Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1890-06-05

20 CO0to N, 300 o. O4VOo COa0e S0s W
sneak under tho seatsand lay themselves
At their masters feet. I had frequently
to kick or order them out, and ! noticed
that whenever q dog wa chased out he
would take the pngest road to get out.
and under M many seats a. possible. In
order to receive as many kicks as posi-
tla from the youthful owners Of the
other dogs.
could not 90 organize q battalion OF
ten different gramnars as to net In con-
cert on my grammar class Of twenty pu.
pills. So Put them all on the retired
list, and tried to teach this so called "sci-
ence" orally. l chalked the rules on the
rs we'll as the names Of the
different parts Of speech. l made my
scholars commit these to memory, stand
ing. although will not argue that men,
Org takes any stronger grip on thing
willie the pupil stands. At last taught
q few with good memories to parse"
l worked hard with that grammar class,
and was very proud Of their proficiency
until found that after months Of this
drilling they neither spoke nor wrote any
OCtNcI AIllH l1Oll llLs1I UTlVVC.
However. l lost nothing by this ex.
rerience. for it helped me to the convic
ton that have held 10 ever since, that
the entirAgrammar system and method
does very little to make one hIbitually
use correct language, and that a taste for
reading and constant association with
correct English speaking people does
great deal. AS for spending time in
"parsins," think it woul! he better 10
use that force in learning the boy to shoe
horses and the girl to make bread. or let
the girl shoe the horses if she wants TO
and the 10y make the bread.
The labor Of teaching the alphabet to
ten infants, calling them UP once an
hour ITO say their letters" is. in my
estimation, greater than that Ct swing
ing pick in The surface gold "diSsings."
l have tried both, and infinitely prefer
the pick. 1t il not so muc!, work when
you arc employed with them as when
you are occupied with tho other pupils.
Then these poor little alphabetical
cl,crubs can do nothing hut squirm on
their low benches, catch flies, pinch each
other. mako and project spit balls and
hold up their hands for another drink OF
water. could not let them out Of doors
to play in the sand. where they should
have been. because the North American
parent would have considered himself
as defrauded Of part OF his infants
schooling were they rot imp, ,soned the
whole six hours.
Neither can you set a child to studying
a or II or any other letter. There is moi
an idea in y or Il. During tiet@o years
OF my administration l wrought with
one child who never could get success
fully beyond +. Her parents questioned
my ability us q teacher. Some days SHE
would repeat the whole alphabet cor
rcctly. would go home with q load of
my mind. The next day her mind woult
relapse into en- alphabetical blank aftel
+. She grew 10 I've an eycsore TO the
The sight Of her Mt last made me sick.
held public examinations every 81,
months. and was careful to do all thu
examining myself. An interlopcr anon:
the audience invited did me great dam
age Oh one Of these rlemorizcd perform
ances by asking q simple arithmetica
question Of the show off geographical
boy. The urchin was brilliant in dealin:
with boundary lines, capes and islands
but his head was one that mathelnatic
could not readily be injected into. o;
the other hand. my specimen grammar
ian was as likely to describe an island a
body Of land surrounded--by land a
hy water. had no heart to find faul
with this poor barefootcd urchin who
when in class, was always trying It
stand on one leg. like crane. and send
ing his right big toe on exploring scratch
ing expeditions up his left trouser. H
had been born and brought up in an in
land country, where no body of waite
was to- be seen save IN occasional tleetir!
mud puddle; and what earthly concep
ton could he form Of the ocean and it
| islands:
| But the parents who attended thes
exhibitions of stuffed memories wer
struck ut the proficiency of the progeny
and retired with the impression tina
their children knew a great deal bccaus
they had parrotcd off 81 much that wa
all Greek to them: and after had beer
in this occupation year would sit il
my empty theological school house whel
they had gone and try and convict my
self rs a profound humbus, and ono
too. compelled. in order to get living
to encourage and foster Il system wh;cl
had 80 much humbug in it.
The California schools were not the.
graded" They were conducted on til
'go US you please" plan. sometimes sc
ing rs the teachers pleased, sometime
MS tho parents pleased, sometimes as tn
pupils pleased. The parents of the youth
ful brains was trying to develop int
future statesmen and presidents wantc,
mo to teach many things. One fathc
wished his son taught Latin. 1t is bring
ing extremes pretty near each other t
teach Latin and A b C's. But taught
the Young man Latin as was taught
many things at school. started hin
committing to memory tho Latin dcclen
sions and conjugations, and then hear
hint "say his lesson" If he got any
| thing on: of it don't know what it was
except tough work. lilo never reache
any TRANSACTIONS OF the classics. for sey
cs,A reasons.