Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1894-11-08
Correspondence.
Teaching.
PENoBscoT, Nov. !, 1885,.

To the Editor of the american:
The object of teaching is two fold-11
to inn art new knowledge, and (2) to in
crease original mertot .r"""r The outer
door to the mind is observation. the inner
door is reason.
In some minds, however, and more es-
pecially in the young, knowledge is &C
eepted on trust, on authority. rather than
by sanction Of the powers OF thought and
reason. Parrot-like, the child has learned
from his teacher or memoriZed from
books a variety of information which lies
upon his mind unassimilated, like an
island upon the sea. Its connection with
all other knowledge is to him absolutely
severed
He mounts this little island OF aecretive
facts. and looks oct on waste OF
waters, or up into blank sky. Il does
not lead his mind to higher heights, or
point to continents beyond.
The child begins to reason early, but 1t
reasons out only the simplest truths.
Memory has the capacity to take in alb
straet facts of which the tender mind ma
no intelligent conception.
But shall we neglect reason in the child
because memory has the power to grasp
and store book knowledge more rapidly
than the mind can comprehend and as
simulate it? W While the mind must neces-
sarily traverse many bjects about which
the most obvious facts only can be fully
explained and understood, yet | think
it mistake for the little reason to be left
IL.
spontaneously into the field OF inquiry.
1t should be felt after and tempted into
the sunlight of truth by inquiry into the
simplest relations and processes Of nat
ural objects of which the child is OBJ
servant.
Sweep through ,..e ends knowledge
OF nature and find out how many things
he can give reason for; exercise his
judgment by lessons in comparison of
weights, dimensions and distances. Under
our routine book -system of education
the child often goes through a whole
course of study-half developed. Often
a y hole plot of intellectual plants Is ieiI
uncultivated
Our system of education should be
more comprehensive. not perhaps in It's
courses of study, but in its study ana
application OF the laws of human deyel-
opment 1t should reach after that
which Is highest. best. and most useful IN
the young. 1t should touch IL practi
cal way those qualities which g 10 make
full man, true man, q ready man. an
exact man, practical man. Bring the
child INTO happy touch "#fth - environ
ment, teach TO see, TO thing. 10 reason
and to feel; make knowledge real Toy
gathering it from tang Die objects.
Wethink the German M .hod OF chi.d
education the true one. 1t lakes the
child into the realms Of ma ure, teaches
it to observe. and 10 gather 40 and nut
in intelligent form the results Of Its OBJ
serystion. There i q tendency among
some teachers to teach TOO much, TO throw
the most possible light upon any subject
in the shortest possible time; ii short, to
cram them, instead OF stimulating the T
powers of mental digestion and assimila-
ton.
They should discourage this over-will-
ingness of the pupil 10 receive full in
struction, at the first hesitatiOn to grasp
subject or problem, We have seen chill
dren from ten to fourteen who hadn't
learned to stand alone, much less to walk
in knowledge. They We're reaching out
continually the hand of the mind for he
teacher-like an infant that as yet had
not learned the use OF It's feet. The best
part OF early education is to teach the
child the use of its powers.
The child should be stimulated to in
tellectuaI triumphs. He should be made
to feel the keen delight which attends
the applause Of personal achievement.
This thirst for rapid advancement, " hich
in many cases is largely cultivated by
the teachers superficial vanity, and
which is simply a process of hauling the
child over the fields OF knowledge, with
little opportunity in his rapid journeying
to gather much by the wayside, Is simply
faulty and pernicious notion of the
teachers function. 1t cultivates, il it
does not originate, habit which tingas
the chl!d's character and affects ms
whole life; it tends to develop r genera
ton of Wegklings ana mental p1Cpers.
the child should be taught TO grow more
and more dependent upon his own con-
captions and reasoning, ard ig~- de-
pendent upon hi teachers, until he
develops into the sels-thiuking and self
educating being.
lie should learn 10 have confidence in
his abilities a confidence which arises
from a consciousness o. personal victories
in the field OF investigation. lie should