Morning journal and courier., 1892-04-09
THE FLEETING SHOW.
Some of Its Facts and Fancies.
written FOR the JOURNAL AND CogaIsR.l

Some OF Hts Facts and Fanc1e0.
written Tor the JouRsAL AND CogaIsR.1
SIGNS OF SPRING.
The fields are waking at April's call,
And buds are swelling in shower and sun;
The earth is happy and proud once more,
Glad at the victory spring hath won.
There is yearning life and thrill Of hope,
AS nature her beauty and strength renews;
But the surest signs are the barefoot boy
And the girl with the yellow shoes!
The bluebird's note is joy to hear
And cheerful the prattle Of running brooks;
Wildfowers are creeping up to the light
From eafstrewn cradles in sheltered hooks;
And Easter bonnets are fair to see,
In quantity alluring shapes and hues,
But the surest signs are the barefoot boy
And the girl with the yellow shoes!
THE FATHER OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The celebration of the three hundredth
anniversary of the birth of John Amos
Comenius, or Komensky, in many of the
larger cities of Europe and America, on
March 2sth, has awakened public interest
in the work of this philanthropist, school
master, and educational rsformer, and his
name, unknown to thousands of those who
have been benefited by him, has suddenly
cOuo luIo pIOmlueuce
The most noteworthy services held in
his honor in this country were in New
York, Chicago, Omaha, Milwaukee, and
St. Louis; in Brooklyn the Department
| of Superintendence of the National Edu-
cational Association held appropriate ex-
ercises, while at Bethlehem, Penn, the
| chief seat of the American Moravian
Brethren, a memorial service was held at
which fifteen hundred children crowded
| the church, and clergymen and laymen
| united to eulogize one whose life was de-
! voted to the promotion of knowledge,
morality, and religion.
Comenius, as Moravian youth, studied
his lessons in Latin, according to the ap-
| proved method of the time. The dreari-
ness and drudgery of this system excited
in him the desire to make the paths of
knowledge less difficult, and even delight
| full for little pilgrims to walk in. As pas
tor of the Moravian Brethren's church in
the parish at Tulnek it is possible that his
work in this direction might have been
limited to a narrow sphere, but the ext
gencies of the Thirty Years War drove him
from Moravia to spend the remainder of
his life in exile. Fifty years were spent in
Poland, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Eng
land, and Holland, studying, teaching,
| preaching, WrltluS,auo every yWneIe putClnS
into practice, as far as possible. his new
and advanced ideas concerning educa-
tional reform. One hundred of his books
still exist, the most important being 'The
Great Art of Teaching" The graduates
of his schools were sought after as
teachers all over Protestant Europe; he
devised method of training foreign Ian
guages which procured for him great
reputation and was soon translated into
twelve or more languages, and is to-day
the basis of the most progressive meth
DDS; and as a reformer of public instruc-
ton he was invited to most of the princi-
pal countries of Europe.
Says a writer in Harper's Weekly:
"Our public school system is but an in
complete evolution of the plans of Come
MUS, which provided that an education
was to be given to every child, whether
rich or poor, simply because 'he or she is q
human being and because the sum total
of human happiness is thus increased. He
pecially trained, an idea which is now en-
bodied in the kindergarten. He favored
the inculcation of general knowledge of
the trades and the mechanic arts, our mod
ern manual training school. He desired
to introduce singing and gymnastics,
in short, to make school wori
pleasant as we'll as profitable to the pupil
Do our modern educators offer anything
; better? Indeed, his methods of discipline
are superior to those in vogue even to-day
for he governed by his work, by trying tt
make the acquisition of knowledge pleas
ure instead of drudgery to the pupil
When we compare the work of this grand
teacher with the efforts of our educators
we marvel at the advance position which
he occupied, and our admiration of tn,
man increases as we note the circumstances
, under which he labored."
OF special interest to New Englsnders Il
this passage from Cotton Mather's "Magns
lia. ""That brave old man, johannes Amo
Z Oomenius, the fame of whose worth hatl
been trumpeted as far as more than thre
languages Whereas every one is indebtei
!. unto his Janua) could carry it," (the refer
q enee here is to his method Of lsarning Ian