The San Francisco call., 1896-09-27

Eyeglasses may look intellectual, but
they are no sign of intellect. They are
the sign of lack of intellect somewhere
IN building and paving, to begin with.
Speaking of food for the body leads
naturally to food for the mind. heard a
man say once that the motto of the pres
ent school system is Something new
and that If they saw nothing to progress
In, teachers went back way and then ad-
vanced again. One who would in any way
criticize our evolved schools can be safe
only under a mantle OF insignificance.
wrapping mine close about me would
meekly offer few opinions.
Long ago, as I sat learning by heart
list OF kings, an old gentleman asked me
what was doing. studying history" I
told him. History is thing to be read"
he declared
HOh, but We have to remember it, ex-
planned. "WelI," said he, don't you
learn In school to remember what you
readf" set him aside as an old fogy,
Dut now see the point, and it is serious
question in my mind whether too much
time is not spent in giving smatterings of
ali sorts OF things, instead of training the
MIND to grasp whatever may come. Things
are presented to the pupil in such an easy
way The intellectual food is boiled into
gruel and held by the teacher. All the
pupil need do is to open his mouth and
swallow. What are his teeth for?
Children do not study. Tell child to
dig 1t out for himself" and you sound
your knell as successful teacher. You
must explain and present the matter in
such a form that it may be grasped with
out effort. The day is past when a boy
would struggle two hours a day for five
days with one problem and come tired and
happy with the solution the sixth day.
The teacher must explain. Since l have
had to explain SO exhaustively l have been
taken back to the days when these same
things became clear to me, and hear
again the sweet voice telling me '.try little
longer, child; it will make you stronger
to get 1t yourself. What is easily learned
IS easily forgotten" 1t may have been
some unlikely problem about A and 3,
yet it taught me lesson of logical
thought and perseverance worth all the
fabulous sums invested by A and B. And
II the pleasant-yoieed teacher had never
taught me one thing else, the lesson OF
self-power learned was an education.
The teacher does too much. With the
State textbooks she has to do it all. Very
few grown people can translate them into
Ineligible English. The result may be
wonderful teachers, but such a weak, de-
pendent lot of pupils, with the teeth of
their minds all fallen out from disuse.
l saw in San Francisco school a class
of boys years old play for an hour at
piling up cards to develop the fact that
three and three more are six. They knew
1t three years ago, but it must be devel-
oped. saw the multiplication table de-
veloped with piles of pebbles up to ten
times ten. 1t looked absolutely idiotic.
City children may be feeble-minded, but
Johnny Rural would howl with derision.
Once he has proven with pebbles that
three twos are six, his whole table is de-
veloped and he is ready to learn it.
The most a human teacher can do is to
teach child how to learn. Ii she tries to
learn for him she is taking his strength
ana his right from him. Like a stone
that once started is hard to stop. our re-
formed and evolved education is flying as
far beyond the mark as 1t once was be-
hind. OLIVE HEvnrU