Daily Kennebec journal., 1912-02-23

about his early training. When the
child was but a few months old he
was trained to identify the elements
of sound by means Of alphabet blocks
and they were held up before him ana
named, day after day, either by DR..
Sidis or his wife. who co-operated
with her husband enthusiastically i'll
all his educational theories. After
time nc learned to spell by means OF
these same blocks, which were formed
into words on the floor and the cor
responding objects pointed out to him.
Thus, before he was two years ole
he was able 10 read and spell easily.
lie was taught to count in much the
same manner and when he was
years old he had devised a method to
tell on what day of the week amy
given date would fall.
Seeing his father operate the type
writer one day he at once recognized
the superiority of this method of eX-
Lressing himself over laborious hand
writing, and quickly picked up the
trick Of manipulating it. At years
of age his father says he could easily
have passed medical students eN-
amination, having. from Il comparison
plates Of text books, acquired a splen-
did knowledge of anatomy. Since DR..
Sidis is polygot, young William, be-
sides speaking English mastered Rus
sian, French, German, Latin and
Greek by simple conversational meth
ods When at 6 he was sent to the
public schools he flashed through seF-
an grades in six months like comet
leaving n trail OF open -mouthed teach
crs behind him.
The main principles of DIR. Sldls
educational theories are based upon
what he calls the law OF reserve men-
tai energN-the principle of stored up
dormant potential. subconsctous cner-
gy. The ordinary stimuli of life are
quite unable to reach this store of an
used energy, and even have a tendency
to choke it up and strangle it. You
may nave had the experience yourself,
after prolonged mental work. of feel
ing greatly fatigued: but II necessity
REQUIRED YOU to keep on working, al
ter time this feeling Of fatigue
seemed TO pass away. You are then
drawing on your reserve mental ehef-
gy There is nothing, he aiiirms, that
will prevent the liberation Of this re-
.ferve energy SO much as fixed adapta-
tions. stable habits.
Most educators just nov are strong
Is emphasizing the importance 9t 4aD-
~ formation in education. Boris Sldis
says, quite as emphatically:
Avoid routine. Do not let the best
of habits harden beyond the point ol
further possible modification. Culu-
Xate variability The tendency to-
ward variab is the most precious
part of a good education. Beware ot
the Philistine with his set. stable nab
it's. The important principle IL edu-
cetion is not so much formation OF
habits as the power of their reforma-
tion. The cultivation of tha power OF
habit disintegration is what ednsti-
tu.es the proper education of mans
genius"
It is by developing the critical abil-
tiles in early childhood that we VIII
aid ih the acquisition Of control over
stored up. latent energies OF man
genius. everything should be open
to the child's searching interest; moth
ing should be suppressed and tabeoed
as too sacred for examination. The
spirit Of inquiry, the genius of man.
is more sacred than any ABSTRACT De
lief. dogma and creed.
Further on DIR. Sdis declares that
the principle OF the recognition OF evil
under all its guises is at the basis et
the true education of mar.
open mis- eyes (the ehild's1 To uh-
disguised reality. Teach him, SHOW
him how to strip the real from It's
wrappings and adornments
and see things in their nakedness,
omen the eyes of your children 50 that
they shall SEQ. understand and face
eoura geously the evils Of life. Then
You will do your duty as parents, then
win YOU give your children the prop
er education
Between the second and third year
the child's education should begin
I'VE can at that early period awaken
n love of knowledge which will per-
sist through life. The child VIII as
eagerly play in the game of knowledge
ar he nov spends most OF llls eher-
pies in meaningless games and OBJECT
less, silly sports"
In reply. to the objections raised by
many that .lhis system of education is
liable TO force the childis mind and
strain his brain prematurely, the au-
thor declares that in simply directing
the course of the use of the emo
onereies we do not force the child
oIf YOU do not direct the energies In
the right course the child will waste
them in the wrong direction. '-Spokcs-
man Review.