The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1896-12-05
Non-seientiile Teaching.

ters OF the alphabet successfully /
with the blade of a knife and de- |
mahded the name was fair type |
of the scientific teacher in her day
-=and her day is by no means over.
DR.. Gregory used to tell of teach
er who would point to the first let
ter and ask, whats that, "a y?
And SO of the rest. The reason
Ichabod Crane made Washington
Irving smile was because he was so
unscientific that he became ridicu-
lous; it was not because he taught
in poor log schoolhouse.
Let us put bicycle into the
hands of man of scientific tenden-
cies and observe the way he regards
it. He looks at it as piece of
mechanism fitted for certain pur-
pose; it must be light, and so the
frame work is of hollow tubes; it
must pass over inequalities, with
out shaking or Earring the rider,
and so it has an elastic footing.
and so of its other features. It's
fitness for the great end of rapid
and easy movement will be COM
pretended by a person of philo-
sophie mind, and he will ride 1t in
the spirit of this comprehension.
He comprehends that it needs lu-
IRRIGATION, protection from oxida-
ton, and in general, a treatment
and usage anticipated by its ma
Children are far more wonder
fully made than bycicles; they are
planned for lives of happiness, USE
fulness, and possibly grandeur even
here. At all events they are far
more obedient to the laws of the
Creator than adults; this is the
testimony of Jesus. There are
plenty of reasons why adults un-
derestimate children, or have done
so; they need not be here stated.
Not only in their homes but in
the school rooms this underesti-
m alton has gone on, and is going
Mr.. Page speaks of certain teach
ers who look at their pupils as jugs
to be filled. "Have you got your
tables? Have you studied your
spelling lesson over ten times2-
Have you learned what is justifica-
tion2 Can you say the 'sixes9
Have done your sums? Can you
say the chief towns, rivers and pro-
ducts of Ohio? Can you give the
date of the entrance Of the Goths
into Rome2 Well, then, you may
Froebel is the nearest to us of the
educational masters; he died in
the present half of this century,
He became master of looking at
children philosophically. He OBJ
served the fact that children play
ed and said, why? Nor did he
stop until he got satisfactory an
swer, and being a practical man
far beyond those who claim they
are practical because they don't
think at all and only set lessons
and hear them he sought to find
ways of utilizing play; of getting
more out of it than the child did.
The philosopher sees the child
rub the glass and get a spark of
electricity; he ponders on the
matter and finds there is power in
it. 1t was so in the case of Froe-
bel. He set himself to study chill
dren; the feature of play caught
his attention; he followed that up,
and the kindergarten is the re-
suit. Thousands now are using
certain selected plays and songs;
of course, the results they get are
partial and unsatisfactory.
Froebel was the pupil of Pesta-
lozzi it is not at all likely that he
would have made his discoveries if
he had not been under the inhu-
ence of the great Swiss teacher
there was enough fire in Pestalozzi
to light all the torches that were
brought to him; in fact, the won
derful thing about Pestolozzi is not
that he discovered so much, but
that he set SO many on the track
of discovery. The great thing in
this man was that he studied the
child.
The fault in all schools-a few
only excepted-is that the teacher
does not philosophlze or proceed
scientifically. He will say in re-
ply, 81 must teach them to read,
spell, and compute, and have no
time to philosophize," or he may
say, 'If | should philosophize
could produce no better results
it is practical business ! am in
/ have to teach them to read, write
and compute" But the philoso-
phizing of Pestalozzi brought
crowds to his school to see his re-
suits; and, in fact, the man was
very poor philosopher; the same