The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-05-11
BOOK NOTICES.

"reminiscences of a Teacher, is the title Of
a new hook inst ssuedby the Fenic Publisltius
House, limoges, y, J.
This bool, is a companion to "Reminiscences
ofSchool Life by that wel-known teacher and
physician, Professor c, W LARSON and all
those who have read that or know anything of
the career of DR.. LARSON as an educator and
of his versatility as writer. will not be slow
IN believe that 1t is a volume we'll worth read
ine.
The world is full OF teachers, oofull by far
For, of tins vast army, only few, by birth,
education and discipline, and fitted for this
high calling and, again, Of this few, only 4
small proportioucver become, in the true sense
of the term, masters, masters of themselves
masters of the principles of teaching, masters
of students In this latter class, those who have
enjoyed ms instruction, whether they have
been pupils in the district school, students in
the academy or in the university, whether they
have been students in his private laboratory
or heard him address learned bodies from the
stage, all will testify that the Doctor. as an
educator, holds first rank
The record of the experiences of such an
educator of the experiments and thcmethods
which were attended with the best results,
must have value 10 every person Interested in
education As a consequence, teachers andall
who intend To teach may. with profit, We
think, read this volume Nor with less profit
will those Who have children toeducatc, read
it
The "reminiscences recorded IN thus volume
are variations of the Doctors experiences in
four schools. of which three werc district
schools and one high school
Chapter relates to Moore's district in Which
the author began his career as a teacher nj the
age of -. Here with only blackboard ,
feet Il few humps of chalk and some grape-v vine
As aids, he demonstrated his ability to teach
and to discipline. himself "anardont student
of elorution oratory," he Mt once began to drill
his pupils in the art of vocal utterance aud in
reading. The narration of his experiences
along this line, shows well the molding inAu.
once which n rigid drill in this urt innnrts
While in this school, IN an informal way, he
began IL teach perspective, that very useful
branch OF education, IN which, with HranE, he
In chapter ii, he discusses his work in the
Rocktown srhool-a school noted for its law
less and vicious characters. In this chapter
HS Outcroppings by the way, he discusses the
influence of heredlty and environment upon
offspring; also the order OF development Of
the faculties of child and the rational meth
cd of educating children. This chapter fbes
cause OF this phase of it, is of especial value 10
teachers and to parents alike For, here dis
cuSsed in mastery way, not alone from the
point OF view OF an eminent teacher and Il
ripe scho lar, but from the point of view Of "A
sllllfUl physician as we'll, are those fundamen
tai principles of life, of psychology and OF
pcdagogv=a knowledge OF which does 81 much
for the veal or the woe of humanity.
The prominent factors in his teaching III this
school are, the use of tho fouC method of
teaching beginners to read and to spell, and
the teaching of arithmetic. As an expert
menter, the author, at this early time eEa71
learned the VA ueand the possibilities of the
phonie method of teaching aud hero hid the
groundwork of his doctrine Of phoncs The
latter part of this chapter is devoted to stnte-
ments respecting his method of teaching this
subject nj tins time, 10 the results of hs eN-
perimentations, to observations made upon
those lie taught and to practical hints and suF-
gcstions To teachers and learners.
In chapter Ill, he discusses the work done
IN the school at Copper Hill As this school
differed widely from the other two, the kind
of work done naturally was very different
In tins school, though in n very general and
IN n very unpretentiouS WAY, as the narration
runs, We SEE tho beginning of TINT method OF
education for which the author has been 50
long and ~ Justly celebrated the taking of
classes la the Fields, the woods, the hills aud
the streams for the STUDYING of geography,
botany, geology, surveying, etc, etc.
In chapter Nv, he gives hiH experience, first
as associate and then HH principal of the Elem
nEton high school AN academic institution
of very hgh grade. This chapter nbounds in
the richest lessons. Here We find the author
and in the knowledge of books pursuing ON n
more extended scale his effective modes of
discipline and his unique plan of field work
"Reminiscences Of "A Teacher IL not simply II
dry record Of tacts and principles A record
of ones experiences could hardly be such II
abouuda III lucid descriptions Of persons and
plHCea, III anecdotes of occurrences in these
schools, aud in observations of profound
scholar
The language in which tins volume IL writ
ten liz such that the rhotorieian will find de-
light and the philosopher will be entertained;
while those who read for amusoment, will find
III the narrative of the exploits of the heroine
Nenusl of the Hocktown school, in the work
of subiugating black Sal at Copper Hill, in the
tale of well-meanlng but often ludicrous Of
forts of Il in the Bloomington high school, and
in the recital of the trick perpetratod by the
cX principal of the high-seheol upon verdant
student, elements to satisfy the most fun-lof-
ing
The work necessarily contains n consdern.
bic of local history. II also abounds in dcscrir-
tiona OF Views, places and persons fully equal
tu the best found in the other works by this
author
The bool, il an smo of 30s pages ncluding an
index. IL is printed III tho phonc alphabet
used in the Jurual or Orthoopi aud 0rtllograti.
Bound in black cloth, with untrimmed edges,
u will be sent by the Fonic Publishing House,
Ringoes, N j. 10 any address, postage prepaid,
On receipt Of the price, III 80