The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-22
PERSONALITY IS BIG
 FACTOR IN TEACHING
Search Continues His Lectures On Educational Subjects at Unlver-
 sity Summer School.

l University, June 21.-(SpeciaD. Before large crowd yesterday afternoon, Mr.
 Search delivered his sixth lecture before the Summer school, his subject being What I Saw in European Schools" The I schools which he discussed in particular were those of France and Germany. To l begin with. he showed the difficulty which a foreigner encounters when he desires to inspect the schools, a permit being neces- sary, which 1t sometimes takes as much as two weeks to secure The schools into which he first led his audience were those of France, where he pointed out that the primary work was very informal. He said that the real work began at about B. and that differentiation started about 10 o'clock. From then on the work rap idly increased in quality and opportunity. the provisions for the education of men being better no where else in the world. He next introduced his audience to the German system, where he led them from the primary grades to the highly organ ized Burgerschule sustained by the town. Some of the greatest excellencies of these schools he said, "are the efh-
  Der of students, which ranges from eight cen to twentysx. He then gave an in- sight into the Gymnasia and Realschule. supported by the Kaiser, into which the student enters at twelve and from which he is passed on to the university at about eighteen" In comparing the Prus- sian schools-supposedly the best in the world-with those of America, he said that they showed no more excellencles than ours, but that they did show fewer weak nesses.
 lie closed his remarks with a charac- terization of the various races and spoke of the heterogeneous horde of immigrants pouring yearly into this country, which must be welded Into a homogeneous citi- zenship by our schools.
 This morning Mir. Search continued his educational linesof talk, speaking on wi talizing the Course of Study" "The work 1 in the schools should be made thoroughly attractive to. the student, though not easy" he said. "The first and greatest necessity for vltalizivg the course of study Is the inspiring teachers, for the whole process. of education Is spiritual one, Where .thei soul of the teacher meets that of the pupil. Personality is the great essential to success In education, one of the glories of the smaller colleges being the opportunity for contact between stu dent and teacher. Where there is no such contact, the college life is frozen'' "Of course" he said. the teacher Is the main source of vitality Then wG must give the child nature study--not si mere list of scientific names and classi- fications, but living presentation of the subject where it's relation to human beings Is brought out" Here the speak CT, by glowing tribute to the life of Louis Agassiz, showed how the inspired teacher may likewise Inspire the student The things that make the world inter- esting are biographical facts, and insofar i as the teacher can bring his subject and the deeds of men into contact 1t will be impressive and interesting" The whole gist of his talk was that in the teachers personality lies the secret of vitality in | the course of study.