The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-11-17
THE y0RYAI OF ylTURIL N EDU.
CATION.
NUMBER Two.

NUNBER Two.
II & previous article an attempt
was made 10 show that the usual
method Of instruction in our schools.
is q radical departure from the COM
mon sense principles, which obtain
in the practical concerns Of life. This
paper VIII attempt to show that edu-
cation is controlled by the same prin-
cipleS which hold in trade, in agricul-
ture. OF any % the great departments
OF laJor.
Let US take the subject Of grammar
again. not because itdiffers from other
branches. but becaUse il IS the one
most abused in our present system Of
teaching.
The simplest tools with which the
pupil has 70 deal in this study are the
Parts or Speech; and Of these the
simplest is tie noun or name. The
learner can mUation objects within
tile range Of his personal observation.
The names Of these, not the objects
themselves, are nouns, and lie learns
10 distinguish an auger from q hatch
el-not by definition, but by frequent
contact and use.
Having learned u distinguish
nouns, he can take up tie simplest
property, viz: number. He notes
that We say one apple, tlro dPples; i;
oae house, several houses. Observa-
ton shows him that one form desig-
mates a single object, while the other
designates more Than one. Thus the
distinction OF singular and plural
number il evolved from the chiid's
own consciousness.
The property Of gender IS introduc-
ed in the same manner. The scholar
speaks Of boy, girl and book, and
notes that the first is the name of a
male, the second Of female, while the
third is neither of these two. Actual
practice with the words in his reading
lesson will enable him to diserimi.
nate between these forms with perfect
Accuracy In this way he becom-s
Acquainted with male gender, female
end II and neuter gender, just as he
learns to know stove from q, horse.
He can next pass to the property #
{ person. While, in common language,
we say there were five hundred indi-
viduaIs or nersons at a certain gather
ling, yet, commencing to count from
the person who speaks, we find but
1 three classes, viz. those who speak,
those 70 Whom they speak, and those
of whom they speak. The three gram
matical persons will thus be fixed
without any difficulty. iH.-.r' 'ua
| A drill now on the verb in order
to illustrate the idea that a noun may
be both the subject Of an action and
also the object, will introduce the
most difficult property Of the noun,
viz: case ...s4,r t...,..,.... ......f .. ...
A similar drill to distinguish nouns
| in regard to the use of the capital let
! ter; or, in other words, into common
and proper, viii enable the pupil to
form clear and distinct idea of this
Part of Speech in allits aspects. The
| teacher can now give a form for pars-
ing the noun in full, in something
like the following manner: Species,
I Cor part of speeeh,) Class, Person,
! Number, Gender, Case, Construction,
Rule.
Let the following facts be clearly
noted in this connection:
/ lst. But one thing at a time il
learned by the pIpil, and that well.
2nd. The schO.ar gradually passes
1 from the easier TO the more difficult.
3rd. Nothing is learned for which
! the pupil does not find au Immediate
application in his own experience.
! 4th. Definitions are not memoir
lied; or at least not until the pupil
/ mas learned 10 know the thing itself.
J He will then be able, If necessary, to
give a definition Of his own, or will
: see that tile author has expressed his
7 lthe pupils own idea on the subject.
{ The same general plan viii hold in
reference TO the drillon the prOnOuu
and verb, the two most difficult of the
remaining parts of speech. This plan
pursued by live teacher, can not fail
TO win the, most devoted energies and
ineite the deepest interest and enthu.
siasin on the part of the learner.
4 High Heaven has pursued thi:
course in the. education of the race
/ The sacred historian does not define
the term God when introducing tht
Creator OF Universe, but assumes the
i.existence OF sugh q being. f" la Ia,
beginning God created the heaver
and the earth" Here, for the frs
4 time, this matchless name is heard
and yet we are told concerning some
thing he did, without any attempt tC
prove that he existed, much less tC
/ define him as a being without body
Y passions or parts" The divine spirit
! in revealing the drama of creation t
. Moses; acted OH the supposition thai
7 God would be known better by hii
works than BY a metaphysical defini
tion, such as our theologians have
given as. '"I .'..''.. ID"
The Savior taught bY Parallels o.
illustrations and not by definitions
l'IIis lessons were object lessons of thu
i grahdest character Imaginable. Ii
Short, the Bible is a book of facts, anc
! not Of definitions, and in this consists
its Normal or Natural character
4 (which educators shouIdstrive to study
closely. r.
/ REPUBLIC, Nov. II, 1870. ...,.