National Republican., 1878-11-30
EDUCATIONAL Department.


"
Let the press and the educators Of our country 10
colabofcrs III the great work Of education.
DEAR MADAME: The query In your paper
OF the 10th instant, Can tho national science
be prohtably taught 10 the average pupils IN
our schoolsf' is one Of great Importance, and
| trust 1t will DO made the basis Of communi.
| cations to your columns
Anticipating this, permit me to ask space In
your department for brief extract from "De
Crafts School-Room Guide" hearing upon this
topic, and which, think, will interest those
OF your readers who may not have the pleasure
and also the profit Of reading this work He
says: Our FIRST inquiry leads ms TO distinguish
between the natural and artificial studies TO
which the children are introduced. Tho child's
mind Is an instrument for acquiring rather
than using knowledge. He voluntarily begins
the study Of nature.
He touches with child-haud many Npve>s
and tries to grasp them. His studies are nat
ural, for they are IN the order Of his mental
development Study Is play-play Is study.
The objective part Of mathematics unfolds TO
him the shapes and numbers OF things. He
begins physics with the weight of his toy, or
watching the ripple and dash Of brook or the
whirl of the wator.wheel lie opens his bot.
any when he plucks a flower, aud di5tin-
guishcs color aud form. lie notices the ma
terial OF rocks and gathers various stone like
jealous mincrnlogist. . 4 child con-
fined, as most of our pupils are, to the reading,
writing, and arithmetic method Of discipline,
might as well he brought up In desert as In
the world Of beauty and power which sur.
rounds him. His eyes arc gradually closed to
a thousand alluring truths his ears are dulled
10 the myriad voices of nature. IL Is q Just
inference from these considerations, and an
acknowledged fact, that, to q majority Of pu-
pills in the public schools, the acquiring of
knowledge is unintcresting and positively irk.
some.
"But right teaching requires that the childs
powers Of knowing accurately should be de-
vcloped, and hence should begin and largely
continue with his Senses The elements for
science furnish proper material for study.
Knowledge Is not power to the child IL 1t is
abstract. llo cannot use knowledge which
lies beyond the sphere Of his daily observation
and experience. What the country needs Is
intelligent citizens, and intelligc youths from
whom they can be made These come Of the
power OF knowing and judging accurately, and
we claim fer the natural sciences" this effect
on the child. We make, therefore, this de-
mand for the scicnces-frst, that they bayean
equal place with the usual studies Of primary
grammar, and district schools secondly,
that our teachers be required to make
plain the clements of the science, to pupils
below fourteen years of age, at the expense
Of frote.drills and problems In arithmetic, gram
mctical analysis, spelling without definitions,
and the time spent in preparing for prcten-
tiOus written examinations, imposed at too
carly an age, aud that have become one Of the
worst abuses of an artificial system in public
school work" This extract, already more
lengthy than ] intended, sets forth views
which would well repay the interested and
anxious teacher to study, and carry their ap-
plicaion to the schUol-room. Tho methods of
teaching these sciences are next in order, and
which may notice In a future communiCa-
tion. OBSERVER.
DEAR MADAM have been interested In
the communication of "Child's Friend ia
last Saturdays REPUBLICAN,. VIII not many
Of your readers, however, be at q loss TO know,
after all, in what respect the new methods in
Boston and Philadelphia differ from these pur-
sued in this city2 And has "Child's Friend"
taken any pains to become familiar with our
city methods The critic should first be sure
that he knows thoroughly what he attempts
to critiCise. Docs he suppose that the teachers
OF this city are tools or slaves TO any methods
Of teaching prescribed fer them? Does he
question the wisdom aud devotion Of those
well.selectcd by the experienced gentlemen
| commissioners Of this District to provide
| high schools, normal schools, and teachers for
our growing youthful population? Docs ho
mean TO say that books Gre to be discarded In
our schools? Are such elaborate works
as keri's various books on English Grammar,
| Worcestcrs spoilers, &c, to bo thrown aside
| for the shallow instructions of inexperienced
teachers? Are parents to be relieved from
the responsibility of directing the education
| of their children at home Is that wonder
ful faCulty-tho mGmOry-to be left unCulti-
waited? Are our children to be allowed to
grow up IN ignorance of spelling2 Is the child
| TO be educated by oral and object lessons
| stuihng, as turkeys are sometimes fattcmcd for
the market? These are some Of the thoughts
suggested to my mind by reading the article
of "Child's Friend" Give US the hest method
! fOr trimming the masses Of our children, bat let
us be careful not to discard all these methods
| Of instruction which have made SO many dis
tiugu!shCd scholars and statesmen. Perhaps
we need more electric system" Of teaching
but let us not give up all that is good.
CONSERNATOR.