The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-10-29

time. We can only add upon this point
that one who processes to teach young
children to read should mark we'll the
distinction between reading and the pes
tilent spouting which in some schools is
called eloeution.
Happy the child whose teacher under
stands fractions! A highly intellectual
and cultivated woman Of our acquaint-
ance prolonged a visit for several
months in order to teach her little neph-
ew the mystery of fractions. He
attended distinguished school with sew
eral instructors, but none Of them had
made clear to him the real meaning of
fractions. Far be it from us to approach
that antique mystery in these fugitive
lucubrations. We had ourselves been
teaching school more than three years
before We had the least inkling as to
what traction means, and felt like
uttering a joyful Eureka when good
Prof. Courtney explained it at the Uni
versity. To this day we know no higher
pleasure in the way of instruction than
to teach bright youth the reason why,
in dividing by fraction, you must
invert and multiply. 1t is perhaps in
teaching arithmetic that the danger is
greatest of that merely mechanical in
struction which is so often observable in
large classes, and is therefore particularly
to be dreaded in our public schools.
What well-known educator has not been
taken around in a carriage along with
other gentlemen by the energetic Su-
perintendent of public schools in some
city and expected to admire the perform
ances of crack class in oral arithme.
tic, when the operations betrayed no
sign of thinking, but were performed by
dint of drilling as mechanical as the
manual of arms? A mechanical drill in
the use of weapons, or in calisthenics, is
very good thing in its pla-s. But
school instruction ought to CONT nplate
something more than mere practical
facility in the repetition of certain de.
finite processes. Apart from the su'
preme matter of mental development
and discipline, the practical processes of
arithmetical calculation-for example,
in bank discount, or in interest where
payments have been deferred, are so
varied and often complicated that one
must have learned to think about arit.-
metic, or he cannot be trusted to do the
work. The Greeks probably gave their
pupils as much mental discipline in
teaching arithmetic and geometry as We
do through the calculus and celestial
mechanics. As they had not the so.
called Arabic (really IDdiaD) numerals,
and represented numbers by letters of
the alphabet, the simple processes of
multiplication and division required
serious mental effort. These readily
become for us an almost mechanical
process, and geometry is in many re-
spects. greatly simpli6ed. Yet. let US
nowhere be satisfied with imparting the
mere mastery of practical processes, but
teach pupils to think. The very word
man signifies thinker, the root being akin
to the verb mean and the noun mind.
Doinot make bright children mere cal
culating machines, make them think.
And do not allow yourself to be ma
chine for dictation and inspection, but
bring your own active mind in contact
with the mind of every pupil. Many
teachers Of large classes find this diff.
cult. of course, but they must strive to
overcome the difficulty by every means
in their power.
One more article will venture. to offer
hints as to certain other subjects OF
elementary Instruction. a. B, tn
Religious Herald.