The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-11-24


: perintendent, memory. It is fire..
: quently supposed, furthermore, thai
he who has completed acolIege course
, aud graduated, possesses an inexhaust-
: ib.e supply which needs no future ac-
r cessions, and that if ne is not prepar.
= ed to answer all questions, to bring
forth from his stOrehou1e"things both
: new and ole that some radical dc
: feet exists in his education.
, Though this view is disclaimed by
many of our leading educators, vel
we are safe in asserting that three
: fogrths Of the instruction given in the
1 different schools of this country, OF
. both the lower and higher grades,
rests principally on itas foundation.
: Hence it is that certain textbooks are
used, not as msqqs simply, but as con-
= the kind and amount of what is to be
learned on any given subject. Pupils
are circum scribed, in their investiga-
ton, by the metes and boundaries oil
] their special textbook. A desire 70
, "get through" book or to complete a
prescribed course of study is, in many
/ cases, the regnant aim of the student.
a piece OF parchment twenty-four by
tnirty-six inches, bearing the auto
graphs and official titles of their in
structOrs, is an objectso tempting and
: valuable in itself that no means, legit.
innate or otherwise, must be spared to
obtain the coveted prize. This is the
unfailing passport to position and
worldly honor.
We leave this view at present, re-
serving our structures till we shall
1 have presented, as briefly as possible,
II, Il Second Yer, viz: That ed
ucation is harmonious developement
Of the powers and capabilities of the
mind, not so much by the material
stored away as by the energy and sys-
tematic action excited within. While
the first view would attempt to make
water boil by continually adding to
the supply already in the vessel, the
/ second would direct its efforts towards
increasing the amount and intensity
of the heat.
Let the derivation of the term edu-
cation be noted in this connection. 1t
comes, as every scholar knows, from
the latin verb edUcO; G from or out of
and dHco, to lead or conduct. The
term itself contains not the semblanee
Of an idea that an addition is to be
made to the stores Of the mind, but
that its energies and powers are to be
called forth by suitable exercise. The
whole affair is an internal growth or
development which manifests itself
in what it enables a person to think,to
say, to do.
"E Elueation," says Henry Ward
Beecher, "is the ability to use, with
power, all the elements of power
which God has put in US. A mans
power is the combined force of all his
I powers"
Thus, there is a certain amount of
power in one finger, but more Ia two,
and still more in four; a certain
amount in one hand, but more in
both. In this way we go on, contln-
uaily increasing, until the whole ply
steal power of the man is reached. A
true physical education, then, as in
the case of Dr.. Winship OF John C.
Heenan, enables the person to use
this power with the greatest possible
effect.
By a similar illustration, we can
form a true conception of the intel
lectual and moral power of man; and
when this conception in its tOtality is
attained, we are prepared to realize
the force and beauty Of Beecher's idea
that education imparts the ability to
use this aggregation of power with
the hi yhest conceivable results.
"RaolUledge," says Webster, "does
not comprise allwhich is contained in
the term education. The feelings are
to be disciplined, the passions are to
he restrained; true and worthy mo-
tives are to be inspired; a profound
and religious feeling is to be instilIed,
and pure morality inculcated under |
all circumstances. All this is COM l
nriSed in e1ucl tiOn -
What is contemplated in all this can
not be realized by simply teaching
books by the page or by the volume.
The scholar must be so thoroughly |
reused and interested in his work,
that his energies shall know no
bounds. Furthermore, subjects must
be thrown out for investigation, and,
by actual practice, he must learn to
use books and papers with the same
facility with whicn the carpenter or
blacksmith uses his tools.
The art Of Investigation, which he
must learn afterwards if he desires to
become q successful lawyer, doctor,
editor, lecturer, politician, preacher
or statesman, can be acquired in
school, and should be part of every
pupils school drill. In the present
order of things, books, which are de-
signed to reflect nature, are entirely /
divorced from the, practical concerns
Of life, and consequently the scholar
is very lily prepared for the life
struggle. Often he is totally igno-
rant of how variety of books can be
used on the same subject.
To illustrate this part of the subject
by an example, suppose that some
one in a class studying Physical Geo.
graphy is assigned the topic OF Miner
al Springs for investigation and re-
port. Instead of eonfining his particu-
lar textbook, and trying to memorize
what it may say (which by the way
will be found to be exceedingly
meager) he will consult other works
on Physical Geography, Encyclope-
dias, Works on Geology, Scientific
Reports, Journals, Newspapers, and,
besides, converse with his friends;
and perhaps weave in some items by
his own observation.
BY this time he is thoroughly aglow
with his subject, and is prepared to
write out an interesting and instruc-
tive lecture.
This course developes power in the
pupil, and impels him to make Origi-
nal and thorough investigations on
any subject whatever. In this man
ner the pupil becomes the investiga-
tor and lecturer, and, Of course, re-
eeives the improvement. His produc-
tions, moreover, are subject to the
mutual criticisms Of his class and
teacher.
The same course pursued with any
degree of tact viii result equally well