The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-28

0
made the basis of learning other Ian
suages
These type thoughts, or mother
thoughts, become the centers of purpose
and the origin OF interests. The child has
a right 10 this discriminating use of les
sons The teacher must make, and must
be able TO make wise selection of material.
The knowledge Instruments that may be
used are numerous; life is short and the
school period shorter, and the impossible
ity o. making up a course comprehensive
ly must be apparent.
"Given a fair notion of what the ideal
OF education is. the conviction grows that
teachers generally consume much time
or incidental and accidental and f~ruitless
exercises: that a desideratum of the
schools is discriminative teaching, the
choice use of suggestive lessons. having
manifold dependencies, and wholesome
connections, and inviting interest. Teacn-
ers are wanted who have themselves stud
led much and who know the truths IN
science and history and literature ana
literature and artand ethics that are sig
%nificant, and toward which elementary
studies should lead. Courses of study are
needed that, while citing a numbe 81
available type studies for each grade, VIII
still leave the intelligent teacher free 10
select from among them such as she and
her children can use to best advantage,
taking more or fewer as the strength and
attachments of her class permit, and the
equipments of her school Make possible.
This paper, however, il should be said,
is not in any sense an explicit plea for IN
tensive study, but rather a simple state
ment of what would seem to be the wisdom
of so choosing the materials for school ex-
erctSes that through the rich, suggestive
and fertile lessons the child shall acquire
a habit of quickly and with certainty see
ing the important and using 1t. Attention
TO the type of teaching may be a step In
this direction. 1t would simplify the process
of instruction, make learning interesting
and ease the exactions OF the system
IF, anywhere, the principle applies also
to matters of school government and moral
culture, not less than to the understanding;
to all ages of children and to every supJect.
Details easily weake and the Chile needs
self-initiative. That, in her treatment of
children, the teacher lay stress upon wa
phases OF conduct, upon motives rdtnci
than the variable happenings of behavior,
upon traits of manly and womanly conduct,
above obedience TO mere arbitrary rules
and the fad of a moment, will have the ef-
feet to exalt, even in child life, the higher
motives for right doing and the wish to DO
right commensurate with his acquaintance
with the right.
ITO nave fixed his habit of distinguish
ing what is really inclusive of vital condi>
tons, and with far-reaching consequences,
makes easier the effort to make the life
parallel this distinction of the intellect.
1.-The type in teaching is a fundamental
factor in all steps of expert success, In all
that pertains to the understanding. its rec
ognition by the teacher is a necessity; In
the moral and esthetic expectations, it is
the part of wisdom. The success in teach
luS WHICH we crave IOr ourselves OF OtneTS
gives this recognition an abiding value"
A BRILLIANT ADDRESS.
A brilliant. erudite and interesting adj
dress was delivered by Prof. John l..
Loves, of Hanover College. Professor
Loves is by no means an orator. but the
wide range of literary knowledge displayed
by his address and the elegant diction in
which his thoughts were clothed more than
made up for the lack of eloquence. For a
solid hour Professor Loves held the at
tention of his listeners, and some of his re-
marks were of such extraordinary strength
and pungence that ne was interrupted with
spontaneous and hearty applause. He is
an exceedingly rapid and fluent speaker
and talks entirely without the use of manu-
script. The way in which he quoted from
the great authors, from Beowulf and Chau-
Ger down to Tennyson, Wordsworth and
the recent school of writer's, fairly as
founded his audience. Some of the prom
inent educators who listened to Professor
Lowes's remarkable address declared that
ii was one of the most interesting and help
full talks they had ever heard. Professor
Loves made an earnest plea for teachers
to abandon the habit of looking at the
outer world solely through the windows of
the schoolroom and TO commence bringing
into their lives as teachers some of the
light and joy they derive from mingling in
the world. He said that, in order to teach
IL lldH UT woman does not necessarily lave
to be learned in. the literature of the world.
but that he is poorly equipped who lacks
such knowledge. He showed by quotations
from authors of certain periods how the
limitations and prejudices of those periods
projected themselves into their literature.
In conclusion Professor Loves said:
And another suggestion I'd like to make,
that now and then We take not merely
half an hour a day, but a whole summer
to ourselves and resolutely turn our backs
OH normal schools and summer schools
teach in one of them and so cannot be sus-
l,ected of a prejudice-and live outdoors
with books and birds and trees and i'm
their fellowship loaf and invite our souls.
mean just that. Year in. year out we
keep on winding ourselves up until We
actually almost physically feel our minds
grow tighter, more CONSTRUCTED, clamped
as in a wise. But the best work of the
world, its sancst. healthiest work. has al.
ways been the fruitage of its larger,
b%uoyant, open-hearted noods-moods when
Cur thoughts, as Goethe says, come joy
of the soul, and more than half the secret
of the ripeness which is all. is the learning
to relax the tension, to unclamp ourselves
as DR.. James has said. and let the mellow
Ing influence flow In upon us unreStrained
It simply means the difference between
cramped and free-hand work when we &c
back TO it. And it is no mere sentiment
looks / mean-with birds and trees in such
n scheme. 1t IS the glory of our English
literature that so much of it has beer
WTltitn out VI dOOIS- oCOIl RdllODlnH OF
Horseback over the moors whose heather
be must smell each year. he said. or he'c
die-galloping TO the growing music OF
Marmion; Burns at the pillow in the fields OF
Ayrshire. Sit down some day and think
low much of English poetry and prose has
actually mellowed in tho sunlight and beer
winnowed by the wind It's out of doors
ON horseback that the Canterbury tales
are told; it's cut or doors that more thar
half the scenes of Shakspeare's plays arr
laid-the forest of Arden, Birnam wood
the orchard at Verona. the island OF the
Tempest with its music of the sea: it..
out of doors in the good. green wood. or
! the moors and mountains that we live will
Friar Tuck and Robin Hood. with Leather
stocking and even with Ralph Percy ant
| Jocelyn Leigh. and out of doors, by grace
of sky and weather, Is the D!ace the,
should be read. . . 8 After all. the
| noblest thing that life can mean TO an,
one of us is to be growingly alive in body
mind and soul: thai so the sum Of life may
our living; and that. as I conceive il. is tn.
Office and the place of literature in tn,
teachers life"
A most enjoyable event of the afternoon
was the singing of the Indiana UNIVERSITY
| Glee Club. The young men were in excel
| by their singing of a pleasing medley end
ing with the college yell.
The discussion of the addresses of Super
| intendent Boone and Professor Loves wa:
led by Prof. Calvin N. Kendall, superin
| .endent of the local schools. Professor
| Kendall paid a high tribute to the men VIII,
had preceded him and heartily Endorsed
, Morris. of the Greencastle High School
followed in a crisp. pointed talk of n few
minutes Duration. in which she advocated
wide reading among teachers. The lorna