Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-12-09

about them and state such ways and means
as he himself had learned from experience
to BE most successful and best. lie knew
well how wearing and tearing to the
teachers mind was his anxiety 20 engage
and interest his pupils in their work, and
then with long drawn sigh he will ask
himself after hard days work if this
child has improved himself as l would like
and in proportion to the work l have ex-
pended upon it, but he would beg hem to
take fresh courage every day and to have
ratierce and wait for their reward, and
if the same pupils are dull and slow don't
give up, remember the case Of Prof. Lieheg
now one of our greatest scientists, who
was lust such slow dull boy that took
wears to develope and mature and yet he
now stands one of the cleverest chemists of
this age.
Regarding incentives to study, he would
name those not to be employed, and prizes
he did not think desirable. for child
should not be hired or bribed, nor fear
of punishment to be used. A child should
not be driven as an OK or mule, but guild
ed and held in as horse fiery and spirited,
nor should shame or ridicule ever be re-
sorted to to spur on the child, but there
,sere proper incentives. and such he
thought wers: Appreciation OF parents and
teachers, and society. Children should be
taught to hold dear and precious the APP
prevail of such, and to greatly desire and
prize the commentator Of the good. and
then the pride of overcoming difficulties
should be encouraged, and the gratifica.
tion of curiosity and desire for knowl-
| edge, and then on into the enjoyment OF
| higher ideas of education, and from that
| to the satisfaction of having done well
| and right, and Teachers should consider
it u great and high part Of their work to
| educate the consciousness Of right. and
| convincing the Judgment Of child, and
before forcing the conduct OF a child. ever
thus this consciousness Of right and judy
nent should be commenced. The session
for he day then adjourned after some few
remarks of Prof. Marvel upon the subject
of reading and the different methods en-
employed.
Prof Marvel, according to appointm enr
opened the Institute on Saturday, with his
address on
LANGUAGE.
Language, he said was not to be con-
founded with reading, for language was an
expression of thought, and reading was
only the vocalization of the written ex-
preston, anu not the expression itself, and
it should be taught as a subject separate
and distinct. In order to supply child
with q necessary and proper vocabulary
for schoul and elsewhere, object and Ian
guage lessons must be employed, and such
,bjects and such subjects supplied the child
AS it can understand and think upon
aud talk about. Greatest care should be
taken too. to have children from the very
beginning, make statements and express
thoughts in proper lang uage and with great
rxactness. Teachers should talk to their
pupils about familiar things, and encOur-
age the pupils TO talk to them also in an
unrestraned manner concerning things in
which they are interested, and upon such
subjects as they can understand thorough
| "; and the teacher should endoavor to
nave the pupil think thoroughly. taking
great care to help it express its thoughts
clearly, correcting any Objectionable or
improper habit of expression it may have
have fallen into, and see, too, that the
child does succeed in overcoming it,, In
such lessons or talks as those, it should not
, be the aim of teachers to tell what they
know, but to bring out (properiy express
ed) what the child knows and thlnks.-
Young pupils should never be asked in
definite questions, but pointed, pertinent
ones, in order to cultivate particular and
close observation and tixedness of thought
but not the primary teachers only, but
teachers, ALL should cultivate in every
grade Independent thought in their pupils,
they supplying a basis or a line only. And
now, the child having been taught thus to
think. and to think Independently. and to
express its thoughts in proper words.
why, it may be taken on into the higher
depart ments of the Science Of Grammar,
and in his opinion, children should be
taught all the use of words or rule. before
the name of those words or the rule itself,
rs rule, Is spoken of. The whole con.
struction Of Language before any of its
technical terms.
Upon the close of Prof. Marvel's lecture
Superintendent Grattan introduced
PROF. HULvEY OF THE CITY HIGH SCHOOL
who said he would now take up the sub
ject of language and extend it into the d.
vision called grammar. and endeavor to
} illustrate bis own particular theory and
! practice and prove the advantages he
claimed for it over many others; but be-
fore doing that, he would like to say few
words to teachers on the subject of Text
books. Text books were al best but lit
tie outline to guide and assist the teacher,
and it was the teachers province tn trans3
late and supplement them, for every good
teacher must possess u fund of knowledge
beyond the Textbooks possible scope
Passing on then TO the subject proper,
Prof Ilulvey said too much time had been
lost in teaching svnthesis. True, that all
scientists once thought that the only line
of work and chemist, land logician fol-
lowed it exclusively but now they follow
ed the analytical method as we'll rs The
synthetical method, and many claimed
the former as one, and superior to the lat,
ter.
A child should be taught to analyze q
sentence. even before making one. and
should be taught predicate before subject,
for the rest predicate was mostly used aud
easiest to fasten upon. He spoke greatly
in favor Of Kellogg and Reads method
making the analysis furnish materials for
the synthesis, and the synthesis supple-