Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-06-09
Comprehensive Definitions.
A Paper read Mt the Meeting of the Teach
ers' Association ut Prospect Harbor, May
Fl, 1899.
BY HELEN NJ. SMITH

A Paper read at the Meeting of the Teach
ers' Association at Prospect Harbor, May
Fl, 1899.
BY HELEN NJ. SMITH.
Who remembers ever teaching q cLild
that cat is cat. or explaining to one the
difference between cat and dog? And
yet can any one recall an instance when
child of ordinary intelligence who was cap
able Of lisping the two words ever con-
f1ictlng the two animals. or making mis-
take In ascribing to each its distinctive
traits?
Children learn many things by intuition,
almost, one might say. by instinct. II
this fact was realized more fully by the
would-be instructor OF youth, aud intui-
tive qualities given the precedence during
its first years at school, and its reasoning
faculties allowed to lay dormant till they
came to the front of their own accord
ready to grasp at unknown truths, ven
ture to say that In the average scholar Of
10 years would be seen the direct result.
Too young are children called upon to
sion. and because these ideas appear per-
fectly simple to the mature mind OF the
teacher. he forgets to inquire II the child
Is taking in the sense of what he Is com
hitting all too readily, oftentlmes.
Rules and definitions are the bette noir
of children. and almost equally of teachers
as well. What teacher among those pre-
sent but can recall some definition learned
In his early school days. repeated parrot
like but never understood till the reason
ing powers OF maturer years threw a light
over the meaningless words? Phrases
have been a part Of my stock in trade for
the past few years, and yet If did not
know by intuition what phrase Is, this
definition which ratified off so glibly in
the days of my youth would convey but
little meaning even to my maturer powers
OF understanding, needless to say 1t CON
veyed none when | learned 1t: "A phrase
Is combination Of words not constitut-
ing an entire proposition, but performing
distinct office in the structure Of a sen
tencc or another phrase. | recall another
definition that learned before WAS ten :
"A sound l. body OF water sufficiently
shallow TO be sounded. that is, TO have its
depth asceriained by a lead and line /"
There were al least three words in that
definition Of which had no conception OF
the meaning. They might have been Rus
sian Italian or Prusslan for all idea they
give me Of their Specification. The fact
that said Iced and line" and that II went
uncorrected speaks for Itself
| have no doubt | was particularly stu
pid. As a child | am stupid still about 4
great many things. and speak In behalf
Of other stupid children. Makers Of text
books should come down from their high
intellectual level aud make definitions that
will explain themselves TO the Uniformed
mind Of a child and not compel him to
commit collection Of words to memory
and wait for maturer years 10 divnlgc their
meaning to him. II makers of book.
wont do this. then teachers should look
for every chance u clear away the mist.
That euvri"p the simple idea in the yer
bo>e rules AMI definitions found ID our
present text books
have among my circle II acquairtancrs
one who prites himself on remembering
his rules of syutsx. He can give verha-
tim almost any one learned IN his school
day>-hiteen years ago But with all
those rules at his tongue, end he i more
prone than the majority Of u 10 the use
OF ungramma.ical errors. Why? Because,
when he committed those rules he did not
comprehend their meaning and was unable
to apply them to his every day practice
because they were not comprehensive,
or because his teacher did not seek to make
them so.