The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-11-16

culture only when these are revealed 10
rs.
Tbs revelation Is clearest when It
comes to US in plain, uneqnivocal, attic
ula,e language. Written language is the
next best medium Of the communication
Of mind with mind. Within the Frame
work Of the we'll instructed English
sentence, the soul, the thought, resides.
Through the one or the other Of these
means of mental converse the teacher as
certains the Intellectual progress OF his
pupils. Tie teacher is able to note the
mental power and activity Of the pupil
only 10 SO far as these are disclosed to
him by the pupil To mark the degree
OF this mind growth and culture, recourse
must be had to an examination OF the
pupil in bis studies.
Recitations are but series of daily
examinations. AS already, indicated,
language culture is one object to be
Isssght IN the recitation
To he able.to express oneself in clear,
beautiful and artistic language is an
accomplishment most devoutly to be
wished.
With all cur boasted institutions Of
Learning, numbering their al api BY the
Hundreds every year, we should look for
larger class Of correct takers and elo-
quent writera.
Comparatively speaking, how few mas-
ters of the vernscular do we find. In
verbal criticism, the teacher may in the
recitation most happily suggest as to the
choice OF terms and their limitation in
number, and ,heir conciseness Of ex.
preston, 80 as to secure clear and Wig
orous style free from ambiguity.
Lit the teacher attend to the construc-
tion of the pupils sentences, in such a
way tha, not only shall unity OF thought
be preserved, but beauty Of finish be at
tanned as well.
The term "cducaie' has been explain
ed TO mean, literally, "to draw ont" vi
ito. lead out" This resiricts its appli-
cation too much for my present use, but
for the necessity Of q better word shall
employ il in this discussion. ! remark,
that the fundamental idea underlying our
entire system OF public school instruc-
.ion, may be comprehended in the term
.educate."
Admitting this, with some modiica-
liona, to be true, il necessary follows:
that the recitation, when conducted by 8
wise head and masters hand. is Of all
mears perhaps the most efficient to draw
out what is in the mind OF the pupil
Since it is contrary to nature and to fac'
TO draw out, unless there is something
from which to draw, it is manifest that
to "educate" is a.pouring in" as we'll
as q ..drawing out" process I. is not
possible TO draw from the mind to an
unlimited, or at least to an indefinite ex-
tent, without It contains material from
which this draught can be nsde. The
mind is the recipient or receptacle Of
knowledge no less than the dispenser Of
il. This evolving, or unfolding Of the
lesson as accomplished through the reci-
ta,ion. is evidence to the teacher that the
necessary involving process has been 60
ing on. Thisgiving out impliesa taking
10, and one OF the greatest objects Of the
recitation is to see that this work OF in
yolulion has been thorough. In short,
the recitation is the means bv which the
teacher knows whether the ptpil has
resilv learned the lesson; NOT by rose,
not by coming over it in such asway as
to be ahle to give a mrmoriter rehea, sal,
for. this is not true recitation. Bu'
| rather it is to f,d out whether the pupil
has comprehended the principles and
added them to his mental store. 1t is
to ascertain whe. her these principles
have been incorporated into his very in
tellectual being. and have been indeilibly
written In his catalogue Of mental con-
ceptions, garnered Is the stores from
which thought shall he evolved. Other
questions intimately connected With the
one now before rs present themselves
for discussion, among whicn may men
tion the best methods OF coniuc'ing re-
citations, hut for want of time and space
shall omit to notice them here. Allnx
me to say, that 10 the recitation the fol-
lowing obi should be kept distinctly
10 view: y
| FIRST. II Is the teachers business to
find out what the pupil kno,os of the les.
son equally ,oeu Nth himself.
i DEPRESSING little would say, that
while the teacher can not considered
the living embodiment OF all the known.
and the movable, yet he should know
phaf to te.ch. and how to teach. He
should know the lesson and how 10 pre-
sent it successfully. !,
i Second, Let the teacher in the nert
place ascertain .ohat the pupil knosos TN
perfectly, or only in part.
An opportunity now presents itself for
him to bring his tact and nowiedge into
the recitation IS helping factors. He is
now TO make the rough pluces smooth
to make plain that which the pupil knows
imperfectly; to shed light upon that
4 which is obscure. or only partially un.
derstood The wise teacher viii nae the
most felicitous methods TO reach the de-
sired end. He must give clesr ant con-
cise explanations; he must press both
example and illustration into service.
/ In all this he will observe the -law OF
adaptation in shis use OF langsags, and
in all be does IN the way Of example aud
Iillustra.ion. FoIlowing p strictly philo-
sophical method of procedurssAe will
make the class Of nind with which be
has to do the object ofshis ksenest scru
thy and study. "A II
J A third object of the recitstion Is to as.
certain phdt the pupil DOGS mot know con-
cerning the subjects treated II tie lesson
The three now pointed out, regard
as the prime objects of every well ap-
pointed recitation at school. 4 In con-
nection with the third prime object OF
the recitation, / would say that the work
Iof the teacher is to be supplemental to
that Of the pupil. He is to fulfill the
other condition OF the term educate
l(-.bpaw m'-) for education is a
!, process Of iDvolution as well as evolu-
tion. r,.,:s
A process OF taking in knowledge at
second han.a. the takirg In of old
thoughts, the p-oducts Of other minds
and evolving new thoughts, original
thoughts therefrom.