Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-29
Afernesr lSsssto,s.

The first paper presented at the after
noon session ives that of President Jerome
Allen, of the st. CLOUD Normal school, up
on professional PREPARATION" substan-
TALLY as follows:
The means and process of education
constitute the most important topic of
human thought ever presented to the in
teiiect of man. Political theories, rslip-
ious doctrines end the problems of social
philosophy are among its most important
Subdivisions.
THE STUDY OF NATURE.
But first of all there must be study of
nature; her language must be translated;
at her feet we must sit; to her whisper1ngs
we must listen and her spirit We must alb
sorb. She is the great normal teacher
Professional preparation commences
when teaeR.ble spirit is brought
to the feet of nature.
GELD OF MATURITY.
Gould all the great teachers Of the ages
be brought to life for tho purpose of
formulating as perfect systsm Of eduoa-
tienal doctrine as it 10 possible for the hu-
man mind to create, they would first of all
call little child and set it down in their
m1dst, for it is only from tho study Of
children il their growth frsn infancy to
maturity that system of educational psy-
GEOLOGY can be formed.
METHOD EVERYTHING.
In the natural growth Of children as we'll
as in all the other operations of nature
there is method, and since method ia every
shing in nature it muss be everything in
education; and as nature has but one way
of doing certain thing with variations
under fixed limitations, so in sducstion
there is but one way of reaching 3
certain result with deyiatIons under fixed
restrictions. SEED grows, stons falls,
and chemical compound is found
in accordance with fixed laws
From she remotest items these methods
have not been changed. Children have
always learned as they now do and the
time will never come when they will learn
differently. The philosophy of Socrates
is just as fresh as when he lived, and
just ss applicable to the needs of to-day
as the very latest applications of Col.
Parker. The children of Adam learned
just the same as the children of Garfield.
In Eden or out of it, in paradise or in
Chicago, the method of learning is the
same, and it will always be, SO long as
mind is what it is.
METHOD UNCHANGING.
The rose family ia 3 large one, but there
are certain characteristics of leaf, and
bloom that mark its name wherever ii May
be found. Nature produces perfec. rose.
Man has learned how to Improve il, but
no florist however long he may try, can
transform rose int PEA. II is er-
dained TO remain rose. So the Indian
lsarns many Of the operations of nature
sad ratars's process reaches consider
able advancement in certain kinds of
knowledge. By iutsnsifying and repeat
ing these processes he may become COM
handing man of civilization, but he does
not reach this height by following out any
new laws Of activity. His eduostion both
il Oxford snd under the unobstruo.ed
canopy of heaven is obtained by precisely
the same methods. Often il happens tha.
that which is called education is not sdu-
cation. It dwarfs, cripples and cramps,
but whatever dwerfs into harmonious and
healthy action the powers of human ma
turs is the same in principle for all times,
under all circumstance, in every
nation, in every schssl under all teschers
The laws of nature are Interchangeable, the
laws of tsaching bang part of the laws
Of nature must be interchangeable also.
THE GREAT WORK OF TxAcnKs
in course Of professional preparation
must be systematic study OF the methods
of nature in her education Of human be-
ing. This is the siAgIe foundation sssne
upon which the whole educational temple
must be built.
All the greatest teachers have been dis
cavsFers Of methods. Socrates gave
TO the werld the method of
hanan thought, Esclid the sciezcs
of geometry. Bacon the sysssm Of univsr-
sal philosophy, and Look ihe method of
educating child through means within |
the comprehension Of his seEses. Pesla- |
tozzi and Fooehel were effective s1pound- |
ers of the methods of Bacon and Lock. |
The two greatest minds the world has pro- |
d1ced, Bacon and Shakespeare, a:e only |
great because they are discoysrers of