The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-07-23

offers to the student. through the teacher. n
mass OF ready ri epared facts in the first place.
ana number Of ready drawn deductions In he
second. The evils OF this plan are certainly to
some extent obviated by the fuct that Prof.
Hyatt insists that the pupil shall see for him
self the facts, and carefully follow all the steps
in the deductions drawn from them.
But 1t is not with any such notifications Of
old pedagogc theories that we should be Goa.
tented. The disciples Of science clair ,or n
that it will produce minds clearer. stronyor
less easily deceived. than will mo nureuit of
other branches OF learning, But these ndynn-
tages they say can c,nly accrue to those who
n , stuu,ou Jcience at first hand. who have
ouaoi 'ou '-ieir own facts. drawn their own con-
''.Ons. corrected their own errors. until
they have gained in the process an
accuracy. vigor. and independence of mind
which can never DO the result OF
passivey receiving information from
others. Tho great problem which still remains
to be solved is how to secure this condition Of
mental independence for the pupil while
avoiding aimess license and waste OF labor;
| how best to leave his mind free for spontane-
| GUS effort. and yet lot him have the benefit OF
| the knowledge slowly accumulated by the COM
| bined Efforts of the human race. With 30 diff
cult problem confronting us. we cannot ex-
| pect to find easy solution. While hoping
| that In the future there lies before us some
thing better than that which Prof. Hyatt offers.
| his work must still arouse in any one inter-
ested in such subjects the respect which is al
ways tribute to serious effort. even IL 1t falls
short OF success.
Very different are the sentiments awakened
by a Series Of Readers IN Natural History. 9TH
erwise entitled Science Ladders. by n. DAN
| vERs lG. 7. Putnam's Sonsl. These are books
made to sell, and written under false pretences
| by an incompetent author The scholars who
employ them as readers arc likely to learn
from them slovenly use of the English lam
guage. as a few quotations will show:
Rec, Reef means anything near the sea which sometimes
81 fsn tel for certain what causes the disturbance
| III tile INSIDE OF the earth.
1t spring is then called fountain head, which
The beginning OF change in n stem i, called bud.
AT the end Of each lesson the pieces of infor-
nation impaired to the pupil are recapitulated
and numbered. rs steps on supposittious lad
| der. The author consents to count the deflni-
| tons OF several words rs steps. because as lie
or she observes. They will help our climb"
After claiming that these works form II series
OF readers. the short preface goes on to say that
the volumes are planned to teach the great
| laws OF nature" Here are few Of the great
| laws taught
great n OF ear TaG and s %s 9
ALWAYS trying TO get out to the air AMI light
low ani n Us Journey It does not like to be alone Wa
The sot parts Of plants their organs OF diges
son and Tesirati3m These organs may be called the
e "s plants ws r II, from " the meStps Of the gG
! like tile parent plant Of each
In promulgating these and other equally
original laws Of nature. the author seems to
write in Ignorance of the truth that water is not
supposed to be actuated by likes or disikcs, TO
| suffer from loneliness. or to be subject to any
force which compes il to make constant efforts
to get into the light or the air. The theory that
the movements of streams and rivers are de-
pendent upon the simple fact that water like
| everything else obeys the law Of gravitation
and always falls to the lowest possible level.
would probably strike y. Drawers rs an ex-
ceedincly tame idea. Neither, probably. would
| his or her mind be greatly affected by argu-
! ment that. as plants possess neither liver nor
! lungs. il is not worth while to tell child that
any portion Of them may be called by those
| names. And, apparently. the writer in question
| has not considered 1t necessary. before under
! taking 10 teach the science Of botany. 10 study
| 1t sufficiently to learn that. instead Of a rare
| device TO produce vegetable novelties with a
distant resemblance to their parents such
! cross fertilization as is spoken Of is only eff
fectual between similar plants. and is the ordi
nary means adopted by nature to perpetuate
! the different species. and with them their
ninutest pcculiaritics.
Finally. the preface says that these volumes
! aim at awakening the powers OF observa-
tion and reasoning" 1t is sufficient to say in
regard to this that it would be difficult to con-
| ceve Of any lesson books more exactly calcu-
| lated in every respect not only to crush all
| powers Of observation and reasoning. but also
TO destroy all mental activity. of any kind
whatever. in the pupil The drest and dulIest
Of oldfashioned school books could not do this
! half us effectually rs these little works. in
which there is just sufficient admXture of new
| ideas. misapprehendcd and misapplied. to pro-
| ducc the worst possible effect.
! 1t is n pity that such firm as Putnam's
| should have placed this series OF books before
the public, prepared. as regards binding and il
Illustrations in style TO make them most attrac-
tive to those who have not time to study the con-
tents before presenting them to their children.