The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-03-19
HISTORY RECrrATIONS.

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HISTORY REGULATIONS.
A Paper Read by W. r. Hintsr at the
Teachers Meeting.
History is easily taught, therefore,
not necessarily but 40 matter of fact,
poorly taught. To get the best re-
suits in teaching any branch there are
some essential conditions to be filed.
A brief consideration of the main re-
suits for successfully teaching History
il the intended scope of this paper.
First Of all, and without which the
highest success cannot be attained is
this condition. A teacher should know
what he teaches. It at Grst may seem
very useless to mention such an axi-
matte statement as the above, but
from some observation and my own
experience I know this most necessary
condition to be not infrequently ig-
nored to some extent by teachers.
say we must know what We teach.
What is it to know lesson? You
may be able to answer any question
put to You from your text book, and
yet not know the lesson; you may
have it perfectly memorized and yet
not know il. It is one thing 10 be
able to recite lesson and quite
another to be able to teach it. In the
first case to have memorized the lesson
is sufficient; in the latter, something
additional is needed. That something
is the separating, grouping and ar
ranging into connected series; in
other words the disestins the ides. Of
the lesson. To know q lesson then,
we must carefully read it, and COM
pare and classify the ideas in it, and
assimulate the knowledge by viewing
it in comparison with our present
knowledge and placing it in its proper
group or series. In other words 3
practical knowledge.
Second, In teaching History we
shall not be confined in our knowledge
to what one text book tells. In that
case the bright boy knows as much as
we do. 4 teacher should know more
than he tries to teach, for in no recita-
ton can he teach as much as he knows,
however small that may be. If he
knows only what one History tells
then he cannot possibly teach that
muck. The teacher must 60 before,
his pupil, and not beside or behind.
Every one should have at least two
different Histories Of the United States;
should keep one for parellel reading,
for greater detail and for Illustration.
And what interest and eagerness it
creates when we can continually add
interesting anecdotes, new stories and
Civ. life-like pictures of what our
textbook scarcely alludes to. If
teaching Barnes United States His
tory what rich stories we can find, in
Montgomery's with which to illustrate
snd expand the meagre stories in
Barnes, or what quantity of brand
new things We can get from one His
tory that add 100 fold to tho interest
and zeal of tho class.
Third, We know the lesson. Now
how teach it? Before getting to the
recitation proper, few words about
History in general, for knowing His
tory is different thing from knowing
mathematics or grammar. What is
History? say, a chain Of ercnts. A
chain, then there is connection rum
ming throughout. To show this CEN
nection, sequence, cause and effect Is
the prime object Of the study of His
tory. Let me illustrate. To properly
appreciate why France favored and
aided the United Colonies in 1776 We
must 60 back to the bitter rivalry be-
tween France and England engendered
by the French and Indian war, and
further still to their old territory dis
putes, even back TO the History Of
France and England themselves, where
we find them extremely jealous Of
each other, each willing to do any
thing to humilists its rival. This
same rivalry explains why France sold
what is included in Louisiana pur-
chase to US at such q bargain, lest it
should fall into the hands Of England,
her rival.
Again Jacksen's Bank Policy caused |
the great financial panic in Van Bu-
ren's Administration Without 81 brief |
History of United States Bank, its
being chartered, the expiration of that |
charter and failure Of Congress to re-
new it, the cause Of this crisis cannot
intelligently be grasped. Then failure
to emphasize this connection and 10 |
trace it from its beginning is where
one great mistake in teaching History |
is made.
We are not teaching disconnected |
isolated facts. How hard History |
would be if we were! AS it is some
times taught, it would be as we'll to
have one lesson on the Mexican war,
the next on Grants Administration,
and then one on QUEEN AIMS Var,
for this vital point of connection is
entirely ignored.
The error Of the above method is ap-
parent, when, We regard History in a
proper light, that is as chain Of
events and Is indeed very like q. chain
Of iron. It is composed of links, each
ink is closely joined to another, and
loon to the end Of the chain. How
difficult to carry chain if each link is