Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-09-13
Miseellany.
THE VICES OF PRIMARY EDUCATION.

how) that there are only two dangerous
things in the self-conceit and the
laZlness that comes from self-conceit. This
is true of nations and eras as of individ-
uals. No nation knows its own back
wardness; no age can understand its own
barbarism. We keep talking of the dark
ages, and forget that our age is the dark
age Of those that are yet to come, that
this is the yesterday of better and
brighter Tomorrow
In nothing are we more self-conceited
in this land of ours than in educational
matters. "Beginning at jerusalem"
from Massachusetts, from Boston, outward
we believe ourselves to have reached the
acme Of all progress in this regard. 1t is
now time for us to stop and rest and
boast. The past few weeks have been
full of educational conventions of all
sorts and under all names There have
been the usual amount of self-complacent
comparison of methods and discussion of
plans, the usual number of object-lessons
and lectures But there has been some
thing unusual There has been an indica-
ton of dissatisfaction with the present
state of things. A very slight indication
of u very slight dissatisfaction on the part
of very few people, perhaps; and yet
there has been gentle undertone of con-
/ yiction that the present is not the millen-
ium of educational method. it came out
last week in the convention at Cleveland,
in the paper of Miss Della Lathrop, OF Gin
cinnati; it came out in recent conven-
tions at Chicago and at Madison. which
were at the pains to bring Elizabeth Pea
body all the way from Cambridge to eX-
pound the kindergarten methods.
1t is time for us to understand that our
American Primary education is radically
wrong. 1t is time for us to understand
that it cannot be made right by any sys-
TEN of patching or mending. Object
teaching is a move in the right direction;
| the word method is partly right, and is II
cropping after the true way. But the sys-
tenn is wrong in its first principles We
are utterly, almost hopelessly, superficial
in our view of the scope of primary educa-
ton. We are great believers in "the
/ three RS In our primary education we
proceed upon the principle that reading,
writing, and arithmetic are the essen
tials' Of education. The teacher who by
hook or crook, by coax or drive, soonest
gets the child through the sloughs between
alphabet and reading carries off the palm.
There is no thought of mental develop
ment; no fear of the evil effects of this
forcing. We do not ask whether learn
ing to read is the best preliminary drill to
the childs faculties. In fact, if we must
speak frankly, the great vice of our pri-
mary education is its empiricism. The
necessities of teaching oblige them to bow
to popular demand. What people want
is speed in the direction of the three
Rs" 1t is what they can measure. Mem
tai discipline is to them a shadowy moth
/ ing; they measure education as they do
calico, by quantity. In yielding to sup
ply the demand, the profession of teach
ing is reduced to resort to quackery, and
the real need of the child is left unsatis-
! fed.
| Our educational Improvements of late
years have been in the direction Of u COM
promise, by which it is hoped the popular
craving for apparent quantity may still be
supplied and something approaching a
true method be obtained, Notwithstanding.
And so little four-year-old boys and girls
are taught by objective methods and
drilled in alphabet cards at the same time.
But no true system can be reached in this
way. OF all teaching, the primary should
be the most carefully conformed to scien-
tiiic methods. And scientific methods will
not be attained until we have school of
fearless reformers, who will teach truly.
if they have to endure martyrdom for it.
We haxe to go to the conscientious and
patient Germans, from whom we have
learned SO much, to learn also the natural
method of education tor little children. 1t
was not discovered at haphazard. The
educating family" as they were called.
under the lead of Frederick Froebel,
travelled through toll, persecution, i'll
repute, and pecuniary sacrifices, which
seem almost incredible in our mercenary
country, to an educational success. And,
when they had attained it, they fearlessly
threw away their popularity by introduc-
| ing other and greater advances. Not until
great, patient, persevering. Frederick
| Froebel was nearly threescore years ofage
did he bring forth his best fruit in the
him all previous achievements, and, de-
voting himself afresh to poverty, gave the
remainder Of his life to the introduction
of the greatest of all educational reforms
the establishment of the true method of
training little children.
The kindergarten has been introduced
into this country. and, of course has been
compromised. American parents cannot
| ocC any SoOi Ill ~ Sllilu cpCHuiiS luc
years from three to six or seven without
learning to read. Jtis useless to show the
wonderful and delightful development ol
the faculties of observation and reflection
that has taken place in that time; the dis
cipline of the childs moral nature the
laying of foundation that renders the
after success of the child in getting al
education almost certain, The shaping o
the child's nature; the expansion of tn,
mind the teachings a child to think, to talk
to love, to be honorable; the acquisition
of knowledge. and of the habit of seek
ing knowledge-all of these 60 for moth
ing with half-educated parents And a
teachers must make money. schools ar,
started as kindergartens, and patronizet
as Kindergartens, that are not even imta
tons of Froebers admirable institutions
All the schools of this sort in New Yorl
and Brooklyn. so far as we know, are un
worthy of the name. We do not say tha
they are not Improvements on the oil,
method. But we do say that none of then
with which we are acquainted are taugh
\ by persons having any considerable knowl
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