The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-01-01
"Going to School,"
BY NJ. QUAD.

departure from the pr sent school system
realize what results might follow l
think not. I don't believe they are pre-
pared for the awful consequences which
would follow departure from the
monotonY OF textbooks and stereotyped
class examinations. They must know that
the moment you treat pupil in school
hours as if he was not a prisoner. he. will
at once kick up rebellion and forge this
books.
Children are sent to school TO learn; we
all know that. Certain eminent men
have been called upon, or have called
UPON themselves, to compile biographies,
arithme,ics, speliug-books, readers, etc,
for instruction ofschool. children. 1t fol-
lows as a matter of ut cessity. that pupils
have no business to learn anything except
from these books. 1t a teacher should
take it into her head to explain to the
pupils the diff, renee between poetry aad
blank VI rse, or explain any interesting
question in natural history, she should be
severely reproved. because none OF the
schoolbooks refer to such things.
The other day met bit of girl 90
| ing to school with tears in her eyes and
Sanders new speller in her hand. She
could spell, but Sanders had told her, and
her teacher had cautioned her, to com
NIT to memory the fact that "Words are
| either primitive, derivative, simple or
| compound.' The child dian't know
whether the word ''primitive" meant TWO
hi,ching- posts or fire alarm. and when
asked ner the meaning of the -woro
compound" she looked from. an apple
peddler's wagon on to lamp
post and back, as if the sig
nifcance of the word lowered between
the two. I didn't explain or assist her, OF
course. Because Sanders put that Sen
tencci his speller, it follows that pupils
must earn it, even though their teacher
could not write it dawn and spell half the
words correctly. That same little g1fl,
lardly ten years of age, must learn from
the same book that ''indorser is one that
in lorse s. and that "an app llor is one
that mak es appeal and waile she may
learn the words by heart. she will kno"
their meaning just about as much IS mel
teacher knows why Lake Michigan Is
, longer than it is broader.
Around the corner they buried four
+ teen year-o!d boy the other day. HI
didn't die of scarlet fever or any othel
pronounced disease. In fact the doctor
never made up his mind what to call 1t
The boy became pale, haggard, anc
thin. suffered much with his head
. and in his last hours he talked wildly anC
strangely.
He vas such a good boy, and he stud
. led so hard, ''wept his mother; and tool
, a look at the dead boys schoolboo II
} had BEEN studying mathematics, history
Orttlography, writing, nnt0Sat philosophy
and two Or three ether things, and Whel
! his mother '"came to remember" she re
F. called that his lessons kept him at hi
= books ,rcm breakfast till nine O'Clock il
I, the evening. and that she had sometime
= caught him working mathematical ex
t amp!es On the Sabbath, in order TO b
|. "pt rfect'' on Monday. soon found wher
+ he had left off in his arithmetic. 1t wa
q an example reading about as follows: III
e A, has ten oxen which weig h eight bur
q dred pounds each, and B. has tourtee
a mules witch weigh four times as mucl
and one third OF the mules fall into
q mud-ho' e, and four Of the oxen lose the
!. left ears, what will be the weather nea
J. week2'
IS I do not say that this example kille
,r the boy. If 1t did, al right. 1t W.
e. there to pe learned, and he must learn
0. or die. Just imagine how utterly unf
n that boy would have been to society an
rs business circles without being aole
te answer such examples oh-hand!
Ie was talking with school teacher tt
W other day who will certainly come
~ some bad end if he does not change h
n opinions He had the audaclty to ho
" that children went to school not as pri
e, oners. but as pupils, the social equals
r.. teachers, but obeying orders because r
or alizing that disci pline advanced the i
lis terests Of all. He held that it matter'
RI not how the pupils learne that Mlchlg
eer was bound on the south by Ohio and 1
or diana, 80 long as they came to d'stln
es kuo Wedge of the fact, and he thereto
Of said to his young class in geography:
he ''Now, children, the President OF t
all United States used to live in Ohio, a
H. Senator Morton, now dead, lived in
ito diana. Tell me in what direction thu
ed two States lie from Michigan"
or It is very wrong in him, because
&C. pupis take real pleasure in hunting c
zet the answer not regularly laid down
NE the textbooks. This teacher sets anotI
el. awful example. Right in the face OF
rd- fac: that there is school-reader conta
the ing the history OF William Penn and ,
ION adventures OF Mary's little lamb, he tai
be- magazine o" newspaper into his scho'
BUS room, and says:
s.:s Now, children, shall Lett one OF
not read this repor, OF recent excavations
the Pom pei. Befme we read, let some
vas tell me where Pomrsil is.'
)ne I'm Italy, is the answer.
, to "And what happened the city?''
rip No answer, because it is not down
, of their readers.
an 1T was buried by ashes and mud Fl
,em an eruption Of Mo Mt Vesuvius,' he 81
cal ''and now where is that mUuntain?'
Gin Italy," .r.,.
e. "a t'Cvrrecl; and it again shows signs
ia an eruption. We will now read"
still In half an hour not only Que class,
are the whole school, has learned geoSraI
tain history, natural philosophy, and so
the thing of art, in the one lesson, and c
npn | pupil goes home TO relate what was r
= =. orI 7,orhopc <n 1oorn