Arizona weekly citizen., 1882-10-15
st,,hx Yarsns NemNrizing.

Many American writers, whose names are widely known, received no schooi- ing beyond that involved m the com mon school education" of thirty-nve years ago. Yet these men were well eo- ucated in their way. Cf the varled phases of life about thsm they saw needed and appreciated all the points and garnered them for use. In tnls lies good deal of suggestion as to the value sf some of the methods deemed necessary to give the modern youth an education" ,, The child is sent to school to "study. Or, rather, 1t is often sent tO school to be sent home to study" Perhaps, in- stead of the word study" 1t might be better to say ''memorize. The next suggestion that comes IS whether there may not be a great difference between "memoriZing," and studying.
 Memorizing is a sort of mental me chanical act. IL is, through frequent repetition, the impression on the brain of a certain number of words or sen- tences. The meaning of these to the child may or may not be clear, and the sentences are sometimes remembered and oftener forgotten.
 But is not genuine study a more gradual. natural and easier process? Do not scenes, events, incidents and results impress themselves with gress readiness on most minds as on con- stantly prepared photographic plate? l Do they not SO impress themselves at the moment of occurrence and observs- ton without an effort or strsining? And If the person be gifted by nature with the talent for composition do not all these form the magazine from whence he draws hls stores for lnstruc- tion or entertainment? If he IS a man of business IS it not this power of ob servatiOn and retention which cOnsti- tutes his useful wealth of knowledge of | human nature? And does not the same faculty come into play in the sc- quirement of what IS called "boOk- Knowledge" picked up at odd minutes? If the mind is hungry for any certain | species of information, does 1t not re- ceive it at the very moment of Observa- ton, without any tedious process of repetitlon?
 Is 1t not possible that in much of modern education there may be an at tempt to do too much at once? Are our schools not attempting to cram child ren's brains with tOo many facts or Opin- ions, and too great a variety of facts and opinions in too brief a period? Muse not more time be allowed for these youthful minds to grow to full com prehensiOn of all that is presented to them? Could not n system be devised by which, while every possible variety of knowledge IS presented to youth, they should be more allowed to absorb and digest it at their own time and inclina- ton?
 One means for doing this IS already at hand: IS one to be found ID the great improvement in the serial publications and general literature intended for the reading of children. They make knowl- edge at once SO simple and entertaining that maturity IS often tempted to finger over them. The question may seem to some radical perhaps most unreasOn- able, but 1t IS here asked, If the child has taste for reading, and is sbund- antly supplied with these many attrac- tive periodicals and books published for it's use, why send it to school to memorize at all when 1t is really study ing at home to much better advantage?