The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1869-05-14
Training and Teaching.

M sCnUOlHlaSteI, Says OaIlylc, Who
"A good Latin scholar, and of the human
mind he knew this much--that it had a
faculty called memory, which might be
reached through the muscular integu-
ment by the appliance of birchen rods"
Vigorous natures break through these
impcdimcnts; contrivo to assert their
individuality; and at last leave the
schools with the possibility of bccoin-
ing men, if not scholars. Youths of
genius are therefore commonly saved
to the world in spite of the laudable cf-
forts to make them ounces; but then
what risks are often run! Martin Lu-
ther, for example, was person who
could not have been conveniently spared
in the 18th century; but that Martin
Luther was not killed morally. mental
ly and physically before he was 16 was
owing to no lack of efforts on the part
Of his teachers to commit homicide,
but to the immense resisting vitality Of
his own character. There is hardly a
poet, artist, philosopher, or man of
science, mentioned in the history of the
human intellect, whose genius was not
opposed by parents, guardians, or teach
ers. In these cases Nature seems to
have triumphcd by direct intcrposition
to have insisted OH her darlings having
their rights and encouraged disobcdi-
cncc, secrecy, falsehood, even flight
from home and occasional vagabond-
ism, rather than the world should lose
what it cost her so much pains to pro-
ducc. But it is too apt to DC otherwise
with those whose minds require intel
ligcnt and careful culture, and who are
not originally strong enough to over
come obstacles to their Development
They have enough in them to make
them, under proper training, solid, in
tclligcnt, reliable, self-hclping men I'M
der improper training, they are cram
med and hagelated through "a course
of study" and afterwards sink slowly
into the upper paupcr class of sterile
and stuntcd natures.
The fundamental defect of this i'm
proper training is its perverse miscon-
ccption of the purpose of teaching
The pedagogue does not condescend to
look into the heart and the brain of his
pupil, but strives to rcmake him after
his own image, or tho image of certain
idolized rules. He thinks his duty is
performed when the authorized pro-
ccsses have been gone through, like the
doctor, in the well-known epigram,
who blistcrs, bleeds, and swcats all who
call for his professional services, and is
supromcly indifferent to their fate, in
case they have the bad taste to die un-
der such regular treatment. He would
doubtless prefer to have his pupil turn
out q Tully rather than a Titmouse or
a Toots; but if nothing comes of him
it is because there is nothing in him.
He is never weary Of repeating that
his business is "to give instruction, and
not to give brains" and thus common
ly contrives to elude the responsibility
of quenching the soul of his pupil by
questioning its existence. But it would
be far more reas enable to seek for the
cause of his failure in the error of his
system; and this error we believe to
consist in not subordinating the acqui-
sition of knowledge to the formation
of faculties. To crush the growing
faculty by examining it is not the way
to make scholars, though it may be the
way to make scholastic imbecilcs.
| Mexico.