, 1885-11-20

Tedlum Ia the Little Folks Class.
Kew York Tribune Book Review
Besides his classes at the gymnasium,
Agassiz collected about him, by invita-.
zion, a small audience of friends and
neighbors, to whom he lectured during
the winter on botany, on zoology, on
the philosophy of nature. The instruc-
ton was of the most familiar and in
formal character, and was continued in
later years for his W children and the
children of his friends. In the latter
case the sui. ects were chic ly geology
and geography in connection with bot
any. and in favorable weather the les
sons were usually given in the open air.
One can cas- ly imagine what Joy it
must have been for n party of little
playmates, boys and girls, TO DO taken
out for long walks in the country over
the hills about Neuehatel, and especially
to Chaumont, the mountain which rises
behind it, and thus TO have their les
sons, for which the facts and scenes
about them furnished subject and illus
t%ration, combined with pleasant ram
bles.
From some high ground affording "A
wide panoramic view, Agassis would
explain to them the formation of lakes,
lslhuusf ilNtiai optlh8of MhAtI- oucuo'
hills and valleys. He always insisted
that physical geography could be better
taught TO children in the vicinity Of
their own homes than by books or
maps, or even globes. Nor did he think
a varied landscape essential 10 such in
struction. mutations of the ground,
some contrast oil hill and plain, some
sheet of water with the streams that
feed it, some ridge Of rocky soil acting
as a watershed, may be found every
where, and the relation of facts shown
perhaps as well on n small as on q large
scale.
When it was impossible to give the
lessons out of doors, the children were
gathered around a large table, where
zach one had before him or her the
specimens of the day, sometimes stones
n fossils, sometimes lower, fruits, or
dried plants. To each child in success
sion was explained separately whas had
first been told to all collectively. When
the talk was of tropical or distant coun-
tries pains were taken to procure char
acteristic specimens, and the children
were introduced to dates, bananas, CO.
c%oanuts, and other fruits, moi easily to
be obtained in those days in a small in
land town. They, of course, concluded
the lesson by eating the specimens, Il
practical illustration which they greatly
en- Dyed.
A very large wooden globe, on the
surface of which the various features of
the earth as they came up for discussion
could lie shown, served to make them
more clear and vivid. The children
took their own share in the instruction,
n were themselves made to point out
and describe that which had Just been
explained to them. They took homo
their collections, and as a preparation
for the next lesson were often called
upon to classify and describe some I'M
usual specimen by their W unaided
Efforts. There was no tedium in the
class. Agassiz's lively. clear, and at
tractiye method of teaching awakened
their own powers OF observation in his
little pupils, and to some at least opened
permanent sources of en- oyment.
His inuuence over pupils and his fac
ulty of inspiring them with II love for
their work were not less marked in the
United States, and are still the theme
of many an atfectionate published rem
iniscence After his second marriage
(his first wife died In Europe) Agassii
lived much more comfortably. and his
last years were never disturbed by pc
c%uniary troubles. Har ard built a
house for him to which he became much
attached.
For his work also the house wa ex-
tremely convenient. His habits in this
respect were, however, ~singularly indie
pendent of place and circumstance
mike most studious men, he had no
fixed spot in the house for writing. Al
though the library, with the usual out
fit Of we'll filed shelves, maps, large
tables, etc, held his materials, he
brought what he needed for the even
ing by preference to the draw
ing-room, and there with his paper on
his knee, and his books Tor reference on
a chair beside him, he wrote and read
as Hbusily as If he were quite alone.
Sometimes when dancing and music
were going on among the young people
o. the family and their guests, lie drew
a little table into the corner of the
room, and confined his occupations as
undisturbed and engrossed as if he had
been in complete solItude-only looking
up from time to tim@ with a pleased
smile or an apt remark, viii h showed
that no did not lose but rather enjoyed
what was going on about him.
His ehildren's friends were his
friends. AS his daughters grew up, he
had the habit of inviting their more
intimate companions to his library for
an afternoon weekly. On these oeca-
sions there was always some subject
connected with the study Of nature
under discussion, but the talk was so
easy and SO fully illustrated that it did
not seem like a lesson.