Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-02-24
EDUCATIONAL.
oo THIS space is devoted to the teachers of the
nications to l. 5. Binford, Lynndale, Oak.
Sense Training.


persistent training of the, senses.
This is begun in early childhood and is
the basis Of the system called object
teaching. 1t is a highly pleasurable
mode OF instruction and has revolution
lied the primary school rooms. Its
method is from the concrete to the alb
stract, and it places a great emphasis
on knowledge of things instead Of
words. 1t also makes much of not
committing to memory what is not
understood, and Of the process of DIS
covery by the child of his own knowl-
edge. This system has produced
change in the methods of teaching,
and is sometimes called the natural
method.
There are great advantages connect
ed with this training Of sense-percep-
ton, but there are also disadvan-
tages. We may quite as easily go to
the extreme in this direction, as the
old educators did in the direction of the
study Of words, and memorizing what
was not understood Too exclusive
training Of sense-perception is I'M
favorable to thought. A child may
have to many pictures, the eye may see
to many things, the ear may be filed
with hearing, and the reflective process
not so on with anything like equal
pace. Careful reproduction of the
Ideas derived from sense-petception is
the only corrective Of this tendency.
In pressing concrete illustrations by
objects the child may not do any
abstract thinking anG he must do so in
proportion to his pow ers if he
learns to be self-reliant and thoughtful.
1t is a popular error that children can,
not reason. Abstract reasoning begins
at an early age. Of course ust a balance
needs be aimed at in primary instruc-
ton. But it is great mistake not
to train children from the start to re-
produce their knowledge in their own
language and to give some reasoning
processes. There may just as easily be
a surfeit of things as Of words. The
savage is the perfection Of the results
of pure sense training.
The process Of discovery is also over
urged by the innovators. The child is
born into an environment to which the
past makes a large part. Inherited
knowledge forms a larger share IN
real culture than the new educator
seems to recognize. We know a good
deal OF authority, or is it possible that
we do not know our own fathers. and
mothers? Experimental lno Wedge
is good thing, but to elevate the re-
discovery Of knowledge TOT dogma
Of education is to subvort all belief,
and bring the culture to be derived
from books into contempt. Such a
PestaloZZian doctrine becomes peSti-
lenial carried to its legitimate results.
Books are things. Ideas are objects,
living facts, and IDEAS are what the
mind feeds on.
That all study should be
pleasurable is an other dictum the
truth Of which may lie doubted,
especially the neWness Of it. The
Greek Flato seemed to hesitate over
the value Of the idea IN education. 1t
should certainly not he carried too far.
Play and work are too entirely sep
arate things in life, and the wisdom
OF conf founding the distinction in ed
ucation may well be doubted. Thought
and feeling mutually exclude each
other Too much pleasurab.e emotion
interferes with the reflective pro-
cesses, just Us too much training does.
Yhe natural has fallacy in it.
Nature max es no distinction between
and evil. She transmits the ore as
well as.the other. It is natural for the
child to use bad grammar, but no one
wouldIthink!of encouraging him in it.
Nature trains the savage, but not to
reflect. Teaching is an art. Education
is an art to be used in accordance with
the natural process as a rule, but II 1t
were never necessary to contravene
then where would he the use OF any
educatlon on. :;
That.nothing should be committed to
memory that is not understood is an
other assumption that is utterly unten-
able. Even pestaloZZi can be quoted
against it. A judicions Importance,
and the new education underestimate
it as much as it oVerestllnateS the
value Of sense perception. The value
of discipline, effort ,reiiec tive process
es, of building the inner child, OF
furnishing the mind while forming il,
of the nurture as well rs the guidance
ofltheIchild, are not receiving attention
enough in these days Of hasty gen
ordinations about everyt hing
true politeness is peri ect ease and
freedom. 1t simply consists in treat