The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-02-18

We sometimes find teacher who is
bound in by the covers Of the textbook
which he holds in his hand. The ques-
tions are asked UeTbGtin3 ct LterGtina as
they are found in the book. The an
swer, just as it is in the book, is given
by the pupil, and the teachers eyes
mechanically seek the bottom of the
page for the next question. And thus
the recitation goes on-dry question,
dry answer; no interest, no energy,
Nothing but Leaves" and nothing
but leaves will be the harvest. Some
teachers follow this plan through force
Of habit, OF ers through force Of ig-
norance. The former started out to
teach with a high regard for textbooks,
and still revere them; the latter dare
not leave the book for they know moth
ing outside Of it. If they attempt to
branch out they get into water where
they can't touch bottom. Again, we
find a teacher who will sometimes get
outside of the covers of the book, and
bring in outside matters connected with
the lesson which serve to make it in
teresting. But suddenly he draws in
his feeders, and the ldhumdrum style
of question and answer is resumed.
Why? Oh, he was treading on forbid
den groundl He was getting into poll
tics, and politics are tabOoed in the
school room. Are they? Is there any
good reason why all the grain should
be winnoWed from the intellectual food
given our children? Can the intellect
any more than the body subsist on
husks alone? Do our teachers distin-
guish between politics and partisan
ship? What is the use Of telling a boy
that the kansas and Nebraska bill n
was passed in 1854, when he knows
nothing of the circumstances leading
to it's passage? The whole question of
slavery is Of the dead past, and
should be handled without gloves.
Again, the question Of free trade and
tariff is one which has bothered the
brains of voters since the foundation
of this government, and which will in
the near future be in the fore front of
national politics. 1t is not partisan
question. Free traders and tariff men
can be found in each of the leading
political parties. Is there any harm in
having these matters talked Of and ex-
planned in school. Certainly not. No
sensible man will object to it, even if
| his boy forms opinions contrary to his
own. How about Hard and "Soft"
money; any harm in touching that?
| No. A teacher should post himself as
well as he can, and then explain the
matter to his pupils. Sound financial
doctrines ought to be inculcated into
the minds Of our boys, so that when
they reach the age Of manhood they
will not run after false financial gods
as some of us older ones did. Nord-
hoff's politics For Young Ameri-
cans" fav0ring hard money, free trade,
and decentralization Of powers, and
Johnston's American Politics" favor
ing tariff and Capitalization Of power,
ought to be in the hands Of every teach
er and all the larger pupils of our
schools. What if you do touch poll
tics. Nobody will object unless you
are partisan. How arethose boys under
your care going to grapple with the
political questions which will meet
them on the threshold Of manhood if
you teach them nothing about such
questions? Branch out. In a school
in the town Of Salem there is a history
class composed Of the larger pupils,
and it is a pleasure to listen to the re-
citations. The teacher knows the po-
litical history of the United States by
heart. He throws away the shuck and
gives his pupils the meat of history.
When the time for the history exercise
arrives every pupil drops his book and
listens attentiyely, and not only the
members of the class, but the smaller
pupils Of the school learn that lesson.
They are making progress in that
school. The same teacher while teach
ing another school got class of boys
discussing a political question which
arose in the history class. Before they
: got through with it, the whole town
was ransacked for old public docu.
; ments, congressional records, and
speeches. Jefferson, Madison, Adams
Webster, Calhoun, Clay, Marcy, Lincoln
: and Douglas were quoted to support
one side or the other. The relative
strength Of the two sides remained the
same, though some of the boys changed
sides during the discussion. That