River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-06-30
AN OLD SAGE
a Pioneer Educator Whose Path Was Filled
with Obstacles.


with Obstacles.
Comenius, whose birthday anniver-
sary was recently celebrated in Prague
by riot, was born in Moravia three
hundred years ago. During the latter
part of his life Europe was wrecked by
the series of coshicts known as the
Thirty Years War. Twice, at long in
tervals. Comenius was Obliged to fly
from captured cities. leaving behind
him the manuscripts which We're the re
suits of years of labor
1t is noteworthy that men whose
names are connected with great e'lueG-
tional reform have generally lived in
times when it seemed hopeless 10 try to
help people by other means.
The educational methods in use in his
time seemed formal and iifeless to
COmenius. They taught words only
not considering that words were only
conveniences for indicating things. lie
believed that words should always be
taught in connection with the things
which they indica ted. In pursuance of
this idea he very much desired that the
textbooks which he compiled should be
illustrated. The difficulty which he
encountered in getting illustrations for
the 'Orbis Pietus, or painted World, :"
the first child's picture book ever pub
lished, can hardly be imagined in these
days. This work has continued to be a
favorite child's book in Germany up to
the present time.
This idea of always connecting words
with things naturally led to the theory
of a universal education. The text
books of Comenius consist mainly of
lists of sentences. IL was his idea that
every sentence should convey useful in
formation and that the whole should
constitute a compendium of all l1nowl-
edge. In days when science was unde-
veloped and the majority of phenomena
We're referred directly to Providence,
such work was comparatively simple.
The book in which Comenius embodied
his idea began with the creation Of the
world and ended with chapter on
angels 1t was soon translated into
twelve European languages and into
Arabic, Persian and Turkish.
In our day,when science is continual
ly making known hitherto unobserved
phenomena, the application of such
theory requires a nicely Of discrimina-
tion which would seem to be rare. It
is interesting. in this connection, to
note the complaint of Prof. Mahaffv, of
Dublin. which is quoted and heartily
concurred in by Matthew Arnold, that
''the majority of boys all over England
and Ireland. without being Overworlsed,
are added by the multiplicity of their
subjects" When the masters were
asked to point out brilliant boy they
replied that the race had died ont.
Prof Mahaffy declared that thoughtful
educators with whom he conferred
agreed that this was due not to my fail
ure in the stock, but to the constant
addition of new subjects: in fact, to an
injurious system ''of so teaching the
boys everything that they can reason
intelligently in nothing"
Although this theory Of Comenius is
at the bottom of the modern abuses
which are so sharply criticised, the
cause of education is incidentally in
debted to him. He was distinguished by
that ardent desire for the greater happi-
ness of the people which is the most
striking characteristic of modern edu-
catioual Teformers. 1t was probably
that same love for the people which led
him to prophesy that the millennium
was close at hand. 1t is melancholy
commentary on his hopes that the three
hundredth anniversary Of his birth was
celebrated in his native country by
bloody conflict between the people and
the uthorities.-Detroit Free Press.