Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-17
CHILDREN AS TEACHERS.
GREAT STUDENTS HAVE LEARNED
VERY MUCH FROM THEM.


The Science of Modern Methods of Edu-
eatten Has Been Revolutionized by the
Study OF Child Nature-Parents Have
Great Deal to Learn.
From olden times it has been thought
that adults should be the teachers and
children simply learners, but in the
Nineteenth century of civilization the
greatest find that they can learn from
the little ones. The best educators are
those who have learned most from little
children, and the most successful prima-
ry teachers are those who can see and
feel things as children feel and see them.
Authors of literature and textbooks for
children must now know child nature or
fail.
Scientific philologists are beginning to
recognize the fact that children just
learning to talk can in few months
teach them more about how languages
are formed than can be learned by years
of study of dead and living languages.
Even the philosopher and psychologist
are turning to the child for the solution
of some of the problems that have so
long baffled them, and the practical NOR
ahst turns from theories to learn of chill
dren how moral ideas are formed and
moral action called forth.
GREAT STUDENTS.
The development of the race is epit-
omized in the development of the child,
and the observer may read it in the un
folding physical activity of the innocent
child, with more pleasure and profit
than in the learned histories of civiliZa-
tion.
Tiederman, Darwin, Taine, Alcott,
Romanes and other learned men have
studied their own children scientifically
and taken notes on their development,
while Perez, Kussmaul and others have
made observations on a number of chill
dren. Humphreys, Holden and Noble
have collected and examined the vocab-
ularies of several children two years old,
in order to discover the general laws of
speech.
mily~Talbot has collected observa-
tions of mothers on young babes. The
most thorough and accurate study has,
however, been made by Preyer, who
carefully observed and experimental
upon his boy during the first three years
of his life, noting down each day every
thing calculated to throw light upon the
capacity of children and the order of the
development of their powers.
Much light has been thrown on many
subjects by these Investigations, but
sufficient number of carefully verified
facts has been collected to enable us
with certainty to distinguish character
istics common to all from individual Pc
culiarities. 1t has been made evident
that not only must there be persevering
exactness in observing and recording the
facts, but many of them can be accu-
rately observed and correctly interpreted
only by one versed in physiology and
psychology.
PLANS FOR A BOOK.
Considerable interest has been aroused
and many plans proposed designing to
increase scientific knowledge on the sub
ject, to bring parents into new and
pleasanter relations with each other, and
to preserve records of interest and value
to the family. Probablyno more accept
able or more valuable present could be
given to a child who had just attained
his majority than little book contain
ing record of his life from babyhood.
The data contained in such record
would make it possible for him to obey
the maxim, "Know thyself," and to
guide his life by that knowledge, while
the little incidents of childish life that
give so much pleasure when remembered
and related by the parents would be pre-
served and enjoyed by himself and his
descendants. Parents who have engaged
in such observations have not only
learned to understand their children bet
ter and been drawn into closer relations
with them, but have also found the task
most interesting and delightful.
It will probably be years before the
observations of many scientists on chill
dren can be collected, but in the mean
time a father, mother or older sister of
ordinary intelligence can, by exercising
patience and care, observe and record
certain facts of child development that
will be as important and reliable as
those furnished by the most learned sci
enlist. These observations also are those
made at the most interesting age of the
child's life-the period of the develop
ment of speech.-E. A. Kirkpatrick in
Lend a Hand.