The Saint Paul globe., 1898-11-20

the hangers Are 10 BE Found
That Must Give Him Concern
Supt Smith, of the st. Paul public
schools, delivered another address be-
fore the teachers yesterday, on the
general subject of child teaching. The
particular subject of the address was
The Basis of an Education" In ope1-
ing Mr.. Smith said that he wished to
be understood in tlle several addresses
that he has delivered, as referring 20
certain tendencies in educational work.
and rot as describing a condition IN
st. Paul or elsewhere. Prof Smith
said:
I shall conclude, for a time, with the
present talk, the public discussion of edu-
cattonal matters. From the first / have had
no other desire than to establish, If possible,
an understanding between US as TO the best
means CT conducting the work Of the SYST IN.
| have had neither desire to instruct you nor
expectation that 1 could do so. l have not
believed that il is necessary to convince
you Of the insuficency of your methods or
to advise you that your preparation falls
short Of reasonable requirements, because
neither assumption would be true. l have
spoken fully and candidiy, because | am not
able to understand how my suggestions or
directions, if you are pleased to regard them
as such. could be Ineligible to you or to
the community, IL you were not informed
concerning the reason why they are made.
Injunction, and that IS that you should fol
low your own convictions. founded upcn
careful study Of all the questions that you
must place before your pupils Certainly
teachers should have opinions of their own
and full liberty in the exercise Of those
opinions. if they are justified by sufficient
knowledge, which be acquired only by
diligent and impartial study.
While no one could ask. or reasonably ex-
Pect, that you should reject known and
clearly demonstrated facts n order to make
original Investigations or
your own. neither would you be Just 10
yourself or safe in your calling If you were
inclined to accept the dictum of any one
however plausible it might appear. In or
der to teach you must know, and how
you satisfy yourself that you know any
thing until il has entered into and formed
of your conviction
REPEATS A CAUTION
Let me renew the cauticn. then, that
offered in my last talk, and urge you to
depart from no present me.hod. however much
it may seem at variance with suggestions of
mine, Of others, unless you see your way
to a better one.
1t is scarcely out OF place here. l think.
TO recall to your attention some Of the
questions that l have heretofore considered.
There is no longer much difference of opin-
ion touching the most important question that
can be asked OF a teacher. | repeat again
that every parent who brings a child to q
teacher has right 10 ask How do YOU re-
gard this being? From Whence? For what?
And whither?' and teachers usefulness
OF necessity, largely depends upon the view
she may hold touching these questions Quo
ing from my last talk let me say with
great emphasis again The first great duty
OF teacher is to study child life and child
nature and 10 prosecute this study under ell
circumstances and into every condition Of
society
Necessarily in this study we are brought
face TO face with the several views that
have the sanction Of wise men touching the
origin o. man. and that YOU may not mis-
M I'M sure hat 4
wish TO do so. please allow me to remind you
that ! called your attention TO the purely
materislistic contention of the origin OF the
life Of man, which DR.. Haeekel OF Jena,
would make the basis Of our system Of edu-
cation and that | objected 70 It. because
it is unsupported by science and is unsafe
as a basis Of education. l was not and am
/ not now attempting any scientific discussion
/ of this subject at all. I am speaking only
: Il touches school work and influences school
methods. With the opinions OF others | have
/ no desire TO interfere, nor do I desire 10
consider any phase OF thought not related
/ TO school duties.
TREATMENT OF A CHILD.
These references are merely incidental. but
4 in order TO be exact allow me to call your
attention to the fact that after I had set forth
! Raeekels view, as I understand it. and as
I his American disciples declare It. 1 con-
/ tinued as follows: From this statement we
are 10 conclude that to know the child We
/ must eHter ihto the various ana varying
stages of his environment, not ours deter
| mined by the condition OF savage life then
! existing, for him and minister TO him as
such. The treatment offered for his mental
oeneht must conform 10 his state at the time
1t is offered and a great deal of our child
study is based upon this theory. l am not
/ exaggeratng. Now l assert that all that Is
contained in this doctrine is theory, pure and
simple, without the direct support OF a sin
gle scientific fact. and science can never. In
the very nature OF things, offer direct proof
OF this l am quite sure that any reader
or hearer OF the above statement would be
bound TO accept the meaning that / intended
TO convey. namely: That the doctrine thai
the little child when he first comes to YOU
in school is in q savage state snd that YOU
must enter into his environments In order tc
teach him or to minister to him, is theory
and without scientific support. and while the
inference is perfectly proper that thss state