The evening times., 1900-05-05
The Natural Method"

In the current number OF "MUnsey 9
Magazine" there is an article en- The
New Spirit in Education. enthusi ast.eally
commenting the new movement toward
, nature study and what are called the ''r at
ural methods" of teaching. This is Of par
ticular interest TO Washington. iaasmuch
as Illustrations are drawn from the sch-o,s
in this city. where the methods in quest-c
have been in force for fourteen yel-s-
Superintendent Powell is quoted as say
irg:
we take thr-e children by the hand ard lr1I
thCT into soci-v. Instead ot putting thtm oH
bench aud fer ir-g them Co comrait 20 1sen-afy
hetc-- the >tlii. .'=onian- the park % Congress.
tha factories. TIA market. and the Geological
Garden"
This is very nice and pretty-iu theory.
But the question stH remairs whether tie
children are 70 learn the \ Cs aI d
whether there is time for all these extra
neoVs performances in addition 10 Ire
tasks which intelligent children o1ght 10
accomplish in school hours The cd
! fashioned method of teaching children TO
learn facts. parrot-Iike. without under
standing them, was lad, because i
! created ounces and wasted labor. But tie
/ new method tends TO give the Chid tie
/ idea that everything is 20 be made eesy
/ foy aim. that it is not his business %
/ learn. but that OF the teacher TO ge- he
knowledge into his brain with as little dril
- possible, and that sort Of training is not
the best in the world for practical Ife n
I after years II is entirely possible ttat
the disposition which many high hooI
graduates evince. 10 assume that the wcrlI
owes them a living and a good one at that,
is due largely TO the idea which they have
imbibed during their schocl years that tie
state owes them an education. and that
without any labor OF their cwn. There is
no way on earth in which psOp-e can learn
90 be thorough. accurate. and efficient u
any line Of work without mental effort
When nothing is forced upon the child.
but everything is brought to him naturally,
easily. and lovingly as Superintendent
Powell explains. he is very apt TO reje
some of the things which # is most Il neoez-
sary that be should know. In an expe6i-
ticn 10 the Geological Garden. for frctanee.
it is dollars 10 doUghnuts that large com
Dauy OF children ID charge Of o2e
teacher. Will not learn very much natural
history. They VIII simply regard The whole
affair huge picnic.
Superintendent Powell SAYS
We have been fourteeu years building cur
systsm Of education, ard now. for the first time.
we are EeginEing % get the fruits of it
We are: we are Applicants for admis-
sion TO the high school cannot sfen
60.
Pupils in the Central High School write
hand which combines four cinersnt styles
OF peumsnship in the same sentence. After
being carefully and lovingly led to il
spect the Capitol at least once a year and
given lessons in the Constitution OF the
United states during severui yesrs. we aud
children making these statements.
s.The juditial are the di-obeycrs Of The law
The Judiciary department., explains OF ex-
9snds"
The fact is that. whether there is a TO; al
road to learning not there is none 20
the correct speliing of English Phonetic
systems Of spelling. in which Mr.. Powell is
said TO believe. are utterly Ineffective sim
ply because the English language is not
spelled phoneticaIly. Children trained to
spell words acCCfdlnS 10 the sound VIII get
ninety per cent of them wrong.
The trouble with this pretty theory ard
is evil workings is just this: One csi:d. or
, two. or three. or even a Gozen. can he
taught by natural methods by parent or
tutor. so that most branches of study Will
seem pleasant and easy This can be dore
because the child's character is studied. in
diyidual work done. and explanations care
fully made at every step. But it is not posi-
BILE to dc he s@sae thing with thirty. forty.
or fifty children in charge of a teacher
without long experience or thorough train
ing In Germany. where natural meth
DDS are used TO some extent, the x ade
of scholarship among teachers is much
higher than it is here. and the German
school committee would not think Of Civ
ing girl OF nineteen or twenty just grad
uated from a nigh school, such work as is
uated from a high school, such work
as is required of her here. II chi dren
are tc be educated in regiments. drill
must take the place Of explanations. and
few things be thoroughly taught. in pace
OF a smattering Of many