The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-09-28
For the anderson Iatelligencer.
Gradation Of Primary Schools.

Va
usually prescribed, is unphilosophical, contrary
to the laws which govern the human mind, and
therefore radically wrong, and the sooner aban-
doned the better for the cause of education.
We try to teach the child too many things
at one and the same time, and before he is pre-
pared to learn or comprehend any one of them,
the spelling-book. All the A, B, G schools
throughout the land have been converted into
C0Aeges, presided over by selt-constituted pro-
tessors, Who, in many instances, ought to be
studying Webster's Elementary. All the girls
and boys who in days Of yore attended "the
oldifeld SCHOOL, of the pedagogtie, have been,
through the magical influence of this fest age,
transformed into young ladies and gtnttene" Y
Hence, the child of few summers, who should
be studying nothing but how to spell, is requi-
red by the professors of these caricatures upon
the name Of school, to study lesson in Arith-
mleetic, another in Grammar, another in Geog-
raphy, and perhaps still another in Philosophy,
all in the same day.
Now, sir, the education impaired by this
course is superficial and imperfect The grad
s.ates from these colleges know little Of several
things, but unfortunately they understand none
of them well enough to be of any practical
utility. They are emphatically in wilderness
of light, but it is; Of the Jack-o-lantern kind,
always eluding their grasp. They know but
little more Of the sciences studied than their
names. -, .,t,s, ,.,...+.
Now, Isl sir, the remedy for this constantly
growing evil is to grade our primary schools ];
and what we mean By graded schools is simply
this: ..-.----q,---s--..s-
.First. Let there be school for Juveniles, in
WHICH nothing but spelling and reading shall
be taught. After the scholars shall have
graduated" in the spelling and reading school,
(and they. should: not leave this school until
they shall have become competent spoilers and
fluent readers. let them be sent to writing
school. After having learned the art of pen
manship, they should then commence the
study of Arithmetic, under competent Arlth-
metician, who devotes his whole time to teach=
ing this useful science. Next, after having
learned the. science of numbers, let them be
sent to Grammar school, taught by teacher
who fully understands the art of speaking and
writing correctly-not from habit, custom or
imitation, but from thorough and compre-
hensive knowledge Of the science ITSELF Let
everything else that the child studies be taught
IN the same manner.
But, says the professor of these juvenile COT
legcs, we advocate the variety course OF studies
upon the ground that it rests the mind' The
child becomes weary in consequence OF the
monotony occasioned by only one study.
Hence, IN shifting from one branch of study
to another, his mind becomes refreshed.
This, sir, is one of the objections which we
have against your course. 1t is in accordance
with an unalterable and universal law OF the
huhian mind, that no one can possibly advance
understandingly in any study until his mind
becomes Interested This will not happen un-
til taie- mind becomes fully imbued with the
subject matter of the science which ne is
studying Hence, if you change his studies
every, ,hour or two throughout the day you re-
iieye hismind of the labor. of hard studying,
and also of becoming interested in any one ct
his several studies, and the consequence is, ne
does not make any beneficial progress, because
his time and attention are so divided that he
cannot concentrate the powers of his mind
upon any one study.
But the main objection to this course OF
studies, exists in the fact that it gives the
teacher four or FIVE times as much as he can
possibly have time to do, requiring, as 1t were,
the student to learn without o teacher. 10
illustrate our meaning:
Here, is a teacher who has under his charge
fifty scholars: Thirty are spelling and read
;ne, the other twenty studying Grammar,
Geography, etc. A class comes forward to re-
cite a lesson in Grammar While this class Is
re,siitingg, all the rest of the school are, as a
general sn thing, idling away their time. Those
cipherine cannot advance from want OF In
struction, and the teacher has not time to give
it. The spelling and reading classes are
brought to dead halt; others are idle because
the teacher cannot notice them, etc., etc.
Waiwill venture the assertion that If boys
were sent to competent Arithmetician who
should teach Arithmetic only, that six months
would. make them better arithmeticians than
n;ne.tenths of those who study this science
ever become. And the same is equally true OF
English Grammar. After person can read
auently. from three to FIVE months at Gram
mar 10 school, under competent Grammarian-
one who is theoretically and practically versed
IN the seienes-will make him good practical
Grammariau. And we would be willing to
teach Grammer school upon the condition
that for all who did not acquire practical
knowledge of this science in five months, that
we would not charge anything for their tuition.
W. II.
atslviue, S. C!