The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1906-03-09

teacher is compelled to pour into IN,
brain Of the children. Without these
rudiments the child will never be in
touch with the intellectual world.
But, having put the scholar In toucl
with the intellectual world, the mex
great duty Of the schoolteacher Is tC
make the student think for himself and
do for himself. The cells Of the brain
are just the same as the muscles and
cells of the rest Of the body. In order
10 become developed and strong and
virile, i'm order to grasp the great prob
lens Of life and solve them Alright, that
brain must have exercise. Ii must
learn to be independent. II cannot be
carried around as n yaletudnarian by a
scholastic nurse. Thus the second
great duty of the schoolteacher IS TO in
spire In the minds Of his students the
realization that they can do something
"No truth is really our own" said
Ralph Waldo Emerson, until we dis
cover il for ourselves"
l was never more impressed with this
fact than when talking some time ago
with one of the members Of my church
who Is the principal at the Detention
home Of Los Angeles He said TO me:
The greatest work Of the teacher is to
inspire in his pupils confidence in them
selves. Now. in our Detention home
have had this theory well tested. There
we have what is called the garbage pile
OF the youths Of this city. If boy will
not study and seems to be an lncOrrigi-
bic he is sent TO me. | inevitably find
him a doubter OF his own abilities
When ! can disslpate that doubt | can
always make something good out Of the
boy. When a boy comes into our home
say 10 him. What can you do, my
sOnY Nothing he generally answers.
Whatr I say. Nothing. Oh. yes; you
must know somethingT Nope ne an
swers, nothing We'll. what do you
know about arithmeticY Nothing. |
told you he again answers. Nothing
Then say Well what do you do for a
llvlngT Sell papers We'll, how do
you buy your papersT 4 gets them at
the Office for half cent and sells them
for a penny Indeed / say. Then
how do you make change when you sell
those papers unless you know how TO
countT With that the boys eyes will
begin to open, and he will begin to see
that making change is arithmetic and
buying papers is counting figures. And
thus ! lead him on until he realizes that
he himself can count and do some
thing"
The human brain should be some
thing more than n sponge The brain
should be able TO give out as well as
take in. The brain should be like a
side, gushing forth with
brooks and springs, rather than a great
cavity or reservoir. capable Of holding
4 lot Of water. which in time becomes
nothing more or less than n stagnant
pool, II Is Just at this point that
Friedrich Froebel. the great German
has been able within the last
'ew years 10 absolutely revoutionlze
he educational system Of the world.
The gist of his teachings Is this: ITO
layc found onefourth Of an answer to
! question by his own effort Is Of more
'alue and Importance to a child than
{ Is TO half hear and half understand |
hat answer I'm the words OF another"
thus we find the average schoolrOom |
or our children a far different place |
rom that we used TO attend. We there |
ind the children playing games and |
blocks and working at car
,cnter benches and bending over kitch-
n stoves and drawing pictures and |
inging songs. They work with their
eads; they work with their hands and |
myers. The schoolroom is a place
where our children are taught not only
heorles, but practicalties. That is
rue education.
And here let me state something d.
ectly to the parents In reference to
bis law. Every father and mother
ught TO be the public school teachers
ssistants. They ought to supplement
he work Of the scchOolrOom I'm the
ONE. How are they to do thatf BY
aspiring their children in every way
ossible TO do something for them
elves. Buy them all the games they
re able 10 play. Checkers and domi-
os and parcheesi and authors and
hess and croQuet and golf and tennis
re not time wasters, but brain devel-
pers. The striving for the mastery in
lmes develops the power to succeed
! life. When the Duke Of Wellington
ms prime minister Of England he paid
visit TO his old school Of Eton. While
e was watching the boys play football
pom the field he said to the principal.
The battle Of Waterloo was won
ere" If Arthur Wellesley had never
intended for mastery upon the play
'ound he would never have been able
conquer Englands greatest foe.
Furthermore, not only should parents
imulate the activities Of their chill
'en by games, but also got their chill
'en tool boxes, and scroll saws, and
hitting presses, and magic lantern
Ides, and kodaks, II they Will use
en-. All these things will be the
cans Of helping to decide your chill
ems future lives. Aye, more than
is-lf possible let them raise chick
IS and doves and rabbits and go
hing and hunting Let them take
re Of horse or q pony. Let them DO d
eything and anything that Is right e
iich will stimulate the action Of the {
ain. A child develops more By what I
does than by what you do for him.
hank God that our schoolteachers can =
splre their scholars into doing as we'll 3
into receivingl
| see the teacher training the prac- L
al child. see him also training the !
sthetic child or the student Of the