Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1913-09-05
REAL EDUCATION.

Evening Post. Aside from their
intrinsic value. the fact that
Prof. Holden made several
speeches in Noxubee a few weeks
ago gives them added interest.
Prof. Webb (Old SaWney) used
to show the real meaning of ed
ucatior" by explaining its deriva-
ton from the Latin ''educo' to
lead or bring out. To cram a
child's mind full of distractions,
little understood and less remem-
bered is one thing. To bring out
and develop his thinking powers,
to teach him things that lie close
to him and deeply affect his pres
entand future welfare is another;
Real education" declares
Professor Holden, sis teaching
the boy in the terms of his own
life. You never really reach him
until you do this. There is some
thing in the home environment
of every boy hat holds the posi-
bility of awakening his sleeping
faculties to action-not one thing
generally, but many. And these
things are almost invariably con-
nected with practical work OF
some sort, usually with the activi-
ties of the life going on about hin
outside of the school. Boys and
girls are interested in doing
things, not in the abstract specu
lations with which the textbook
are so largely filled.
Il was teaching a little dlStrlc
school in Michigan and was aOou
as unsuccessful as the averap
country school-teacher. A few
of my pupils seemed to show al
almost human interest in then
studies, but with most of Their
study was merely a matter of go
ing through the motions. Whel
it finally dawned upon me tina
perhaps this deadly indifference,
was quite as much the fault 0
the system, the textbooks anc
the teacher as the fault of the
pupils, | determined to see if ]
couldn't find out what the boys
were really interested in and sc
meet them on their own ground,
Boys said to them, about
the biggest thing in this country
round here is corn. When any
thing threatens the corn crop you
can read it in your fathers face.
And when a big crop Of corn is
harvested you begin to count on
a fat Christmas and other good
things at home. Now it seems to
me that we orght to look into
anything as important to all oul
homes as corn and see what We
can learn about it. Perhaps We
could find something that might
help your fathers to get a larger
and surer crop. And because
common sense teaches us that tt
get a good crop we must have
good seed, let's have a little seet
show of our own, right here il
school. I'd like to have ever,
boy ask his father to pick out thu
best ear of corn grown in hi
field. Then We'll get them al
together and talk it over
The instant this proposal wa
made | saw a new light appear i
the face of Dick, the dullest DO
in school. He seemed to awake.
suddenly. Book lessons were re
mote and unreal to him, but cor
was tangible and interesting
Every boy brought an ear of corr
selected as being the best thu
the home farm had produced.
was the liveliest day that schoo
house had ever seen. The du
boy was fairly tingling with il
terest. | judged those ears {
carefully as | eyer judged an
corn later in life at any nation
corn show. The grading of eac
ear was explained in detail az
discussed until every boy agree
that the decision was fair. ]
my great regret the awakent
Dick had brought the poore
ear of all, and was more abasht
over this failure than he had e
err been when he hunked in rea
ing, writing or arithmetic.
For seventeen years TIL
school had not been visited by
parent or patron excepting {
state occasions, But the ne
morning | had two callers. II
first was Dicks father. He boI
ed in without knocking.
Say he exclaimed by W;
of introduction, Dick says n
ears the poorest of any. dor
believe it,
1--WE laid out all the corn
nv desk and | asked Dick to pi