The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-28


Of a drowsiness, haziness. an insult
fcicncy which it is impossible to
cure Indeed, if We consider it: We
shall find that exhaustive obserya-
ton is an clement in all great Sue
cess. It is not TO artists. naturaiistS.
and men Of science only that it is
needful; it is not only that the skill
ful physician depends cn It for the
correctness Of his diagnosis. and that
to the good engineer it is so impor-
tant that some years in the workshop
are prescribed for him; but we may
see that the philosopher also is fun
damentally one who 0J$"rrc$ relation
ships Of things which others had
overlooked, and that the poet, too, is
one who sees the fine facts in nature
which all recognize when pointed out,
but did not before remark. Nothing
requires more to be insisted on than
that vivid and complete impressions
are all essential. 70 sound fabric
Of wisdom can b. woven out sor q
rotten raw material.
While the old methods Of present.
inc truths in the abstract has been
falling out Of use, there las been !
corresponding adoption OF tie new
method Of presenting them in the
concrete. The rudimentary facts Of
exact science are now being learned
by direct intuition. as textures, and
tastes. and colors are learned. EN-.
ploying the ball-irame for first lessons
in arithmetic eXcmplifics this. it is
we'll illustrated. too, in Professor De
Morgan's mode Of explaining the
decimal notation. NJ. Marcel, right
ly repudiating the old system Of
tables. teaches weights and measures
by referring to the actua! yard and
foot, pound and ounce. gallon and
quart, and lets the discovery of their
relationships be experimental. The
use Of geographical models and
models Of regular bodies. etc, as in
troductory to geography and geomc-
try respectively, are facts Of the same
class. Manifestly a common trait Of
these methods is that they carry each
child's mind throngii process like
that which the mind Of humanity at
large has gone through. The truths
ofnumber, Of form. Of relationship in
position, were all originally drawn
from objects; and to present these
truths to the child in the concrete is
to let him learn them as tic race
learned them. BY and by, perhaps,
it will be seen that lie cannot possibly
learn them in any other way; for
that if he is made to repeat them as
distractions. the distractions can
have no meaning for linn until he
finds that they are simply statements
Of what he intuitivcly discerns.
But of all tile changes taking place,
the most significant is the growing
desire to make the acquirament of
knowledge pleasurable rather than
painful-a desire based on the more
or less distinct perception that at
each age the intellectual action which
a child likes is healthful one for it,
and conversely. There is q spread
ing opinion that the rise Of an appe-
tite for any kind Of knowledge i'm
plies that the unfolding mind has
become fit to assimilate it. and needs
it for the purposes Of growth. and
that on the other hand. the disgust
felt toward any kind of knowledge is
a sign either that it is prematurely
presented, or that it is presented in
an indigestiblc form. Hence the ef-
feet to make cary education amusing
and all education interesting. Hence
the lecture on the value Of play.
Hence the defence Of nursery rhymes
and fairy tales. Daily we more and
more conform our plans to Juvenile
opinion. Does the child like this or
that kind Of teaching? does lie take
to it? we constantly ask. Ills natu.
raj desire Of variety should he in
dulged,' says NJ. Marcel; 'and the
qualification Of his curiosity should
be combined with lis Improvement
Lessons he again remarked,
should cease before the child evinces
signs Of weariness.' And so with
later education. Short breaks du.
ring school-hours, excursions into
the country, amusing lectures cho'
raj songs-in these and many like
traits the change may be disccrned.
Asceticism is disappearing out Of cd
uCation rs cut OF life. and the usual
test of political legislot:on-its ten,
dency to promote happiness-is be,
ginning to be. in q great degree. the
test Of Legislation for the school and
the nursery.