Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1876-04-13

something as follows: one of these senses
is called into activity, tina, is, there is a
sensation, the mind gives attention thereto
and the p'eceptioa of a fact is formed.
Now comes into play the second group of
faculties. The abstract memory, the
memory Of facts, comes into activity, lays
hold upon the PERCEPTION just formed, and
retains it by its wi power, or passes 1t
over to the associative faculty, by which
it is connected with other and kindred
facts, to be recalled at will by suggestion.
The sensation thus becomes transformed
ibto knowledge. But knowledge thus
gained is, SO to speak, concrete knowledge
knowledge of things. For the gains
ing OF the higher forms of knowledge
that Of principles and laws, the third
group of faculties comes into activity.
The imagination seizing upon two or
more facts, holds them up side by side
reason is aroused into action, compares
them and notes their lIkenesses and diff
ferences, aud a judgment or conclusion is
reached, that these facts are related to
each other by SOM law. Thus a new
item of knowledge is gained, but of q
character different from, and higher than
that from which it was derived.
ORDER OF EXTRAORDINARILY con.
venience in applying the above principles,
and 10 indicating the order in which the
mental faculties are developed, a shorter
classification may be made by bringing
each of the first " groups under a single
head, as follows: lst. PERCEPTION, or the
power of obtaining concrete facts. 2nd.'
Memory, or the power of retaining and
recalling facts and principles.
3rd. Imagination. 4th. Reason. 5th
Judgment.
The first three Of these faculties are
possessed by children of five to eight
years of age, in sufficient strength for use
in school work. The child all his LIE
has been gathering knowledge Of things.
His imagination is in lively play. Hence
those branches of knowledge which call
into activity only those faculties, should
be taught to this class of pupils. Read
ing, painting or writing, spelling, draw,
ing, counting, and the combining of nuns
bers, the simple facts of arithmetic, cor>
rect use of language, lessons on form,
color, &C.. are subjects proper to be
taught during this period.
At about eight years of age reason
begins to manifest itself. The child be.
gins to ask for the uhy Of tn ngs. But
he does not yet reason logically. lie is
satisfied with the dicta of others, rather
than the results of his own reason aud
judgment. No. till the child has reach
ed the age of ten or twelve years, are his
reason and judgment of sufficient strength
to be depended upon for logical processes
of thought, even of the primary priuci,
pies of arithmetic. The proper pursuits
for this period, then, are the continuation
of the studies of the preceding period in
somewhat more advanced forms. together
with composition. geography, and some,
thing of natural history. During this
period the pupil should be thoroughly
trained in the combination and processes
Of numbers and the tables of arithmetic
together with it' principles.
At the age of twelve or fourteen reason
and Judgment have taken on sufficient
strength to begin to receive thorough and
systematic employment. The science of
Arithmetic the art, chiefly, has been the
work hitherto mathematical geography.
the elements ofgrammar, and the sciences
may now be entered upon. The "lact
PERIOD and the why period" are nov
coordinate, and the work of the pupil is
henceforth the gathering and using of
facts for deducing prlpciples and laws.