Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-01-02

up tue bIOrlcS IudI were 30 ltfclnhliuB.
lie complied, however, with the teach
er's request, and read the poetry, Next
the teacher placed before, him Ivan
hoe. - 1.-THE thought, he says, "of
| reading such Il large book as Iyanhoe'
was frightful, but when | had read
these few pages which you selected, |
wanted then to read tho whole book. =
From those more exciting scenes which |
he seemed to crave, he was led, little |
by little, to read selections from stand |
ard historians and books of travel. The |
! entire account of his awakening is full |
| OF interest and the good he himself is
doing is far reaching He adds that
he owes his situation, in an important
| manufacturing firm, to this awakening,
1t is time to touch upon some of the
objections most likely 10 he mot with,
as, for example, the doubt expressed as
to the relation of work of this nature
to the prescribed school curriculum
the extreme materalstic view, always
TO be reckoned with, and the limited
time at the disposal of the teacher for
any purpose. Not only has it beon tho
aim of Mr. Sawin to make these exer-
cises grow naturally out of the school
curriculum, in every instances but the
avenues, says Mr. Scudder, ito d
child's imagination and love Of beauty
are more in number than our experience
can count" One such avenue is the
study of geography. Another is the
study of history, Another is the
school reader" text.hoo though it
is which, to quote Mr., Sawin, fur
nishes good examples in variety, Of
the best prose and poetry, - and forms
"a fair basis for instilling love for
the masterpieces Of iterature''- ''--and of
making skllful transition to the
wholes of which the extracts are
part.
While it is truo that Mr.. Sawirs'
aim has been to link the reading above
referred to with tho school icurriculum
so far as possible, he has by no means
aimed to have the child's interest stop
with the textbook; and il any one
should take the ground that the text
book, and nothing but tile textbook,
must engage the attentionpf the pupil,
then this teacher must certninly plead
guilty to not conforming to this stand
ard.
As regards the question Of time. Mr..
Sawin occupies a strikingly unassail
able position when he puts the neces-
sity for these measures on the broad
ground that reading Of some kind on
the part of the pupil is negotiable, and
that 1T is simply a question whether
the teacher shall use the unequallod
opportunity in his hands, for diverting
the stream of reading into the channels
of the best literature or not. The at.
titutle Of such a school as this toward
tho daily newspaper is typical in this
respect; and when it is remembered
how great cause of perpleXity the
newspaper has formed in relation to
the reading of the children in house
hold, one cannot too much admire the
practical sagacity of the plan pursued
in connection with the exercises on
current events Criticism invariably
, follows the presentation of any ma
! terials under this head which are to
! be described as scandal, - "gossip, :"
| personalities, - ''chaif," or rub
/ bish. " THE time Of the child being
} limited, he naturally learns to devote
. mis- moments of newspaper perusal to
, those items only which are sure of a
welcome reception at the school. Sell
Q dom, indeed, has the principle of par
8 simony, heon more intelligenty di-
$ Iected than in this instance;'' and
a this is equally true of the course which
g the children's reading follows in the
= matter of books. They approach the
e schools influence in large number of
O instances with strong interest in
n nickel stories" and the like and
$ under the influence of measures like
9 these are found not merely reading but
Q acquiring the taste for reading sueh
g works as Scott's Marmion' Frank
Inns Autobiography Parkman' 3
IS Montcalm and Wolfe" John Bur
p ruughs' Winter Sunshine' DIR. John
+ Browns 'Rab and His Friends'' and
r Icnnyson's "Idyls Of the King
J. Some Of the methods Of teacher
q like Mr.. Sawin are Of noteworthy in
/ terest and leave no room for wonder
when We find that they have proved
n most inspiring to those Of his pupils
;e who during this long period of time
T. have themselves become teachers and
h from tho starting point Of their own
n Individuality arc reproducing tho re.
n suits in their teaching, One peculiarly
,r interesting instance is that pf Young
|. girl who had had assigned 10 her foI
m recitation selection from William
!. Ware s Icnohia" book Of which Il
ye is pleasant to record that in my lihrar,
ar at least il has never yet fallen into al
10 undisturbed repose ON tho shelves
s. Several times in succession she return
s. ed il To her teacher assuring him thai
ir there was nothing in il which appealed
,e to her interest and asking thar some
Iv thing different be given her. Th,
y teachers insight into the "capabil
nf tles' of this short extract took thi
al unusual direction. Standing ut tn
er blackboard with his back To the pupi
= he said TO her: Imagine that am
m painter, and that you are to give M
l. the necessary details for reproduain,
70 Zenobia's portrait, drawn from Mr.
or Wares language before you. Ho;
,h shall | represent herr OF what height
Of or digniiicd bearing, or not? Ho,
,h dressed! When speaking, is her bod
of at rest or in motionT What about he
rs countapancny' In the act Of anawei
an ing questions like these, the coating &
n unattlaGtivcncas which this eXtrac
re had hitherto had for the pupil wa
r completely broken through, with til
g, result not only of an enthusiastic al
IL probation Of this one selection on he
ar part, but of the opening of her eye
" intellectually to what is vivid and in
n cisre in literature in general.
tal 1t is characteristics of Mr.. Gawin'
ce intelligent procedure that he ba
,ls moved gradually in the extension {
n, these methods to all the school grades
,e- 50 completely have they pcrmeated til
n upper grades that for years II has bee
ne tho exceedingly rare exception, qathc
ng than the rule, TO lind any pupil Will
%. out a public library card, although III
,re applying for such card is who'll
a. voluntary. The last few years hay
nc Witnessed an effort To extend tines
IL same influences to the lower grades ,