The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-08-16
,Nisrellaneuns.
A MOVEMENT FOR SCHOOL RE
FORM.

The people of Massachusetts, have
conceived the suspicion that they nave
perchance based their great, and costly
school system on an error in regard to
the purpose 70 a common school edu-
cation and its limits. tits now general
" conceded that the attempt has been
made to teach too many things too diff
cult for the comprehension of children.
The result has been a confusion In the
minds of pupils and an imperfect
knowledge Of the plainest matters 1t
is a common delusion that the main
point in education consists in getting
child to study great number of topics,
whereas the real object is to teach the
child to think and work for himself
This result can only be obtained by ma
king him thoroughly master OF some
particular branch or the elements OF it;
and the confidence which the certainty
of his information gives him and the
experience in mental processes which
he has gained in winning his knowledge
equip him for further requirement 1t
is not much matter what boy learns
so that he learns something intelligent
ly, for mental quickening comes some
times in reading, sometimes in the
study of words, sometimes in tracing
maps, and sometimes in the solving OF
problems in arithmetic. The dreary
waste of time in all schools is due to the
fact that very few boys or girls ever un-
dergo this process of awakening, They
are drilled over a variety of tiresome
tasks from year to year, and are seldom
inoculated with an interest in their
studies or taught how to work. but once
in while stupid.looking boy who has
been dawdling along in a class, with a
face as vacant as Chinaman's, sud
denly starts into life. His face lights up
with understanding. He has caught
meaning in some part of his school
work, or got at the idea underlying some
rule, and instantly the whole business OF
study is transformed for him. He walks
through the arithmetic as he would
through book Of puzzles, talks in the
geography as if it were one of Mayne
Reid's books without the glowing colors,
and saunters along ahead of his classes,
clearing the difficulties out OF bis way
without other assistance than an occa-
sional word Of advice from his teacher.
No matter when such boy leaves
school he must become an intelligent
man, for he has learned how to work
and he will never stop acquiring
knowledge. 1t is logical dictum that
the greater the extension the less the in
tension, and Vics VS'Sa ) therefore the
fewer branches children study in school
the more completely they will master
them. On this principle more boys
will be apt to awake to mental con-
sciouspess and intellectual. activity in
the study Of grammar, arithmetic, read
ing and geography than in the study OF
these along with several new tangled
additions to the common>school CurrlcN
MUM. Such studies as rhetoric and his
tory are not essential in common schools,
since a habit of reading will insure
man better knowledge of both than he
could ever acqnire in school or even in
college. Fully as important as the re-
striction of the number OF studies in
schools is the restriction OF the number
of books, In the attempt to make edu-
cation easy multitude Of empires have
undertaken the task of dividing every
branch of learning with reference to the
age or supposed capacity of the pupil,
so that boy, instead OF taking up a
textbook in geography when he is at
proper age for that stndy, and mastering
the whole thing at once, is put into
baby book when, he is child, taught
silly definitions, made familiar with
rough outline maps and told few bald
general facts about the shape of the
earth and its great divisions. From
year to year he is shifted into textbooks
made trihe larger to suit the seasons OF
his growth, going over the same stuff
rehashed in a most tedious wayn until he
has run through half dozen books Of
series. The result is that his parents
have had to buy and he has had to
learn six books instead of one, and he
knows less about geography than he
would if he had taken hold of it man.
fully when he was ready for it. instead
of having baby geography thrust into
his hands when he should have been
minding his primer. Wizards sometimes
exhibit a series of boxes. The first is
very large, and when it is opened an>
other is discovered within when this is
taken apart third appears, and so on
until the last box is reached, and that is
an exceedingly small one with nothing
in it. Many of the popular series of
text. books now in use are like these |
iugglers' boxes, and they are not less |
injurious to schoolpchildren than profit
able to publishers. Of course, some
graduation in text books is admirable,
but this thing of having book to fit
child's mind as a jacket does his body, |
is absurd. Among all the innovations
made in Massachusetts, there is one
which should be guarded against the
~pirit of reaction-namely, the move.
ment to teach drawing in the public |
schools. For boys who intend to take |
up any handicraft and be more than !
mere drudges at no single requirement
will be worth so much as knowledge |
of the rudiments of the art Of drawing. |
That one accomplishment is enough to
make master mechanic out Of an ar,
tisan.-N. Y. World.