The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-03-15
DR.. w. NJ. HEILMANN
A Former Superintendent of School
in Indiana Speaks.

DIR. w. n. Heilman delivered a
most interesting lecture yesterday
afternoon at the high school building
before the teachers of the city
schools His subject was Common
Sense IN Education"
DIR. Heilman is one Of the great ed
ueators of this country. He has spent
the greater portion of his life at home
and abroad in the study of children,
and is, therefore, high authority on
the principles of early education. tie
now resides in Boston, Mass, and IS
at present on a tour over the coun-
try for the purpose Of studying
schools and lecturing at principal
points.
On passing through Richmond Supt.
Mott secured him for lecture, which,
in its entirety, was highly enjoyed
by all who heard it.
The speaker said he did not wish
to attempt a formal definition OF
education, but that from his point of
view "education is an effort to help
the child to grow; to set it In the
right direction to became a useful
citizen.'
Children should be kept physically
strong, healthy, pure and happy, also
sympathetic toward each other. There
should be no fads in education, he
thinks, that the greatest ends may be
reached Any branch of study be-
comes a fad when pursued as an end
in itself. 1t should look beyond this,
to the perfect development of the
child.
He spoke of the physical train
ing Of the child as one of the most
important features Of its education.
The old custom of having the win
dows thrown open and taking the
children through a series of calls
themes, as a means Of rest, was re-
parded as foolish in the extreme.
When the child is tired it should rest
absolutely and often, to reach the
highest and best results.
"a child s working energy is very
great at the age Of six. Tt drops at
seven, still more at eight, but at nine
it rises again to and beyond that of
the sixth year. The age of six should
be the period of frequent rests. At
this age as paradoxical as it may
seem, what the child accomplishes is
IN proportion to the amount Of time
he spends in rest.' During these
first years he should not be pushed in
his work. He should live much in the
sun and open air except, of course,
in weather that might subject him to
exposure. He should be interested in
and should have for his companions,
birds, flowers and trees, and should
become friend of nature.
The period of adolescence, which
was next discussed by the speaker,
begins about the eleventh and ends
perhaps with the sixteenth year. At
the beginning of this period the boy
and girl begins to separate in their
desires and views of life. The boy is
dreaming Of being a man, and the
girl of being a woman"
The boy, during this period, has a
greater desire to be taught by man
and the girl by woman, and, in the
family, the boy to be the companion
Of his father and the girl Of her
mother.
The looking out toward manhood
and woman is now in the germ
only to be the better developed by
care in early training. "FiF
The value of the initiative on the
part of the children in their work was
next discussed by the speaker-of
putting themselves into their work, or
doing it in a manner most pleasing to
them.
The initiative is given large field
in manual training, science work and
especially in literature, where story