The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1878-03-16

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Long experience has taught me and
many other colleagues, that nothing
draws the child's attention earlier
and quicker tllan-aniuals. If any
body doubts this, he may watch a
child closely and he will come to the
same result. The clild's eye is very
seldom upon its own body, but
generally upon the surrounding OBJ
jccts. You bring a mocking bird, a
mouse, IL fish or any animal i'll the
room, the children will look up from
the most interesting toy .and-took
at that liriHg toy. Nay, if you give
them a picture book, they abide the
longer time with the pictures that
represent animals. Thereby they
notify us: IfyoW IRISH 10 exercise those
faculties achich euen non aacake IN our
Hrety body, then shoW as animals.
Here and there teachers try to give
ear to this dewand, and natural
history, of which the youth remained
n stranger, has been taught but very
often entirely in vain. If you lecture
of system in natural history without
showing any of natures products,
and believe thereby to satisfy this
youthful demand, you are mistaken.
A child wishes to exercise its facul-
ties by objects which it can perceive;
how is this possible, if no objects are
TO be scent Natural history must be
taught, not for its own sake, but to
give occasion to the pnpil to exercise
his different faculties by means of
nature. BY mere lecture, book
lesson, you may miss your aim-the
illustration is missing, which is the
main point. The child is only pas
sive and lets the teachrr observe and
judge for himself. But our boy shall
act in his education and we must
direct and prompt behind the scene.
If the youthful faculties must be exer
cised By the observation of natural
objects, natures products must g1adu-
ally be introduced for intuition and
always one subject Mt time, in order
that the attention may be closer at
tached to the show-and you must
begin with an animal. This animal
must go through an exact and scrupu-
lous examination in its different
parts, in its shape aud color; it must
be compared to others and the pupil
must be asked what it has in COM
mon with them and in what it is dis
tingaished from other animals. Final
ly, you past place the animal alto
gether out of the boys sight and
have it described by him. Whatso-
ever Can not be found by the observ-
ing eye of the pupil-e. g., the
food, the way of living, the use of the
animal, etc.,-must be added by the
teacher in short, but distinct expla-
nations.
For instance, give for observation
canary bird. / can go through this
observation in two ways. l tell the
CLASS either what / observe in the
animal, or / induce the boys to tell
me what they observe. The latter
manner is the only beneficial method
for the development of the pupils
faculties and since the teacher is sup
posed to be educated and the boy
must be educated by the means of
rational instruction, the tutor must
induce them to observe, if he does
not wish to act contrary to his design.
The right method would be executed
in the following manner: What is
the name of this animal Why is it
bird Why is it canary bird ?
Can you name me all its limbs 2
Whit has it on its head 2 Of how
many parts does the bill consist etc.
A hundred questions at least can be
derived from this canary bird. After
having finished the observation YOU
may remove the bird and ask one of
the little master minds to describe
canary bird. You may ask, what
animal WIS yesterday shownR What
the canary bird has common with the
former animal7 In what does it
,differf
This is only suggestion-how the
instruction in natural history should
he arranged aud be made useful for
the exercise of the youthful faculties.
no BE CONTINUED