Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-04-23
SCHOOL MATTERS.
Tho world Mevss-Ceavesisses 81
its ssandfag ssiii IN ssme
Pisess-A Characteristic Letter.

I8s-.
Here Is q characteristic letter which
was written BY . Principal Of . Virginia
school to the corps Of instructors under
him. II shows progress and tells Of an
enlarged capacity for usefulness:
To Geography Teachers: I desire to
suocest a method OF which you can
make use in your reviews. Herewith I
present Q table which 10 given a. an sx-
smple-not a. IN infisxible form. /
recommend the tables q Q method Of
systematizing the review and affording .
pleasant variety to children. Tables
can be modified to suit individual cases.
For instance, columns can b given to
'.Othsr Important Cities" '.Imports."
"Sesports," or In case OF physical
geography to "Rivers," "Mountains,"
..Bsys," "History." etc. Too much
can be attsmptsd-too much can not 30
done. Confne tables to . number OF
columns that can readily be put on fools.
can. The above method, ! believe. will
suggest . multitude Of varieties In tn
m~odiscations. By the written work.
more individual recitations will DO &C.
complishsd. It will be an exercise In
geography. spelling. writing. thinking:
research. system and .Pis~eon.hoiing II
YOU plsase-storing up bits OF knowledge
In order in the mind a. the merchant
arranees his wares on the shelves OF his
storeroom. 80,
Try the above, II you can possibly
make room for 1t. Let us hear how the
children like It, how you like IL. Does
il do any good work at your hsnds' Do
you believe il 10 a. good . thing - Q
change in geography
believe. I know that the tables can
be made skeletons upon which the fiesh
Of geography can be placed BY scholars.
I don't fud fault with your present
method Of teaching geography. / be-
lievs you are all doing good work. hard
work. But IL We can do anything to
wake up the children. and GET them out.
side Of the leaves OF the book to make
geographical study something more than
examining meaningless names, bounda.
ries, details, etc., down he throats OF
the pupils, let Us do II. "Ths object OF
education 10 not merely to enable our
youth to attain . certain amount OF IN.
formation, but to learn to think" We
too often adhere closely to the text book.
The text book assumes that the minds
Of children are made over one mould,
and the answer Of IN abstract ques-
ton II comprshended by one. mast
be comprehended by all. A schoolmaster
will agree with the textbook. but the
teacher knows better. The teacher will
prepare his own textbook. so to speak,
every morning. and vary it-as occasion
or the varying intelligence OF The p.pii
will require. II requires no thinking
for q scholar to hear . question and then
repeat the answer p~arrot.like IN D
words OF the book. His recitation is q
failure because he was Q mere "phono-
graphical machine. "The equator 10
an imaginary line, etc." Do children
know what imaginary meansf How
does q ship sail across the equatorf
Isn't there . canal for its convsnience-
q kind Of q Suez csnalf How many
voles has the earthi How far do they
stick out? Now, honor bright. would
not many Of the children be bswi.dersd
by such q question? Do they realize
tina, the North Pole 10 not something
like q fence posti "Arithmetic Is the
science Of numbers and the art Of oompu.
t~ation." Now. in that definition, do
children comprehend the itaiicissd
words?
But I have wandered from my SUBJ
iect. Nv words have been rather desul-
tory, perhaps. ] did not intend to say
half 80 much a. I have said. Let me
give an anecdots that may apply to the
reluctance with which We all adopt .
new method: :.
A Dutch inspector Of the schools Of
Transvaal Where 10 Trsnsvaalf Why q
Dutch inspectorf) in his rsmbles came
across 4 school teacher who was instruct.
ing his pupils that the sun goes round
the earth. On being admonished oy the
inspector that the earth went round the
sun, the teacher replied.
"This may DO true. and. no doubt, 10
what the earth does in Holland /; but 1t
would bs more convenient. here. II you
would allow the sun to 60 around the
earth q few years longer. We do mol
like sudden changes in such matters.
The table alluded to in the foregoing
letter had columns headed a. follows
"Name Of country" Kind OF govern.
ment," Capital city," Metropolis
"~Industriss," Exports" stc. 1t was
a good thing. and it and the letter prove
that the world moves" on the Com
stock rs we'll a. in Holland. People
may make "Transvaals" OF other