Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-08-18

NulNtN ANlA IlNNINlAf "AH NV 'H
who confines himi,l' o. the matter Of
| the text book has none " the elements
q = high grade teacher
Here In the West 10 might not he
wise 10 choose the famo iacts Tor Illus
tfation a. In the East 10 might not
be Wise TO emphatic the came class
Of events, or the same Iuties, and no
one can tell you exactly what you
should do or leave undOne. The hrsi
VI set Of rules or cauUus ! shall give
you 10 thit: Tho amount Of time de-
voted TO thls subject most hfst 30 c2u-
sidereJ.
Tbs age and mental maturity should
govern thu choice oi subject
think the teachers u history
should begin low down Ina the
grades In the form OF Il rios, tales, o.c.,
a. IL taught In the German schools.
AZ we advance In grades the facts may
ho made more general, and subjects
more abstract
U) Men and women aud particulars
concerning them; then We progress 10
such thi ~ 40 the Declaration Of indt.
pendence, tho Constitution, etc, deal.
ing less with men a. individuals, than
with their concerns ~ a multitude. The
more you can present Ia the form Of
good vefse, the better. The Thythmical
measure will attach itself " the mind,
but the subleuis eau progress from the
concrete TO the abstract, anu from the
personal or Incident, 10 vast Interests.
~ "Tho facts must be character.
istio." By this mean " you speak Of
a man you must speak Of Characteristic
facts, aud 20 oia city. Each Of W. DO
things that thousands u Others
have done, but which do
not mark us ~ special personalities.
IL you Intended TO writing history OF
Provo, you would grasp tho Things Ia
which ihu city anu hor people differ
from other people And cities. By char.
HctuTistic | 10 not msan green and
tedate thoughts altogether Somstlmes
n comic incident 10 peculiarly Illus.
tfAiive Of character. The chosen fac,
In the history Of General Marlon's
campaign,and without which II would
10 Incomplete, where he invited
British officer 10 oat diDnoT with him,
shows this truth. when the roasted
potatoes we're placed on the log that
served for table, with chips for platcs,
theofiloer fealiE a tho dAuutless hero.
ism, the sublime conviction that lay
behind such privalions, ~ chapters u
stately Ofatoty could never have r..
veAled II 10 him. And 10 does the
reader OF the history realize II. Often
a bit Of Incident, well chosen story,
will make the reader better acquainted
with tue person or subject than chap.
tefs u labofious description filled with
cart loads OF valuable facts, but lacking
life.
Facts alone do not make history.
III
must he put 10 TACT and properly
the bones OF tue human body
would not be a skeleton unless bone
was put " tone, AMI all In their proper
places. This IL the trouble with some
Of cur teaching. We drill our students
Ia facts, but fail 10 organize them In a
related system 20 that they are avail.
able 10 the student. Isolated facts are
the raw material. Sugar bcels are raw
material until run through this factory.
| Facts are no more education than pile
OF lumber isA desk or piano. TIE
teacher should organize this raw
material into some desired system, till
they glow with living interest.
Once more. Whenever We talk
about organizing facts, We understand
that they must be organized with refer.
ence 10 some rules,
What arc the rules that prevail In
the organic ,tl0n OF the facts VI history
| Tho cfitofia thAt control the ofgauizl a..
| ton OF historical fact are three in
number; Flsi, time; second, place,
| thirI, CAusation. There are three
questions that can DO asked Of every
fact; When was ~ Where was ~
What caused ~
Tue time l. the idea aud essence Of
history. The idea Of now And then,
and past and present. Time, you may
say, does moi enter into the study Of
geography, but there can be- no proper
stuuy of history without very well
defined idea VI time.
That means dates, you cay. We'll,
yes, hut dAtos mark only \ point IA the
succession OF time and events. Every
day might be noted. How many dates
should We icAoh7 | DOM know, but
DO know that there arc certain dates
around which cluster 90 many i'm.
pOttant events that they should be- kept
la the memory. This Germans are
very exact about this, but / do not
know whether II II forty i've or sixty
three dates they allow, or II they dis
charge teachers for one more or less.
Dont ask such AquestiOn, for II will
show that you don't know what you
are trying to teach; and n any penou
attempts 10 answer such a question II
! demonstrates the fact that he don't
understand the subject,
| Don't teach dates disconnected from
tho fact they commemorate. Some.
times Il IL easier 10 teach
the fact aud the date both,
than one alone. It IL fact
that the plumage Of an eagle adds 10 IL
weight, yet without Il the bird could
not tiUAt 10 ths air.
Oue extreme Of THE date question Il
10 teach too many, and the other e1.
trtms is 10 teach too few. The date
becomes the center Of association.
History sets with two eycs, one back
AMI one forward, Hud the greater Of
these IL the chronology.
The place relation ~ the theGter OF
action. When We tail 10 note the par.
tioular place, We leave history up In
the ali. Eyes, this took place, but no.
where In particular" some things
do not need stress placed upon location.
Tue discovery NJ celestial gfayitAtiou
discovered by Sir Lease Newton does
not hinge ON the exact spot. Geo.
gtaphy shOuld be- taught with its his.
tOrUal facts, aud history with refer,
euoe 10 It's geographical foundation.
OFFICIAL INSTITUTE.
AUGUST II, lS9i-Dsvotlonal sTor-
discs o, e.iI'
All CLASS work being finished, tho
/ aUtIFtt tu.ftfuHa .aaau,kIsI in mann IN