Middletown transcript., 1897-02-27

From being so constantly associated
with his grandfather he made up his mind
| to be pastor like him. He accordingly
took up the study of theology and after
| having brought his studies to successful
close, he discovered he could not preach.
1t is even said that in the middle of his
trial sermon an uncomfortable fit of laugh
ter seized him and obliged him to stop. So
he gave up the ministry to study law. But
this change was not entirely the result Of
his inability to preach, for his thoughts
had long been taking another direction,
and slowly leading him to another sphere
of activity.
In the year 1765, when Pestalozzi was 10
years old Hebretian Society of which he
was member used to meet every week to
hear and discuss essays by its members on
questions of history, education, politics or
ethics, and which contributed in no small
degree to spread liberal ideas among the
students.
The same year the students started a
weekly local paper called 1.-THE Memorial.
To this paper Pestalozzi was one of the
chief contributors and as it is interesting to
see the sort OF thoughts that occupied him
at the early age of 10, will quote few
extracts from his articles.
II would have no great mind too indo-
lent, or too proud of its own greatness to
labour for the public good with courage
and perseverance.
Iwould have no one despise the very
humblest of his fellow creatures, when
they are honest and industrious.
would have parents exercise more care
in choosing companions for their children.
For who does not know what a powerful
influence good or bad companionship has
on young souls.
would have people as eager to speak of
mans progress and good qualities as they
are to tell his faults. Do we not owe this
justice to our neighbor who is trying to be
better2
Iwould b ave all who work with their
hands, all whose lives are industr ious,
frugal and independent looked upon as
the pillars of our liberty, and held. more in
honour amongst MS"
On leaving the study of law he turned
his attention to agriculture and also en-
gagged himself to be married to young
Anna Schulthers, a young woman of nat
ural intelligence and Of unusually good
education, who also gave much promise of
being musician and poet.
She is represented as being fine appear
ing. while he was small and ugly and
without any of the lexterior characteristics
that usually attract woman. But Anna
saw deeper. such nobleness, such eleva-
tion of character reached my very SOUL"
Assoon as they were formally afaanced, they
began correspondence, and from the end
of the summer Of 1857 to the autumn of
1859, when they were married, exchanged
frequent letters. Of these letters nearly
three hundred of Pestalozzi's and two hum
dred of Anna's have been preserved.
When Pestalozzi became father, a NOR
al crisis took possession of him as paternity
with its cares, duties, and responsibilities
places menlin new position.
He took particular interest in watching
the unfolding of his little son Jacobli. He
led him out into nature and taught him
from the hill tops and the valleys, and
drew attentention to the singing Of the
birds and the humming of the insect on the
leaf. He says:
"During all these observation lessons,
was careful to avoid hurry and excitement
in this way I avoided all confusion and
waste 1t was pleasure for me to see SO
much peace, happiness and good result
coming forth from the course which I had
adopted"
To learn, the child must always be ac-
tive. He learns only by his own impress
-sions and not from words, which must ac-
company his ideas. to fix them, but are i'm
psrtant to produce them.
Words apart from the ideas they repre-
sent. have no value, and inasmuch as It is
possible for the child to connect them with
ideas to which they do not belong, are even
sometimes dangerous.
The child must as it were, be provided
with fruitful and salutary impressions, fol |
lowing each other, in natural and care
fully graduated order.
He must be required to express clearly |
in speech all the ideas these impressions |
suggest, and lastly. he must be made to OBJ |
tain thorough mastery of each Idea be- |
fore being introduced to a new one.
II was to elementary education that he |
first applied his principles; and his mar
velous success proved the truth of his
views.
So firm was his faith in the principles he
advanced, that despite failure and ruin, he
steadily persevered in his endeavor to give
practical proof of their truth.
The exercises Of sense, impression, and
language, afterwards called object-lessons,
areintended to teach the child, to observe
and to talk, to recount, that is, all the i'm
pressions he receives from the objects which
surrounded him, and to which the master
calls his attention.
In this way the ehild's words and sen.
tences, which may be corrected, if necessary,
are really his own work and express his
own thoughts.
Sense impression was also applied to
arithmetic, the child learning numbers, and
then relations by the sight of objects that
he could count.
The graphic exercises without rule or
compass served equally well as a prepara-
tion for linear drawing. elementary geom-
etry, or writing.
For these exercises, Pestalozzi used states,
which from the ease with which they can
be cleaned, have been Of immense service
in primary schools. f
In drawing the children were taught to
judge Of the lengths of>lines and size of
angles by the eye, and 70 work out certain
number Of combinations on given plan.
They were not limited to copying models
but had to design symmetrical and graceful
figures; and thus they were exercising at
the same time, not only their eye and hand
but their taste and inventive faculties.
Writing gives little difficulty to children
whose hand and eye have been already
we'll trained. +