The Globe-republican., 1895-02-15
Child-stuay a Basis Of Education.

Chfld-Study . Basis Of Education.
paper read before the Ford County Teacher
Association BY DR.. s. J. Crumbine.
The subject which your County
Superintendent has requested me to
present to you for discussion, is ont
of the most important and interest
ing as we'll as difficult of solution Of
the many questions which confront
the thinkers and educators of to day:
important because its conclusions
must define the relation of the pupil
or child to the teacher or parent;
interesting, because Of the wide,
range that is open for original in
vestigation, and the depth of thought
and care in judgment necessary fol
attaining the correct conclusions OF
results of experimentation, and diff
cult because this line of work is COM
paratively new and long period, OF
time, abundant material, and un-
tagging zeal are necessary for the
work of original investigation. We
cap, however, learn much that has
been done along this line, by pains
taking hunt, for literature giving the
result of the experiments of others,
what I may have to present to
you will be largely quoted from
investigators upon whose judgment
we can rely.
take it for granted that it is the
earnest desire of all true teachers to
make a success of the noble work in
which they are engaged, that their
ideal is something higher than sim
ply putting in SO much time, as a
consideration for so much wages,
that you love to see the child grow in
knowledge and wisdom, in symetrical
physical development and in very
high plane of moral and spiritual
culture.
This then must be your study, how
to best bring about this high ideal
that the boy or girl may grow into
perfect manhood or womanhood.
Let us divide as intimated there
fore our study into 3 grand divisions,
namely the mental, moral and physi
cal. It must be evident in the start
that such a study must be individual
that each pupil be analysed sepa-
ately. AS the general average of a
class as to mental, moral, or physical
conditions does not in ally degree
represent the individuals of that
class, as it is the two extremes that
make the average, besides, we are
taught thai no two people are exactly
alike, not even when in the same
family when from the same blood and
surrounded by the same environ
ments. Therefore an average cannot
be made to apply to an individual in
enumerating his mental, physical or
moral make up, nor can the same
methods be successfully used in
directing them. Our remarks in the
main will apply to young children, as
time and space will not permit to
subdivide the classes into the various
ages of the school period.
At the beginning of the school
year purchase blank book, large
enough to give page to each of your
pupils. Enter their names in index
giving their number of page, then
their name in full, age and residence,
height, weight, color of hair and eyes
and general physical appearance,
whether good, fair, or poor. and q
space for your first dizision-the
mental.
From the comprehensive study of
Mrs. Shaw of Boston, the following
results were obtained by careful
questioning Of large number of 6
year old children: IA per cent had
never seen the stars and had no idea
about them; IS per cent had never
been into the country; 20 per cent
did not know that milk came from
COWS; IS per cent did not know that
wooden things came from trees; -
per cent did not know the colors
green, blue and yellow by name; AZ