The Portland daily press., 1867-11-27

/ Mr.. Gage, OF Harrington, was OF inc opin-
| ion that in teachiFe arithmetic to the young,
! too ns1sh line is Adesotada to hard problems.
For children he though the problems should
be practcdlly Illustrated al far as possible.
Adjourned TIL evening. ~ B,
lP1 7.dm5goE MONDAY EVENING
At balf-past seven o'clock Grammar School
Hall was crowded 10 excess to hear the ad-
dress of Adiutant General John c. Caldwell,
OF Augusta. The address was preceded by
the singing ct America" accompanied by
Mf. Barrell, OF Lewiston, ON the piano The
audience joined with the Juvenile Choir" of
the Grammar School, ,s.g haa aHa 49,
General Caldwell said he came to talk in a
plain, simple manner GU few plain, simple
questions. The noble calling of the teacher
had never yet been fully appreciated. Men
have long cared and stiIl care more for the
culture of their horses than for the culture of
their children. AZ i.,4ii9--li "'i -a' llt@
The General said he should speak more es-
| pecially of. the common schools and not of the
high schools Forty years ago the children
| in our common schools we're as well taught
in arithmetic, in writing, and reading as now;
and in the little red school houses" most of
the children are now instructed. The reason
why there has been no improvement lies with
| the teachers. They are no better prepared
to teach the ordinary branches than were the
teachers Of forty years ago. This is largely
due to the fact that the present textbooks are
4 calculated to make mere automatons of the
4 teachers. Now the business of the teacher is
not to stuff, but to draw out. 9 sued ih CO "''
/ Under the present forcing process, the
scholar loses all individuality. Nature is cast
aside, Everything must be learned in the lam
guage Of the book, the scholar never being al
lowed to express anything in his own homely
phrase ,ssxs +, ,s,tf 4,scs;yma
The making of our school books has fallen
into Ignorant hands. Smith displayed his ig-
norance in grammar. Benjamin Greenleaf has
stood more in the way Of advance in arithme-
teal knowledge than aught else. He was not
a smathematician4 a puzzle maker and
| solver. dJBs 10 ,b5IBBsieSb "a 81 ei7'"F
/ Teachers do not stop to think whether they
\ comprehend the nature of the childish mind;
4 whether they understand its capacities They
! too often imagine that the training of the
| youthful mind is the one thing which requires
no prior preparation. Instead cot this they
should make profound study of the human
mind-especially of the youthful mind.
Ten pages of arithmeti, are enough for
textbook for our common schools. Away
with the puzzles. B etter learn simple addi-
ton, the simple fundamental rules and shun
the denominations at the end ofthe book. The
difficulties of arithmetic are entirely imagin-
| cry; and it is astonishing how numerous these
| are. Now follow nature No not bhrthen
the memory with grabbed definitions. Go
oyer the simple rules Throw aside three
fourths OF Greenleaf, rand if the other fourth,
SO much the better. Make your own arith-
metic; the scantier the better. lIjd Bad
Again, good readers are fewer than good
singers. Professors of our colleges are mere
Numbers, as general rule. Poor reading re-
suits mainly from the fact that the scholar, in
his whole course of instruction, is never al
lowed to express his thoughts in his own
words. Would we but follow nature, this
would not.be the result Reading should not
ba taught byirule we should read according
to the sentiment. Formal rules are now dwelt
upon to the exclusion of the thought to be
conveyed. Good reading must result as well
from the cultivation of the heart as of the
voice It would not be far from right to fol
low the rule Of Lord Timothy Dexter and put
all the punctuation points at the end of the
book, and then follow nature. =
ri Very few of our public men write a legible
hand; very few of our college graduates. The
ladies write legibly; why should not men?
Once men did write legibly. y ga7d sEh
Il So it comes that the ledueation to-day of bur
common schools in reading, writing and arith-
metic is no better than it was forty years ago.
Follow nature. Get rid of the presently
rannicai textbooks. Don't force. Permit
each scholar to speak in his own words, no
matter If they ara uncouth Study the idin--
syncrac1es OF eacn scholar; let each develop in
his own way; don't compel him to be like your
self; don't invade the sanctity of human soul.
l. He is not fit to be enrolled among teachers
| who simply makes teaching stepping stone
to something else. Teachers must not be
ashamed Of their calling. Honor your own
profession. .,...r. ...., ....,,,.s. ,e.,,.
There is evidence everywhere that educa-
ton is not doing its proper work In the land
Not only is this true of the common schools,
but of all schools 1t is questionable whether
our present systems and forms of education are
such as will give us the best men and the best
women. There is a sceptical feeling abroad
not inreligion alone, but in politics, in educa-
ton. The system which was adapted to
past age is net the system for us. dt4aG9 '@
There. must not be slayish adherence to ira
diions here in New England We must edu-
cate our children into the spirit of the age,as it
is being done in the West. 1t was not an &C.
cilent, that gave US Abraham Lincoln, the
typical American Il
We must rid ourselves of the notion that ali
knowledge comes from sbooks-from the past
The best knowledge comes from contact with
men, We should, learn from eyesy man we
meet-from laborers no less than from others
The laborer and the thinker should come to-
gether-not stand apart. Their coming to-
gether is a marked characteristic of present
civilization Esteem every man as a man.
whether a laberer or thinker li''-.'' -'-'
ii Our education must differ from that lof
the past, both morally and intellectually "a
more glorious than the golden age is coming
Towards that, teachers are the prominent
workers. They must not yield to discourage
inent; they must be true to their great mis-
sion. ,o'' ~. ~ '" 49, 'i'-
sd The eloquent, enthusiastic and admirable
address of iAdjt. Gen. Caldwell was received
with great delight, with oft-repeated and
hearty applause. ''u s. shi o. 9's1h@ bNtil
y. A vote Of o thanks was given to the General
by the Convention. ID! 5EdW .s5f5'lsab.. I
li After singing the Doxology adjourned.
{iiy4-Li1 aAl II I3a % 80 j,59L BARLOW.
f4I lE49Ha---4---s------ - - :. --- 51bn{
So aAI w State News. 5.q't
q 4I6 ,iil4iJ'f MA'----A-t BIB d5tb@ fIh3
= 81" AROosrooK COUNTY. i