Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-08-24
Written fer the Herald
Educational Systems.


manship may be highly useful, and, in
deed, essential the neglect of the cul
ture of the observing faculties, and
of mental discipline, in the collection
and consideration of facts and forces
bearing upon the daily relations of
life, Is now very radical defect in the
common school system of the State of
Ohio. While social culture, in its in
duence upon civilization, may be for a
time advanced and maintained by the
instruction of the scholars in the pub
lie schools, in those branches which
facilitate intercourse, commucatiOn,
and the ready use of written language,
yet the daily advancing strides which
tue arts, mechanics, industrial pursuits,
and the learned professions are max
ing in the inductiVe sciences, would
seem to plainly indicate that the fu-
ture welfare and permanence of indus
try, art, and education, require the in
PRODUCTION of elementary forms OF sci
entific observation and study, among
the people. For the wealthier classes,
who enjoy facilities for obtaining the
necessities of life and can readily avoid
threatened physical misfortune, the
practical knowledge bearing upon in
dividual life, which is q blessing to the
poor man, and which may enable him
to preserve his own life and the health
and comfort of his family, is more Cl
less uninteresting, and often ignored.
The ornamental branches are more
pleasing, and the wealthy man, who
sends his child to the public school,
often wishes him instructed in orna-
mental branches of knowledge.
The preponderance of wealth and
station over methods of thought (pre-
ponderance greatly prejudicial to pow
erty and to intellect, even under re
publican form of government directs
and has much directed the choice Of
studies pursued in the public schools
1t is often customary to ridicule poor
spelling or penmanship in an individ-
ual whose other attainments are of 6
highly respectable character; this dis
position is generally indicative Of su
pericial and "butterfly" knowledge.
There is but small degree of in
tellectual cultivation gained in the &C
quirement of knowledge of spelling
penmanship, or grammar. The men
tai faculties of young children require
nourishment just IN proportion will
their physical powers, and this intel
lectual nourishment and direction car
Re found in the world of matter. How
much intellect does it require in tht
child to enable it to understand thu
use and nature of many things will
which it is thrown in contact, and abou
which it asks a. thousand questions
the most of which go unanswered, ant
remain an intellectual puzzle for year
after, with the little inquirer; why
Because there is no one who is com
petent to solve the problem just a
hand; and yet, many of the inquire
are solved by science. The adoption
and use of some elementary works Oh
practical philosophy, chemistry, physi
ology, geometry and mineralogy, an
reduction of the time spent on spell
ing and writing, and arithmetic, woul
quicken the intellectual pulse of til
schools, and infusc new life into tn
community at large.
These elementary works should cor
tain such facts and illustration of SCI
entific law as bear upon the daily lif
of an ordinary individual, and com
bine elementary forms with practics
fact.
The object of education is ments
training and improvement, and sue
training must bear upon the future sue
cess and individual life of every scho
ar in the public school. If the train
ing given there is that of penmanshiE
and grammar, then it may be expecte
that the graduate of the school wi
be prepared for business, which ord
narily devolYes upon the clerk, Law
yer, or accountant, as they are impoI
g ant qualifications for persons in thos
4 positions; but as by far the largel
e proportion of those who receive il
struction in the public schools will d,
pend upon other, and after-acquire
knowledge for their daily bread, an
at best, their attainments in penmal
ship and grammar, will only be accon
plishments; while to most all the pl
pills in our schools, training in scier
tific knowledge, however elementar,
: would be of great and lasting valu
in the requirement of some avocatio
. Again, if not useful in their daily pu
, suit, elementary science opens up
wide field of thought and instructiO
Science is based upon isolated fact
collected, compared, analized and clas
| flied and experimental knowledge
: the true mental discipline.
Itmay be difficult to introduce sue
training into the schools, on accoul
of the prejudice existing among teacI
ers and those interested in educatio
as it is natural for teachers to pref