Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-08-17

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der-garten gifts" were soon outgrown
and laid aside-but "object teaching
and "oral instruction" each held on a
longer run. "Pin-punturing," "stymog-
raphy," and 'word-building with block,
all had their turn. Then mental arith-
metic" and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. struck
the poll of our enthusiastic Professor.
The next page was for "map-drawing. y
then came "free-hand," then modelling
in clay" Indeed the little folks were
kept awake and the larger pupils kept at
work. AS result all the parents visit
ed the schools and crowded the rooms
every day until the Board" passed q
resolution admitting visitors on Fridays
only. Here was success, and at the close
of the year the students ran an old-time
exhibition for three nights, and from
the proceeds presented the principal
with Chambers Encyclopedia.
But two more years at college, and a
dependent, invalid mother at home.
Pons Capdueil has said, Whom man de-
lights in, God delights in, too," and our
ovPr-industrious teacher had so impress
ed the faculty that he was given his tut
tion and appointed tutor.
College life over, and an honor
taken. And now his life-work began.
He opened up his little summer Nor.
NAL" in the same village again; but un-
der more favorable auspices than be-
fore. Management, methods, history,
mental philosophy, and pedagogics fell
to his chair. His associates selected
that which was definite, rational, prac-
tical.
He was still young, and felt himself
green in his profession. He must needs
read up-must widen out-he must
travel. AS Burleigh says:
''Our teacher must leave his youths gray dawn
behind,
And nobly sound the forward march of mind.
Must read the signs of Nimrod's temple aisle,
| Unwrap the long tanned mummies of the Mic;
Track through Pompeii's palace halls and street
The cars stone groove and tread Of, sandsled
| feet;
Through Greece that gave what ali time will
| guard
The tragic muse and SciO's sightless bard;
Through Rome that spark of heroic fire
The silver music of the Mantuan Tyre;
| But nObler temples and diviner shrines,
Clean where the sun on our school land shines.
| Stand and deliver is the hail he gives
To all that was or is, that lived or lives"
Ubiquityl o that our teacher could
have been two places at Oncel could
have been at Alexandria and thousand
miles away at the same timel But his
duties at home required him two days
out of one.
Ia the "practice department" every
new expedient was tried, and further
tested in the grammar grades. "Atwa-
ter's Aid to Discipline" was soon laid
aside; the marking system introduced !;
then "self-reporting" also found want
ing; and "self-respect" substituted; then
the "honor-roll" posted at the entrance
door then monthly reports" of grades"
sent home. Like the billowy motion of
the restless sea, each method mounts up
where another has been, expends its
force, then sinks again.
The terms pass by, and the attendance
improves. His reputation has opened
to him positions abroad. He stands at
the head. of a school in large town.
His work, however, is still the same to
lift humanity up, to teach the thought
less how to think, the do-less boy to act.
He comes as an evangel proclaiming a
new education. He is full of new meth
DDS. From object-teaching and oral in
struction he passes to the topic and lee
ture system, and supplements all by
committee tests" and the written ex-
animation"
He sets his sails for every breeze that
blows. When spelling wave sweeps
over the land, his pupils ride upon its
crest. When there is demand for book
keeping. commercial forms are at a pre-
MUM. When photography is called
for, photography is given; or If phre-
nology becomes epidemic, the Uranium
of every crank 80 affected is subjected to
an autopsy, or in case of survival, yiyi-
suction is resorted to by trepanning.
When German is all the 60, German
must have It's run; or, if French comes
into fashion, the etiquette of the school
becomes little "Frenchy." When art
comes into vogue, art is everywhere on
the tapis; or, if music hath more
potent charms" music is put in every
pupils mouth.
Our popular Professor. however, is
not a two-headed Janus, looking as if he
were going both ways at once, nor is he
a putty, nor a policy man; but he has
wisely considered the demands Of the
times, and concentrated his efforts on
present emergencies. Nor were the
emergencies far between, for the more
the facilities for learning were multi
piled the less were they valued. The
more the teacher explained the less the
pupils studied. Boys would play hookie
still, and their oldest sisters would write
them excuses to go on fishing expedi-
tion or to base ball match. The very
best occasionally came in late.
To hasten the step of the tardy he per-
formed the experiments in physics be-
fore opening school. Next year he es-
tablished a natural history exchange,
and had all the curiOsities in the coun-
try overhauled, which soon resulted in a
very respectable museum. Then the Or
der of the day was to preserve herba
rum, then to I'LL an aquarium with sala- |
mander and poliwOgs. But the most eff |
fectual by far, after they had put in their |
"Lyceum Hall" a new Chickering "con- |
cert grand" was the o'clock gymnastic |
drill, in which the boys and girls closed |
up with calisthenic waltz. The last
device of the sensational kind was
morning "bulletin-board," on which was
chalked with cOlored crayon, the latest |
dispatches from the seat of war, Arab |
Bey's daily movements, and the last
oracular effusion Of the Moslem Messi- |
ah, Ell Mehdi.
But his subordinate teachers all the
while were besieged in their trenches, |
and often compelled to send to head
quarters for aid. The pupils went cut
on q strike; too long lessons and too lit
tie play. They revelted against the
pouring-in process-cramming their
memories with musty Intellectual prov
enderl
If the system was right, its admins |
tration was wrong Instead of surpris-
ing progress in every department, some
pupils seemed to be reverting to their
pristine state of original ignorance. In
stead of growing more intelligent under |
h.srsa.s.sath t,,itic., ...hssla !