The Hawaiian gazette., 1896-08-14

The third thing is the means. we
have courses of study. These are chests
/ of tools-the means to the end. There
is nothing more. How shall l take this
tool. arithmetic, and use it toward the
| end I seek? These ways of using the
tools are methods. But they make only
! a small part of method. In building
your house you must saw in the right
Dlace. You might saw so as to spoil
your house. In the same way we may
teach arithmetic so as to injure char
acter. We must keep our end in view.
Method should be thought out clear
" before the days work. Before the
years work. You may have to change
your plan. Methodology demands that
YOU should see the end as clearly as
possible from the beginning. The very
fact that you have a plan in mind for
your work will help you grow to it.
Again. do not let the little things
take the place of the important things.
That takes us right back to knowing
YOUR tools. The trouble with our work
is. we are making the children grind,
instead of giving them exercise to make
mental mush Don't tell them. If they
can't get it themselves wait till they
can. Every method you use, every de-
vice is right or wrong according as II
makes or does not make the child do
the work for himself Present every
thing to the child so that he may get 1t
from as many senses, as many sides as
possible.
Method means a plan backed up by
careful thought, work, reading in short,
full preparation. Second: 1t means
knowing your material. Third: Means.
Don't stop with little devices. Today's
talk will be about apperception.
DR.. Dresslar took the methodology
Yesterday for the first time. You have
been talking of the formal steps. We
shall apply them to history. 1st, Prep
aration. What preparation? You must
know what you wish to do. What IS
YOUR purpose? I will give you one for
you to criticise tomorrow. The chief
purpose is to form moral notions in
children. History study is teaching
morals by example If this be true, l
must plan to that end. Where shall we
begin? AS soon as the child comes to
you. Begin with stories, in which there
is no evil Then when they get to the
history stage they will be ready. Now,
for a list: First fairy stories, e.g., Tom
Thumb. Jack the Giant-killer. Sec
ond: Robinson Crusoe. Don't tell him
il means so and so-let him think it
out. Its self activity you want. Third:
Ten Little Boys on the Road from Long
Ago till Now, by Jane Andrews. Fourth
Seven Little Sisters by the same author.
Fifth. Voyages of Capt. Cook say, or OF
/ the Voyagers to America. Sixth: Some
/ of Scott's stories. Seventh: About some
great men-Franklin' Autobiography
/ Eighth: Go now to groups of people,
Huguenots for instance, or the Israel
ties. Ninth: Some phase of American
history, say the life of Washington with
incidents of the Revolution, etc. Now
the child is prepared for history, and
will delight in it. In answer to ques,
ton. if the children can't read it them,
selves, tell or read it to them.
In the History of Education, Prof
Scott contrasted education in Greece
where it was of a leisure class only
with modern universal education. The
Roman system, that is the ancient Ro
man system made men of courage, de
cision. tenacity. and great patriotism
but brutal and stolid. When Rome con
uuered Greece, Greek teachers came ant
the ideal became an accomplished
speaker. The earliest Latin writer OF
education was Quintilian. He give
minute directions from the start. On
thing that he says of great interest t
us. is that small children should b.
taken care of by the parents or by vir
tuous and well spoken servants. Again
he says pupils do not learn all of on
subject at once, but little of many AM
then adds gradually to each. Seneci
follows, but has nothing original. Plu
tarch in his Lives" gives much that /
educational Marcus Aurelius is tn
greatest example of what philosoph
can do for a man. His thought
among the most morally elevating o
books. We may learn from the Roman
to train our pupils not to live for them
selves, but for the common world.