The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-12-29

various grades of study, the speaker
closed by saying:
The study of history does this. IN
order to understand great character
the student must approximately rise 10
the level of that character. Thus there
is developed unconsciously not only the
broadening and deepening and purity
ing. of understanding, but of the moral
nature as we'll, until, as John Flske
says, we become better able to COM
4 prehend our relations to the world and
the duty that lies upon each Of US 10
shape his conduct rightly"
| Mrs Lydia Hebron Kniss of Berkeley,
| in her paper, warmly Endorsed the re-
port of the committee of seven in all
| its main features as adapted to the
| needs of the secondary school. 1t was
| a study that had been thrown IN the
background by the pursuit of KNOW
edge of language, mathematics anu
science. Four years was not too much
for the study of history in the hlgn
schools as it was study that poSSesed
a high pedagogic value. She also
favored continuity, and advocated the
requirement of a broad knowledge Oh
the subject as relating to the Egyptians,
IBabylonians, Phoenicians, Perslans
and Hebrews in closing. She says: II
is not the things that have lived anu
died that should be emphasized, put
the past which looks steadily toward
the present, and which still living
promises to be an important factor IN
the civilization of the tWentlelh
century,
/ E. M. Cox, City Superintendent OF
Santa Rosa. followed choosing as MS
especial theme -Four Years Course.
He also commended the report OF the
committee of seven. In his opinion
secondary and university courses have
been planned too independent of pre-
ceding work; it is the duty of every
department of educational work to cor
relate to that just preceding, and TINS
secondary school should be as CLOSELY
connected to the grammar grade as Is
possible In closing, he favored the loea
of having English history taught nrst'
and then used as an appreciat1ve pasls
for the more general study of the SUD-
ject-
DR.. BENJAMIN Ide Wheeler, President
Of the University of California, IN
speaking on the question of Ancient
History; It's Place and Purpose" said:
Ancient history should belong to the
early days of school course because 1t
is simple, at least it is simple in the is
sues involved and in the fact that re-
suits lie close to producing causes. we
are near the men who originated ideas
that to-day have become complex. This
simplicity is lacking now because mod
ern history has become complex.
When we are in Greece on the streets
Of Athens we stand face to face with
facts that have sprung from the soil.
We study Greek and Latin to find out
where many of our forms of thought
and expression took their rise. The
institution Of State and society vera
augmented and based on kfnship by
blood while in modern days all races
and traditions and historical records
are confused by the mixture of popu-
lation. Ancient history is simple be-
cause intercommunication such as is
possible to-day through modern
mechanism, noticeably electricity and
steam, was not possible in the days it
was formulated. One of the main rea
sons for studying ancient history In
schools is, that it holds modern history
in the germ. The speaker then went
on to outline modern history in the
terms of ancient history, showing that
history can be understood in true per-
spective when referred to the experience
of the past.
!. In treating the subject of Methods
of Instruction. Professor George Ell
lott Howard of Leland Stanford, Jr.
University, said: For several decades
after the origin of our nation. most
foreign observers except D. Toque-
vile were prejudiced against democ-
racy, and could only foresee disaster
The American people recognized tne
gravity of the problem and to meet
the difficulty instituted the public
schools. The speaker then outlined the
growth of the school system and its
eminent success. He advocated more
text books for the study of history and
trained teachers not confined to meth
DDS, and predicted that the next ten
years would be marked by remarka BIZ
progress in the study of this impor-
tant branch, SO much so that America
would be model for the rest of the
world.
Professor E. I. Miller of Chico Nor
NAL School in speaking on the same
SUBJECT Sald- Ihe HrSt essential 20
any good method is to realize the value
of the subject and why we teach it for
the aims to be attained. The train
ing was one of the most essential
points in addition to the acquiring of
information and should be of such a
character as to develop the intellectual
Faculties of the people. The same men
tai activity is required in the proper
method of the study of history as is
required in the solvence of citizenship
problems, and in consequence history
study is one of the best preparations
for citizenship" He then spoke of
the use of text books as contra sted
, with the topical system and insisted
that the development of the powers of
comparison judgment and reason
were much better formulated by the
topical system than by the text book,
, because it gave opportunity to derive
information from different sources and
to compare different authorities. also
to reason on various statements made
and from those statements form iudg-
ments of their own.
The discussion of the next tonic
Sources" was postponed until this
morning.