Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-07-27
This saubi ieet5 Was assIgnsd ne.. IlsI az


%IThis subject was assigned me. an
glad however, TO give you some q
my thoughts, and u want you I.
think on the question with mo tha
!. together we may solve them yet. N,
The current opiuion seems to i b
that the one thing needed for i'm
proving che country schools IS
!, longer term, ] wish to gay emphati
cally that in my opinion the longe
term is the last thing needed. It, i
needed, but there are other thing
needed worse. 4 %
|. The first thing needed is better
teaching, more intelligent effort to
ward the moulding Of character.
have been trying to impress this
The summer schools are working
toward this end. This association
has for years labored to improve tho
teachers of the State, and has done
much. .g aE&,
2. We need q better course ot
study in our schools. This is closely
related to better toaching, and to,
gether they would transform our
schools. This improvement is needed
in all tho schools and in the colleges,
too. There is too much purposoless
toaching. Subjects are taught as if
they were an end in themselves
They are not made to appeal to a
child's interests. There is no at
tempt to show their bearing upon
life. a boy is harassed with details
about political geography when the
names of the nations are moaning
less to him. Years are wasted in
drill in tho rules Of grammar, and
the boy goes out On the play ground
and violates .very rule. lie has
never suspected that those dry rules
have anything to do with tho speech
that is so indispensable n part of life.
We should teach man to know
not passively but actively; to be not
mere receptacle Of information,
but a potent factor. We should
teach more of science, and especially
should there be in all our teachers
more of tho scientific spirit. We
should develop in the children love
of truth and self reliance. Teach
them to realize the universally and
the immutability of cause and effect
Then they will know that wron q
done can never be righted that it
cannot be undone. Teach man to
recognize in all spheres of activity
the orderly processes of nature, and,
SO feel his responsibility to be in har-
mony with the Divine will, to pro-
mote the good and not the evil.
Education does not consist merely
in developing in us mental power
1t should also supply us with useful
knowledge of our environments
This cannot be acquired in a day,
and it is folly to lose the years of
our schooling in exercise merely for
the strengthening of our minds, as
dumb bells strengthen tho muscles,
instead of strengthening our minds
by acquainting lis with tho great
truths that are involved in the life
about us and with the problems that
will soon press upon lis. Life is too
short. Duties arc too pressing. We
should learn what we need. In the
last half century there have come to
the front social and industrial prob
lens ovcrhadowing all else. Some
sage has said, "The only good is
knowledge; the only evil is igno-
rance" In the last analysis, every
good goes back to knowledge as it's
basis. Every evil may be resolved
into ignorance as its cause. We must
know the right in order to do the
right.
But education should do more
than fit one to grapplc with the prob
lens of life. The whole man should
bc developed to the fullest. Our
course of study and our teachers
should cultivate the artistic side of
our nature, that We may be in full
harmony with creation. Otherwise,
these potential pleasures remain un-
known to us-thcre is an ircparablc
loss to the sum-total of human hap
piness. We should teach art and
music in our schools. The expert
mcnt at tho state summer school has
satisfied me that anybody can learn
to draw, and that anybody can learn
to sing.
The school should not aim to pre-
pare for college it should prepare
for lie. The college should take
the boy that comes to it and pre-
pare him still better for life. 1t
should not make an idol out of what
If calls q HcOllpOo coursnn - All o6u