The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1878-10-11

WOUlO 10 30 U1VCU U958tEx " WoAS sssSVASI
child is ready for grammar and then
use grammar, such, for Instance, rs
Kirkham's, Plnneo's, Browns or Bull
lions, In which the whole thing is con-
densed into one book, and Is expressed
in clear, concise Language, with coarse
print to be mem0Fized and ample ex.
planatory notes in fine print.
Then, again, penmanship is neglect
ed, It being considered by some that
tho children practice that enough In
writing their exercises. Not SO. That |
kind of writing is an injusJ In
Learning to write, the mind should be |
ON the proper formation and slope OF
the letters and not the subject matter |
of exercises. '-.iI 81 =1' E''i
( Another thing that insist upon rs
la great fault Of modern education is,
that children are not required to learn
the exact words of the book but only
to give the sssense." The consequence
Is, when they are through book, they
know neither words nor sense. Take,
for instance, Robinson's Rudiments Of
Arithmetic, questions on first page:
stWhat are abstract nuInbersf What
are concrete numbers 2" should
like to know what child OF the age Of
eight to ten, the age when they are
put into Robinson's Rudiments, has
0&&9 tU0 1041USS8V VOuO0Pt1V0 "a S10
meaning Of abstract or concrete num-
bersP do not think the same chill
dren could give you any faint idea Of
why you carry figures In addition,
Then, as they cannot get the sense.
they ought not to learn addition, &C.
cortling to the theory of learning the
sense. Now, I think child can learn
the words of the book, and the rules
especially, and work sums by the
rule without knowing how that rule
was made, and can gradually 60
through the arithmetic, learning suf-
ficent to apply 1t to the practical uses
of life, and, after awhile, the mind ma.
lures and the whole thing Is plain. 1t
is very convenient to know how to
make calculation of how much water
a certain sized cIstern will hold, even
II you can't explain or understand
why 1t Is that you must ssmultfply the
square of the diameter by the decimal
1854" to find the area Of a circle.
We know that the memory Is most
retentive in children, gradually losing
its powers with advancing age. We
know that the reasoning powers are
weak in children, Strengthening and
improving as we grow older. 1t seems
to me that this shows the intention of
the Creator, that the memory should
gather up knowledge, which the reas-
oning powers take hold afterwards and
digest. How is this knowledge best
gathered from books by the memory?
ed words of an ignorant child, but in
tho clear, concise, elegant language
of good text books. One thing Is very
certain, that if child is to learn moth
ing but what it understands, 1t will
never learn much.
L will add one thing and that Is
this If parents would carefully exam
inc their children, they would often
find that the big piles OF books they
carry backward and forward do not
indicate real progress. I have u friend
who sent her son to a college Of excel
lent reputation. Every month came
his reports which were most always
No. /, Indicating ssdistinguished ex-
cellence.'' Now, my friend was some
what astonfshed at this, knowing that
the son had not had the proper mental
discipline at home and that he was
only of medium talent. Moreover, his
letters indicated no Improvement, but
the reverse. On his return Che had
only been to the preparatory depart
mcnt) she set out to examine him care
fully with n view to reviewing and
advancing him, so that he night make
more progress on his return to college
but what did she find? During the
whole session nothing had been learned
that she could draw from him. Not
one step in advance had been made,
unless, perhaps, in Greek of which she
knew nothing. And why was this?
Because he had been required only to
give the sense. I don't wish any one
to understand that do not think
things ought to be explained and made
as clear as possible to children but
do think it absolutely necessary to
learn a set form of words.
BETSY BROWN.
w1NNspoRo, Franklin Parish, La,
August q, 1878.
! Mr.. F. G. HUDSON, Secretary Senatorial
Convention, Rayville, La.
Ny Dear tSir-Your letter of the 23d
inst. was handed me today, informing
me of my nomination for senator Of
this district, at Monroe, on the 10th
inst. !; also containing resolution
passed by said convention instructing
the candidate nominated to vote for
and thr, oovl~v 1f IN,