, 1874-04-18

AY, APRIL lS, 1874.
works still exis.a, which is matter
for rcgrot; though thore ia encouragement
In tho thought TINT thoro Ia sufficient do
1nai,d for thom to warrant reprint Of this ono.
Whatoyer rnay bo said for or againat tho dIsci-
plfnary valuo Of mathematics mud The languages
III compared with misunderstanding, discussion
wo will not ontor upon,-no ono will deny that
Our educational problem ia far from being solved,
and tint, with its present condition, much fault
nay reasonably bo found.
Tho metluds IN use are arbitrary. nnd un-
natural. Tho Holf.toachip6 Of the child, Begin
ming We oannot woll saY how soon, Ia carried On
through tho medium Of the aonsea. Tho power
Of observation apponrB; tho Judgment Ii rap
idly educated In weighng. ovidonco givon by tho
aonsoa, In approoIatlng nkonesBes md differ
tho indtetlvo and iaoduotivo methods aro en-
ployoa, although Bacon aud Buckle arc un-
known; aud tho amount Of objeotivo knowledge
gaincd IN the first eovon years OF tho ohlds lifo
| is aometlng wonderful, Il wo would but think
| OF it. Neither the nsxt nor any aucooeding
| seven, If apont In tho schools, will show
resuss that are to be compared with It, eithor In
the BUM Of Information gaincd or tho tonacity
| with which it iB hold. This rate Of increase
could not, Of courae, DO kept up under any sys-
tom, any more titan ,tllo rapitlity OF physical
growth could bo maintained; but what tho re-
suts Of pursuance Of natural system might
one awaits tho child whom ho IL talcn from his
solf-tonching and put into. the schools. The
examining process thon begins; tho acoumua-
tion OF words,-more words ofton, as worth1oaa
to him, thon and over after, as iB tho mser's
boarded gold, for he does not uso then. No
moro Of the cageEloBa Of discovery, tho interest
OF experiment, the exclte1nont Of acquisition,
the, exercise Of observation, or the power OF
making inforeneea but, With roatrloted play
forts aro persistent to convert him into,
sometimes, though not always, tho
symbols ct iqess put in n tic ts,t form N
implication, II not directly, TINT tho ipso-dixit
Of the master or tho Textbook is sufficient
authority for him. 1t, applying hia old, famillar
processes to the now questions. he demands
he il snubbod. Docs this read like al over
statement Tho following is tho recent utter
anco Of one WHO profosHos to speak by authority,
whose name will DO familiar to many az that OF
bridge mathematician hlr. Todnuntor; him
self an Instructor. 8poaking Of tho nae Of ex-
| periments in connection with tho toaching Of
physical scionco IN schools, he says:
1tnaay be aail that the fact makes stronger i'm
rreaalon Tho boy through tho medium OF hs sight
that he believes It mora confidently. say that THU
ought not TO bo tho caso II he does not believe tho
1nature knowledge, reeognxed abity, md blanoloss
charactcr-hia suspicion Is trrntionn. md anifosts
ot vent @ S c hf Sf snpssStnR want
Is the spirit which this sort Of training would
dovolop suited to tho requirements Of modern
| Nfo IB boy aud mAn to 60 on accepting tho
statements OF corgy1ncn Of n1aturad knowledge
aud blemolesa charactori without question, to
not. however. wish to bo understood as implying
TINT toaoaors arc wholly, or even chiefly roapon-
aible for tho dofects IN tho present methods Of
instruction. 1ntluonced ne, Of course, thoy must
bo, in some dogree, by tile effect ct auca train-
ing upon themselves, there ure still many among
thom who desire bettor things. But thoy, like
oditors, preachora and all others upon whom
falls III any considerable degree tho function Of
the teAahe II thsy w9na ancseGa gyo
success, depends upon certain degree
Of conformity, i'll the writing. tho preaching,
pare s sas"6 @fe p e s saa By Wien vi aays SS
the Testimony Of many Of tho best teachers TINT
the most formidable obstacle In tho way Of prog
rsasa is the atolid persistency with which tho
majority Of parents adhere to the methods Of
through tho Textbook at about a given rate Of
speed, be will be transferred to school whero
lie will " learn something :" or, it the schools
are CONTROL cd by the parcnts, directly Or indi-
put lis now-fanged theories into practice elso-
Whero. That this testimony is truthful, wo have
no doubt. When the necessity for bottor meth
odB il gonoTally understood and they are do
mandod, then, and not until then, will they be
devised and put into practice. Therefore are
we glad that reprint Of this excoont colnpo-
stion il warranted, and hope tint the demaud
will continue until it finds ita way into the hands
Of every parent who can road it understand
We hnyo for ao,no time been wanting to allude
IND probably no better opportunity will offos
TO the valuable laborB Of tho editor of thif
work, None have wrought more earnestly, aud
few to Buch good purpose. 10 Education, using
devoted As 4 scientific author and lecturer he
is widely known; but tho heaviest and most val
uable part Of his work has been OF q nature thai
has added but little to the spread OF hia fame
try who to-day have MI awakoned interest in th'
various hypothesis Of tho Development Of life
Of Intelligence, Of society, Of religion, of mo
ra1ity, that arc grouped under tho generic nanlt
Of Evolution, will probably never know the mag
nitudo Of the debt which. they owe to tho enorgy
the enthusiasm, tho self-sacri1ctng zeal Of Prof
Youmans. 1lo has urged tho claims Of Scieuc
upon the public and upon publishers withou
ceasing; aud has dono ,groat doal o
gratuitoua work to insure the appearance,
Of booke TINT ho thought calculated to foster tht
germs Of scientific thinking. To him moro than
any other-we camo near saying than to al
othorH-do wo owe tho Introduction Of tht
writings Of Herbert Spencer to our readers IN
Thinkers, ut u time when. iu England, his namt
was we'll nigh unknown. It was Youmans who
rallied the admirers OF this profound thinker te
his support. at that critical moment when il
seemed that tho development Of his System mus
be arrested almost at tho outset, as indeed /
would have been but for tho moral aud matoria
MD which America gave him.
Tie plan Of the International Scientific Ser1es
originated with Prof. Yoamaus, and ho put /
into execution. While mono would suppose thu
Buch scho1no could be inaug.lratod witl1ou
work, few would imagine how great tho obstacles
that wcro to bo overcome. The Indifference oi
tho moro promincnt, Hooutiiio authors, whoHs
! difficulty In finding tho right man. and avoiding
tho wrong man, for q giyon work tho conso
1uons toalolsies of the lesser luminariea; thu
general md innate British dstrust Of every
thing from Amorica,-lad all to DO encountered
aud, at the last, tho hostility Of English pub:
liehors WIS such, TINT, after eight months ilart
work, the Professors best friends wagged thoil
heads, aud told him that ho had best give it vi
, and 60 home. But ho did not; ho porsoyored
tho Series waH fairly launched. and has provet
III nYnry MaY H,lccansful, 1tR story. II told