The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-11-27
Natural Philosophy.

oives me a broad range. as Natural Philosophy
Is not necessarily confined to physics; SO l
raise the standard of our graded schools2"
/ have no doubt but you think this is
strange text. have been attending teachers
meetings-local, state and national-for 40
years, and the burden OF the song has always
been, "How shall we raise the STANDARD OF
our country ungraded schoolsf" When look
into the faces OF the teachers of Burlington
county, especially those who are 40 years OLD
and past, and ask them the question, "Where
did you receive the principal part OF your
education7 your answer Will be; al Inc
ungraded school,"
instruction is, there is too much So-called
teaching by the teacher, and not enough
studying, and particularly thinking, by the
great number of classes, the teacher IS com
peleu to let his pupils do something without
his assistance. and the pupil that Is leIt 10 ms
own resources, and digs out knowledge OF
the subject at hand, is the one who makes his
mark in the world. l need not Illustrate py
examples They are familiar to you all.
Again, the classes in the ungraded school
are so much smaller that the teacher can I'M
press his own individuality upon each pupil
much better than he can in the larger classes
OF the graded school. At least can say, IN
my humble opinion, that looking back after an
experience of nearly 40 years in the school
room, my greatest success was In the I'M
graded school.
Now il may be true and think it has much
to do with it, that the ungraded school IS
generally located in the country ana small
villages and many of the pupils come from
touch with nature, with their powers OF OBJ
servatfon wonderfully increased, and their
ability TO work and study is much greater
than that found among the pupils of the cities
and towns. History shows us that many OF
our most noted men had but little II any IN
struction except what they obtained from the
ungraded school and even then did their
studying without much assistance from the
teacher II may be possible thatour students
from the graded schools have become so
much better educated that they have more
sense than to engage in the business or pro
fessiOn OF teaching-tnat great s1necure from
which no millionaries ever came.
From this standpoint the more perfectly,
school is graded the worse II becomes, as Ihe
teachers feel they must be doing something
all the time, or else there is no progress, 50
they keep their pupils on the jump from class
to class and from study to study, until there
seems to be no limit to the subjects taught,
while the studying If done at all is left to be
done at home under the supervision OF their
school daily, loaded down with books, re-
sembling a great caravan OF camels crossing
the desert
our highly graded schools, each endowed by
nature with his own peculiar characterlstics
and passing along like spools through
factory and leaving at last labelled after one
pattern, having lost IN the great process OF
education very much of his indiylduanty. !,
Are we fully satisfied with the results2
leave you to answer. What is the remedy ?
Much fewer pupils to the teacher, less grading
smaller classes, less routine and last, but not
by any means the least, less teaching.
"Ohr' You say, "this is rank heresy." Let
IL be so denOminated. intended this 10 SUR
up opposition, for when we arouse opposition,
interest is excited and study and Investigation
follow. But hold! "Where am at2n Shall
we teach Philosophy or Science in our com
mon schools? NAV not our unframed teach
ers make some mistakes in teaching those
great subjects7 Mistakes, did | say2 Look
back over the history of the world, and ask II
there have been any mistakes made. need
not even attempt TO enumerate them, hence
say teach Physics, teach anything, SO that you
arouse in The minds OF your pupils desire 70
know, and then study and learn from the
great book or nature itself.
But, let us come to the subject, Physics. ON
| see tine smile, or rather the look OF consterna-
ton, fit across your countenances when
you think ii it takes this long tor him TO reach
the subject, how long will it take him to leave
What little Natural Philosophy, so called
that ever studied while school boy, taught
that light, heat, electricity etc, were material
substances. But to-day they are admitted by
all TO be only the results OF vibrations. Yes,
all substances, even the world itself. with the
whole universe thrown In, with man as the
Keystone OF the great arch, is the result OF
breathed forth by the great Creator
To show the necessity OF teaching this sub
| ject let me illustrate by my early efforts in
| Porosity was first brought to my attention
when l was a ten-year-old boy, by hearing
the remark about the sweating OF the pitcher.
| Now / knew what sweating meant, and 1t was
| with much interest that l examined the
pitcher carefully, holding 1t up t. the light,
| yet l could see no pores or holes for the
| water 10 pass through. Then my mind was
ready to receive instruction about moisture
in the atmosphere-tog, dew and ram, and
| saw a stream OF water rolling down the run
! that had been dry for weeks, and as the sun,
| looking like q great ball of fire, sank beneath
the western horizon. hurried home to report
! the strange phenomena. Before twenJy-four
| hours had rolled by the great drought was
| broken, copious showers brought back to the
earth its wonted verdure. How easy, then, it
\ would have been to teach me why the stream
started before the rain fell.
- lrfnn xpla
experience with moasses candy, and when l
came TO study the subject, was able to I'M
derstand the great cables that support the
| immense bridges of to-day.
Impenetrability seemed to me as sort OF
paradox. Why. l knew could drive ,v sla,I nal al
larger, hence two things did occupy the same
space at the same time With glass of water
| before the school, with a little care In oil
ing the edge, you can put into it handful OF
| nails, pennies, etc, until the country child
with his bright eyes, IL he be there, sees that
| YOU have heaped the water, and the mystery
| is solved. Did you ever examine live boy 9
pocket and then believe in impenetrability :
! There is nothing strange to child about the
| bounding OF q ball, but when solid piece OF
marble or ivory is shown to bound still high
or, then he is ready 10 think about elasticity
| BrittIeness, also. was brought strikingly to
my attention when, by carelessness, broke q
window or looxing-glass, and BY an indulgent
parent was taught 70 sing anc dance even II
ont of tune, instead OF being taught that
other things are as easily broken as the Ten
Commandments.
force inertia and momentum were impressed
upon my mind when my brother with rine
resting upon the fence, tried to knock block,
six inches square and one inch thick, off of II
most a short distance away. Our joy at his
failure turned TO great sbof tha hnIeT
passed through the block, yet1t remained rest
ing upon the post.
While standing in wagon, as 1 saw the
driver doing, without holding to the standard,
the horses suddenly started ana got out at
once-to pick up my hat of course and while
rtding down "a hill In the old sleigh that father
had lust repaired ana standing up, swinging
my hat, ana rejoicing that my brother was
the horse he suddenly stopped. l went ON
over the dash to inquire into the cause OF his
hating The philosophy of this 1 learned
later when father called us TO account Tor
cutting such dash.
The composition and resolution OF forces
first attracted my attention when, crossing
the Delaware in search OF the "Markets OF the
Worldn or trying TO supply our own, 1 saw
two ships sailing In opposite directions, driven
by the same wind and at the same time. This
act me TO thin king and when saw some rag
; ged urchins near the market house, with a
little piece OF paper, a stiek ana a stIing' ny
With plenty OF paper, sticks, paste and
strings all of the best, and with much labor, |
was ready to astonish the small boys. With
my Younger brother as an assistant and SIX
acre lot as the field of our operations; we
worked faithfully Tor four long hours, leaving
no stone unturned and scarcely any part OF
= that field untrodden. We succeeded in get
ting that kite fully ten feet high, and that was
when held it up on the top of the fence.
There was too much tail ornot enough. The
composition or resolution of forces did not
seem TO work, and from that day TO this
have not been u success as "A kite dyer, bare
, ly escaped being Franklin, because he, with
his son, flew kite and caught the lightning,
while L with my brother tried to fly kite,
and came very near catching thunder when
my father found so few weeds laid low. Now,
. had had IA little instruction from my teachers
: al school, Tshonld have escaped and you also.
"This IS not Physics OH cast Physics 20
| the dogs That subject Is too big for me.
! NV knowledge Of circular motion was OBJ
tanned AZ the same time became acquainted
with friction--at the grind stone the corn
shelter and with the sling-shot.
But we have discovered that the centripetal
and centrifugal forces after all our laborsi
have proved to be myths.
Mr. Chairman, isn't thunder ana lightning
treated upon in Natural Philosophy.
You seem to be thunderstruck that
, should use sueh expressions but We're any