Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-01-11
(For the Ferrysbuig Journal.)
EDUCATIONAL.

lie arts are progressing. The speed Oi
the messenger has heen increased from the
| speed Of horse to the speed Of lightning.
Inland commerce has been impsyvcd from
the sluggish pace Of mule upon a canal
bank to the speed of the "swift-winged
iron horse" and foreign commerce has
been accelerated until the Pacific and the
Atlantic have been umitel, and circum.
navigation has become n pleasure trip
Manufactures are so improved that almost
all kinds OF fabrics, tools, and implements
are coined a nigh degree of perfection !, in
moment OF time. Agriculture, too, has
its share of improvements, insomuch that
one man and team properly equipped, and
without oycr.exertiOn, can perform the lu-
Dor Of five or six.
Yet, amid all this monopoly Of time and
labor, we find many Of our ruralists "plod-
ding on their weary way" We see, in
many places. the teachers aud the pretend
el friends Of education still clingng to the
old log-schpolhouse forms. Schools are let
t. the lowest bidder with q "sheep skin"
and il recommend is required, some one
need only say that he is "a big sandy
headed fellow" and hint that he invaria-
bly, "whales on the slightest provocation,"
and "he's the man for us ~ The old Gus
tom Of administering lessons by the dose
to be conned by rote, and recited mechan-
icnlly, while the teacher looks on to see
that no word is missed is the order of
exercises; and the urchin who happens To
get some meaning ont of his lesson and
attempts To express it in his own language,
must stand upon the floor until he can re.
cite verbatim. | claim the day has come
Tor the practice Of some better plans. Let
tcrs aud their combinations, il is true. are
but cold forms, and must be received rs
| they are, without asking whv, but rs
30 IN rs child begins to read lie can begin
to reason also.
Arithmetic and Grammar should be
taught by drawing ont the mind to think,
| To reason, and then to see that the study
| is n science, which to be examined is to he
believed, not simply because man has laid
| it down as Il text, but because it is a sim
! pie nnltiling trLth because ii il pnri-
Gle OF the great secret of infinite wisdom,
IN drink OF which will make one drv, and
the fountain of which is as uniniling as its
anthnr II is the teachers duty to he an
agreeable associate with his pupils; to
smooth down all the rugged activities as
they are approached in science to the con-
| ception OF the mental vision of the pupil,
! and to gently lead by pleasant argumcnla-
/ tiOn into the dark maze until the child's
pupil of mentality is sufficiently en-
| larged to command the situation Some
! parts pf Geography and History we believe
because they are we'll authenticated, and
| as we cannot know we ARE satisfied to be-
! lirve; but most of the sciences admit
! Of being seen, and consequently they
should not rest as a burden mpon memory.
| The vistas and avenues of science bear
! handling, and are best understood by
closest examination. Even sentence in
our language is simply n shrub or tree,
and no matter how complex, the roots the
bule, aud the branches can all he traced
and their connection defined us clearly as
those of tree orshrub When the utility,
the beauty, and the extent of science are
thus shown to child and an interest
awakened, no watching, no dosing, no
whaling" will be necessary in his case
but he is destined to become the bane of
lazy teachers by his quizical impcr;inence,
] ny The lnqHislilNe Splrll thai leads hlm on.
Logic becomes his text book, and reason
becomes his rule
The world of science is spiritual
world Of eternal truths # is not as many
seem to .hink--the creation OF man; but
it is part of the Creator, the God of the
Universe, of whom each soul is BEAM
and each brain faculty is a crystal to re-
feet rays of light Tor the guidance of man.
Man may discover n new fact in science,
but he discovers it only m mn astronomer
discovers new planet he discovers it as n
part OF the original creation, or universe
OF facts, which has, until now, daily passed
us unnoiccd.
4 teacher should carefully explain n
principle by leading the mind to an ex-
ercse of its own powers; then the rule np-
plying to the principle will he readily un-
derstnod. A child thus comprehending
principle, will most easily tell it in his
own natural language. This is far better
than a recitation, verbatim, of the knowl-
edge Of another. OF course the teacher
should carefully arrange the principles
according to their natural aud logical con
nection in science, and this is the use ia
which text books should he applied-to
arrange aud classify, aud to furnish prac'
ical exercises.