Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-05-08
Object Teaching by Farmers.

WE are all educators, and yet we are all
learners Let ne tell you how we all
teach. The blackboard we think mod
crn invention, and confined mostly to the
schoOl-roOm, and yet object teaching has
been and will continue to be one of the
most if not the most successful methods
of giving instruction.
Every one knows how much clearer a
fact or statement becomes if it can be il
Illustrated to the eve. A teacher, in order
to impress a certain truth in natural geOg-
raphy on his pupil, calls him to his
blackboard, draws map representing
continent; it may be perhaps South Amer
lea or the United States. He first gives
the coast lines, then the principal features
of the country, ranges Of mountains, riy-
ers, divisions of States, then the chief
towns and so on until the general truths
of that science, so far as that portion of
the globe is concerned, are seen by the eye
If we want to impress upon friend the
beauties of a certain landscape, or any
other scene or place in nature, we take
him to look with his own eyes. How
much has been written about the Alps, the
White Mountains, the Yosemite Valley,
and other noted places; yet does this sat
isfY? We must see with our own eyes be
fore we are satisfied Men make long pill
grimages, spend large sums Of money to
see things. We may write out as fine and
full a statement of a building, yet tits
does not satisfy half as well as look at
the editice itself
SO with farming; we may come here
from week to week to discuss topics
about growing crops, cultivating the soil,
breeding and raising stock, management
of sheep, but this is not, and cannot be SO
valuable nor truthful as eye knowledge.
The truth is, we are object teachers.
Every one who owns and works piece Of
ground, be it no larger than square rood
of garden, is giving object lessons.
Let our farms represent a blackboard.
We run line around it-this is the boun-
Diary fence; a dot here represents the house
and outbuildings. Then we run cross
lines dividing the farm into fields. Here
is woodland, that is put by itself; there is
piece Of marsh or natural meadow or
pasture, which goes by itself SO we pro-
coed till our farm is divided and fenced to
our notion. The passer-by looks, studies,
criticises-perhaps gets a hint in the light
direction; goes home and puts his learn
ing into practice.
Again, the manner of blowing, seeding,
| cultivation, harvesting Of crops, are SO
many moves on the blackboard, which
| our neighbors were all the time watching.
| A tree planted, the kind, place, pruning,
etc, has lesson good or bad. We teach
by our gardens, perhaps nowhere more
etfectually than here. Ofentimcs a gar
| den is a very fine index to the culture and
| taste Of its owner. The style of architect,
ture Of our buildings, the color OF the
| paint, and the general surroundings OF our
houses are so many lessons, perpetual les,
sons of instruction, more potent Tor good
or evil than all the words we can
utter We plant climbing vine which
runs over our porch or doorway out there
is a plat of flowers-go into the garden,
see the grapevines loaded with luscious
fruit. What do these things indicate?
WHY. communities have been revolution
| lied (sociallv mean, by means as simple,
and vet as effectual as these.
Is there not power heres Let me tell
YOU there is tremendous power for good
which each one of US possesses. Our
broad acres, in the management we give
them, should be so many living object
teachers whereby the public may look on
and receive instructions.-Frona an Ad-
dress Of the President Of the Rosendale (N.
|