River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-10-24

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DRY and reasoning powers in order.
The young child cannot see the lit.
ness of reasoning in geometrieal de-
monstration, any moro than q deaf per-
son could hear ordinary conversation,
because his reasoning faculty has not
grown from the germ. If the argu-
ment is beautiful, he has no eye to see
1t, no mental stomach to digest it.
See how young children admire shows.
and observe ANIMALS, persons and plants.
They are trying to find out in what
kind Of world they are stationed.
They begin their sentences with chow
nice, 'or"how funny" this is. Their ques-
tions begin, not with why" but "what
Is this, aud all their studies should
be such as will answer this question.
They want to know about all they see
or at least the "why" ofonly some COM
mon phenomena. They are more anx-
ious to know why their hearts beat, ,
than why the terms Of the diyisor are
inverted in division of fractions. They
are more interested in knowing that
certain plant is poisonous, than, that
opponents are added in multiplication
in algebra.
1t is just as important for them to
know that the place where this house
stands was once the bed Of a mighty
ocean, full of ANIMALS like clans, aud
that the mounds contain their remains
melted together; that later huge bed
Of ice covered this country and made
the climate colder than the arctic; as
to know the different ways of par,ing
the iniiuitiye verb.
Then if they should have studies that
will interest them, those studies must
be such as will describe the world in its
various aspects. Arithmetic and gram
mar will not interest them at an early
age, or they would sooner learn it.
Geography is an exercise of memory
as usually taught, and should not be-
begun until the passion for noticing ha,
begun to wane, or rather till the mem
org has begun to develop.
Now any study that pupil is not in
terested in, aud yet is compelled to pur
sue, willso become distasteful aud posi-
bly, give HIM an aversion to study of any
kind. | believe many good minds are
injured By drilling for series Of years
in early youth, on grammar, at thai
time 50 dnll for them. As public opin
ion is, if child should pursue, at ten
years of age, studies that would interest
him, sdch as drawing, botany aud phys
lology, il would be called q waste of
time. But such a course would create
a thirst for knowledge, that would not
soon abate. At fifteen or sixteen he
could take arithmetic aud finish it in
two or three terms, and 50 with geogra.
ply and other branches. All that il
needed to make a student faithful, is Il
interest him.
If one should say that arithmetic and
grammar were Of practical use, and 9TH
er branches were not, the objection
would not be valid; and if it were, il
would not be an argument in favor Of
studying them before they could be
understood. Very few boys know
aught of practical arithmetic until they
study it out in actual practice. Their
common conversation shows how little
they know Of practical grammar. Even
farming, on the contrary, is continual
application Of chemistry philosophy and
botany. Cooking is simply one branch
Of chemistry, and physiology and
hygiene are every minute practical
Then the question arises, what branches
are to be taken up first, second, and
lastly.
Opinions may differ, and il may be
there is no choice between several
Drawing seems fitted TO be pursued by
The child Of tender years The second
branch (after reading and spelling)
should be botany, as that cultiyate5 the
observing powers as much as anything
can. aud Is intensely interesting 70
children or adults, when well taught
The beginning is not difficult. Would
you think il was a harder task to teach
a child that all pants with flowers IN