The Washington times., 1895-06-19

portunities. should she fail to make the teach
ing of history an easy and delightful task
in this Capital City.
The work begun in the home is supple
mented in the lower grades by considerable
definite oral teaching. Tfis consists chiefly
at first in the use of TOPICS suggested by his
toric location met within the study OF nome
geography; then the national anniversaries
and public events before alluded TO are seized
upon as favorable themes for school room
talks, readings or compositions.
On bright winter afternoons the west
ern terrace of the Capitol may frequently
be found peopled by animated groups of
from thirty TO fifty children engaged in
studying in an elementary way the physl-
cal features of that charming panorama
which spreads out within the slopes OF
the Potomac valley, in whose lowest
food-plain lies a large part of the city
of Washington. Pupils of the third or
fourth year, finding that their desired
object lesson is too big to be brought
into the schoOlroom, have left their books
and come here TO study real outdoor geog-
raphy This terrace view is faVoflte
resort for teachers from all parts of the
city, and the lesson, if properly conducted,
furnishes the pupils with their first ideas
OF geography in the concrete.
During the hour spent on this eminence
they are led TO see q hundred familiar
things in nature. whose forms now De
come invested with fresh meaning.
noble river has through centuries OF effort
carved its way through rocky heights,
and now lies placid at their feet, SEEM
ing to hesitate a moment before taking
its broad sweep TO the southwark. Plain,
channel slope watershed and other terms
that have hitherto had for them doubt
ful meaning. now find their appropriate
embodiment in the scene before them.
But the teacher is not long in discover
ing that, after all. the most conspicuous
| feature of the whole landscape is not
any single natural object, but that majes-
tic shaft which rises abruptly from the
waters edge and dominates the scene
| the Washington Monument; while far
I'D on the highest hillside opposite glares
| the white front of Arlington. The works
| of man thus triumph over nature. HIS
| tory refuses to be divorced from geog-
| raphy, and the story of the valley of the
Potomac cannot go on until tue story OF
| washington has been told.
The real work begins in the fifth school
wear in which brief, yet comprehensive,
course of reading is provided. The course
| of study on this point contains the fol-
| lowing Dertinent suggestions by the Sup
eriutendent. Read much for better un-
| derstanding: talk much for expression
and for better understanding; preserve i'll
all a connected outline of general facts
from the invasion of Britain by the SaXons
| to the present time. The pupilshould have
beside his regular reading book, access to
Yonge s History of England, Dickens Young
Folks History of England, Phillips His
| toricaI Readers, Hawthorne's True Stories
| of History and Geography, FiSke's Wash
| iugton and his Country, and Longfellow S
| Hiawatha and Miles Standish.'
An almost daily exercise is the repro
| duction in brief paragraph in writing
of a single historical fact, or a hort btog-
raphy. in which not only accuracy, of
st atenent but absolute instruct
ure. spelling and punctuation are sought.
This perfection is of course seldom at
| tanned The pupils are encouraged, also
to illustrate those paragraphs by pen
Gil sketches The results are crude yet
are almost always of4value as aids to ex-
| preston.
| The work of the sixth school year is
much more detailed, covering the four
periods of discoveries, settlements, col
onization and the Revolution.
| The Superintendent here says: ut is
| important that the children be led to an
| intelligent study of the life of these pc
RODS, of the men who best represent them
and of the geography necessary to good
understanding of the history. This geog-
raphy yshould be nadeas graphic aspossible.
All reading and study should be done with
| the maps at hand, forreadyreference. Much
] outside reading iseXpected. Many incidents
| of interest will be noted. Much detail viii
be read and talked about in class. The
teacher must see that these are properly
associated by the child, not only respecting
time and locality and results, but also
respecting their Importance.
1.-The colonial settlements should be
grouped, so that their relations to each
other in their early development may be
underst ood. Study the growth of the
colonies. Study how their prosperity wac
affected by legislation, the character of
/ the settlers, the Indian wars and the colonial
| wars. Learn what each nationality con-
| trbuted to the country. Study life in
| the colonies with reference to education,
| industries, commerce, literature and re-
ligion. Few details OF the colonial wars
| should be learned, except those of the
| French and Indian war, that resulted in
| fixing boundaries and other localities that
have permanent geographic Importance.
1.-THE work upon the Revolution may be