New-York tribune., 1878-04-15

nosition Uo would inculcate all the virtues by
general orders He ranges the m0raiites IN serr'ed
ranks. and commands his juvenile Dattalohs
70 take a good look at them. he mes
from soap, water and towels TO the n,'s'
abstruse of the mental and moral sciences ana loer
n little discourse on digestion wonld lntroduce
the Young people to that lively topic OF the WI
which once taxed the giant intellect OF Fresiuen'
Edwards After a short oral daily lecIuie 'N'
pupil will be required to furnish thought OF othoi
illustration of the topic treated, on the following
morning." What is singular is that there Is no pro
vision for sending to court martial the unfortu-
nate pupil who is unable to pump up an ilstration'
or for keeping him after school, or for submitting
his person to a stimulating fustigation. OF course
should the bill pass, the practice IN the scnooS
will be much more intelliglble than sena'
tor Burnsides theory. he teachers VIII 20
through the motions. They will pump into the
pupil as many of the virtues aforesaid as possipIe
and leave the rest unpumped, SO 10 speak, Anu
when the poor little, bothered creatures come up
the next morning wOfully wanting in their liiustra-
t1ous of reflection and the WILL" the wise peda-
gogues will temper Justice with mercy, and let the
deficient and unph llosopbical pupils off with an
other lecture on conscience reflection ana the
will"
General Burnside we have no doubt, is well
meaning man, and when the question Is one OF lor-
tfcatIons, of running parallels, or OF setting
squadrons in the field, he is at home upon it. But
his notions of education prove conclusiyely that
he is neither Locke, DE Gerando,
a Frobel nor Horace Mann. Nine-tenths OF
what he proposes is already done either directly OF
indirectly And all the better if done indirectly IN
every well regulated school and it is all the better
done for not Oeng required by law There is many
a method unwritten many law uncOdlfed, many
system unsystematized The scholars who learn
General Burnside's virtues and moralties best, do
so unconsciously. They are some of them, the
habits of the seminary. They in its atmosphere
They are acquired mot taught the child learns to
walk and to talk. They come from the mind ana
manner and tact and talent of the teacher without
lectures, and unsuggested by acts of Congress.
The third section of General Burnside's bill is one
of the most astonishing. 1t provides that " emula-
tion shall be cherished between the pupils in ac-
cumulating thoughts and facts in regard to the
noble traits possible" This is the Gradgrindian sys-
tenn which is odious, grated upon the Lancasterian
system, which is at least genial The good Quaker
carried his notion of emulation quite as far as
Christian morality warranted, and possibly little
further. General Burnside's plan is far from
feasible because pupils VIII not of them
selves accumulate facts and thoughts " in regard
TO noble traits possible" How are they, in their
tender intellectual homage, to comprehend that a
fact bears upon a noble traitf And why should
they be bothered with these Accommodations" and
their reconditc analogies 1t is the teacher who Is
to accumulate" 1t is he who is to bring out the
mobile traits" of the pupil. Every day furnishes
some new plan of education. May that power Wnch
presides over public schools save them from theories
enforced by acts of Congress!