Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1884-02-14

~ S''S sAAS'Ay ~ AO"s- 'NSs'o l
assigned without a word of explanation
BY the tyro teacher, his experiments and
expedients in compelling the preparation
Of lessons, the parot-like topical recitations
of the lazy teacher, the absurd commit
ting of page after page required by the
narrow minded teacher the slavish use OF
the text book by the incompetent teacher
and the lectures Of the laxative teacher
are, one and all, of the "pouring-in-kind'
there is a capacity to be filed, and the
filing of it is education. Theory G. sys-
TEN (?) it is for the most part wanting
here.
In contrast with all this vagueness in
theory or practice, the educational theory
takes the pupil as nature gives him, a
person with self-active powers, and the
whole course of education has as its one
central aim the determining Of the powers
Of that "person to seli-activity. Sir
William Hamilton says; the object Of ed
ucation is ''to determine the pupil to self
activity" Determining the pupil to self
activity is educating him. Is teaching
the name of this process? Teaching has
been said to include training and ins'ruc-
ton. 1t includes these and more. 1t
includes calling out the faculties, in
s,ructing them, training them. The ''call-
ing cut of the faculties of the pupil i'm
plies something to be DONE and the
"self-activity Of the faculties. Here is
the point of contact Of the personality Of
the teacher with that of the pupil, and
the trained faculties of the one call out
and guide the unframed faculties Of the
other. The something to be done is
set before the pupil with necessary sin
structions." Here is the '.what" and the
chow" Of education. The "training" Of
the faculties is, their forming habits Of
doing what is to be done, accurately,
speedily, neatly. Here is the finishing
touch of the teachers hand, the ''some-
thing to be done" has been used as u
means to develop observation, continued
attention, association of real attributes and
reasoning, nay more, if his work has been
well done, sufficient fields have been
worked to call out, develop, and train the
faculties, physical, mental aud moral, un-
til habit Of proper work has been form
cd in each. A faculty Of doing with q
tendency to do what has already been
done is a habit. Habit includes these
two complex elements, viz: facility &C
quired by doing, and tendency acquired
by doing. We do with greater ease wha,
we have already done. And the oftner
it is done the greater is the ease or "facil
ity" with which it is done. What We have
already done we have an inclination te
repeat; and the oftner it is repeated thu
greater is the inclination, or tendency,
to repeat it. "Facility" and tendency
begin in tender infancy and 60 on in Al
increasing gcomctrical ratio through life
Give the thorough, radical, wholesouled
earnest teacher the child during the frs
seven years of his life, and that life il
made or unmade, come what will. tn,
infant receives smile, he smiles in turf
and wants it repeated, at second meet
ing the infant recognizes the smiling face
and is ready with smile. THIS enthus
iastic teacher begins here with the open
ing faculties and with the facilities ant
tendencies Of the childs nature begins t.
form habits. The teacher docs not create
the faculty, nor the facility nor the ten
dency, he only "determins" the opening
faculties in certain lines of sclf-activity
Calling out the faculties, choosing tn
lines along which the pupils activitie'
shall act, and determining his activiti
in those lines. are all that parent ant
teacher can do. Parent and teacher
Habits formed at home may counterac
all the teachers efforts. And educatio.
is but the same total If habits formed.
The art Of teaching, then, founded es
pecially upon psychology, the science o
the mind takes hold Of faculty and dc
velops that as its ultimate aim. knowl
edge, certainly, will be acquired in ii
, course Of development, but it is means
rather than an end knowledge is no
power, but the acquisition of it in cours
!. Of natural development tends to give pow
| or. knowledge may be weakness, an
if attained without corresponding deve
opment of faculty, it is weakness.
is like weak stomache overloaded wit
heavy food. The word faculty is fros
faccre, to do, and names a power Of tn
mind, an ability to do. And min
crammed with knowledge without Ii