The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-05-28
,er. These rules, once forgotten,

swer. These rules, once forgotten,
leave the average school boy. or girl
completely in the dark. This method
of teaching is just like taking hold Of
the hand Of a child and lead
ing it through labyrinth, with
It's eyes shut and then expecting
to see the child find the
way through without direction.
1t is said that nobody ever learned
the science of numbers without think
ing, without reasoning. We cannot
reason without facts. The facts about
which we reason must be so well
known and clearly seen by US, as to be
automatic to US. The facts may be
simple or complex, but the simple or
elementary fact must in all branches
of study furnish the basis of
the argument bailt up by the
rational faculty. For instance, the
whole science Of numbers is
built upon the single, simple fact Of
one. Start with this, and cln;pel the
pupil to keep it in sight, by referring
to it in every step taken in the solu>
! ton of the question, and he will be
able to see how nicely one truth is fit~
ted to, and built upon another. Re-
garding the task of teaching mathe>
matics, the writer says:
1t is a hard task to teach mathemat-
les. First, because some children lack
interest in the science. These must
be goaded, bantered, or persuaded to
en-! ertaln desire to know something
Of It. This demands of the teacher
the child and work with patience and
tact. in leading the mind to stand
points where it clearly and thorough
ly perceiYes the truth. Facts of the
outer world flow into the mind through
| of them and truths exist in the mental
OF spiritual world and flow into the
mind through perception, which is the
| spiritual eye. In order to ste the
| things of the natural world, we must
desire to do so, enough to keep the
eye open. So the mental eye must
be opened in order to knowledge of
truth. Nothing can open it except a
desire to know. No one ever can have
desire to know without first feeling
| that he wants to do something, and
needs the truth to enable him to ac-
complish the end. The present super
| fetal, easy-going method that obtains
SO generally ia our schools Is worse
than none. for it is causing and has
| caused more mental indigestion aud
dyspepsia than raw peanuts, pickles
| and slate pencils have ever produced
| in the physical stomachs of our boys
| and girls. Another evil resulting
from this method of attempting to
| teach mathematics by means of merely
mechanical operations upon numbers
is that the pupil is deceived by it and
led to take the semblance of knowl
| edge for real knowledge, and his mind
gets no nourishment and no strength
| therefrom.
The Importance of mathematical
training is everywhere apparent. II
is necessary to mans more perfect
rational faculty, and it is held by the
best teachers that when properly
taught, none fail to comprehend
its beauties as well as its neces
sity. The child who is prop
erly taught is never satisfied
with any proposition until he has the
"the reason why" This writer, Wht
seems to know all about what he i
writing about, says: $50 long
as the vanity Of parent
can be hattered by shoddy education
we will have shoddY educators. Il
behalf of our poor children, we be-
everybody to do what they can to
wards securing good, aud intelligen
men and women to teach in GU
schools"