Newark post., 1914-04-01
IDEALS OF
EDUCATION
"a Paper by Mrs. E. w. DaCson)

Ill our pIeStHt IuSll lol llc pCot
educational method, the most i'm
proved appliances, buildings and
equipment it will do us no harm to
pause awhile and review the rela-
ton of pupil and teacher os other
times have seen it. To give his
tory of pedagogy with the names
and work Of eminent figures there
in, however brief, would far eX-
ceed the limits Of this paper and
your patience, and to attempt any
serious work on education in gen.
eral, would be but a feeble and in
effectual expression Of ideas which
have been and are being given
form and substance by men and
women of wide experience and keen
intellect. SO all that | am attempt
ing is to show something Of the
spirit animating pegagoglal Ell
endeavor.
That individual education which
bears directly upon the business Of
living, namely, food, clothing, and
shelter, was all that primitive men
added to their children s inheri-
ted qualities. But when not only
the works Of man s hands but the
thoughts of his mind could be pre-
served for future generations, the
formal relationship Of teacher and
pupil in a scholastic sense began.
With the development Of a writ
ten language at the beginning OF
the fifth millenial B. c., the Egypt
ians had vehicle, clumsy though
it now appears to us, flexible
enough for the transmission OF
thought beyond the mere pictur-
ing of deeds. Modern investlga-
ton has opened up their literature
and that of Babylonia and given us
vivid pictures Of those ancient CIV
ilizations. Thousands of years ago
for little Egyptian prince was
little story written expressly for
him by hi steacher, and the even
old story which we have as Clnder-
ella was told and Transcribed for
him-perhaps as a record for a
good lesson. In BabylOnla the
schools and libraries were connect
ed with the temples and there the
pupils gathered. One of the most
valuable results Of the excavations
in that region, was the discovery at
Nippur of 10000 clay tablets form
ing what is known as the Temple
Library. Among the clay books -
are small tablets containing a
child's early exercises in writing.
Who knows but that he may have
been spurred Oh to good work by
the promise that his tablet should
be presrved. The two earliest epics
in the world-of the Deluge and OF
Creation-@lave been found III
Babylonia ) literature, patient
teacher and willing pupil conned
them over and over we know not
how often. But we do know that
little fingers were taught to hold
the stylus and fashion the cuni.
form syllables in the soft clay, that
they were taught mathematics
one tablet contains squares ano
cubes of numbers from | to 60
with measures of length, weight
and capacity and under those
cloudless skies the masters taught
astronomy. That there were there
good teachers and plastic brains We
today bear witness, in the duodecl
mall system they invented and still
in use, the invention of the sur
dial and-like the Egyptians-the
division Of the year into twelve
months. Of their material glories
but little survives, but the impress
of their religious and intellectual
life is felt today. She Phoenicians
perfected the alphabet, making it &
better vehicle Of written thought
and acted as travelling teachers
carrying wherever their commerce
touched, the literary, mathematical
and astronomical knowledge OF
their time. Who shall say whar
visions were theirs when they
launched into unknown seas! Tht
outdoor schools of India can bt
traced back to remotest antiquity
as can the schools Of China, botl
these peoples taught the boys at al
early age, the former largely by
means of interchange of ideas, tn
latter by the more mechanica
method of communication by tn
teacher. 1t is an interesting lin
of investigation that of the goo'
teachings and discipline OF tn
Chinese and Hindus; in each coun
try were not lacking those VIII
courageously followed high idea
to the loss of what then scenes