The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-01-17


teaching any branch to them? If so,
send them in so that other teachers
may learn of them.
The idea of having a column in the
county papers conducted by the teach
ers has received many fiattering COM
ments from newspapers published in
other parts of this and otacr states.
Several OF them have written an ar
ticle about the one which is being con-
Quoted by the teachers of this county,
and each Of them urge their teachers to
start similar venture. The teachers
Of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, are
among the first to start movement for
such a column on education. Everyone
feels sure that this movement here is
pregnant with the most excellent re-
suits for the schools. of this county.
The following. article has been re-
ceived for publication in the series
TEACHING L. s. HISTORY.
Many reasons can be given why
United States History should be studied
in the public schools. 1t is study
which is fascinating to many pupils and
the question for the teacher arises
How can | make it so?" Here is a
plan which | find can be used success
fully for teaching advanced grades:
If you turn to your history you will
find it beginning with Columbus, his
life, work and death. Following him
come the Cabots and Mortimer and
many other explorers and discoveries
Of different nationalities, dates, pur-
poses and results, such as Ponce De
Leon, DeSoto, Cartier, Cabeza DeVaca,
Hudson and others. Now it is impossi-
bic to remember the works of all these
different men unless you have some plan
of doing so. Otherwise it is all tumble
covering many pages of history which
the pupil is unable to strsighten out
Let us illustrate the plan by Columbus
l, name of explorer, Columbus; 2, date
1892; 3, nationality, Italian, in service
Of Spain; 4, purpose, to find new route
to the Indies; 5, what discovered
America; 6, results, made known new
continent. Other results can be men,
toned. Each explorer can be taken in
this way and everything in the book be
brought out in connection with the out
line. Thus a knowledge of all the
petty facts concerning each man will
be remembered, but the most important
will become fixed.
would have my pupils prepare such
an outline because, LIST, it will cause
more research and closer attention; I'd,
by writing it, it will become more firm
ly fixed in their minds The value of
the teacher now shows itself very plain
". Many are the byways leading from
the true road of history. The teacher.
duty is to require this work and keep
the pupils on the proper track.
The Revolutionary and Civil Wars
are two important factors is history and
can easily, and may, say, be success
fully taught by campaigns. During the
Revolution of course Washington, as
every school boy will tell you, is the
foremost general. Let the pupil out
line his campaign from the beginning to
the end of the war. Since he is Com
manderin-Chief. the minor generals,,can
easily be brought out and the campaigns
of the foremost be traced. Likewise
treat sevaral of the British generals.
The Union plans for the Civil War
was: /, to blockade the southern ports
in order to cut off supplies from the
south; 2, to capture Richmond; 3, to
open the lower Mississippi, Cumberland
and Tennessee Rivers then closed: for
navigation by the Confederates; d. to
break the Confederate line in the west,
march eastward and thence to Virginia,
thus breaking up the whole Confederacy.
Let the pupil trace the campaigns of
such men as Grant, Sherman, Sheridan,
Johnston, Lee, Jackson and others at
the discretion of the teacher, not for
getting the plan of the war. We find
Grant beginning with the third plan,
capturing Forts Henry and Donelson
and winning the battles of Pittsburg
Landing and Island Number Ten during
the first year of the war. This plan is
continued by moving against Vicksburg
the second year and capturing it with
Fort Hudson the third year, thus