News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-05-11

thought, has nearly always come from
the farm or workshop? There are sew.
eral reasons. One is, they are allowed
to grow.
Nature never produced anything Of
any great value in day. There is q
vast difference in the rapidity Of
growth, between the cottonwood and
the oak, and an equal difference between
the value of the timber when grown.
The mushroom is marvel of vegetable
growth. 1t is vegetable genus. The
oak and pine are examples of industry
and perseverance. ALI the child needs,
and all he should have, of mental train
ing is just enough to keep his mind in
a healthy condition; and this should
consist mainly of live truth as distin-
guished from dead fact.
1t may assist us somewhat in this
discussion if VIC stop to inquire into
the meaning of education. 1t is not
synony with information. 1t is
mental production as distinguished
| from a mental possession. Education
is cultivation of the mind, as of field.
nformation-dead facts-are the fer
tilizers, and thought, independent
thought, is the crop. The aim and OBJ
iect of education should be to produce
good crop-good in quality, abundant
in quantity. The term education al
lows this distinction. The word is
from the Latin educere, to lead forth.
The educated mind is the mind led
out, made broad and deep by constant
research. Not simply enriched by in
formation. The work of the school
should be both to inform and to edu-
cate, giving to the latter its due promi-
nence. Too frequently the attempt is
simply to inform. The mind is made
mental stack yard for dead facts,
crude material, instead of a cultivated
field. There is no room for anything
to grow except rank weeds and thistles.
This in my judgement is the princi-
pie mistake made in all our schools,
from primary to university. The re.
tentive faculties are alone brought into
requisition. Memory is overtaxed and
many times breaks down hopelessly
ruined. Memory is a grand faculty,
but it is not everything. Some things
have to be remembered. The alphabet,
photography, the multiplication table
and many facts in history. With some
children this is very easy. Some can
scarcely learn them at all. Some have
natural memories, and some very poor
ones. They reason well, can recollect-
re-collect-when there is any reasonable
relation, between the facts to be recol-
lected; but remember abstract facts
very poorly. A good way to test your
memory is to take twenty names from
some catalogue, names entirely new,
and have friend read them over while
you commit them. If you write them
down or read them over you will recol-
lect the spelling. In this way you will |
Z g. .ss-nA ids,a Of --l.At you4 olliIdI 7n are |
sbing in the public school. A vast |
Abajority of the text books used are |
on yond the comprehension of the child. |
Liy nat he does learn is as meaningless |
lis Hebrew.
'o, he teacher can do much toward |
ing life into these dead subjects. A |
10 q step was taken in the right derec-
eo tFhen the word system was adopted |
70, lnd of the alphabet. A child will
ho leshe word cat easier than the letter |
49, Y. 9 letter is dead fact, the word |
on sugs live idea.
~ Lt look at another error in our
.I m pun hools. In my opinion many
- OF olchools are systematized and
u grade death. They are graded and
iu9 suogr until there is nothing left
in but 81 Two colts can be broken to
20 walk her, to trot together, and to
~ NC pull ter, only when matched in
'ie mettle muscle. Minds are seldom
GU matcheSome colts are thorough
Ill bred, sGrotters, some runners, some
ise heavy Chit, and some are scrubs.
III 1t may iarm the scrub to drive him
with tneter, but the team will never
: = L be fast. trotter will lose his actions
.Ho and peco scrub also. So the child
tetVered chained to grade, will
a' lose his ri action and his ambition.
ne one is anmatician, one historian,
ass and one ng; but all are held to
ioi the grade each branch therein is
Tor mastered.
hes The punt loves arithmetic, gram
TN. mar and reg, but detests orthogra-
anu ply, geog1 and history, is forced
net to absorb foportion of the branches
Ike for which b no taste, until, in many
MY instances bes his ambition and
un- quits schoo disgust. He was horn
can for racer, hitched to a load he
us could not m he baked, and had to
lie, be turned ograss. This is another
aru reason, 1 thwhy our so-called best
Wef schools arquently the poorest.
Is Another reaEhy the child reared in
oad the citv Witty advantage, is at ma
M ms turity 90 farnd his country cousin,
who his had two or three months
als schooling a, The country scholar
is broken tos single. He can run
-ne If he feels lii, walk if he chooses,
,ou and should hk for while, he does
., l not keep a senore from going on.
~ The school little world all kinds
coo OF minds In It'll as in the great busy
- world, each nshouId be independ-
= ent. The rae life, ladies and gen
IL lemen, Is "a as you please race"
~ another obieo is the stale and in
~ Sipld manner aching as practiced in
- our schools 'e colleges. Truth is
~ brought to the,il wrapped in mum
my cloth and cred with the dust of
= prehistoric tim Everything must be
:; received as brot, or not at all. Every
"a sprout of an ependent thought is
promptly prun off-nipped in the
Dud. Take youhild to the seashore,
= and hear his exoations of delight, as
. ne picks up pebi and shell. Then tie
:, his hands, placem in char, and see
= = II you can interehim, though you fill
= MS la with rubi You can not do it.
% You must let lim run. Let him
"bathe his bro in the breeze that
~ blows" Let biDick for himself. He
may find somethg new even to you.
= : 1t will not harmim if he does, and it
Will do him goodor you to tell him he
; has found ra specimen, and one