The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-11-19
PRACTICAL


An Educational System Which Deserves
Universal Trial.
In many essential details, the working
of the system of public education in
Worcester, Mass. has been at once
original and of remarkable vigor. A
somewhat recent elaboration there OF
the plan of bringing a public library
into direct collaboration with the
schools, has been successfully pefected.
and attracted general interest. Special
subjects in which a class are engaged
with their text books, and which these
last naturally can only outline for the
students, are Investigated by them in
the library during set school hours,
with the aid of the libraries in selecting
the best books for the purpose and
chapters bearing closest on the subject
in hand. Younger scholars have their
attention drawn to illus ;rations, and to
the older ones text and plates are alike
made of great advantage. Books are
freely loaned to students and teachers,
and a large number is in weekly circu-
lation in this auner. The pract cal
operation of such a system
of independent research by pupils,
at once accomplishing its spe-
ciic object. and making them under
stand what a library is for, and that it
is for them as we'll as older learners, is
shown in the following paragraph from
a little pamphlet by the Librarian Of
the Worcester Free Public Library, Mr.
Samuel S. Green, to whose efforts the
| general acceptance of the plan in the
town, is largely due. Such a systematic
expansion of a scholars knowledge Of
| topics and the amount of study that
could be given it is invaluable:
Suppose Egypt to be the country,
and its early history the period which
the students of history in the High
School are engaged upon. and the OBJ.
| iect to be to make the children &C.
quainted with the everyday life, sur
roundings, etc.. of the ancient Egypt
ians. The librarian selects tn rty OF
forty volumes needed to illustrate tho
subject, and as twenty scholars enter
the room every n has one or more OF
these books handed to him by an as.
sistant, unless he has SOME particular
subject to look up, in which case a book
is selected for him that. treats of that
subject. 'Wilkinson's Manners and
Customs of the Egyptians in its larger
form, will probably be found the mos1
useful set of books, and three or foul
copies will be in constant use. Work.
are given out to illustrate the architec.
ture and pieces of sculpture, and to de
scribe INFINITELY the Sphinx and Pyra
mids. The little volume in the Wonder
Series, entitled 'Rameses the Great by
-, fhoI - chow how ~,
Pyramids and Sphinx are supposed tt
rough and mutilated appearance which
they now have. Fergusson's and Rosen
garten's works on architecture are give,
out. and pains are taken to show no
only pictures of the ruins at Karnac
Luxor, Ipsamboul. ETC., but also repre-
sensations of the palaces and temple
at these places in the forms which
scholars suppose them to have had il
the days of the glory of Egypt, wher
the venue of sphinxes were in order
entire and we'll preserved. Works ar,
hieroglyphics. the worship of sacred
animals, methods of irrigation, me
chanical and agricultural industries
l. oA UioNO "lo INK oICSS dut
houses CT the people. Care is taken t.
furnish the latest information. Thus
if Wilkinson's great work is used, tn,
latest edition, edited by Samuel Birch
is provided, so tnat the results o
the most recent researches may
be available; for it is important, tt
take an example, that while chill
dren read descriptions of the elabo
rate division of Egyptians into castles
in older works. they should also hav.
access to the statements of recen
writers, that the latest researches show
that castles with impossible boundaries
such as prevailed in India, really hac
no existence in Egypt. The children
while using the descriptive books o
Rawlinson, Wilkinson and Ebers are re
ferred to the very interesting stories O
the last-named Psychologist, illustrative
of life at differentepochs in the histor,
of Egypt, and encouraged to read them
IN. Y. independent