Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-11-29

EAV lions. no punishments. no
T rules. no regular hours! A
school in which you can ar
rive when you like. learn what you
like. talk when you like. laugh when
you like. do as you like.
Is this a schoolboy's dream? No. II
ia school right here In New York
city. Its students are ordinary chill
dren. just such as you meet every day
In the streets or see in the public
schools: its teachers are men and
women who differ from ordinary men
and women only In their IDEAS about
how boys and girls should be taught
To be specific. the school is at No.
104 East Twelfth street II was start
ed by the francesca Ferrer associa-
tion- II Is supported by voluntary con-
tributions. Its teachers are Mr.. and
Mrs. John r. Coryell and its director
is Bayard Boyesen, who until recently
was g professor Of Columbia univer-
sity. says the New York World.
School having opened one morning
recently-opened not with the ring
ing Of a bell but simply through the
arrival Of Mr. Coryell and some of the
pupils-a small seven-year-old boy. pro-
duced a pudding stone from his
pocket. showed Il 70 Mr.. Coryell. said
his father had told him Il was sand
stone. and asked Mr.. Coryell's opinion.
The teacher said II was "conglomer-
ate"-so called because It was jum-
bled up mixture Of lot of other
stones. fused together by heat
The boy asked how 1t had got the
heat This opened the way to lesson
In geology and physical geography.
Some Of the other children were In
terested; some Of them not Those who
we're listened In silence; those who
were not did something else or talked
among themselves
His System Of Teaching.
Mr.. Coryell traced back the changes
In the earth. told how their history is
known. described the animals, birds
and plants that lived at the success
sive periods and Of which traces are
now found In the form Of fossils.
II was not a lecture. He simply an
swerd questions. The boy Wis had
brought the stone led all the way in
the voyage through the ages. and Mr..
Coryeli merely acted as guide. Some
OF the other boys followed part Of the
way. but one by one they ceased to be
interested and turned away to other
things that interested them more.
The little inquirer. however, grew al.
most excited with interest. And when
the journey ended he and his guide
we're standing on the edge OF the Arc.
tic ecean. to the north of Siberia. as
sisting In the work Of cutting from the
Ice the body Of a mammoth that had
been standing there frozen in for tens
OF thousands of years On the way
they bad formed the acquaintance OF
many extinct beasts with names as
formidable as their pictures.
Tho journey had led over several
lands They had spent the greater part
of the time In Siberia. and this In
volved few words on the geography
history and government OF Russia. Nc
information was given that was not
sought by questions
knowledge cieverly instiIled.
A little girl brought 10 school {
piece OF kindling wood to which 8
small fan-shaped fungus still chung
She had never seen anything like Il
before. nor had any Of those tene
ment jewellers among whom she lived
The children crowded around as she
exhibited the strange object and ask
ed what II was
Mr. Coryell's explanation led seyera
fthe children to seek further In
formation about funguses. Some O
them asked If they were not poisonous
One wanted to know why SO man,
Italians had been poisoned by then
early in the fall Mr. Coryell said tina
this was because at home in Italy the,
had been in the habit OF eating fun
gus which was quite harmless. bu
that looked almost exactly like on
found here in America that was dead
ly poison.
Az they were talking about wood
boy said that some one had told hin
that paper was made from wood. bu
he did not believe IT, The teacher de
scribed hiw wood is ground into pull
and pressed out into paper, and b
added:
And | have a necktie made Q
wood"
A chorus asked him to show Il t
them. The following. day be wor
the cravat. one Of those OF woven WOO
eber that so closely initiate silk. H
took IL of and passed II around tn
class. The little fingers felt it and th
curious eyes scrutinized 1t closely.
The teacher explained how 1t wa
made He went on to tell Of othe
strange uses for wood and paper, Tha
the latter is pressed into car wheel