The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-12

genius of beneficent craftsmanship, and
sometimes it is the effulgent light of
spiritual Illumination. But whatever
be the distinctive service of the serving
soul, that serving soul is born to US
in the child life, and we are entrusted
with the education of that life. There
is not only the possibility of our enter
tanning angels unaWares,@ but there is
the certainty Of our educating angels
unawares.
In the early lethargy of our early life
we are all too apt to settle down into
the monotonous Journalism of routine.
We clamor for the external and the
objective and forget that all things
have a soul. The visible is but the
incarnation of the invisible In our
homes and in our schools we may be in
the presence of some child spirit that
tiny Of the nation. Such a thought
should surely give intensity of purpose
and efficiency to the life work of par
entS and educators.
The importation of knowledge is in
| deed secondary, as compared with the
supremacy of character. The growth
of such principles as self-control, reli-
ant thought, good judgment, and spfr-
! itual insight are above the price of
rubies. They transcend the value of all
the gems of knowledge merely; they
constitute the wisdom of the soul life,
and, as by alchemy, they transfuse the
ministry of knowing we'll into the min
istry of doing we'll
| 1t is something of good for our
schools to charge the brain chambers
with scraps of science, but it is in
| finitely more and better to aid the stu
dent to the steady growth of self
| knowledge-and to the great relation
! ships of life-to the possibilities and to
the commanding duties of life.
The day is not far distant when to
] the educator the science of life will be
| the paramount science of his endeavor.
! For in the dawning of this higher truth
| lies the hope of the higher education as
a growth of character. It will be the
| marriage union of the love of knoWI-
edge with the strength of wisdom.
That a state education should become
so far spiritualized as to make possible
so definite and high a. purpose, may ap-
pear Utopian; it has certainly been the
| dream OF ages, but it is a promised
good, and will come.
II. The naturalnesS of educational
( methods. If education be a growth of
| mind-life, rather than an enlargement
by knowledge, then we may be sure
that the principles of biology are the
same for the spiritual as for the natural
growth; and that by a careful study
of the analogy we may get our best
indications as to the best possible
methods for mind culture. That which
nature does by the unerring force of
instinct, points out the higher lines of
reason.
Nature growth starts out with the
supremacy of the in-dwelling life. Life
is the priceless jewel, enthroned within
the very temple of the organism. and
every fibre of the structure is charged
with the duty of its protection. The
greater the dangers of environment,
the greater the bulWarks of defense
life forms with little power of motion
either live under cover, or they are
increased with the safety of shells, so
that the oyster is as secure as the bird.
We take it, therefore, that in educa-
ton there should, first of ALL be a
clear recognition of the in-dwelling di-
vinity of the soul, full measurement
of the supremacy of the mind-life, to-
gether with a due appreciation Of it's
wondrous possibilities.
By the naturalness Of educational
methods, we mean largely the appli-
cation of physiological principles tt
psychic development. There should be
a selection of food quantity Of food
and food assimilation. The science OF
physical culture has made it's most re.
liable inductfons in the sphere of in.
stinct. The athlete knows for certain
that neither strength nor agility are
attalnable without care in the selection
of food The same practical wisdom
must be followed in regard to the ouan.
tity and assimilation of food The APP
plication carries its own implications
natures guidance may be implicitly
followed; she never errs.
The mind-life must have food The
universal desire to know is simpl,
analogous to the universally of hunger
Nutrition is essential to the growth O
Il
food forms to the mind-life Science
increase, knowledge widens and trutl
is an increasing revealment of the di
vine relations. The supply is endlessl,
; varied, there must be selection. Wha
ought we to teach? There are man
things to be known, but there ar
{ some things that must be known. i
7 this matter we cannot entirely discar
2 authoritarian. We must first have tn
useful, the needful. St Paul affirm
that first there should be the milk 0
2 the word, before the strong meat
The subject of text books is there
fore very vital one. And it is yer
gratifying to notice that each yea
r bears its fruits of improvement in thi
e regard. The writer's of text book
e grow more simple and more natural i
S their methods of treatment
: The natural method of the child cul
ture should be on the lines of the edu
n cation Of the human race. Let huma
I studies come first, literature, histor
1 and psychology make nature Studio
secondary but not in the slightest de
i gree neglect them. Mathematic
: physics and biology are supreme i
: their place-but keep the humanitie
: in the front rank. Every great litera
; ture was Graded in song-the first edu
4 Gators were wiser than they though
; for nature in simplicity keeps nea
to the rhythm of the universe. At tn
!, morning of creation the angels san
!, and the music has never ceased-fc
I our children, like the birds, are sweetes
:. in their songs.
;, There is more ind-culture-mo1
u soul training in the xiii psalm of tt
g holy scriptures than in all the so-calle
sciences of the nineteenth centur,
Ye may gather mind-food from tt
9 songs of the race-from Homer
y Wordsworth food-ambrosia
- and spiritual to fruition You wi
n find the child heart open to such il
- spiration. And you will find the chi
! mind to strengthen and to widen
4 the happiness of preceptive power
r. the highest order
- In the worldwide fields of huma
II history there is food of the best kir
- and quality, Food for the first fee
~ ing powers, food for the first thinkir
powers, and food for the volition
capacities of the whole being of Il
n child mind, of the child soul and chi
4 heart. Under this culture patriotism
" born-individual mind energies a,
g strengthened and quickened with il
n spiration; and the very best forms
a will power are developed.
70 In psychology-or the first studies