The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-07-08

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stage of it, is strictly cooperative pro-
cess. You cannot cause any one 10
know, by merely pouring out stores of
knowledge in his hearing. any more than
you can make his body grow by spread
ing the contents of your market tasbe
at his feet. You must rouse his power
of attention, that he may lay hold Of,
and receive, and make bis own, the
Knowledge you offer him You must
awaken and strengthen the power OF
memory within him, that be may retain
what he receives, and thus grow in
knowledge, as the body by like pro-
cess grows liz strength and muscle. In
other words, learning, so far as the mind
of the learner is concerned is a growth;
and teaching, SO far as the teacher is
concerned, is doing whatever is neces-
sary 10 cause that growth.
Let us proceed step farther in this
matter.
One Of the ancients oh serves that
lemp loses none of it's own light by al
lowing another lamp TO be lit from it.
He uses the illustration b enforce the
duty Of liberality in i mparting our
knowledge to others. Il nowledge, he
says, unlike other treasures, is not DIM
inished by giving.
The illustration fails To express the
whole truth. This imparfng of knowl-
edge to others not only does not i'm
poverish the donor, but ii actually in
creases his riches D8ce4do dsscSmus.
By teaching we learn. A man grows in
knowledge by the very act of commune
eating it. The reason for this is obvious.
In order to communicate TO the mind of
another thought which is in our own
mind, we must give to the thought de-
finite shape and form. WIZ must handle
it, and pack 1t up for safe conveyance.
Thus the mere act Of giving a thought
expression in words, fixes it more deeply
in our own minds. Not only so; We can,
in fact, very rarely be said to be IN full
possession of thought ourselves, until
by the tongue or the pen re have COM
municated it to somebody else. The
expression of it, in som e form, seems
necessary to give it, eve n i'll our own
minds, a definite shape a hd lasting i'm
preston.
Some teachers seem TO be ambitious, to
90 great deal of talking. The measure
of their success, in their own eyes, is
their ability 30 keep Up continued
stream of talk for the greater pafss-of
the hour. This is Of course better than
the embarrassing silence sometimes seen,
where neithe~ teacher nor scholar has
anything 10 say. But at the best, it is
only the pouring into the exhausted re-
ceiver enacted over gain. We can
never be reminded too often, that there
is no teaching except SO far as there is
active co operation On the part of the
learner. The mind receiving must re-
produce and give back what it gets.
This is the indispensable condition off
making any knowledge really our own.
The very best teaching have ever seen,
has been where the teacher said COM
paiatively little. The teacher was of
course brimful of the subject. He
cnuld give the needed information at
exactly the right point, and in the right
quantity. But for every word given by
the teacher, there were many words of
answering reproduction on the part Of
the scholars. Youthful minds under
such tutelage grow apace.
It is indeed high and difficult
achievement in the educational art, to
get young persons thus to bring forth
their thoughts freely for examination
and correction. A pleasant courtenance
and gentle manner, inviting and in
spring confidence, have something to do
with the matter. But, whatever the
means Tor accomplishing this end, the
end ltselIis indispensable. The scholars
tongue must be Embossed as well as the
teachers. The scholars thoughts must
be preached ss well as the teachers, |
Indeed, the statement needs very little I
qualification or abatement, shat scholar
has learned nothing from US except what
be has expressed TO us again In words.
The teacher who is accustomed to har- |
angue his scholars with q continuous