The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-08-12
The Big Purpose in All
q Work. y
seIected ny EDWIN MANKHAM

| Madam Maria Montessori's method
i of teaching children is practiced in
! Rome. PARIS and New York. This
method insists upon a training OF the
senses and demands free play Of the
| individuality OF the pipil. For one
| thing. she wishes to do away with the
! stiI desks used in schooi-rootns and
! t. le; children move freely about
! The culture Of the social instinct is IN
| cluded in her system. The Mon
! tesscri Method is the name Of aef
( recent volume. and take the follow
( ing from its pages:
We know only too well tho sorry
/ spectacle uf the teacher who, IN the
ordinary schoolroom. must pour GER
| tain out-and dried facts into the heads
! % the scholars. In order 10 sue
! r'ed in this barren task she finds ii
necessary to discipline her pupils into
! immobility and to force their atten-
/ ton. Prizes and punishments are
/ ever ready and efficient aids to the
| master who must force into a given
attitude or mind and body those who
arc condemned to be his listeners.
1T is true thar today it is deemed
aKPe dent 20 abolish official whippiuFs
/ ard hahituul blows, Just as the
aV aldinR Of prizes has become less
| cercmonious These partial reforms
are another prop approved by science.
anG offered TO the support Of tho de-
cadcrt school. such rizes and pun
iahrn"nts are III may be allowed the
expression, the bench Of the s1uL
the Instrument Of slavery for TIE
Shirt
Here however. these are not ap-
Billed lessen arfnrmItles -hnA to
provoke them. The prize and the
pun isitment are incentives toward an
natural or forced effort. ana. there
for we certainly cannot speak IF m,
turai development Of the cltit3 in
carut elton with them. The Jockey
offers 4 piece OF sugar to his morse
before jumping into the saddle. the
,I Gilman beats his horse that he
may respond to the signs given by
the reins, and vet neither Of these
runs so superbly az the free horse 2
the plains.
ARD here. In the ease Of education.
shall man place the yoke upon mar
Frue. we say that social man II
nAtar-l man yoHed 10 society. Ru'
* We give "A comprehensive glance
at the moral progress Of society, ~e
shat see ut4t litue ~ hetle. the
Y E@ is being made c,lsier, IN other
lifc, moves gradually toward triumph
Tho yoke OF the lrre yields 10 thst
Ct the servant and the yoke Il the
sery1ft 10 that OF tne workman.
"All forms IF slavery tend little
by little 20 weaken and disappear.
even the slavery If woman The
history OF civilization is IL history Of
cerquost and Of liberation.
We should ask IN what stage ~
cir.lt2ation we fn1 ourselves and II.
IN truth. the good OF prizes and VI
pUnlshments be nece ssary To our ad-
1ercemant II We have indeed gone
beyond this point. 'e.', to apply suct
q tufuI Of education would be to draw
tt+ tew generation back to a lower
isl Ell. not to lead than into their true
heritage If progress
Something very like this condition
Of the school exists in society. in the
relation between the government and
tire great numbers II the men en-
plcyed in Its administrative depart
r7ertG These clerks work day after
dav for the general national good.
yet they do not feel nor see the ad-
vantage of their work in any Inn
mediate reward, That Is. they do
not realize that the State carries on
it's great business through their daily
tcShN anu kIfdt ERlP "hn4e n1LElE ~
benefited by their work. For them
tie immediate good Is promotion, as
passing to a higher class is for the
child N school.
The man who loses sight OF the
really big aim OF his work is like a
child who has been placed in a class
below his real standing; like a slave.
he Is cheated OF something which ~
his right His dignity as man is
reduced to the limits of the dignity
Of machine which must be oiled II
II Is 10 be kept going. because it does
not have within itself the impulse OF
iife All those petty things such az
tho desire for decorations or medals
ere but artificial stimuli, tightening
for the moment the dark barren
path in which he treats
I'm ths same way we give prizes
to school children. And the fear OF
not ACHE ing promotion withholds
the cleFk from running away and
hill de HIM TO his monotonous work
even a. the fear of not passing into
the next class drives the pupil to his
hook The reproof of the superior
is in every way similar to the scold-
ing - the teacher The correction OF
b ldly executed clerical work Is
equivalent To the tad mark placed by
the teacher upon the scholars poor
composition. The parallel IL almost
perfect"