all
processes that hOWeUer Meoretie euLLv pal.
ltd6tc, are likely TO be called into Tequi.
sltLOn in The GDIirS Of life so seldom az
10 De practically useless and above all
Things else, much of the everlasting
that IL carried on In many
schools. Suggestions OF the utmost
value.)
Secondly. As 10 grammar
God speed the time when the useless
stuti that Is drilled into our childrens'
heads under the name Of Grammar.
shall lumber and cumber them no
Longer II ts not what IL usually un.
derstood by the term "AnalysiS. ~
When the authors Of the current text
books NO labelled, sat thenIsely YES down
10 make them, all the bells should
have been lolled In unticipatory lnmen.
Ialion lOr the hours to be buried under
so much dreary waste
What are the elaborated exercises In
drummar for, that are going on Ia NO
ln"ny OF our schools, daY AFTER day,
through nearly all the classes, In deH.
nltlons, exceptions, passing uud whut
notH Can anybody lell meS The most
common definition OF Grammar liz, Ilul
u is the art ofspeaking and writing tIle
English language correctly. Does II
iuliil either OF these promises? In the
first place, does 1t teach us to speak cor.
rectlyH By no means. ImpfoprielIos
Of speech are acquired by habit, not
ignorance OF Grammar: nnd
are TO be overcome by habit, not rules.
Stlll Inore, the requirement OF the gra.
Ges OF II pure anu refined dIction Ia
wholly independent OF the SySt0matlo
OF Grammar. Itisto be gain.
I'd by conversation and intercourse;
and the only competent school for 1t IN
good society. Practice, in this regard,
lIDileS scholarship. II III both Hmnz.