The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-17

Incorporated as an integral or organic part
OF the child s mental life any more than
the lead is made part of the human body or
the stone Is made part OF the tree Very
much of the memoriZing at school is a life
less process. You can get at the bullet In
the human body by a surgical process, and
you can often get out of the mind what Is
learned mechanically by that surgical OPP
Grafton Known as the examination. The re-
moval of the bullet leaves the human body
in better condition than before; the exam
lrauon sometimes ribs the mind OF mucn
useless stuff which is fortunately dropped
as soon as the examination is ended; often.
however, the examination only serves TO fix
the useless stuff so deeply that it can never
be eliminated or forgotten. of all the ex-
ercises of the school,, says Fitch, there is
none which has so little heart in ii as learn
ing by heart To know by heart says
Montague, is not to know at ALL.
ASSIMILATING KNOWLEDGE.
plato. indeed. expresses the same
thought when in the Protagoras he says
that knowledge is the food of the mind.
Food is not assimilated as soon as it is
swallowed. 1t must be transformed into
something else, otherwise indigestion is the
result. AS long as the mind simply holds a
truth in the exact form in which it was
given by the teacher or learned from a
book. SO long it resembles the food which,
instead of being transformed into chyme
and chyle and blood, remains unchanged in
of Indigestion and dyspepsia.
80 important is this transformation OF
knowledge that / venture to recall to your
minds a favorite illustration of Cough. A
crying child was disturbing the slumbers
or every passenger In a sleeping car. A
gruff miner from the far West. whose pa
thence had been exhausted, at length eX-
claimed: L would like to know where that
cEild's mother is?' The person in charge of
the child replied: In the baggage car i'm q,
CONN.,. The information communicated in
those few words was Immediately changed
into sympathy. There was not another
word of complaint throughout the journey.
In the case of the old miner it was further
transformed into will. into purpose, for ere
long he got up from his berth and began to
carry the child to and fro, doing his best
to make it contented with the strange sur
roundings. If the lessons of Old Testament
history which are impaired i'm the Sabbath
school remain in the memory in the exact
form In which they were given, and do not
pass over into action. conduct and daily
life, the teacher has failed in spite of all
the answers which the quarterly review
may elicit from the class. Ii the lessons in
United States history are not transformed
into the sentiment of patriotism, If they do
not pass into a purpose to live, yea, to die
for ones country; if they remain mere
tissue OF dates and names. and stories OF
battle and court intrigue, then the lessons
in history have not been properly assimi-
lated, the teacher has failed in spite of all
the high marks which his pupils may have
made at the annual examination This. /
II.
he says. from experience, through thought.
to action
Except the grain of wheat fall into
the ground and die, it abideth alone; but
if it die. it bringeth forth much fruit
John xii. 24D The ideas which lodge in
the mind must perish in their original
form before there can be a harvest of
thought and sentiment and purpose. If an
audience can give a discourse word for
word or even in logical outline, it is not
proof positive that the preacher has sue
ceeded. Still less is il evidence of success
If they speak OF his rhetoric. his delivery.
his profundity of thought. or his brilliant
metaphors. The flock has been properly
fed only when the ideas of the discourse
have been transformed into harvest of
thought, sentiment and purpose and thus
have made themselves felt in the life and
conduct of the audience. Here, indeed. we
strike the most important phase in the as
similation of knowledge and spiritual truth.
The food is not merely transformed into
chyme. chyle and blood: but its elements
are carried 10 different parts of the body
and bone, so that the food becomes an in
| tegral part of the physical man. The truth
| on which the lambs are fed. is to be assimi-
| lated so as 10 become essence and life OF
| the soul. The knowledge which is inn
| parted at school is not to remain as mere
| theory in the pupils mind; its function Il
not merely to excite interest and to stir the
mind into activity; it's mission has not
been accomplished until it has passed into
action. into conduct, into life.
NOT DANISH MEMORIZING.
Here my tormentor interrupted me by
asking: DO you mean TO Danish all men,
orizing from the school room?' BY no
means / replied; you must not press a
figure OF speech until ii squeals.' Many OF
the words of thought and faith and hope
and love and phrases that are employed in
describing the higher life derived from
the world of sense and sight and are figures
of speech based upon the relations OF
/
| BILE to push these metaphorical expressions
| until they convey half truths or even un-
| truths. In one respect knowledge differs
| from food. Food which has been swal-
lowed cannot remain in the stomach un-
changed for a long time without causing
| indigestion. On the other hand bit OF
| jeweled eloquence. statement of truth In
| the form of a definition which marks per.
haps a triumph of intellect, a gem OF
| thought or sentiment which is valuable by
| reason of the form in which it is expressed
| or enshrined, may with advantage be treas
| ured in the mind; and IL may take years
| before ii is fully understood. appreciate
and made an organic part of the hlentn
| life of the pupil.
"One suggestion before close. The paper
| assumes that data are TO be collected fol
! the purpose of determining methods and
| courses of work in primary schools which
| tend to promote vital connection between
| school studies and educational develop
| ment. Who is sufficient for this task? What
was the test which the Great Teacher APP
| piled to Simon Peter? Simon, son of Jonas
lowest thou me more than these Did he
| mean. lowest thou me more than thou low
est these, the other disciples? That sort
! of jealousy never found a place in the
| heart of the Great Teacher. and wherever
| il exists il units the individual for peda-
| gogic work. Did he mean as Luther trans
| lated the passage. Simon. of Jonas
| lowest thou me more than these love me-
Must q teacher be pre-eminent above his
| fellows. say professor in some favor
| ably situated university before he can un-
| dertake To collect the required data. IL
| Luther's Interpretation be correct. the Lore
| meant to teach Peter lesson of humility
| University pride Is perhaps great 4
| hindrance to success in work of this KIND
| as any obstacle which can be named. There
| is "a third Interpretation possible. which DIR
| Higbee claimed was better than either OF
the others. The word translated these may
| refer In the original, as in English, tC
| things as well as persons. Simon son OF
| Jonas, lowest thou me more than these
| things. these fishing tackle. this occupation
| of fishing which puts sheckels into your
/ pocket and gives you standing i'm the world
! II in the collection of data you have in
| view your chair I'm the university, or youi
| reputation for scholarship and original re
| search or the preparation OF an article fol
| a magazine or the discovery of something
| novel which shall draw attention TO your
| self. then you lack the qualification for thi.
| kind of work and in fact for teaching in
| all its forms and phases. The cues ton e
| Simon Peter is twice repeated. though witt
| the omission OF the comparison. Simon. sol
| of Jonas, lowest thou me?' Yea. Lord. thor
! knowest that | love thee. Feed my sheep.
| So close Is the relation between the Cfrea
| Shepherd and his flock that the suprern,
| affection which He claims for himself
| passes over the lambs and the sheep of Hi
| flock insomuch that whatever is done untt
the least of his brethren He accepts al
| done unto himself. When the data are col