Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-11-27

l
ing with the strictly technical instruc-
tiou in pedagogics. Another,
cheaper, less effective, but still posi-
bly, useful plan, is to give the normal
school teachers an occasional year of
residence at university, where they
may for time pursue knowledge for
its own sake, and widen their views of
their great work. Harvard university
now allows its teachers one year in
seven for private study. The State
could afford to do as well by its nor
NAL school-teachers. If we lift the
grade of our teachers, the system
will take care of itself.-Science.
CURRENT OPINION.
Statistics show but half of the real
school work. Statistics may be excel
lent, but instruction poor; order per-
feet, but morals deficient; routine la
Dor great, but mental growth slight.
Public schools need Watching in other
ways than through the term and an
null reports. w. E. Cummings.
| Ohio.
The worst feature in our school sys-
tenn, so far as these figures show, is the
miserable pittance too often paid to
teachers. Apparently. the State Of
Iowa takes the lead in this policy Of
saving at the spigot and wasting at the
bung-hole; it pays the teachers of its
ungraded schools not above $3.50 q
year; while the day laborer receives,
on an average. 5000 with board. The
inevitable result is that teaching is
taken up as a makeshift by girls wait
ing till they are ready to open an in
FAINT school on their own account, or by
young men with no idea of making it
their life profession. Teaching, which
is we'll paid profession in England, is
kept, by our unwise parsimony. hardly
a trade in America. If we cannot al
ford to raise the school tax-which in
most cases we could well afford to do
we would better put less money into
school buildings and moro into the
men and women who are to do the
teaching. Chrikian Unton.
A university is not to train students
merely as lawyers, physicians, clergy
men. engineers. merchants, and states
men, but as men; and the best thing
the university can do for them is to
form in them what we will call the
philosophic mind.-Prof Bryce.
We have distinctly passed the stage
in our growth as q people where the
professions monopolize the graduates.
The boys coming from colleges are
filling business positions to an extent
which is not realized by the general
public. c.-N0rthUeStern Christian Advo-
cate.
We have no respect for these quacks
who pretend, and who succeed in max
ing others believe, that the teacher can
be bred in n few months of superficial
and bombastic teaching. .-Schoolmaster.
Try to think under pressure and the
mind is wearied to no purpose. Dis
miss the effort, and occupy the hands
or senses in things Indifferent, and the
very idea you want will proably come
unbidden, and therefore all the more
welcome. Philadelphia Ledger.
1t is not desirable to see the schools
or their graduates qualified to meet the
demands of educational cranks, to
meet the demands of lightning calcu
lators and accountants, of stenographic
reporters, of peripatetic writing-teach-
ers, of the scientific enthusiast, of the
dead language fanatic, of the STACEY
elocutionist, or of any of the narrowly
informed men who denounce public
schools because they do not meet their
views in some particulars. 1t may be
desirable for every man to be special
ist in mature life; but it does not fol-
low that every child should become
one in the public schools. -Supt w R.
Consings, Ohio.
Our methods of education will never
be entirely satisfactory until due atten-
tion is paid to the character and dispo-
sition of pupils regarded as so many
individuals. No two pupils have the
same tastes, tendencies, or ability.
There is no logical reason why pre-
cisely the same course of instruction
should be prescribed TO every child in
a community. regardless of his bent of
genius or his physical constitution.
Means should be sought to determine
what good qualities, as well as what
germs of imperfection, are inherent in
the pupil, to the end that the educa-
tion given him may strengthen and de-
velop his talent, eradicate his faults,
and generate new elements of excel
lence within him. Educational Weekly
1t is no easy matter to find out how
much or how little pupil knows when
he enters school for the first time, or
the teacher takes charge of him with
ont the records of class standing. 1t
is frequently the delight of the pupil
to delude his new teacher. The first
important duty of the teacher is to
classify properly. This cannot be done
by q cast-fron process. Careful inves-
LEGATIONS must be made all along the
course. Good and wholesome mental
food cannot be given unless the digest
i've powers have been analysed. He
who would lead child-mind must seek
its level, and work from that plane.
How to determine this is largely an in
dividual matter. A field for the exer-
else of common sense is omen to all in