New-York tribune., 1904-09-24
THE NEW EDUCATION.
HoSO 1t Applies to Study of
Geography-Ercursions Taken.

Tribune representative,
Miss Baber was one Of the delegates to the |
eighth International Geographic Congress She |
had charge OF the geography in the Cook County |
Normal School when IT was made famous bv |
Colonel Parker. For the last four years she held
the same position IN the School OF Education one |
Of the colleges of Chicago University Miss Pa
bers fayorite method of teaching geography is TO
take the children excursions which will illus
trate to them the things they have been studying
about. All people learn more through observation
she thinks. than in any other way and this Is
especially true of children who have not a basis
OF past observation 10 enable them to understand
the facts taught them in textbooks and class
rooms.
So strongly does she feel the Importance of
these excursions for school children that she
would have school boards everywhere appropriate
funds for the purpose
Switzerland does that" she said. MANY of the
cantons make regular appropriations every year
for the purpose Of taking the school children to
points of historical and physographic interest I
found II done in Japan also. / went with class
Of sixty pupils from school in Toxic TO visit the
temples at Nikko. and in the museum at Toxic
saw these country children. who had been brought
in by their teachers. who explained the contents
Of the museum. There no means of transporta-
ton from the section from which they came ex-
cept private conveyances. so they had walked in
which took them three hours"
VISITS SCHOOLS THE WORLD OVER
Miss Baber took a trip around the world a few
years for the purpose of illustrating her own
knowledge Of geography at first hand and also FOR
the purpose Of visiting schools all over the world
She noticed two examples OF British methods OF
popular education which struck her sense of
| humor.
In India found the government schools teach
ing the children just about the things in Just
about the same way, and with Just about the same
books as in the board schools OF England. No con-
| heredity and environment and might need difser-
ent methods and mental pabulum. seemed to have
scale we are all doing the thing. In our city
DDS to children OF the foreign quarter, who never
see tree or blade OF grass. as we do to Amert-
| country
"A peculiar illustration of this noticed in the
udyns * topca botany Vsns T She obs purpose f the
SSsJ hS aa aSh s %hR on they so foS
G Why s3 0a ,b asffd eSreS on S she 81 saS & I'VE tried
! nations because we couldn't get the English
Could anything be more ridiculous? There they
were. surrounded by the most magnificent botanl.
the English flowers used for illustration In English
fepreSents in special way the stuS5ornness Of
British conservatism; but, more or less, II Is the
ton lags far behind ali other sciences It is more
antiqIaed more Irrational IN ias methGes @ a Iada
a tremendous leap forward. But the majority Of all
ucation' Is.
DEVELOPS POWER
The new education seeks TO develop power in
the child instead OF all his memory with facts.
/ A child trained under the education may not
have certain facts glibly the end OF his
tongue one educated under the old regime.
| But he knows how 90 inform himself those
facts. Just older person does. He knowr how
TO libraries. reference books. and all kinda %
sources OF information He has been trained 20 OBJ
serve and 10 from his observations.
Can you name the principal cities OF Siberian No:
| you do not burden your mind with such details.
But you know how 20 inform yourself on the mat
Some very Intelligent parents criticiss the new
hand certain questions on which they strenu-
ously trained In their youth They never stop O.
understand good deal more about the world they
are ri living in than an they & ala at The same ne age
with actual things is one Of the prime methods q
school at Evanston the children have their own
little farm gardens. There they learn the process
gardens are fairly growing they taken every
There they see the process of sscSItuTs in actSSi
| operation. They make butter themselves IN ths
fore It is put into the churn. and after Il comes
out to see what part OF Il has gone into the but
5hey go to see actual S butter % making & for CON-
/ kindergarten to the high school The little fellow
sends his balls of clay to the kiln to be fred and
vases and dishes. fired. glazed and decorated.
Then they 60 to pottery works and see the process
the finest imported wares. They learn where these
toric and artistic interest Of the famous potteres
| OF the Old World The history of commerce and
manufacture is full OF the most interesting stories
/ When children know the life Of man IKE Wedge
wood. the inventor OF the ware OF that name. for
he had to encounter. they will honor him. And
well as ssOoiG only "So soldiers and statesmenT
| so cover the whole industrial world. When
| the children working in wood. they go 20
furniture factories and piano factories and to the
a its phases The pupils working in iron visit the
works they come in contact with hemp. used for
the millions OF tons OF binding yarn manufactured
by whom It is cultivated. Then, from the shipping
list OF this Arm. they sec how that twine ties the
world together.
| PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.
| so much for the Industrial side of geography.
For the Photographed side. they go out to the
bluffs the lake shore. They how the lake
has them back. They see how the rivers
have made ravines. The upper grades learn to see
and understand the effects Of glacial action Of al
scape well a book or a map. AS they study
they can tell where glacial or volcanic action has
! is. why city is; for cities grow up In response
| TO natural causes, just as surely rivers.
the fifth Grade, have them buy the hes, physical
| atlas TO be had: but they follow no textbook. In
cal readers published. ana theY Consul, them all
/ AS for the particular portion Of the earths sur
| face studied at any time that depends on what is
maps procurable of the scene OF the Russo Jap
anese war hang & In the classrooms and the 2 pupils
| mics. and learning the physiography and settled
read everything they could get hold of about both
| countries; their people, government industries
! papers with their education in that way will
hardly find their chief interest in the public prints
Canal every question OF general interest furnishes
subject for the seogsshhy class in the same way &
| fore the public they correate with their history
| u they are studying the Colonial history Of the
country along with its history. II they gre on the