Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-05-23

calm reasoning. 1t has been said that IT
took this nation one hundred years TO de-
eide whether or not We should live TO-
gether in peace, and unitedly strive to
make the United States the leading nation
in the new world-a nation by It's pros
perity, its strength, its power, its intelli-
gence, its Notwithstanding and winning
the admiration and respect of all other ma
tons. The decision was made at ire
mendous cost, and after q desperate
struggle, which settled certain national
issues.
Leaders of political parties of all shades
are now telling Us that the old party issues
are passing rapidly from the political field
and can no longer be made rallying cries
for party purposes They tell US, too, that
new questions are fast coming up-Ques-
tons of the most complicated character
questions that will require much greater
Intelligence than the old ones, and much
more OF political investigation 10 rightly
understand them. Questions OF such a
character cannot be settled III q day. The
school-boy Of the present viii be entered
on the list of sovereign citizens before some
Of these questions are fairly above the
horizon, and must by their votes and iuiu-
ence decide these intricate, complex
problems. Never, then. did the need so
exist for that careful training which will
send our scholars out into life, intelligent,
broad in their views and sympathies, and
with minds stored with knowledge that
bears On all conceivable subjects. In no
other way can such wide range Of infor-
nation be obtained as by the study of
choice books written in our own language.
in no other way can the mind be rendered
so susceptible TO noble impulses and lofty
inspirations. Daily association with noble
men ennOhles the character; SO also the
study of their best and purest thoughts has
Oh eleyatinG and stimulating effect, that
nothing else can produce, except personal
and habitual contact with the men them
selves.
While the information obtained by the
! study of literature is so valuable, still more
| valuable is the effect it has upon the growth
and development Of the mind The great
| Arnold was accustomed u say to his
scholars You come here. not to read, but
| to learn how to read" We claim to be a
nation of readers. and yet comparatively
| few have learned how to read. No one who
knows how TO read could possibly find
pleasure in the vapid outpourings that so
many devour. Were We, in the true sense
! OF the word, a nation of readers not only
would many periodicals die of starvation,
| but many journals now occupying, or
| claiming 10 occupy, respectable positions
sink into merited oblivion. III the selec-
| ton Of subjects to be taught, and in the
| choice Of methods for teaching these sub
! jects, foremost place should always be
! given to teaching scholars how to read
| Facts Of history in themselves are worth
| little. Scientific facts may crafty the curl
osity but if they remain in the mind as
mere facts, their edueative value is Of small
| moment. And yet there is d continual
! tendency TO cram the mind with fac;s, and
| 10 make the acquaintance with more facts
the goal TO be reached. On this point
Hamilton says Neither in point Of fact
| is there any proportion between the posses
| sion of truths and the development OF the
mind in which they are deposited. Every
| learner in scienceis now familiar with more
| truths than Aristotle or Plato ever dreamt
of knowing; yet, compared with the
Stagirite or the Athenian, how few even OF
our masters of modern science rank higher
than intellectual barbariansi" That study
which CompelS careful analysis and syste-
| matte classification, which leads TO the
comparison OF ideas thoughts. propesi-
tons which encourages the sitting OF the
wheat from the chat, and the formation Of
Independent habits of thought, is of special
value AS already remarked. the study of
the writings Of our language exceis in these
respects.
While requiring patient careful invest-
CATION, English has the advantage Of being
deeply interesting study. The clear,
certain results obtained by the solution of
mathematical problems give that subject Q
claim OF its own; the startling facts and
wonderful revelations of science properly |
led up to, stimulate the scholar to further |
investigation. But no study, for the great |
majority of scholars is SO pleasing and so |
full of interest as the study of the master |
pieces of their own language. If it is |
otherwise, if the subject is wcarisome to |
the class and fails to awaken their earnest !
attention and to arouse their sympathy, |
either the book selected for them to read is |
i'll adapted to the wants of the class or the !
method adopted by the teacher is at fault |
While scholars should pursue certain stud !
les even if distasteful to them and perhaps !
all the more because they are distasteful, !
that their minds may receive some dcvel- |
opment in q direction in which they are |
evidently deficient and that they may be |
early accustomed TO the faithful perform |
ance of unpleasant tasks, yet 4 study that |
is peculiarly valuable as a mental dis |
cipline and at the same time intensely
interesting to scholars should re- |
Ceive marked attention from both teachers !
and taught, and should never be allowed to |
become irksome TO the scholars.
Dt0OldlS iUSt U5 tdL5lt 10 gave expires I
sion to their own thoughts. 1t may not be |
the case that he is the most influential citi- |
zen who can say the best thing in the best |
way. Yet whatever may be said of men of |
action controlling events it is only necessary
to refer to the past to see what an influence |
is welded by him who can give clear and |
forcibie expression to his thoughts. Apart, |
however, from this reason the power OF |
expression Of thought in written or spoken |
language is of vast Importance. Its cult !
walton has a striking effect in the individ- |
ual himself 1t requires the systematic |
and logical arrangement OF ideas, and q |
command of language sufficient to enable |
him to place these ideas properly before
others. The pleasure arising from an iu-
tercourse with others and our success in
business are greatly increased by our abil-
ity to say what ne mean in choice Ian
guage.
Many books, good enough in their
way, have been written ON composition.
While these may be aids to the teacher, they
can never take the place of a careful study Of
good writings. In the attempt to repro
duce the thoughts of the author in their
own language, the scholars imperceptibly
but surely acquire ability to write. They
naturally form their style after the models
they carefully study Translation from
another language affords an admirable ex-
ercise in composition, but is not SO effect
i've in some respects as the study of our
own language, because we cannot, if we
wish to write or speak English, mold our
style after the style of the foreign Language.
English, furthermore, unlocks the door
to all study. Every science lies open to
him who knows his mother tongue There
is no field Of investigation which he cannot
enter Every one on leaving school should
be able to begin and prosecute successfully
any study that has special attractions for
him. No one can do so with ease who
has not learned how to read
The claims Of English to full recognition
are not based on antagonism to other lin
guistic studies. After all that has been
said in opposition to the study Of Latin
and Greek the fact still remains that these
studies are essential to the fullest develop !
mont of the intnllect Eynerianna shnns !