The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-08-12
PROF. DRESSLAR
IS IN ATTENDANCE.
Introduced to Pupils at Summer
School, Tuesday.
FEW WORDS on CHILD STUDY.
Inspector TownSend's Remarks Prof.
Scott Tells of the GreeKs-Interest-
ing Lecture on Geology by DR..
Lyons-Reception to Prof. Dresslar.

The morning passed without any SEN
sation other than the introduction of
Prof. DressIar, who in a few fitting
words told how glad he is to be with
the school.
Extremely good work is beinS done
by the teachers of the various classes,
but little occurs except the routine
work The first class in geography is
still busy with mathematical geogra-
ply, getting thoroughly grounded in
latitude and longitude, great and small
circles, etc. The English class is learn
ing to drill pupils thoroughly in the
everyday methods of English speech,
e. g., singular and plural, use of pro-
nouns, the of the third person sin
gular. Difficult and poetical construc-
tons in grammar, development method
in geometry, transitions in tonic-sol-fa,
factoring in algebra, indicate the scope
and state of the various classes.
Before one o'clock the reception room
was full of those who wished to hear
Dr. Dresslar for the first time. The
sliding doors were opened to the mu-
sic room and both rooms were full
when he began. His first talk was as
follows:
Modern education aims at building
good characters. We must first know,
then, what are good characters. If we
as teachers want to reach results we
must know what we are trying to do.
Otherwise we will certainly botch.
What is character? First, it means no
bleness of purpose; second, it is mark
ed by ability to do good things. If we
simply will to do good things without
doing them, we lack in character.
Third, it is marked by willingness to
do good things.
MANY things are out of the reach of
money. But do unto others as you
would that they should do unto you
is within the reach of everyone. Fourth,
a sincere appreciation of truth. Some
times we make bridge from the child's
wrong answer to the right one. 1t is
prompted by sympathy, but it is wrong.
We must cultivate an earnest desire for
truth, love for the truth. Fifth, I'M
selfishness. We are selfish from child
hood. A child is a selfish being. That
is natural. But it is ours to lead them
out Of that selfishness into a purer,
higher, nobler life. These are not all,
but they seem to me the most import
ant elements in strong character.
Now, if you were going to build
house you'd make your plans. 1t is
harder to build character. Make your
plans, therefore, for your teaching
work. Write out the elements of noble
character carefully and then make
your plans to cultivate these elements.
''On the other hand, you can't edu-
cate a child; it educates itself You
can only furnish the conditions. That
teacher helps her pupils most who
helps them help themselves.
I'm going to ask you to work with
me. Here [ am in a strange city. How
am l going to find out anything? If I
had no hands, nor eyes, nor ears, nor
nose 1 could learn nothing, could l.?
How, then, do we learn. Suppose we
try. Here's a pencil. Take your note
book and write all you can see about it.
Read your list. Color, yes; size, length
and form. Now take your own pencil
and see what you can learn of it by
feeling. This seems to be more diff
cult, as so many more things were to
be discovered in this way. The list was
finally, form, size, length, weight, in
fiexibility, smoothness, straightness,
impenatrability, brittleness. From
which sense, then, do we get the most?
Touch. What one thing do we get from
sight only? Color. Yet / have seen
teachers trying to teach in object les
sons who never let the pupils touch
the object at all. AS teachers and as
parents we prevent a great deal of ed
ucation by keeping things away from
children. Children learn by touch. Have
you seen a child put things into it's
mouth? The sense of touch is very
acute in the lips
Here the bell rang for the next class.
Mr.. Townsend, continuing the discus
sion of Monday, drew a figure from
Degarno on the board.
ITO most of you,'' he said, cit prob
ably means nothing. An artist boosted
that with a straight, broken and
curved line he could represent a soldier
and his dog entering an inn. What we
get from anything depends, we see,
upon apperceiving ideas.
Ito begin, then, with a single object
in teaching patriotism, with George
Washington; in multiplication of frac-
tons, with the example and not the
rule; with the mountain and the creek
in geography
Mr.. Scott, continuing Greek educa-
ton, said Plato's idea was that man
had all the elements of real education
in itself, and the corollary naturally
was that there was no necessity for
studying nature. 1t has been said that
civilization was first theological, i. e.,
that there was a god behind the wind,
and another causing disease. Second,
metaphysical, l. e., from the mind Who'll
ly. Third, positive, i. e., that effects are
preceded by causes. Plato represents
the second stage, Aristotle the third.
Aristotle advanced science in every di-
rection, but for the purpose of making
a complete, reasonable man, and not
for mercenary ends. Today's lesson will
he Roman education