National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-03-08


tify as 20 results many fold those by ordinary
methods. Some of these statements. no doubt,
have reached the eyes Of Washington readers.
Explicit in character and as remarkable In
their showing as these articles aud statements
have been, they throw but little light upon the
means by which these extraordinary results
have been obtained. The presence of Mr.. Kel-
logg In Washington for few days affords THE
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN an opportunity of
which Il is glad TO avail itself TO obtain from
him personally some information in regard TO
the method itself; that is to say, what IL Is ho
seeks to accomplish aud tho means he has
taken TO secure ii.
His work Is an attempt to reduce education
to the basis of exact science, founded upon the
laws Of mind-in short, TO raise education to
the dignity of one of the applied sciences.
When an inventor in the mechanical world
constructs n machine, ii he violates anywhere
the laws of matter, his machine Is a complete
break down-it won't work. But the educator,
proceeding upon false principles, may tell the
pupil to set the figures down so, and multiply
so, and add so, and carry so, and that is the an.
swer. pupil working by this formula, and
with little knowledge Of what he is doing, per-
forms certain arithmctIcal operations. The
method is false In almost every particular; but
the teacher is not dealing with inanimate mat
ter, but with intelligent human souls, and the
pupils, after working from the formula for q
by of their own intelligence to study out and
determine the object in view and the princi.
pies involved In the operations which they
have performed.
The material wants of man are the first 10
claim his attention, arc most imperious in their
demands aud widespread in their application.
This necessity Is u constant spur to eXcrtiOn,
and If single error is committed the whole
fabric falls to the ground. This makes neces-
sary in the construction of mechanical con-
trivance, q thorough knowledge of the laws OF
matter and implicit obedience thereto. Hence
the progress in mechanical invention has been
by long and prodigious strides. On the other
hand, the complicated nature Of the subject,
the necessity, so little felt, to regard and obey
the laws of mind, the great practical difficult
| ties involved in the treatment of the question,
the temporary character of the teachers avo-
cation, and tho slender nature of its
pecuniary rewards, have stood as q bar
to invention, and have leftprogress in the
educational field almost at q dead stand
still. The improvements have been
tentative and experimental simply. They are
| like those ofan uneducated farmer whose native
good sense has led him, for instance, to expert
ment i'll planting potatoes until he has found
practically how TO properly cut up and distrib-
ute his seed to secure the best results but in
overy other operation of the farm he may still
90 n thousand years behind tho age. The
farmer only realizes the fact. If hismind had
reached out to seize upon the underlying prin-
| ciple 1t would have been the first step in the
direction of scientific farming. And it has
been precisely so with the few improvements
that have been madc by teachers.
Mr.. Kelogg's view is that mind, as truly as
matter, is governed by certain fixed natural
laws, sure aud certain in their operation. That
if they can be as fully and definitely known
as have been the laws Of matter, aud If tho in
ventor in the educational field will pay as inn
pliCit regard to these laws as has the inventor
in the mechanical world in the construction o
steam engine or loom, for instance, and
will devote the same persistent indus
try and exhibit the same inventive
genius in the construction of tho devices
to secure his ends, as have the inventors IL
the mechanical field to secure theirs, we shal
then have devices as perfect in their nature
and with results as great in their operation, a
those of the engine, loom, or telegraph. Such
perfected devices will supplaut all others be
cause they are better than all others, aud they
will be rs permanent in their application a'
are the inventions in the mechanical world tC
which we have referred, because they are the
best.
The engine does twenty times the work o
q sweep propelled by horsepower, but no Law
l has been violated in the construction OF al
r engine, and the best minds for generations
have been constantly improving upon TIL
original. If we are to change a text-bOol
J every three or four years, and substitute for /
, another upon substantially the same plan, an,
no better, We NAV expect as little progress n
we should If everyone had to make his owl
r engines and we had new form of engn
3 every two or three years. If the engin
. accomplishes twenty times the worl
of sweep, why should not Al
educational device, based as certainly upoi
, the laws of mind as the former upon the law
y of matter, as elaborate and perfect in its con
, struction,. accomplish results corresponding
1 ly great? The first step in division, OF th
n second, or the third arc ends as tangible as ]
{ tn case of the steam engine, namely; til
movement of machinery.
This, then, is Mr.. Kellogg's plan and pun
C pose. Ascertaining the laws of mind, keepin
< before him in each case the end in Wow, obey
ing these laws implicitly, he seeks to work OIL
upon scientific principles his ends until he ha
secured devices the most perfect in form, an'
therefore permanent in their application, b,
y cause having the best, no other and more IN
: fcrior form will be employed, and If we hav
= the best there certainly can be no better
n His work, then, consists in the elabor'
ton of series of devices for eac
e the first step in reading, for the first step !
: division, the second &C., the several steps &c
illustrating the decimal principle, the frs
step for developing the idea of proportion /
j. geography, as the opening wedge, throug
h map drawing, for leading the pupil away ste
9 by step from his home and the objects aroun
II him which he can see to those more distar
, which he cannot see, 1t may be the first ste
G in anatomy and physiology, all Of which ar
o in the nature of separate inventions. To com
Q down to the devices themselves and eXplai
4 their nature would be to describe in deta
q every one of these inventions, which in q bri,
1 space would be impossible. Proceeding upO
' the same laws of mind, and having refcrenC
i also to the different branches of knowledge I
t be impaired, as TO the logical order of tho 81
I quence of ideas; also the power of the min
b relatively us il unfolds to take in each ide
s. there Is then invention as to the order
/, studies; aud there is invention further in til
!. general treatment of each branch as q who
y and the order Of presentation of its separat
parts. These according to Mr.. Kellogg's viey
proceed upon tho laws of mind which al
oi fixed and Inevitable. There is just one rgl
ie way; there can be no other. ltmust be foun'
r. and this is science; and there is just one be
:. device for each end. This must be found ais
. and this is the work of invention; and If it
T. based, as it should be- upon tho laws of min
it is science also. There is an absolute in ed
cation as in every other science, for the Law
of mind are as certain and unerring as I'll
principles of matter, which direct and contr
l. the revolution of worlds
This opens up new view of the subject
II education. 1t places IL upon tho highest po
l. sible plane. Mr. Kellogg feels that if he ca
)f accomplish measunby we'll some portion