The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1875-12-18

btSotry IN the county lnstttute.'
At the request of number of our
readers, we publish the paper on Gen
eral EDUCATION read by Mr., Jas. n.
Derr, principal of the Weissport public
schools, at the late County Institute,
which called forth the "condeu ma
tory resolution" of that body, and ex-
cited the Indignant comments of wri-
ter in the Democrat, under the caption
Of 7" Bigotry in the County Institute. I"
Here is the paper
GENERAL EDUCATION.
Mr.. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:
feel in attempting to say anything In regard
| to" genera education " something as u Nv anu
ering Jew" and perhaps you too, will think
in general on the impo lance. and also on some
| OF the methods, used in educatiOn First spell
ling: We read aud spell mlinly by means of the
shape of letters and words. All printers
read proof, spell and correct typographical
errors, not by remembering mechanically wine.
ther word ends with G, {, or r. bat Uy the ap-
pearance of words-by the eye instead OF Oy rote
by form not language. II immediately strikes
the eye as correct or incorrect not the ear. The
| correctness of this point more proving it,
| self to ns every day as we progress. We can
submit this 10 every good speller Again. we
| WAen they are put on paper, OF III order tu put
| them on, and this methOa OF learning TO spell is
ana therefore cnildreL should be taught first to
| spell and read by means of appearances OF letters
and words, Instead OF. us yet often practised. by
rOte. Rote NAV assist but it should be secO d.
ary. THIS course will enable us to remember
what we learn, whereas should we spend wears
at rote spelling and reading aud eiay have be.
| come expert as such speiers how many can
write and spell an OrdIni y page Of letter or
even maly common Nordsl GIVE IA class the
Iona pIl m mn fhtah fI.ANY han t,,at
spelled correctly by rOte. and let them use them
| in writing, you viii tind many mlsspeIled wo d..
The reason Is this-we learn to spell by rUte bv
the jingle or sound of word, and thus soon for.
gotten after we cave school, herefore We should
learn o read and spell b. the eye-by The ap.
pearance of words. The mind will retain what
we learn. Children will Iearn in haf the time
consumed i'll rOte speiing and retain 1t much
better. We are glad to SEQ tins methOi com ing
more and more INTO practice, for bv it much
| precious time Will be saved which can be de-
| voted To a good cause.
This is also true IN egard 10 reading. and the
| correct use OF emphasis and language. AL
manKind are natural orators. Heai the child
relate some interesting incident or tnat lttle
girl nHrrate some exciting event she does MT
/ stamner TOR want Of words nor for Just me
word required; every sentence IL well couceiv.
| ed-evelV emphasis Is exactly right--everv in.
fiecIiOn Is 1T, ct and most exores I'VE and de
lIghtiui. God has taught her All children
| are eloquent by nntlre-they speak spOntane-
| Ously, and therefore effectively. aarK hear
you that deep melbdipus voice III yOnder woody
CLIENT One Of natures nOblemcn Is pOuring
| lOrth, in The Redmen's council, such strains "
| eluquence as never was heard in 'civiIzed nfe"
Read the speech Of Logan ana Bl ckhawg's
Narrative 4 eli your stOrt halt as well SIau
the untuIured savaRe excel those who have
| been ut school and college ever since they leIt
the cradlef Shall childhood eclipse maturity 7
Language was given US to eXptess VIII we
think and feel aud all-l was uUt gwen To us to
deface the beauties OF the mind by bungnng ex.
| pressiO OF them How many are conscious of
tnelr utter nabilitv 10 exnress Dy wOrls one
tenth Of what they feel and know how many
are 0aily mortified at their clumsy haliing de.
| "a ~
ing ourselves Ne this is not natures fault,
but our own fault. and shond we not endeaSOr
to improve our existing educational system,
which somewhat tends to destroy this natural
deliveryf Give us elegance Of style We care
not ior CANDY o attire or p splendid eqnnage; What
tired from head to foot assuming all the airs of
would be attracuveness, yet whose lanRuage is
lnsipid ana ungiammatical. The Gag and the
turtle harnessed UD together would make bet
ter match. Rather elegance of expression in
rags, than SNOWY attire aud awkwardness of
expression. oh, II men would only take half
the pains to ornament their conversation winch
they do their persons, every sentence Woula be
charming, Let us, therefore, strive TO beautfy
every sentence we utter and write.
Naturalness, or simplicity is another impor-
tant requisite IN a good style. Whatever IL ma
tural is beautiful and also perfect and OF moth.
ing is this more true than OF the manner OF OK.
pressing our IDEAS. Let simplicity characterz re
oil you say and write, rs Wen Hs yODr style of
expression, Whoever Is natural in this respect
is therefore elegant.
The study OF grammar is generally supposed
to impart correctness of expression ana may
render some assistance IN conversation aud
style, but we do not stop to parse az we talk or
reao 10 sIeak and write correctly is as natural
as 10 calculate figures right provided. bad con.
yersational habiEs have not been formed before.
hand. Those who will notice what strikes them
as right and wrong in words Of expression, will
soon catch the spirit Of language as well as
catch tunes by hearing them sung OF played.
! After this then grammar may be advantageOas
ly studied. Let us learn first from oral instrdc
non, afterwards from mechanical; and our best
grammatical instruction is ple observation OF
the proper and improper modes OF expression.
J Questions asked by children should Oe ans-
wered-let them even be encouraged 10 ASA
D questions they think Of, and do not bun them
D OF with shufhlng answers give them the uue
explanation or else tell them you do not know,
ami If you can couple TO your answer a iamlhaI
} illustration 30 much the better Parents, as
) well as teachers, should try and educate them
! selves In order to educate their children. aud
d not rely enJirelY upon hired teachers, Another
0 method Of developing chlldren's intellect is Dy
b teaching them 70 think for themselves" We
too often teach them 10 believe instead Of think
0 leach them to do then own thinking-glvG
them correct startng POINTS, sna then ist then 1,
thinking for them when they are children, and
. they viii get some one TO do Il for them When
| they become older, ana can be led 0lndtod mtC
politics, religion, literature everything. We
o should also teach them 70 answer ther Owl
) questions us far as possible. They were tplC
r something Yesterday which answer a question
asked to-day, recall these answers, and tell then
70 put different matters and things together anC
form their own answers. These educatlona
directions are IN perfect keeping with common
sense aud the laws of the lnlnd. Tne great er
TUT Ol Aoulh 10 III nuppoSihb 'hVJ eioouS hhoN
l. 1t all.
No surer sign of ignorance exists than con
d ceiled idea OF great attRinments-the more W,
know, the less we think We know THIS Is S,
= the world over. show me the person who boast
how much he Knows and wlll show You ON
who tells how little ne knows. Learning
. humbles. Many years Of hard study barely
u teaches cOnceited mortals that they know an'
can know hut very lttle-the more We learn
l. tile more we see whal Is TO be learned, Plea
IN ignorance wherever you can learn anything
" be diligept IN acquiring knowledge oecaus
~ when we have employed all our uIne 20 the Dos
, advantage, we Are still mere novices in tn
IS knuwledge of the laws and operations OF natur
and God We should not consider our learning
v days over wnen We 20 Into some regular bus
Vi, ness or marry No one Is too old 10 learn.
III Tne brain uneXeIe eised becomes lazy. stud
p Is lrksome TO those who study little, not .
wien the brain is exercised haDitually-as wit
"A the body SO vita the bran. use gives suplenesl
~ elasticity, energy. Then let US Keep this instrr
A, ment OF tue mind timber by daily exercise. on
meal Will not last you week. nor VIII one In
10 Ielleotual repAsL Men make provision for foo
tor physical prOvender then why not for meI
81 tali We should not do as some do stArve IN