The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-16

observe It's habits. This would stimu-
late the child's observation
The question box was then opened.
and the questions read and answered.
One question In particular was the
cause OF a great deal of merriment-
The question was. can a woman be-
come a United States senatory" where
upon one of the gentlemen present said
no, since one OF the requirements was
that the person be thirty years of age.
and no woman ever reached that limit
The institute then adjourned.
In the evening the Methodist church
was well filled with an audience which
was pleasantly entertained by an ad-
dress from DIR. Reid OF the use OF prac-
teal psychology to h teacher. He
said:
The teacher should always be a Hb-
eral or true conservative In the sense
that he Is ever ready to reform. Not
the self-styled conservative who. by re-
fusing to reform, is ever found bring
ing up the rear in the march OF prog
ress, II he can be found in the ranks
at all. The true position Is not TO re-
tect the old or new simply because III
Is old or new but sitting them care
fully to accept what Is best and most
worthy I'm both. Better far accept the
fad which you shall later throw aside.
than to be so welded to the past that
you shall accept nothing because IL Is
new. Tt be a teacher In the best sense.
IL Is necessary to have educational
ideals high and true, and then the
knowledge and training that are need
ed to reach those ideals.
Education has had many definitions
and one of the latest Is that II is a
delicate, subtle process by which psycn-
illogical methods are made use OF to
attain social ends. We are too apt IN
education to mistake the means Tor the
end. We have treated education often
as IL IL were the end In itself. while II
Is simply a means to an end. Behind
the teachers and pupils of America to-
day should stand the ideal man. the
ideal woman, the ideal society. and the
method or methods needed Is that
which will produce this ~ OF man
and realize this ideal of society. The
| artist or machinist or builder is as
likely to succeed without any notion OF
what he wishes to produce as the
| teacher who has no thought of what
the pupil ought to become. What are
we after? What do we want to reach?
Ask such questions of any group Of
| teachers and / venture to say the an
swers will indicate v~agueness and IN
dehniteness. IL we would attain all
that a liberal and practical education
ought to realize. there must be GER
tainty and definiteness as to the thing
We u aAhtis '''H
| velopment. and at once the question
arises: What kin OF development? We
wish our pupils to acquire knowledge,
and we ought to know knowledge
Is best worth acquiring. An inteln-
gent study Of psychology Will enable
the teacher to answer these questions.
1T is as true of teaching as of any
thing else that requires thought and
effort. hat to succeed you must hrst
see clearly the thing to be done; then
there must be in the mind a clear idea
Of the best means. n IL Is essential
in addition that there shall be an abid-
ing motive for doing 1t well. Psychol-
ogy being the science Of the phenom-
era of mind. the teacher having TO DO
with these mental phenomena must
study them. Fitch called teaching the
noblest OF arts and the sorriest OF
trades" presume he meant that, per-
| formed in a mechanical spirit. IL Is but
a trade. but practiced by one who I'M
derstands the mind and works in har-
mony with its laws. IL may become
1 the noblest OF arts. Psychology VIII
| give definiteness OF aim and throw
light on the best methods for realizing
that aim. Experiments carried on IN
the laboratory you'd be useless n we
ignored the laws OF nature. We con-
troll the conditions and let nature do the
rest. We assume a certain facts or
principles are true. and we ask nature
questions. md she answers yes or no.
Taking advantage of natural laws, ana
nature comes to our service. and 'hus
through her aid has been developed the
material civilization of this 18th CEN
tury. All rogre In science and IN
vention il because men, knowing me
laws OF nature, have simply Interpreted
them In language n worked In mar
mony with them. To attain the pest
and highest results In the developm ent
- ,.g,A xua must fnllnW nature in a
similar way. AS we furnish the condi-
lions in the chemical or physical labor
atory. and nature does the rest, so II
is in the realm OF mind
There Is only n reason h as
teachers. you should study psychology.
and thai Is because IL will he of prac-
teal value to you in your work. Her
bert Spencer aid about 40 years ago
that we had passed the age which
cherished the notions that a child's
mind could be made to order; that its
powers were to be impaired by the
schoolmaster. that IL was a receptacle
into which knowledge was to be put and
there built up after its teachers ideal.
He struck the key note of the new edu-
cation when he speaks Of this broader
era in which we are beginning to see
that there II a natural process OF mem
tai evolution which II not to be disturb
ed without injury. a we may not force
upon the unfolding mind and artificial
forms, but that psychology. also. dis
closes to us a law OF supply and de-
mand TO which II we would not do
harm, We must conform What we need
Is the psychology of the 18th century
whose data Is gained from observing
the HID living. growing, active mind
in all its phenomena as II comes before
you from day to day and from year 10
year. There are teachers who are stu
asking. How can psychology make ne
a better teacher II your teaching
consists in examining facts and hearing
recitations. psychology will be OF very
little service to you but this Is not
teaching. The remark Of the old lady,
when speaking OF her sister-in-law
would apply to sue so-called teachers
You can't get more out of people, my
dear, than there is in them An Irish
teacher who helped and hindered ms