The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-01-20
Greai,,g state auarna1.
MAJOR HOTCHKIss AT THE TEACHERS
MEETING.

We had pleasant episode in editorial
life to-day at the meeting of the teachers of
the public schools, held at the jeff. Davis
mansion. The meeting was largely attend
ed, and was opened by cheerful song
Major Hotchkiss alluded to the powerful
influence of cities on education, by reason
of the advantages Of concentration. His
subject was "Geography," which occupies
10 largely the attention in all schools. Ex-
perience and observation, had proved the
great difficulty of teaching this science un-
der the old systems.
1t is no question of authors, but of meth
DDS and text books. The old method Is
mechanical. 1t is dull routine, a mere
catalogue of names.
What have you but the lists of a gazet-
teer? mere isolated facts, with no common
link of principle.
The other, and true method is, the or
ganic, the physical. 1t displays the plan
of the Universal Intelligence. 1t regards
the World as an organism. The parts all
united by golden chain, into one harmo-
NOUS whole. 1t addresses itself to the
pupil not merely as something to be learned,
but as life-giving mode Of leading out the
powers, to observe and think.
We propose, Of course, to impart geo
graphical knowledge, including nature and
man but the most important task Of the
teacher is, to translate the visible form
into we'll defined image in the mind to
cultivate the Imagination in a true and
healthy sense.
The first idea of Geography is, IN tho
school-room. Map drawing is our first re-
source not merely to get mechanical skill,
but to fix picture in the mind. Let
pupil draw first the school-room by pro-
portion, on the board. .r} gsre
The fingers are the natural dividers, the
instruments supplied to every child to fix a
definite measure by a span $50 of the step
and the length of the arm. Teach the pu-
pill to refer every thing to this standard,
and to feel that he is part of this living,
thinking world. Beginning with the body
of the room, let him locate its doors, seats,
&c.
You have thus made the first step in that
series which enables him to grasp the city,
the State, the continent and the world.
Black-boards should be adapted to cumu-
; latiye lessons. The student should go forth
daily, bring in his acquisitions and tabulate
r them on the board. We want no maps
which try to tell everything. We want the
grand outlines only. Humboldt at the close
of long life, says: "We have no maps
5 which have day light in them." We wan
maps that will inspire, as well as enlighten
(The outlines Of the city of Richmond
were sketched upon the board by the lee
turer, showing finely the principle of con.
structng maps.) The Valley of the Shen
/, andoah is 100 long and 30 miles wide. Th'
name means "the Beautiful Daughter o
n the Stars" ca county map was shown.
This map would have bewildered be
% ginner, if studied in detail. How thel
would we proceed to make child familia
with tho geography Of the Valley? W
: would begin with the mountains. BY
r simple outline map upon the black-boar
: we construct all that is necessary for tn
pupil to know about that Valley. Th
: Blue Ridge, the North Mountain, tn
Shenandoah with its forks, come on
:. boldly with few touches. These al
the elements which tell PRACTICAL
= upon the value Of geographc'
r. r. knowledge. The campaigns in I'll
be Valley, during the late wal
. owe their remarkable features to the gret
geographical facts | have described. No
oo this is what we mean by maps having da,
- light in them. These are maps not el
90 numbered with details, but show onl
On those great features which do not obstru'
the sunlight. By few additional mark
90 90 we bring out the Geology Of region. CEi
Silurian belt of the Blue Ridge was we
" shown by broad mark with colort
ot crayon.} Then there are attitudes to
90 exhibited. This brings US to profile map
90 90 which are are also very simple. !, By the
90 the profile of the lands or their relations
90 altitude, are shown.
w w The march of storm was discussed,
90 seen from one Of the coast survey station
90 the observers looking over the storm clol
- for over a hundred miles and watching
90 majestic movement.
!" We must learn to distinguish betwe
60 the essential and the non-essential.
: count about 5000 miles Of streams in A
% 90 gusta county alone, but is that an additi
70 to our general geographical knowledge III
! 90 ly to be of any value? .
w Major FL. then displayed Guyot's mi
90 nifcent map of the world, on Mercato
projection.) All good teachers ask VIII,
1 90 Every school-room ought to have an
% mense interrogation on its wall. "Why
90 That jolly old Dutchman, Mercator, COZ
i % not fix locations on his globe to suit hil
90 so he got up this projection. Relative
4 90 titudes, plains, table lands and mounta
4" are here represented by colors. Sucl
2 90 map as this carries to the eye at once, tn
6 90 lessons why great cities grow up, or tn
~ is no concentration of the people, is h
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