The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-07-28
What Is knowledge! !

The fret obi ect of education, so far as the
mind is concerned, is knowledge. What is
knowledge? If rubber ball is placed be-
fore a child, certain ideas are formed in his
mind in agreement or disagreement with
ideas previously formed. Ideas Of color,
form, hardness, etc., are thus formed, and
if names are thus applied to them, lie says
that the ball is white, round, hard or SOFT
as the case may be. This constitutes his
knowledge of the ball. If the child had
never seen bail. or if lie had never seen
anything white, or felt anything round or
hard, no ideas Of whitenCss or roundness or
| hardness could have been formed in his
mind hy simply telling him that the ball was
white aud round aud hard.
We see then that words are moi knowl-
| edge, 10y any means, within themselves; ;
neither do they convey knowledge of mate
rial things TO any one, unless the words are
associated with ideas that have previously
been formed by the aid of the senses. The
same principle is rue by acs of the minds,
which We may also call objects of thought.
If, fer example, we say 1--WE form judg-
ments, no idea of that &C; would be formed
by anyone who has not observed such Oh oct
in himself In seeking knowledge, there
fore, and in ins,ructing "the,s we must not
make the mistake of supposing that know!-
edge can be gained from words only. or that
memorzng the products of other people s
thinking IS thinking itself To lead pupils
to think for themselves and to acquire know
edge, objects of thought should he so pre-
scnted as to lead them to know the objects
themselves by rccog nzing their resemblance.
and differences and by pcrceiving the rcla
tionS which their parts have to enc another
The amount of knowledge which The young
graduate of the school or college has is yer,
small. He may DE able to tell much of wha
others know, ard this may be of use to him
but what he really has as the result of hi
own thinking, or what he has that will sta,
with him for any length Of tine IS compar
atively little. What he most relies upon 10
assistance in the duties OF life is his wei
trained powers of mind. If his nemor,
only is trained hc mas but little to aid him
|
judgment and reasoning have been strength
cned by orderly exercise he has in his de
veioped overs constant assistance in what
ever lie undertakes. Indeed. the differenc
between an educated and an uneducate
person is seen more in the difference q
mental development; thun in the iiierenc
of amount Of knowledge possessed.
But the powers of the mind to be devel
oped include the sensihi!it;cs and will as wei
as the powers oF the intellect. The usefunes
of the man, for which his early educato
prepares him, depends fully rs much upo
his desires and purposes rs upon th
thought employed III carrying them int
effect. 1t is important, therefore, that thcr
be harmonious development of all tb
pow crs of the ch!ld if il is to he truly cdu
Gated To attain these Objects cf education
the wise teacher acquains himself with tn
7 process Of mental growth and development
which has been deiuccd from much obser
vatiOn and experience, ard which serve as
guide for him in his difficult work.