Evening journal., 1898-08-11
TOO MUCH HELP.
FOR Those who Are Learning the Les
sons of Life Intelligent Letting
Alone Is Good.

Kindness Of heart, sympathy with the
inability Of those who seem incapable
and halting. or with those who are
young and inexperienced, often prompts
the competent and executive ones OF
earth to render assistance whenever
IT is asked for and to help them to pull
through all sorts Of worrisome and diff
fcult undertakings. This they do as
a matter Of course, and congratulate
themselves that "ihe job is well oil
their hands"
That they have been helpful is surely
TO their credit, but that the assistance
rendered has been judiciously bestowed
is question about which there may
be a great diversity of opinions.
Help is not always the best that can
be given to those who are learning the
lessons Of life. Intelligent letting
alone" was one Of the great benefits
conferred by one OF the most eminent
professors on the members Of his
classes. lie always gave little jog %
the minds and memories of his pupils
just at the right time, but he never did
their work for them. his idea was that
there should be gradunl unfolding Of
facts to the intelligence OF the pupil
whatever the age or condition Of that
| pupil might be. lLien | have solved
that boys problems for him. l have
simply done his work and Boosted
him. so to speak. over his temporary
difficulties without having been of any
material service TO him. Therefore,
leave him to shift for himself as much
as possible. IL Is almost always the
case that he has been badly grounded
in his tasks, and must go back TO first
principles and started anew. When tn,
line of study is entirely new, take th'
utmost pains TO explain and elucidat'
every point and make it so clear before
hand that there will be no chance fo
misunderstanding or clogging of ideas
believe that very many pupils ar
hampered and befogged by too little eN
planation at the beginning, and TOT
much talk and assistance afterward
Never having acquired a distinct an
thorough comprehension of the subjec
with which they are required to strug
gle. they grope along in semi-darknes'
Stun bling over obstacles here, and gel
ting blows at the sides Of the hea
there. That they do not make salts
factory progress is thing not to b
wondered at. Indeed. the marvel
that they make out anything at all.
know several men who have bee
I troubled all of their lives because the
were not quick at figures. One Of the
told me that when a lad be was put
n a school where the teacher invariabl
turned the pupils loose" as he e
b pressed it, "into all sorts Of stubbly an
4 thorny paths. and when they hs
noundered about hopelessly, and 60
d ten all tangled up and discourage
lifted them out by the ears regardle
of the feelings of the victims. II thi
couldn't understand, he trounced the
severely and then sat down and VIC
y ried with them until they grasped Il
subject and expressed themselves
II able to cling to it for better or +
D worse"
IS The proper way to teach hard lesso1
e is to prepare the mind for them, th,
gradually lead up to the first principle
then on by slow and easy stages. nj
n forgetting or ignoring any Of the !
r termediate steps in the task. It wou
# be very faulty engineering that wou
'e build bridges and causeways and lea
out intermediate spans and gre
TX spaces in the foundations. But this
is in one sense precisely what many
re structors are doing every day.
g. One of the most important porto
s. Of the training Of the young and inc
le perienced is 10 cultivate their gra
and understanding, enlarge their ,
pacity, and increase their comprehe
c. siveness.--N. Y. Ledger.