Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-01-27

was the pest of your life. In the first
place. inevitably the family would use
up all the water you drew before going
10 bed. Then your mother In the morn
ing would call. Charley. ! wish you
would bring me pail of water" Then
you would 20 to that pump and grasp
the iron handle and pump aud pump
aud pump. and the water would not
come. There was no connection be-
tween the top and the bottom. At
Lass, In compete disgust. you would
have to take the pail and go clear out
to the barn and get some water and
pour 1t down the pipe before you could
get the connection with the well be-
low. Well. that pail of water you had
TO carry from afar and pour down the
pipe Is the symbol To me of the rudi-
mcnts of an education which the school.
teacher is compelled to pour into the
brain of the children. Without these
rudimcnts the child will never be In
touch with the intellectual world.
To Make the student Think.
But. having put the scholar In touch
with the intellectual world. the next
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
to become developed and strong and
virilc, in order to grasp the great prob
80 shAtn an RIGHT chm 4
brain must have exercise. 1t must
learn to be independent. IL cannot be
carried around as II valetudinarian by a
scholastic nurse. Thus the second
great duty of the schoolteacher Is to in
spre In the minds of his students the
mo truth Is really our own said
Ralph Waldo Emerson. until we dis
cover II for ourselves"
was never more impressed with this
fact than when talking some time ago
with one Of the members Of my church
who IL the principal mt the Detention
home of Los Angeles. He said To- me:
"1he greatest work Of the teacher Is Ia
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
not study and seems to be an incorrigi-
BILE he il sent to me. inevitably find
him doubter of his own abilities.
When can dissipatc that doubt can
always make something good out Of the
boy. When boy comes into our home
SOM Nothing he generally answers
What | say. Nothing oh. yes you
must know something?' Nope he an
swers. nothing Well. what do you
know about arthmeticT Nothing.
told YOU he again answers. Nothing
living:' Sell papers We'll. how do
you buy your papers, I gets them al
the office for half n cent and sells them
for II penny Indeed | say. Then
how do you make change when you sell
those papers unless you know how IL
count 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"
Not a sponge.
The human brain should he some
thing more than n sponge. The brain
should be able to give ont ms well as
take in. The brain should he like a
mountain side, gushing forth with
brooks and springs. rather than n great
cavity or reservoir. capable Of holding
n lot Of water. which In time becomes
nothing more or less than stagnant
pool II Is just nj this point that
Friedrich Froebel. the great German
educator. has been able within the last
few years To absolutely rcvolutioniZe
the educational system Of the world.
The gist of his teachings Is this: ITO
have found one fourth OF an answer to
question by his own effort Is Of more
value and Importance to n child than
Il Is To- half hear and half understand
that answer In the words OF another"
NUS W. lllNi tilt NNtIdkf SNibpli Yum
for our children far different place
from that we used to attend. We there
find the children playing games and
building blocks and working at car
pentcr benches and bending over kitch-
en- stoves and drawing pictures and
singing songs. They work with their
heads; they work with their hands and
fingers The schoolroom Is a place
where our children are taught not only
theories. but probabilities. That Is
true education.
And here let me state something d.
rectly TO the parents In reference to
this law. Every father and mother
ought 10 he the public school teachers
assistants. They ought TO supplement
the work OF the scchoOlroom In the
home How are they To do that? BY
inspiring their children In every way
possible TO do something for them
selves. Buy them all the games they
are able 10 play. Checkers and don't
nos and parcheesi and authors and
chess and croquct and golf and tennis
are not time MASTERS. hut brain devel-
opcrs. The striving for the mastery in