The Portland daily press., 1868-06-15
Letter from Lewiston.

ANDROsCoGGIN EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION.
LEWISTON, June Is, 1868.
To the Editor of the Press:
The meeting of the Androscoggn Education
al Association commenced IN Auburn Hail.
Auburn, last evening. Though it was stormy,
there was good attendance. Prof. Atkinson,
of the Massachusetts, Institute of Technology
gave an address upon the Defects of Ameri-
can Education"
Mr.. Atkinson commenced BY saying that
the moral and social world was controlled by
two forces, the radical and conservative-both
| useful He himself took the radical side ofthe
| educational question and wnnld combat the
old ways. Have we an ideally perfect system
| of education? If not what then are its defects?
Even in Massachusetts,, where 60 much has
been done for public education, and through
out New England, parsimony is manifest in
every respect; children are kept from school.
| Our schools are far behind our cotton mills.
We seek perfection in the weaving of yard of
cloth, but not in the education of human
soul. Yet, poor as our education is, it saved
| the country dur ing the war; better educa-
ton would have saved the war itself. Our in
situations can only rest upon intelligence.
Education should protect us against all
quackery. Our schools and colleges, like our
cotton mills, should turn out product exactly
adapted to its end. They now give us ill
health instead of good health; aud men are
writing pamphlets to show that a national
debt is a national blessing. A liberal educa-
'ional should protect US against political char
| latanry.
The preparatory course of training now re.
| quired for admission into our colleges is do
| ing more than aught else to vtiate our educa-
ton, by setting up false standard. Not Lat
in and Greek, but the modern sciences should
| be the basis of our education. ...
Two scientific schools in Utopia (France) for
the training of artisans, were referred to- We
| should have such schools in this country
where they are especially needed for boys. A
three years course in France is enough; in
this country four years course would be re-
| quired, because our preliminary education is
| so defective.
Our boys now carry away from the public
schools very little which is of service to them.
That little they acquire quite early in the
cours e, and hence it is that SO many quit the
schools at such an early age. The elements of
all the sciences should be taught at very ear
| ly period. 1t should not be rote teaching, but
from actual objects and experiments. There
should be original investigation. Harris's 'In-
sects Injurious to Vegetation" should, for ex-
ample, be used in the primary schools.
1t is because OF the exclusion of all the
| agreeable studies that so many children be-
come Disguised with school, and take to the
hardest kind of labor in preference.
There should be general course of reading,
including poetry land romance. Robinson
Crusoe should not be read under the desk-lid.
but above board. All the grammar taught in
our grammar schools should be embraced in
| dozen pages Language must be acquired
by reading, by study ofobjects, of natural phe-
Homena. By turning to use the curiosity of
the child at least fifty per cent. of brain ener-
gy would be saved. Writing of the English
language should commence in the primary
schools, and the practice of drawing and mu-
sic. Referred to the compositions of the little
children in the Boston training school,
| The study of the English language
and the English literature, in our common
schools, is now a failure.
Philology and the metaphysical studies
must always stand first for in them merge all
the natural sciences, but they must not be
studied first. Our education must rest upon
the modern sciences, not upon classical learn
ing. The last was radical in the fifteenth CEN
fury; has done great and good work. but
1t does not meet the wants of this age, as the
basis of education, and must give way.
Ihe admirable address so imperfecty out
lined, was listened to with great pleasure; its
| points were strongly and most happily put.
Such an address is one more evidence of the
revolutionary tendency of education in this
| time.
OBJECT LESSONS.
| Saturday morning Miss S. R. Smith, of the
Edward Little Institute, gave an "object les
son" to quite large number of the little folks.
She took the buttercup and the violet for con-
sideration. The lesson was given with great
spirit and highly enjoyed by all present. 1t
was an admirable illustration for teachers of
show to do it,"
GENERAL DISCUSSION.
After the "obiect lesson" there followed
general discussion of educational topics. In the
afternoon Mr.. johnson, the Superintendent,
and Rev. Mr.. Hail. of Auburn, will speak
1t rained quite heavily last night, and is
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