Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-07-19
AN ANCIENT soHooLeook.
The "Janua" Of Comenius One of th
 Hest Ever Written.


 Best Ever Written
 One of the most successful scheo books ever written is referred to ir Eyefyn's diary, where he says his dtaI son Richard, who died in January, 1858, had, before his fifth year. made con. siderable progress in Comenius' Japua." This book "Janua Linguarum Res erata," was published by John Amos Cofnenius in 1651.
 It was an introduction to the the study of Latin, and Bayle said of it that had Gomenips written no other book he would have rendered himself immortal 1t was translated into 12 European languages, and was really the gate through which our ancestors of the 17th and 18th centuries entered into Latin literature. 'tIn every European country generations Of children thumbed the Janua, and no other book, until they were sufficiently advanced to begin Terence and Plautus;" and for years after it's publication the name of Comen- ius-the Latinized form of Komensky- was familiar in every sehoolroom.
 Editions of the Janua were printed ill Greek and Latin at Oxford so late as 1900; anG new additions were issued al Prague, in Latin, German and Czech, n 1874. The chief work of this great school reformer of the Eth century ias just been published in English for he first time, under the title of "The Great Didactic of John Ahcs Comenius,r with biographical and historical introduce sions by NJ. W. Keatinge, of Oxford
 Comenius' own title page describes the work as setting forth the whole art of teaching all things 10 all men; or, a certain inducement to found such schools in all the parishes, towns, and villages of every Christian kingdom that the entire youth of both sexes, none being excepted, shall quickly, pleasant ly, and thoroughly become learned in the sciences, pure in morals, trained te piety, and in this manner instructed in all things necessary for the present and for the future life
 In the preface Comenius says: "Let the chief object of this our didactie be as follows: To seek and to find method of instruction by which teach CTS may teach less. but learners may learn more; by which schools may be the scene of less noise, aversion, and use less labor, but of more leisure, enjoy, ment, and solid progress, and through which the Christian community may have less darkness, perpleXity, and dis sensien, but, on the other hand, more light, orderhness, peace, and rest"
 These were high ideals, and the didaetie worthily set them forth. But Comenius, as a writer on teaching. was couple of centuries before his time In his introduction AIr. Heating say $. with perfect truth, that Comenius is "the broadest-minded, the most farsee- ing, the most practical of all the writers who have put pen on paper on the sub ject of education; that his theories have been put in practice in every school that $ conducted on rational principles; and that "he embodies the materialistic tendencies of our modern side instructors, while avoiding the mar rowness of their reforming zeal" Yet "the Great Didatic" remained in his own day unknown and ineffective.
 Comenius was a prolific writer, as is | shown by list of more than 12O sepa- rate works. all of which are now forget ten. He became involved in the mil lenariar movement of the false prophet Drabil1, and was not wholly misrepre sented by one who described him as "a fanatic, a visionary. and an enthusiast in folio" He died in 1670, broken and disappointed man, and is only within the last 50 years that his true merit has been recognized. He was, as his biographer says, "the father of modern education. ."---London News.