The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26

thing good and helpful TO society, that
labors unselfishly, not for the visible re-
ward. but for that reward which comes
from acknowledge of the fact that we
are helping to lift souls into Il higher
and better life, bringing them out of
darkness into Light. and leading them
from the unloveIy into the loyely.-W
4. Duncan.
WHAT CAN HE .DOp
Eli +. Brown. Supt. of Public Schools
Paducah, KY, in letter to the .jonrnat
Of Education says:
People will know what we are. II we
are honest they will find it out, and if
we are unreliable in word or deed it
will as surely be known to those with
whom we associate. We cannot live
alone. We are necessarily in close in
tercourse with the members OF our own
home; and. in society of every kind.
whether it be the school, the church, the
social circle. or the business arena OF
life, we are ut I'LL times turning the light
upon our inner selves and exposing our
real self to the gaze of those about us.
II is fatal mistake 10 suppose that they
who see us, who hear us, and deal with
us in diverse ways, cannot Judge rightly
of our weakness aRl shortcomings, IS
we'll rs of our merits. Even child can
sense the breath which vice or virtue
constantly emits from the character of
those who cast their light or shade up
on il.
People will value us by what we are
and by what we do. not by what we
pretend to be or by the estimate we put
upon ourselves The man who is thor
oughly honest is trusted He who
does good days labor is employed; he
who excels i'm handicraft. of whatever
sort, receives the best pay. lie who
manages his own bus.n?>s, well receives
the confidence of the people in the
management of public affairs. He who
is skillful in raising the i'll from the sick
bed is sought after. day and night, to
relieve suffering.
The boy or man who seeks position
must rest his selection and his counte-
nance of employment on What he is and
what he can do. Business of every de-
scription is hunting out Efficient and re-
liable wOrkmen and advancing them in
place and salary. Industry of every
Kind, and i,rofessinnsn s.rvicc of every
variety, call for men 4and women who
can excel in the WORRY required Of their
hands and brains.
What one can do depends on the pre-
paration he makes for the doing. 1t is
true that one may be more fayorcd than
another by natural endowment. but the
great difference that obtains among
wOrkmen of all classes depends vastly
more on the training TO which they sub
NIT themselves. Men are not born with
genius for the management of an en-
CINE. Great inventors are not prOdigies,
but are the products of long and per-
sistent study and effort. Men who ex-
Gel in literature, i'm art. or i'm profess
sional skill, grow into their excellent
estate through years of patient toll. in
telligent effort. and fidelity To purpose.
TEACHING GEOGRAPHY.
Supt. A. b. Hinsdale i'm one of his Sc
ries of letters on notwithstanding
says:
The pupil should begin his geography
at home; that Is, he should first learn
certain facts concerning his own neigh
bOrhoOd, township, county, and state.
This he can do while working on his
fundamental concepts, or learning his
definitions. Such local study will in
vOlve the Use of that form of "earth-
picturing" called u map. What shall
be the next step? Shall this be the order
of his progress; the United States. NORTH
America, the globe? or shall he 90 mt
once to the globe and then take these
steps in the reverse order? Or, again.
shall he stop at some intermediate point,
and then dcscendp To these questions
different teachers will give different an
swers. Moreover, he would be Il bold
man who should insist OH any one an
swer to the exclusion of the others, ut
all times and places. My own idea is
that the pupil. after studying his own
state and adjacent states in outline.
should pass at once to North America.
Here, for the time it will be sufficient
to insist on a few general facts: the
continent in its setting of oceans,
ITS form. its grand mountain and river
system, and its primary political divis-
ions, British America. United States.
etc. All this time the intelligent pupil,
at least, will have been gaining. by
reading and conversation, general ideas
about the earth, which will aid him
materially as he goes on his way. A
general view of the continent acquired,
he should take mp the United States. first
as whole, next the first group of states.
and then the states severally that make
up that group; and so on.
Too many small facts. and too few
large facts, are taught in Our schools
The teacher fails often to grasp the con-
ception of the geographical unit or
whole; or, if she have that conception,
her unit is the ultimate fact. rs river.
cape, or mountain (Which is. indeed
all-important in its placc.) There are
small and large wholes; and no matter
how they may dispute whether teaching
should proceed from particular to gen
| erals, or the reverse. sensible teachers
are not likely to differ rs to the end in
view in teaching any large geographic
cal unit, viz. clear and strong grasp,
ON the part of the pupil, of the outline
If the unit, filed i'm with few we'll
che. n details. This is so important as
to call for fuller illustration in another
| paper.