The Washington times., 1895-06-19


IN administering the work of the primary
school a continuous knowledge Of the
strprrth of the child is held TO be abso-
Iutely necessary. To secure this the
teachers are urged not only TO study their
chHfren in tie school room, but TO learn
Of theF4-hume surroundings and other in
nuenccs to which they are subjected, that
they may at all times deal wisely with
them. The questions OF the child's ability
10 do, Of bis strength. of The kind of
work and ccgree OF selected KIND best
adapted TO his present conditions, that he
may make healthy growth, are constantly
urged upon teachers,
An intelligent answer to these ques-
tious which must in effect be repeated by
the teacher every day and answered, leads
first TO the supplying OF individual needs,
the most important requirement OF teach
ing young children. aGdsecoud tothe rational
grouping OF those having like orcorrespond-
iuC abilities for work, development and re-
ccpton, which economies the work OF
The teacher in teaching masses Of children
without sacrificing too much the individual
rights of any child.
The children are not set at work doing
or Receiving for the purpose OF completing
the course OF instruction, or any part OF
it, but are carefully drilled in natural in
YestIg alton, led To exercise naturally
their desires for doing, that they may in
crease in strength, IN power 10 do, en-
large their views, ard add 10 the stores
OF knowledge, beginnings of which have al
ready been made Thus the teacher has
not III mind the working out Of prescribed
course. and is not embarrassed with the
desire 10 complete, or the fear that il may
rot be finished.
The work prescribed to be done for the
acquisition of strength lies first along
those lines OF phenomena in which the
interest of the child already exists or may
be easily secured or implanted, lines OF
systematiZed knowledge OF the natural
world OF which the child himself forms a
part In these lines uf knowledge the
child has already, as before indicated,
in most instances had much activity.
il is the purpose of the school TO direct
this activity which has been most natural
and healthful so that it may be purposeful,
leading by slow degrees to an appreciation
of its values and TO a consideration of the
importance Of system and yet TO preserve
it's naturalness and its healthfulness.
The second broad and important effort
of the teacher is TO train the child iB the
expression Of the knowledge he acquires.
thus giving him strength in the use Of
the idiom Of his native tongue. The child
has been active in this field of education
before entering the sChoolrOOm, but his
work hitherto has been desultory. al
though the results are marvellous. He has
expressed his thoughts by means OF ms
vocabulary, but has never been led TO see
the relation OF the one to the other, the
nice fitting OF the parts OF the one 10 the
delicate requirements OF the other. He
must now begin TO learn that language Is
an instrument in his hands for the repre-
sentatiOn Of acquired thought in its exact
relations aud in its nicety Of possession
In the further application OF this line oi
work il becomes necessary to represent
IN graphic terms what is learned.
Thus the children learn 10y sight theii
expressions and learn TO write them They
represent their ideas ~ form and position
through clay. stick laying, paper folding
dra wing, and OF color by means OF The
brush Thus are the formal requirement.
of the school by Ociety taught as lt were al
most incidentally. ThHsareread ding, spelling
peumansIlip taught in the must natuTa
manner and with the least expenditure o
vital fBrce. both on the part OF pupil anc
teacher From these beginnings proceed
the various lines OF the course OF instruction
a prescribed by the authorities. multi
fariolis in the variety Of their significance