The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-12
THE LAKE HERAID MONDAY. DECEMBER 1898


aim should be, not too many subjects
hurriedly taken, but the first principles
of essential things efficiently taught.
And now with equal emphasis, we
may affirm that mental assimilation
must have its necessary time and con-
ditionS. The selection of mind food
is essential, the quantity OF mind food
must be judiciously guarded. But the
process Of assimilation of mind food
should at all times be paramount. This,
on the teachers part, requires adequate
efficiency to teach-Datience and psy-
chologicaf study of the student life. On
the Students part, there must be the
habit of Observation-Disclosures If
the knowledge acquired is to be of
highest service, there must be a con-
version Of the knowledge into the mind
life of the student-it must become his
Acknowledgements certainly as the bodily
food is transferred into blood and
structural tissue. To use another fig
ure: there must be ruInination. Crowd
ed work prevents this, and the over
crowded mind becomes a mere recep-
tacle Of disconnected knowledge, and
such knowledge never enters or be-
comes a part of the nind-life 1t fails
to become a practical power for good
or a power for the higher service in
the actualities of experience.
This kind of work involves the high
est exercise OIL Tile IHlIhlIlS power Oh
the mind-life. 1t is equally the best
test of the teachers ability and the stu
dents aptitude for genuine culture 1t
is not g question of knowing much.
| but Supremely a matter of knowing
we'll. Undigested food is a next-door
evil of having no food at all. The I'M
/ lettered peasant may have like knowl
edge, but his wisdom may surDass a
| walking. encyclopedia.
n I,nHkA'S nhilnSnnhV
! there are two primary and cardinal
! sources of knoWledg e-Sensation and
/ reflection 1t is reflection we wish now
to emphasize. Everything possible
/ should be done to generate and Foster
the growth of a habit of reflection. We
| feel the more solicitous of this mat
! ter for the reason that in this country
| the very atmosphere seems charged
| with rush, hurry and excitement as
! though all things combined to crowd
! the student, to lessen even the mo-
ments of leisure: and without leisure
there can be little reflection. Buthlet
the habit be once formed, and it's
! fruitful pleasure will help it to grow
III. Next to the naturalness of our
methods should come careful consid-
Grafton Of the relative values of the
subjects taught. The means employed
must largely be shaped by the supren-
acy of the end to be reached. And as
we have already indicated, the st-
! preme aim of education is the growth
of character. And by this we mean the
individual character of the individual
citizen, who, in due time becomes a
formative force in the growth of the
national character.
During the present year the COM
handing power of such training has
signalized itself before the whole world,
and made for itself record, eternally
bright and benefcent. The master soul
at Manila stands first in a long line of
typically educated American citizens.
Behind the technical skill and naval
efficiency the whole world can see the
sovereign qualities of character, quail
ties of a mind-life trained to duty
freedom and humanity Such qualities
are the fruits of a liberal education:
they are supremacy the best results
which the free institutions of this great
republic have made manifest to the
world.
AS we judge, therefore, the contin-
uity of the progressive strength and
practical goodness of the American
government should take a first place
in American education. The history
the laws and the literature of the ma
ton should distinctively be integra
parts of the national training not
simply in the letter that clothes the
soul of such trinity Of studies, but il
the very genius of the young nation
let young America be imbued from
childhood upwards with the great YER
tiles of faith, freedom, justice ant
Christly manhood, for these are ant
have been the first principles of The
nations greatness, and a knowledge OF
them should grow with the studentt
growth. Other studies indeed, mus
be added, but never to the displacement
of those which are essential to the
growth of good citizenship. Bette
+ know less of what, after all, can NEAR
no more than scraps of knowledge, thar
be ignorant of the privileges, dutie
and responsibilities of citizenship.
That the American people appreciat
the value of a wider diffusion Of lega
and political studies is abundant,
manifest by a glance at the course
offered in the best educational institu
tons of the country.