Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1870-12-16
EDUCATIONAL.
Neglected Branches of Education.

NeglecteI brancleS u LUuCdllO4.
Editors Free Press d Times:
1; sometimes seems as though in no depart
nleat Of life Is there so much laundering, tuch
flushed theory and defective practice, and rio,
versa such elaboration Of means and barren
ness of results in one locality, and poverty Of
means and strsining for results in another, as
IN the cause Of education.
The profession Of teaching, with the present
system of disconnected establishments, private
institutions and independent schools oe every
description, gives fuller play for the indulgence
OF private opinions and individual prejudices,
than almost any other. Each school has its
distinctive characteristics C instruction and dis
cipliue, wise or unwise, useful or pernicious,
liberal or orthodox according to the wisdom.
ability OF character Of ifs manager. The truth
Of this is shown in the fact that the success in
point q popularity) Of any school depends SO
much, indeed almost entirely, upon the indi-
vidual energy, enterprise sad talents Of its
teacher, Independently Of its connection with
the general state establishment or responsibility
TO any board The most igus-a1t theologsster
is not able to ina.nct any permanent injury upon
his church, while grossly incompetent and
careless teacher nay ruin his school irrep2rably
is tie teacher il, 20 is the scho1l, AMI within
the four walls OF his school house be is, more
than any ether person IL the community, moa-
arch Of al be surveys, aEl more than any
Other ct liberty to indulge his personal tastes,
preferences, ard beliefs. Each teacher il 4.
liberty &c follow out and practice his own IDEAS
Of instrac,ion and school management, and
change Of teachers slTays makes q change Of
methods and often Of the entire character OF the
school 1t is so much easier to theolize than to |
practice snd in teaching. tie maker Of meth |
DDS Of instruction Is ofen distinct from the p-ao-
tica' teacher, anu never coming il contact with |
young pupils, Ignorant o. their powers AID |
capabilities, studying the minds Of children |
only in the page q books, il the quiet @. hs /
study, away from the jistractiag noises Of the .
school room, he frames a perfect system flr
Educating and disciPlining the young, which
when put to the les, Of practice n tis soh15l
room, proves as useless and imprac.icabe as
tour'er's social system, or Locke's Ciyclin;sa
constitution. livery week sees tla birth Of
some new method oi Instruction j., some pay
tcular branch Of study, which is funded upon
perfect theory, and is, if We may believe pub
-ishers, about 10 revolutioni4e tie whole ec5no-
my Of education; bat which, aftc-a fns flourish
Ct trumpets, is laid quietly away with its le-
'unct predecessors and forgotten, or serves in
some CID book as subject Of amusement for
future generation Of teacher How often
Ices the patient teacher, sitting before his olsss,
-ook IN hand, feel how miserablv Inadeouate 70
he wants Ct his scholars, or essentially wrong
= The course Of instruction he Is following. and
hrow:ng down his book IN disgust betaie lin
eli t. his own resources. and. thorou2uIv in
ynpathy with his scbolsrs, with practical
'noTleige Of their real wants and needs. their :
'oweTs q apprehension snd capabilities for IL {
tructicE, how often does he succeed better. and G
ee his pupils making more satisfactory progress.
han when sdhering to The ncth,l prescribed in Z
book written by speoulator, who only knows v
hildrens minds as he thinks thew should be. u
,gically. S
So teachers come TO entertain . pa1ao1able n
i''rust Of theOFizers upon elucs.i9n and their b
leo-ies. and TO rely more upon themselves and el
leT own Judgment As to the best manner and e
i'ans Of instruction, and hence It happens this.
leh ;sacher, being at liberty to use his own
secretion in all matters rla.ing to h. proies- ie
On. impar;- 70 his school the peculiari,ies and g.
iarart ri-Hcs c'rresrouliny 10 his owa pre- e-
N'tioas d preferences. 10
So in ,aa sehoo. We fui TIE discipline rigid o.
I'd unteaiiug 10 the last decree, the teacher re
living his scholar through fear and in an CT
her the rule mild snd gentle the teacher IN ca
'avoring to govern his pupils through moral eli
cans, and rather 10 roye them by appeals to IN
nscieuce and a sense Of honor, than 10 oae-ee y
em by threatened punishment: IN one school a.
fal mathematics taught deliberately, while 81
amms- IS comparatively neglected In aroiher u
g see the natural sciences cultivated 70 the We
ghest degree and mathematics sligbiel, or ~
ain, We find, what Is more often the case. IN
'tin and Greek taught in the most thorough gu
ID exhaustive manner while the claims Of the I'll
other tongue are almost disTegar led and in ia
oh school, many a boy who mumbles over gr
" mic, hGc bOe,' and YEARLY follows the ev
lnderings Of pious Aeneas, cannot tel wiz he "
'erts his divisor in fractions. or whether tie st
ssissippi Was discovered by De Soto o- Rip v.
II Wrinkle vi
Now how much the Normal Schools tend to W.
lntersci this tendency, aad alter ais ST.. o. Isi
schools, by giving common direction 70 Sol
Efforts Of teachers, institutug moe general 4io
TEN OF management and instruction by giving Wit
cheers practically the bsst methods, tried aHl soc
ven in the tchool-room, and by means Ct model Oa'
practice schools fitting them directly for Dad
II labor. it is foreign TO ny purpose in this ,
Gle to dwell upon. That they 90 90 to some
rec must be admitted By every c1ndi rcrs5n
has observei With any attention their worl.- r-=
and results, and for this reason they should --'
I've the hearty endorsement and assistance Of
} person who is interested il the elucatlon- va,
iTsacement Of his State, OF wiz vairs Ter ''-'''
re dignity AID prosperity. .0'
nd in this connection cannot :orbe,r re- /" .
King that sincerely hope thst in the pres o.,
controversy in regard to the consolidation Of the
three Normal schools in one large, well-en- the
d institution, those having the matter l. Tier
e will nct let individual interests interss RE
the general welfare. It is truism tina = of
Zeuce7 private interests mus; be sacr- 80, s.,
e public good, but ifthe Principals 81. ber'
Normal schools are to suffer by this -. Fie'
extent they claim, or Some - =. only
It seems e;aiaontly fitting sr a.. fo7
'nopid receive some indemy - c-.n. ~ q Y,
for that they have been 20 -. orsl
tFotei 10 their work 20 r '' 7''', pror
e csn find lAult vib - D. D.. C5gi
intelligent peTson -. -, Well
81 -. m ! advancement in Ver- res
mu / be. cannot ezn-ess sre
- 1uy upon this subject, FOR this -lAii
1 tie formal schools seems TO me aa'e
=, grand primary step needed 10 keep iA'e
eou-Siioo ally within sight of her sister n''''
who have ~. $3.50. miss
IRON her FOR years With these three
Is uai'ed IN oae large, literally endowed
ai School respIug all the advantage Of j.
n'ra'ionf talent and aggregation Of nun IS U
with tn tuition Of its pupils paid by the tae
, one ca lDot but look hopefully to the e,u- II
lal fut re Of Vermont. reou
to n turn from this depression. Irea,ark 500
at in nearly all the schools s1ue branches y
mt o'Iefs arc hegiected ~ W
br inch Of studv houavcr so,r,,. O.. -.