Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-12-10

persons were asked to regard a tree and
to describe afterward what they had seen,
scarcely one would describe 1t accurately,
and hardly two would be in accord. Per-
haps he might mention, as u high develop
ment OF this perceptive faculty, the case
OF lady, who. passing another 10 the
street, would take In at . glance the shape,
color. and material of the dress which she
might wear, and probably estimate very
nearly its cost. The accurate reprodue.
ton in language expressing thought. was,
the lecturer said, conclusive test Of the
soundness OF the whole mental operation,
Ii was impossible to lay too much stress
on this point. 1t WAS habit that ought
to be cultivated from earliest youth and
could be practiced on the simplest obiects
The method was also exceedingly simple.
child's attention might, for instance. be
directed to an object. and questions then
miSht De asked concerning it. When the
answers were inaccurate, corrections
might be made, and the questions repe ited
until accurate answers were given. The
same exercise might be gone through in
the case OF stories which might be told,
and In this way the child would be stimu-
lated with desire to learn. and would be-
come accustomed to reproduce the exact
truth AS 1t was presented. This was what
he would call tie first course In the early
branch of teaching. II WAS in the main
The most important course, Tor in it Law
the basis for all others. The child would
then pass into the hands Of the teacher.
In many schools it had been. and, he WAS
sorry To say, WAS yet. the custom to teach
apart from the elementary branches macy
things with big names. The method wa,
to put textbook into the hands of the
pupils. and they were set down as the
hes SrhnIurs hn taJ
set down in the book most fluently He
thought that such n system was specially
intended for the development of human
stupidity. for though it improved the
memory, il did 30 at the expense Of tse
understanding. What can be taught u
school Is necessarily very little. Ii Is MT
very important that it should be muci.
but II is important that il should be 80
taught as To make subsequent s.lf-educl-
ton easy. That cannot be taught ty
merely practicinS the memory. When can
We say we are educated on any particular
subject! Not certainly when we can rp-
peat mere methodical form OF word, has-
Ing reference TO the matter Take, ifr
Instance, the question. What is a cloud?
Here is one pupil who has learned Ii. al
ewer from the textbook, and who SIMS
"ut mat answer with n measured cadenk.
without missing single syllable. But D.
lew days he has forgotten the first seq
lehce OF the answer. and then IL will De-
found that he has forgotten the whole of
IL. There Is another child who caunot re-
member single word given in the ans wer
to the question in The text book. but he
can describe the vapors ascending into
upper air and forming themselves into
clouds there, and that child Is much better
educated than the other, though he NAV
express his crude notions OF cloud in very
Imperfect language. A German poet,
Goethe. gave fair illustration of thi, vi.
clous method of obliging a child to commit,
the answers 10 questions OF this kind ~
memory. He describes Knight who
came home To his castle one evening hay-
ing been met by his little sou. who was
taught to repeat the history OF the castle
IN lev weli-chosen sentences, In which
- .-.A-- sc-sss.i-A - -.-s-.cni
piace. iiis teachers taught the child to
commit those sentences to memory With
the view OF surprising the Knight upon his
return at the great progress he was max
10. IN his education. After the child. how
ever nad gwen him the history OF the cas-,
lie. he asked the boy who was Gurz. The
CHILD stared at him and could not answer.
when the old knight reiuasked. "TDer,
Is boy so highly educated that he ba,.
forgotten his own father Not only.
therefore. should pupils not be required l.,
commit ~ memory certain answers to Ger.
tam questions. but lac should be Regarded
AS the best scholar who can give the cor
rectest, olearest, and most original inform
alton on tie subject In his own language.
OBJECT OF EARLY iS1ELLtCTUAL EpUCA-
IION.
The object Of early intellectual education
u 10 make the mind active and receptive,
by the method OF discrimination which
VIII enable a man TO use the talents OF
iearnin.; IN one word. TO fit men and wom-
eh Tor that subsequent self-educstion which |.
Is most important for the practical dutie,
OF life. You may ask, Does not this meth
cd require uncommon intelligence? lie an
swered. No. The principles at the bottom
are so Simple as 10 require only ordinar,
intelIiXercs. IL only requires that the e,i-
ucator, and parents should take an interest
in 1t. The reai difficulty is that so many
parents deem their duty TO their children
fulfilled when they clo,he them and keen
them fed and make them wel-behayei
leaving the rest TO the school teachers, 4
many Of whom were ill-suited to discharge
the obligation. There were, II was true
thousands and thousands of conscientious
teachers IN the land who fully realized the
responsibilities of their duty. The former
N'"N' Oee" ~ cC sOt iiu Vi, uiiu tllls can
be done only by encouraging the latter.
The truth is. that the labor Of teaching is
OF all others, the most miserabiy paid, no
only III this country. but in great many ,
others, aud In others more than in this IL
must he evident to every one that If teach
Ing Is TO be well done il must be loved ms
talent, As a life calling. Heroic self.
sacrifice is a very noble thing in itself, but
it is not nOuiishment everybody likes to
feed upon. for it is well known that nobody
feeds upon it. lie was gfad to say-that in
the larger towns in this country great i'm
proveinent had been made, and, before
taking leave OF this branch OF the subject,
he desired 20 say something about the ed
ucation of female schools.
FEMALE scyooLs:,
The matter Of female education had of
late been discussed with heated yigor. es I
pecially since female schools produced so |
many able specimens Of their own. We
are told that girls must be SO educated
that they may be able to work their way
through life independently. not only As
teachers. but As physicians, lawyers. civil
engineers: members of Congress. Presi- |
dents. and so on. That was one extreme. |
The other was. that a woman, in order to
remain q good woman, must not know
too much. As to the second Of these opin-
ions, lie declared himself against it. Meth
er woman nor man could know too |
much But as to the first Of these extremes
something more WAS to be said. 1t was
certainly true that the education of girls |
should enable them to work their way |
honorsbly through life. Many more occu-
pations should be open 20 them and full |
measure OF reward should be given TO |
them, and In this respect our public insti- |
tutiOns should grow more and more liber.
al. But, on the other hand. he thought |
that no system Of education should stimu- |
late the desire to WORK their way indie |
pendently and alone. His opinion in this |
respect might appear old -fogyish, but he |
lid not hesitate to declare that il was not |
well for woman to remain alone. rAp.
plause.] He thought it was the calling for