Graham guardian., 1895-12-06
EARLY EDUCATIONAL REFORM
ERS.
An Address Delivered Before the Teach.
ers Institute of Graham County, By
John McGowan.

IiOh III NOSuO 'hlOuSlOuI UhC SlNll-
lied world was the same as that
which obtains in China and other
parts Of the far east to this day.
That system consists in COM
mitting to memory dates, words
and even long extracts from writ
ings, and then reciting them, word
for word, without any referance to
the meaning much less to the
nature sand relation Of the
things mentioned. 1t is clear that
such exercises develop the memory
only to the hurtful neglect of all
the other mental faculties without
question or doubt. The motto
now is, "weigh and consider, then
say, in your own words, whether
you deem the matter true or false,
right or wrong" At present we
ask not only, is it true? But more
emphatically, is it right? Can l
do this act, pursue this line of con-
duct with credit to myself, with
justice to my neighbor and my
country? We also believe now
that sound strong body is indis-
pensible to happy useful life.
Therefore the ideal education re-
quires the harmonious develop
ment of the physical, mental and
moral faculties.
1t appears then if foregoing sketch
is true, that the past few centuries
have seen a radical change wrought
in science and art ofeducation. And
this morning | purpose to men
ton a few of the most distinguish
ed captains and pioneers Of the
grand army of educational reform
ers and also of the good seed that
each scattered, or nurtured up to
the present abundant harvest.
1t is agreed on all hands that
Francis Bacon, commonly known
as Lord Bacon, was the first con,
structive educational reformer, the
father of the New Education
Mere destructionists like Rabelais
preceded Bacon, but they sought
only to scuttle the ancient hulk
without offering any thing better
in its stead. Bacon also condem
ed the old bottom, but he at once
showed men how to build ship
that would safely carry them
through the tempests and fogs o.
controversy, sophlstry, cupidily
and superstition into the haven o
truth. Francis Bacon was borr
in London in 1861, and dice
there in 1926. He thus livec
IN the Elizabethan age, a perlot
distinguished above all othel
periods of English history fol
famous authors who wrote i'm
mortal works. For it was in tina
period that William Shakespear,
wrote Hamlet, Macbeth, OthellC
and his other great dramas; tina
Edmund Spencer wrote the Farey
Queen; that Ben Johnson and Beau
mont and Fletcher lined and wrote
During that time Sir Waite
Raleigh, himself brilliant wit anC
writer, sent colonies to what i
now our south eastern states, anC
named Virginia in honor of Eliz
abeth, the Virgin Queen of Eng
land.
Bacon was a precocious chile
and apt pupil. He entered the uni
versity of Cambridge at the age o
twelve; but being dissatisfied will
the method and subjects pursued
there he stayed only three year
and afterward taught himself, ex
cepting only what instructions h
{ got at the court which he at
tended.
Bacon was one of the profound
est lawyers that has ever lived,
great orator and mastery essayis
on a vast variety of subjects
familiar and obstruse. But he wa
most distinguished as a philoso
pher. He never taught school, bu
in his writings he showed how mel
may best-teaaehh- themselves-hoy
/ the race has acquired its stock o
real knowledge, that is by actua
experience. Of course he was no
satisfied with casual haphazard ex
perienec, this does not go ia
enough, he wanted careful, exhaus
tive observation and experiment
classifying or grouping togethe
things of the same kind, and thel
; marking the things by suitabl
: label, that is a common name o
l noun. He said this is the way t.
+ deal with new subjects and he re
, quired that every opinion held b,
men be subjected to the most ex
haustive analysis and comparison
He says: "When a man has one
made over its judgment to other
keeping, and agreed to suppor
opinions without first ascertainin
whether such opinions square wit
facts, from that time he is tn
docile follower of the blind, or tn
t dupc of selfish cunning"
All this is quite common now
but it was unknown till Baco
wrote. For several hundred year
: before Bacon's time, the scholars @
t Europe, denned up in monasterie'