B 695 P2 P4 opy 1 ?o. P^ FEACMERS MANVAL5 No. 20. T-, Copyright, 1892, By E. L. KELLOGG & CO. DAVID P. PAGE. PREFACE. The Albany Normal School was not founded by the people : it was the work of the most thoughtful men of the State. In establishing it the Legislature followed the advice of such men as Kev. Dr. Alonzo Potter, Francis Dwight, John C. Spencer, Gideon Hawley, Col. Samuel Young, Calvin T. Hulburd, and others of that stamp. The " Academy interest ^' urgently prompted a repeal of the law, but the school had been established for five years; and before that time the pupils sent out by David P. Page had demonstrated the wisdom of the step taken, and opposition slowly subsided. The success of the school turned on the success of the first graduates : they went forth determined to redeem education in New York ; they were inspired to do some- thing far higher than " keep a school ; " they felt their mission was to exhibit to the people the school as it should be. Mr. Page was peculiarly successful in drawing around him men and women capable of receiving his inspira- tion. The work done by the early graduates, when looked at after the lapse of nearly fifty years, appears 3 4 PREFACE, extraordinary. In the first class that assembled under Mr. Page came William F. Phelps, from Cayuga County, the writer of this biography. The keen eye of his teacher penetrated to the very soul of the young man, and he prophesied to one of his assistants, " There is a young man who will make his mark" — a prophecy that has been abundantly fulfilled. After graduating, from 1846-52 Mr. Phelps was at the head of the Training School, then for the first time established in connection with a Normal School; from 1855-64 he was Principal of the New Jersey State Normal School; from 1864-76 he was Principal of the Minnesota State Normal School at AVinona; from 1876-8 President of the Wisconsin State Normal School at Whitewater. These indicate but a part of the educative work done by this pupil and biographer of Mr. Page. At the time Mr. Page entered on his work in New York State only the dynamic effect on our shores of the great Pestalozzian wave had been felt : the " car had been turned around " or was turning around, but the great need was of light on educational philosophy. Mr. Phelps, as the head of the Training-school, was obliged to supply reasons for the processes employed in the schoolroom; for the students at the Normal School were taught to ask the " ominous why ? " The old mechanisms of the schoolroom were to be thrown away, but what was to take their place ? There was need of one having a philosophical yet inventive mind; possess- ing didactical, yet arousing and inspiring qualities; especially was it necessary that the new gospel of Pesta- lozzi should be interpreted and fitted to the American PREFA CE. 5 schoolrooms. This work devolved upon Mr. Phelps. He entered upon it with no text-book for guidance, except the reports of Horace Mann on the schools he had visited in Europe where the ideas and methods of Pestalozzi had been adopted. From the Model School over which he presided, and from his lectures, the grad- uates obtained a grasp of the philosophy of education; they became educators. The work of Mr. Phelps was, therefore, largely put- ting into philosophical form Avhat Mr. Page intuitively felt ought to be done in the schoolroom, and harmoniz- ing it with the accounts that came across the ocean of those who had studied the ways of the great Swiss teacher. His six years of work in the Albany Normal School were devoted to what we now term Pedagogics, a term then unknown, and the new form that education took on in the schools of the State was largely due to his indefatigable labors. I entered the school in the summer of 1850, and grad- uated in March 1851. I found the atmosphere filled with reverence for Mr. Page. Teaching was not under- taken as a business, but as a duty; the students came to learn to do it rightly. It was universally recognized that Prof. Phelps possessed unrivalled powers to make plain the underlying principles of education. I felt then, and have felt every year since, that the young men and women who came into the " Experimental School " (for so the Training Department was called in those days) were most fortunate to have such a teacher. In 1852 I was called on to succeed Prof. Phelps; over and over again before the Senior Class of that school or 6 PRE FA CE. before teachers at institutes or before the readers of the " School Journal," the " Teachers^ Institute and the Professional Teacher " (now '^ Educational Founda- tions"), I have recalled his eloquent words, of which I took voluminous notes; and now embrace the oppor- tunity to return the thanks of a grateful pupil. Amos M. Kellogg. New York, June 1893. DAVID PERKINS PAGE. Early History. — David Perkins Page was born at Epping, New Hampshire, July 4, 1810, and died at Albany, New York, January 1, 1848, at the early age of thirty-seven years and six months. His father was a farmer in moderate circumstances, and the earlier years of the son were passed in the health-giving employment of rural life in the old Granite State, which, however unlavish in bringing forth the kindly fruits of the earth, has produced many noble men, who have adorned the history of their country by valiant service in behalf of its civil and educational interests. Even while a boy David Page exhibited a strong love for learning and intellectual pursuits, often importuning his tidh^.Y for a chance to gratify his desire through the advantages of a school. But for some time this pre- cious privilege was denied him, because the parent had other objects in view, being determined to prepare the son for the humble life of a New England farmer, that he might succeed him in the possession of the maternal homestead. There was therefore a struggle between them which was earnest and long-continued. 7 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. A Crisis. — At length, at the age of sixteen years, the son was attacked by a dangerous illness. For a time he was apparently trembling between life and death, and the hope of recovery was almost abandoned. At this critical juncture, when, if ever, the parental heart would be opened to the appeals of affection, the pale and pros- trate son extorted a promise from his father that if he recovered he should go to a neighboring academy and prepare himself for the duties of a teacher. A Heroic Purpose. — One scarcely knows whether most to admire the sublime heroism that in an hour like this could rise above the pangs of present pain or the fear of death, and grasp at the hope of future usefulness and the solid pleasures that learning confers, or smile at the ingenious stratagem which overthrew the citadel of pa- rental prejudice, and overcame every obstacle to the realization of a long-cherished and noble purpose. Prob- ably no incident of his life so palpably exhibits the'great secret of the success that crowned his efforts — an ardent longing to be a moving force upon and among others of his race, which even the menace of death could not destroy. Begins His Education — An Episode. — Recovering at length, he was, according to promise, allowed to begin his education, and accordingly entered Hampton Academy. " Here," says Horace Mann, " he encountered, for the first time in his life, that feeling so common and yet so con- temptible, which assigns social rank and estimation not according to moral and intellectual worth, but to the cloth one can afford to buy, or to the tailor one employs. He was dressed in the plain garb of a farmer's boy. He DAVID PERKINS PAGE. met at the Academy specimens of that class of young men upou the texture and style of whose garments their parents had expended their money and skill, but had reserved none for the refinement and elevation of thei,r minds. Polished on the outside, they were the rudest of boors within; gentlemen only so far as an ape or a swine might be called a gentleman if arrayed in fine linen, hroadcloth, or silk; whose bodies may live in a palace, but whose souls grovel in a sty. To their gibes and jeers he was subjected, and doubtless his mind here got what Paley calls 'a holding turn' — an unspeakable contempt for the pretensions that are founded on wealth or habiliments, and a profound religious respect for moral worth."' His First School. — Having spent a few months at Hampton, David Page ventured upon the experiment of his first school. We have no account of his success in this the earliest attempt at the chosen work of his life, save from the few casual remarks occasionally made by himself to his intimate friends. During these early efforts, in the light of his later and riper experience, he would naturally be inclined to underrate their value. Deeply imbued as he was, however, even at this period, with an unquenchable love for his calling, it may be safely assumed that he did naught knowingly " to mar the handiwork of God.'' Returns to the Academy. — Having completed the term of his first school, he re-entered the Academy, still bent upon perfecting his qualifications for his chosen work. The entire period spent at the Academy was less than one year. Having embraced the profession of teaching lO DAVID PERKINS PAGE. as a permanent calling, however, lie taught district- schools for two successive winters at Epping, New Hampshire, and Newbury, Mass., respectively. The common schools of New England at this time were in session but three months during the season Having closed his engagement at Newbury, therefore, he opened a private school at the same place, having on the first day but five pupils, but closing the term with a full com- plement, thus demonstrating his fitness in the eyes of the people for the work he had undertaken. A Close and Laborious Student. — Although now de- barred from the privileges of the Academy, and borne down with the exacting duties of the schoolroom, yet he did not relax his efforts to improve his scholarship, nor allow his powers to " rust out unused,^^ but applied himself most assiduously to study, keeping in advance of his classes in those branches which were new to him- self, and enriching his mind with those stores of " eollat- eral " knowledge, concerning which the friends of his later years have heard him so frequently and earnestly speak. Thus by his persevering attention to study and enthusiastic devotion to duty he greatly increased his reputation by actual merit, and at the age of twenty-one (five years from his entry into Hampton Academy as a student) he became associate principal of the Newbury- port High School, having in charge the English depart- ment. Of the memories and associations clustering around his connection with this school he ever spoke in terms of the warmest enthusiasm. The experience here ac- quired seems to have been of the most varied and valu- DAVID PERKINS PAGE. IX able character, and his subsequent addresses to teachers were often enriched with incidents and illustrations of school life drawn from this source. To his associate principal he was attached with a devotion which none but noble, generous, and unselfish hearts can feel. The testimony of his associate after his lamented death was expressed in these words : " Our connection was inti- mate, long continued, and uniformly pleasant. I think we never had a difference of opinion in regard to school arrangements or regulations, and every plan we adopted was the result of consultation between us." His Frank and Manly Character. — The character of Mr. Page for frankness, honesty, and straightforward- ness, as well as his hatred of fraud, and the secret trick- ery by which sordid, ignoble, and unworthy souls seek to live and prosper, was most strikingly illustrated in the following incident, related by Horace Mann : While principal of the Newburyport High School, the author of a series of school-books laid a plan to ensnare Mr. Page, and secure his influence in favor of their in- troduction into the Newburyport schools. Supposing that Mr. Page would be actuated by mercenary motives like himself, he approached him on the side of acquisi- tiveness. Being a member of a school committee which gave much higher salaries to masters than Mr. Page was receiving, he used the lure of promotion to a better re- warded field of labor. He represented to Mr. Page that a vacancy was about to occur which he, the bookmaker, could probably fill with his own nominee, and in flatter- ing terms proffered his influence to Mr. Page in favor of the successorship. But at the close of this disinter- 12 DAVID PEkkms PAGE. ested interview was a pregnant suggestion that before the transfer from the old to the new position Mr. Page should secure the adoption of the aforesaid author's books in the schools of the town he was to leave. This opened his eyes. On inquiry he found that no such vacancy was about to occur, and that the whole train of inducements which had been set before him was a fabri- cation, having no other object than to suborn his influ- ence in favor of the books in question. "More than once," says Mr. Mann, " have I heard Mr. Page express his scorn and detestation of this piece of knavery, with the hope that the time might some time come when, at some meeting of the friends of education, in the presence of the culprit himself, he might have an opportunity to recount these facts and publicly fasten their infamy upon their author.'' From Newburyport to Albany. — Mr. Page's connection with the Newburyport High School continued for a period of twelve years. He was thus acquiring that rich store of experience needed to prepare him for a higher and still more responsible position. While in the High School he was associated with that grand movement led by Horace Mann for the regeneration of the public schools through the establishment of normal schools, teachers' institutes and associations. He took an active part in the discussion of educational problems, and in the reforms needed to raise the schools from the extreme depression of those times. The Movement in New York. — The Empire State had been making unsatisfactory experiments in the direc- tion of training teachers. The need of training had DAVID PERKINS PAGE. 1 3 been universally admitted, it is apparent. To meet this need teachers' classes in academies had been established through a long series of years, but they had not yielded an appreciable benefit to her common schools; so the State at length resolved through her Legislature upon a trial of a teachers' seminary. Her leading minds had come fully to acquiesce in the sentiment that " as is the teacher so is the school ;" and believing that teachers, like lawyers, doctors, and divines, need special preparation, they sought earnestly for an efficient method of solving the problem. The experiments already tried had involved immense expenditures and had progressed through a period of ten years, and yet had proved of little or no benefit. Establishment of a Normal School. — An able com- mittee was appointed by the Legislature of 1844 to investigate and report upon the expediency of establish- ing a " Normal School, for the instruction and practice of teachers in the science of education and the art of instructing the young." This committee, after a care- ful personal inspection of the ^Normal Schools of Massachusetts, made an able report in favor of such an institution as an experiment for five years. The report having been favorably received, a bill was promptly passed by a large majority of both branches of the Legis- lature, and authorizing an appropriation of 110,000 a year for five years for its support. An executive com- mittee was also authorized to be chosen by the Regents of the University for the care and supervision of the school. Selects Mr. Page as Principal. — This committee^ con- 14 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. sisting of such men as Colonel Samuel Young, Bishop Alonzo Potter, Francis Dwight, and others, then held most earnest consultation and made most earnest inquiry for the right man to place at the head of such an insti- tution. As Horace Mann had declared that Normal Schools were indispensable to elevate teaching from the degraded state into which it had fallen, consequent upon the practice of admitting as teachers all who possessed the merest rudiments of scholarship, they sought his advice in their efforts to find a man who had just con- ceptions of teaching, and who could impart them to others. Mr. Mann unhesitatingly placed the name of Mr. Page before the committee as the ablest and fittest man for this important place. Correspondence was accordingly opened with him. In reply to the first communication he addressed numerous inquiries to the committee touching the plan of organization, manage- ment, and other details, that were so pointed, well chosen, and appropriate, that Colonel Young at once exclaimed, before the reading of the repl}^ was finished, " That is the man we need," and expressed himself as entirely satisfied without further evidence as to his pre- eminent qualifications for the important position. The selection of the right man as the guiding genius of the new institution was, however, deemed to be so essential to its welfare and success that Rev. Dr. Potter was com- missioned to visit Mr. Page at his home in Newburyport, and satisfy himself by a personal interview of his fitness for the high duties to be devolved upon him. Calling at the residence of Mr. Page Rev. Dr. Potter found him in his working-day suit, engaged in some mechanical DAVID PERKINS PAGE. 1 5 work connected with the improvement of his dwelling. The doctor was so prepossessed with the personal appearance, dignified bearing, and conversation of the stranger that a single half-honr's conversation sufficed to satisfy him; and as authorized by his associates on the committee, he closed the negotiation that secured the services of one who gave to the Normal School such a character and standing for usefulness, efficiency, and influence, as converted a doubtful experiment into an established fact, long before the period of probation had expired. Enters on his New Field of Labor. — Mr. Page took leave of his charge at Newburyport near the middle of December, 1844, amid the most flattering demonstrations of gratitude and affectionate regard from those to whom he had been instructor, counsellor, and friend. Arriving at Albany but a few days before the date desig- nated for the commencement of the Normal School, he found everything in a state of utmost confusion. The rooms for its accommodation yet resounded with the noise of the carpenters' tools. There was no plan of organization; no books, apparatus, or other appliances of instruction necessary to the successful operation of a school looked upon with hope and yet with fear and trembling by a few, with distrust and opposition by many. At a glance his quick and penetrating eye per- ceived the magnitude of the task before him, and he applied himself to the work with all the earnestness and industry that so eminently distinguished his brief and glorious career. Order soon sprang out of confusion, form and comeliness out of chaos, life and animation 1 6 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. out of passivity and dulness. The first term of twelve weeks began with less than twenty-five pupils, and closed with nearly a hundred. So marked and favorable, how- ever, was the impression made during this short space of time, that at the beginning of the second term, in the spring of 1845, the number of students increased to nearly two hundred. Devotion to Duty. — Mr. Page seemed to realize his responsibility with all the keenness of a truly conscien- tious and sensitive nature. No duty was left unper- formed. Every interest connected with the welfare of his charge was watched and guarded. He labored in season and out of season to secure a liberal and enlight- ened appreciation of the special objects and true aims of the Normal School by his pupils and the public. Not content with the faithful fulfilment of his obliga- tions as a teacher in the schoolroom, when evening came he visited his flock, encouraged the weak and disheartened, mildly reproved the wayward, and min- istered to the sick and afflicted. He seemed to regard his school as his family, and felt it incumbent upon himself to watch over their physical and moral well- being, as well as their intellectual progress. His pupils in return looked up to him as a father, a wise counsellor, and unselfish friend, upon whom they might safely rely. It rarely falls to the lot of many teachers to win so fully and unreservedly the confidence, esteem, and affection of their students as did this noble man. Looked Broadly at Education. — Standing thus at the head of the new experiment in New York State, Mr. Page became identified with the advancement of educa^ DAVID PERKINS PAGE. 1 7 tion at large in the entire State. He realized that if the wisdom of the establishment of the normal school was to be vindicated, the public mind must be informed and educated ; the people must be brought up to understand it and support it. To this end his vacations were largely spent in attendance upon teachers' institutes. His eloquent voice was raised at the associations aiid conventions of the friends of education whenever an opportunity was presented for striking a blow in behalf of the cause of an enlightened training of the teacher for his high office. During the autumn vacation of 1847 he felt he had gained the ear of the public; he convinced all who heard him that the public school was worthy the expenditure of fostering care and the em- ployment of teachers possessing special fitness. To present these then novel thoughts he worked incessantly, travelling from county^to county, from institute to insti- tute, delivering frequently from four to five lectures each day, to crowded audiences, upon those themes that had assumed in his mind an exalted importance. It was the cause of the Child he v/as pleading. The Harvest was Plenteous, but Right Laborers Few. — While at a gathering of teachers, on one of these occa- sions, he addressed a long letter to one of his associates, in which he alluded feelingly to " the extreme youth and inexperience of most of those in attendance;'' and he continued: " It makes my heart sick when I reflect that so many of the schools of the Empire State are to be confided to the care of these Misses, but just in their teens, and boys who might yet profit by the wholesome advice and restraints of parental authority." 1 8 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. It was Mr. Page's one idea that teaching vv^as so sacred and important an office that only the best hearts and , minds should engage in it. His own heart was wholly in his work. His interest was not a sordid, selfish, pe- cuniary interest. The aspirations of his noble soul over- leaped the lust for wealth or power, and he sought those rewards that come from devotion to the welfare of humanity. The only recompense he looked for was that which awaits the pure in heart and the diligent in well- doing, and that recompense was not long delayed. Over-estimated his Strength. — The excessive and un- remitting toils of the autumn vacation of 1847, so closely followed by the exacting duties of the succeed- ing term, were more than a constitution like his could endure. The term opened auspiciously. Stimulated by the fervent appeals of Mr. Page at the institutes in behalf of a higher grade of qualification, large numbers of pupils presented themselves for admission. The accommodations of the school were scarcely equal to the demand upon them. The severe tax thus imposed upon his impaired strength at last overcame his powers of endurance, and he was prostrated upon a bed of sick- ness. His Last Days. — At a meeting of the Faculty of the Normal School held at his residence, a few weeks after the opening of the fall term of 1847, he appeared more than ordinarily weary and careworn. He had just com- pleted his first series of calls upon the students at their boarding-places, as was his wont, and he remarked to his associates: "I have visited them all; it is a severe task. It is too much for me alone, and I must hereafter DAVID PERKINS PAGE. 1 9 have 3'our aid." Ki this conference the condition of the school and the standing of the students in their classes was discussed, ^^and the records made up preparatory to a short holiday vacation and to a visit anticipated by him- self to his old home and friends in Massachusetts. It was to be a reunion of friends and relatives, such as the merry holidays of New England so often witness, and such as the true sons of New England know well how to appreciate and enjoy. Mr. Page was quite cheerful during the evening in view of the promised rest and recreation, but complained of slight indisposition. The meeting broke up early, and he immediately retired for the night, but little rest came. His in- disposition, which proved to be pneumonia, increased with the approach of morning. Little apprehension was, however, felt for his safety until the night of the fourth day, when, just before a marked change in his condition occurred, he communicated to a friend in at- tendance upon him his presentiment that he would not recover. His disease soon assumed a more violent type, baffling the skill of his medical attendants, and on the morning of Jan. 1, 1848, death closed the scene, and he passed to that higher life of peace, purity, and blessed- ness, which to realize somewhat on earth through the right education of the children was ever the goal of his highest aspirations and hope. Some Striking Coincidences. — In reviewing the life of this noble man some striking coincidences will be no- ticed, which are worthy of special mention. Born on the anniversary of our country's natal day, he died on the birthday of a New Year. Again, precisely six 20 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. months before his death he made an excursion to his former home in Massachusetts. As it was a trip for recreation, he seemed bent upon seeing and showing everything of special interest that presented itself for observation. He manifested a strong disposition, when- ever the delays of travel occurred, to while away the time by visiting cemeteries. He had long had a pre- sentiment that his life was to be a short one. He was accompanied on this excursion by one of his associates, and while wending their way through the beautiful country at Newburyport he stopped suddenly under the shade of a thrifty oak, and exclaimed, ^' Here, Mr. Phelps, is where I desire to be buried.^^ Six months from that time his remains were deposited in the precise spot, almost involuntarily chosen for himself. At the moment of his departure from Boston to as- sume the arduous, not to say hazardous, task of organiz- ing and conducting a teachers' seminary, in a new and untried field, Horace Mann gave him as a parting in- junction, " Succeed or die." How nobly and truly lie realized both alternatives the sequel proved. Death followed success as mid-noon follows in the wake of morning. The good man's mission was fulfilled. The earnest, honest, devoted, faithful teacher, the sincere Christian, passed to his reward. He rested from his labors, and his works do follow him. The words of Horace Maun inspired the pen of the poetess Mrs. Sigourney: " Succeed or die." Teacher, was that thy creed ? The motto on thy banner, when thou earnest A soldier to the field ? DAVID PERKINS PAGE. 21 " Succeed or die," 'Twas graven on thy shield. Unresting toil Won the first trophy, as the grateful heart. Of many a youth to patient knowledge trained, Doth testify with tears; while many a man ' Crowned by his Alma Mater, from the post Of honor or of care, remembereth well Whose strong, persuasive nurture led him there. So thy first goal was gained. But for the next The Excelsior of thy creed ; — methinks the first Involved the second ; for to die like thee Was but the climax of a full success, Taking its last reward. Yea, such reward As waiteth those who the young soul shall turn To righteousness, — a name above the stars. That in the cloudless firmament of God Forever shine. Mr. Page as an Educator.— It might seem that Mr. Page had succeeded in arousing the State of New York into educational activity solely by eloquence and un- resting activity, but he was the representative in the Empire State of the spirit of educational reform, of which Horace Mann was the wonderful exponent in New England. Recognizing and dej^loring the wretched con- dition of the great mass of the schools, particularly in the rural districts, he felt that the prevailing methods of instruction were little else than mere drivel, profitless alike to the children and the community; he sought earnestly their elevation by all the means available for the purpose. He realized that the teachers were mostly ignorant, inefficient, and incompetent, and the schools 21 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. were many of them destitute of even the semblance of organization and intelligent plans of management, while the schoolhouses were frequently badly located, ill- arranged, ill-furnished, and unfit for their intended uses. He believed that the reform of the schools must begin with the reformation of the teachers, and that the latter must be secured by quickening in them the sense of responsibility, through appeals to the higher motives; by elevating the standard of scholarship, and by accurate professional training. The subjects of his discourses upon which he spoke so eloquently were, often, the Spirit of the Teacher ; the Responsibility of the Teacher ; Need of Ample Qualifications; Need of Right Views of Education; Right Methods and Wrong Methods. His Educational Views and Principles. — It was most fortunate that Mr. Page was spared to write that re- markable volume entitled " The Theory and Practice of Teaching," and which has become widely known. That work was the result of original observation, of a careful study of the ablest teachers and writers of his time. AVhat are now recognized as distinctively Pestalozzian principles had scarcely received recognition in this coun- try otherwise than as illustrated in the famous Seventh Annual Report of Horace Mann on his return from an inspection of the Prussian schools. Mr. Page profited, as did hundreds of other teachers of that day, by the graphic portrayals of the methods of instruction in Mr. Mann's report. These sprightly descriptions of school work were so radically different from the plodding and mechanical drudgery existing in our own schools, and were so earnestly applauded in the report, that it gave DAVID PERKINS PAGE. 23 rise to an earnest controversy between the Boston teachers and the distinguished Secretary of the Massa- chusetts Board of Education, upon the relative merits of the two systems. But the discussion proved to be of lasting benefit, and from that time to the present the appreciation and application of the principles of the great Swiss educator have steadily and rapidly advanced in this country, and are cordially accepted by all intelli- o-ent teachers. Mr. Page, as well as many other thoughtful teachers, did not fail to have an intuitive perception of the laws of mental and moral growth that Pestalozzi had discov- ered, and that were followed in the schools that Mr. Mann visited in Germany, and had reported. But be- sides this, Mr. Page was really a " born teacher," if ever there was one. He had an infatuation for the school- room; he studied childhood; a cardinal principle with him was. Happiness must pervade the schoolroom. He had intuitive perceptions of what should be done to make the schoolroom an ideal place, a sort of Paradise for childhood. These were his guide before he heard the name of Pestalozzi ; but when the reports of Mr. Mann Avere published, Mr. Page saw there was a reason for the methods he employed; he grasped principles and formed them into a theory. In his volume referred to, he dis- cusses the foundation ideas of education, under the title '' Spirit of the Teacher," etc. The Spirit of the Teacher.—" Perhaps," he remarks, " the very first question that the honest individual will ask himself as he proposes to assume the teacher's office, or to enter upon a preparation for it, will be. What 24 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. manner of spirit am I of ? No question can be more important. I would b}'^ no means undervalue that de- gree of natural talent, of mental power, which all justly consider so desirable in the candidate for the teacher's office. But the true spirit of the teaclier, — a spirit that seeks not alone pecuniary emolument, but desires to be in the highest degree useful to those who are to be taught; a spirit that tolerates above everything else the nature and capabilities of the human soul, and that trembles under the responsibility of attempting to be its educator; a spirit that looks ujDon gold as the con- temptible dross of earth, when compared with that im- perishable gem which is to be polished and brought out into heaven's light to shine forever; a spirit that scorns all the rewards of earth and seeks that highest of all rewards, an approving conscience and an approving God, a spirit that earnestly inquires what is right, and that dreads to do what is wrong; a spirit that can recognize and reverence the handiwork of God in every child, and that burns with the desire to be instrumental in train- ing it to the highest attainment of which it is capable, — such a spirit is the first thing to be sought by the teacher, and without it the highest talent cannot make him truly excellent in his profession." The Responsibility of the Teacher. — A true sense of responsibility in the teacher Mr. Page regarded as fundamental. He sought to impress it on all occasions. He regarded natural ability, scholarship, and experience as being closely related to each other in the qualifica- tions of a teacher. No matter what our natural gifts may be, they must be improved by training, and the DA VI D PERKINS PAGE. 2$ purpose of professional study should bo (1) to take ad- vantage of the recorded experiences of those who have made high attainments in the vocation we propose to follow (2) to form a proper conception of the work we are to do; and (3) to gain the technical knowledge nec- essary to the practice of our art. Only when we have done this are we ready to undertake the duties of our chosen calling, for the antecedent of doing ts knowing. The quack only ventures to learn this by the practice of his art alone. All who propose to teach need to recollect that the very basis of fitness therefor, so far as it can be gained by study, is broad and accurate scholarship _ Teacher's Responsibility further Enforced.-He is not alone responsible for the results of education The parent has an overwhelming responsibility, which he can never part with or transfer to another. Nevertheless the teacher has vast responsibilities, and those from which he cannot escape. 1. He is in a degi-ee responsi- ble for the bodily health of his pupils. The foundation of many serious diseases is laid in the schoolroom. These diseases may come from insufficient exercise, from too long confinement in one position or upon one study, from over-excitement or over-study, from foul air, L from too low or too high temperature in the schoolroom. 2. The teacher is mainly responsible for h intellectual growth of his pupils. Tl- - ^/f ^^^.^ to under the heads of (a) The Order of Study, (b) The Manner of Study, (c) Collateral Study. . The teacher is in a degree responsible for the moral training of 1 is nupils This is to be secured by precept, by example, and by appeals to conscience during the daily incidents 26 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. of school life. 4. The teacher is to some extent respon- sible for the religious training of the young, in the opinion of Mr. Page. This he distinguishes from sec- tarianism, and enforces the doctrine by very impressive arguments and an appeal to the facts of experience. The Personal Habits of the Teacher. — This subject is considered by Mr. Page in the light of the influence of the personal example of the teacher upon his j)U23ils. He speaks with great plainness upon (1) neatness, (:3) order or system in all things, (3) courtesy of language and manner, (4) punctuality in every engagement and in the discharge of each duty, and (5) in habits of study. The discussion of the preceding subjects. The Teacher's Spirit, The Teacher's Kesponsibility, and the Teacher's Personal Habits, he summarizes as embodying his views upon tliG character of the individual who aspires to the work of teaching. "I know," he remarks, "that too many exercise the teacher's functions without the teach- er's spirit here described, without the sense of responsi- bility here insisted on, and with habits entirely incon- sistent with those here required. But this does not prove that such teachers have chosen the right calling, or that the children under their care are under safe and proper guidance. It proves rather that parents and school officers have too often neglected to be vigilant, or that suitable teachers could not be had. Let none think of lowering the standard to what has been, or what may even now be, that of a majority of those who are engaged in this profession. Every young teacher's eye should be directed to the very best model in this work, and he should never be satisfied with bare mediocrity." DAVID PERKINS PAGE, 27 Literary Qualifications. — Under this category he affirmed that the profession of teaching was advancing; that even within the past two years the standard of acquirement had so far risen that it exchided many who were before considered respectable. He cited Horace Mann as authority that statistics showed an ad- vance of thirty-three per cent in wages within the pre- ceding decade. All this pointed to a need of a broader scholarship in the teacher. His conception of the liter- ary qualifications which a teacher ought to possess, as he specifically enumerated them, shows up the low standards of 1845. He urges a knowledge of English grammar, orthography, reading, writing, geography, history, literature, plane trigonometry and surveying, natural philosophy, chemistry, human physiology, intel- lectual philosophy, moral philosophy, rhetoric, logic, book-keeping, the science of government, drawing, and vocal music. This curriculum was far in advance of the times, but was urged as a minimum course for teachers. He com- bated the idea that a teacher should merely know the subjects he was to teach : on the contrary, he boldly declared that he should know much more than he was called upon to teach, in order not only that he might teach, but that he should possess mental power and illuminating influence with intelligence. It was pro- posed with the purpose of advancing the present condi- tion of the schools; to advance the schools the teachers must themselves be an advancing force. " I would have the present race of teachers so good that they will be 28 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. looked upon by those who succeed them as their worthy and efficient predecessors." Right Views of Education. — It was urged that every teacher before entering upon his work shoukl seek to acquire a clear and definite idea or conception of that which constitutes true education, otherwise he would work to very little purpose. It is manifest that without this ideal all efforts to educate must be misdirected. As the sculptor or the painter must possess in his mind a clear conception of the beautiful statue or picture which he would work out of the marble with the chisel or upon the canvas with the brush, so must the educator con- ceive the ideal character which he would mould out of the human stock that is the object of his labor. The type to which education aspires is a mental creation. " What sculpture is to the block of marble/' says Addison, " education is to the human soul " — and may I not add that the sculptor is a type of the true educator; while the man who works without a plan may aptly represent too many false teachers, who without study or fore- thought enter upon the delicate work of fashioning the human soul, blindly experimenting amidst the wreck of their heaven-descended material, maiming and marring with scarcely the possibility of final success, almost the certainty of a melancholy failure ? The True Ideal of Education. — Education in the abso- lute sense Mr. Page prefers to define thus : The harmo- nious and equable evolution of the human powers. But this conception is subject to the following limitations in practice : 1. It comprehends the whole period of life from the cradle to the grave, while in practice the period of DAVID PERKINS PAGE. 2g education is limited to a few years. 2. It involves physi- cal, mental, moral, and religious training, while the efforts of the actual educator can scarcely extend beyond the intellect. 3. It aims at the perfection of the human being as a whole, while the exigencies of life require men to be trained for specific duties. Under these limitations the definition of education becomes nearly synonymous with instruction. To define it practically for schoolroom purposes, he would make it a process having three purposes : 1. To develop the intellectual faculties so as to produce vigor of mind and habits of ready and accurate thinking. 2. To furnish the mind with knowledge for use. 3. To impart skill in the employment of knowledge as an instrument. The difference between education in its absolute sense and education under its practical limitations he goes on then to illustrate by examples drawn from the various uses of a tree or shrub, and a horse, showing that accord- ing to the special end to be attained in either case the typical ideal is abandoned, and the training must have reference to the special end in view. Concluding Summary.— The foregoing abstract of the leading educational views of Mr. Page will perhaps suffice to show his apprehension of the principles appli- cable to the Avork as recognized in his day by the repre- sentative teachers. It should be remembered that his was a transition period from the era of blind lesson hearing to one in which by rational and intelligent method education was aimed at. He was quite abreast of the age and in the front rank of his profession, ac- cording to the best standards of that period. Compared 30 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. with the present epoch of rigid analysis and scientific research into the laws of mind, when pedagogy has won a distinct place among the learned professions, it must be confessed that some of his views seem crude and unscientific. But it must not be forgotten that they answered the demands of the times, and became the stepping-stones, as it were, to the higher order of things to which we have now attained through the earnest and exhaustive studies of some of the profoundest scholars of the age. His book on the " Theory and Practice of Teaching," though written a half-century ago, has such an admir- able spirit that it cannot but continue to be read by young teachers with profit. Education as It Was. — A proper appreciation of the work of Mr. Page requires that a brief statement of the condition of education in New York and other States, prior to the year 1844, should be made. To begin with, the common schools were merely rudimentary in their character. Only the elements were attempted to be taught, and even this work was of an almost purely mechanical type. There was little or no appeal to the understanding and the intelligence, as a general rule. Blind groping best expresses the average tendency of the learning and the teaching. The teachers them- selves, as a class, were persons of limited attainments, with no rational ideas of method and no skill in adapt- ing their instruction to the wants and capacities of their pupils. The schools had scarcely anything that ap- proached a system of organization. Moral instruction was unknown. The rod was ths supreme appeal in DAVID PERKINS PAGE. 3 1 cases of discipline. There was little public interest in the schools. Supervision by counties and to some extent by towns had been alternately adopted and dis- carded and finally readopted in the State of New York. ThQ schoolhouses were small, badly built, ill-con- structed, ill-furnished, and ill-adapted to their intended purposes. The schoolbooks then in use were of the crudest kind in composition, arrangement, and adapta- tion to the needs of the pupils. Blackboards, maps, charts, and apparatus for illustration were rarely found in the schools or, if there, were allowed to "rust unused;" mechanical routine was the order of the day. The ability to preserve order was regarded as the lead- ing qualification of the teacher. Cramming the memory with words, the meaning of which was a matter of chance, was the chief aim. Teacher and taught were often in antagonism. The power of love as a means of discipline M^as almost unknown. There was no recogni- tion of educational principles. To teach was simply to impart. To memorize was the chief end of learning. A Reaction Began. — In Massachusetts the work of reform had fairly set in. The clarion voice of Horace Mann was heard throughout the old " Bay State," and his scathing exposure of the defects of the schools, the incompetency of the teachers, the deplorable condition of the schoolhouses, the lack of supervision and of all suitable appliances of instruction, had begun to produce their legitimate effect in enlightening public opinion and stimulating remedial measures. In this noble work Mr. Mann was ably seconded by the Alcotts, Samuel J. Jlay, Woodbridge, Colburn, Russell, Page, Carter, DAVID PERKINS PAGE. Father Pierce, and others. Mr. Manu was elected secre- tary of the State Board of Education in 1837. He sub- sequently went to Europe, and in his tour of the Prussian schools caught the spirit and witnessed the rational methods inspired by the great Swiss educator Pesta- lozzi. Eeturning to this country he prepared what is known as his famous Seventh Annual Eeport, which excited universal attention and challenged the most vig- orous criticisms. This report gave a vivid and stirring description of the Prussian schools, and presented the mo'st striking contrasts to the bungling, mechanical, and inefficient plans so generally in vogue at home. So marked were these contrasts, and so unfavorable to our current methods of teaching, that a pamphlet was issued by thirty-one Boston schoolmasters, antagonizing the views of the brilliant secretary, and attemjoting to show that the ideas of Pestalozzi, however suited to the schools of the Old World, were not adapted to the condi- tions in our own country. The contest was long continued and bitter, but as the sequel has proved, it was the in- auguration of a revolution in Am^erican education, which never has gone and never can go backwards, formal Schools were established as early as 1837-8 in Massa- chusetts, and thus was the proposition that the teacher should be specially trained for his work accorded full recognition, and the Xormal School took its place as a distinctive and potent factor in the American common- school system. Page and His Aims. — It was during this transition period between the old and the new, the repressive and the progressive, the mechanical and the rational, the SA^.VS x-.tJJ^ 2J artLt::^ iz- i T-ir :iJ.:~r:j-^. lh z-i". : '■ ~" ■ ~ 'l-. "TikU llr. Pa2"e wac oaiTei ro r'''^e -ii- :. :_ :]ie -^T i:e of Xew York. Tlie _" _ : -if' ed bv -in ace o^ ~'" ^ " . :r :i _:r^^ lie ^- -. T :L_\~"j''r v^ rate was nexu ic ■■ » ~ ' J. "• -L^ . ' , ; - ' _^ t: "_i 'Z ' —i^ new as^nc*"^ f*"'r ~-- . - .- rhroii:jri ' lion oi Its teaclier?- 3ilr. r ;i^ ~.'j rliji r- :' - "' " "~ fmbneti vi:n - _. ---;"' ^- — - . inz- is to fTi,-"pire ^ - - - "f. ideal oi ciieix -Zl. 'ZL- ' ' - - tr . , "vnTr. iL- - - izj ideali. H. _ , - r.z of clie -_ _ - _ _ -it was iJit icT :*. ^1^5 .>.^r, ---.-■— - r^-r: T r tMaSK work, ai ropics. " ..^cfc««- - - - - — --^ iu the TTi.^titntes iv 'i- :s were ' J ^ , , — ■ - — . - V - ^ 34 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. model teacher, was immediate. His pupils at once be- came his enthusiastic supporters, and wherever they went the name and fame of Page were upon every tongue. Wherever his graduates were employed in the schools, order sprang out of chaos, interest and enthusi- asm supplanted indiiference, intelligence and skill sup- erseded ignorance and blind routine. The oi:»ening of the second term witnessed the presence of more than two hundred students, eager to sit under the inspiration and teachings of the man who in less than one year had profoundly impressed himself upon the public Oi)inion of the largest and most populous State in the Union. As a matter of course these ideas, plans, and methods, inspired and inculcated at the Normal School, were not only an innovation upon the past, but they were revolu- tionary in their tendency, and well calculated to arouse a feeling of hostility among teachers of the old style. It is no wonder, therefore, that the opposition to the Normal School became aggressive, and sought to express itself in organized action. Accordingly at a meeting of the New York State Teachers' Association, held at Rochester in 1846, this opposition, comprising some men of ability and prominence in the State, and rej^resenting especially the academic and collegiate interests, sought public expression. These men, with a considerable degree of assurance and audacity, were determined to put the declaration upon record that the teachers of the State needed no institutes or Normal Schools to teach them how to teach. A prominent member of the fraternity from the city of New York accordingly drew up and proposed the adoption of a resolution condemning the DAVID PERKINS PAGE. 35 establishment of the State Normal School as needless for the teachers, and an unwarranted expense to the State. It came to the knowledge of Mr. Page that such a resolution was to be introduced, and he placed himself on the platform awaiting its presentation. But the au- thor of it and his abettors knew full well that there was no man to whom language, facts, and arguments were such willing and capable weapons in such a conflict as to David P. Page, when he stood on his feet. The time for introducing it was accordingly postponed to a more favorable season during the afternoon session. But on reassembling Mr. Page was found upon the platform, seeming to court nothing so much as an opportunity to speak to such a resolution. The prime movers, how- ever, concluding that discretion was the better part of valor; and justly fearing that the agitation of the sub- ject would result in strengthening the cause they sought to injure, the movement collapsed, and was never after- ward heard from. The Growth of these Ideas. — The marked success of the Normal School at Albany under the guiding hand of Mr. Page soon stimulated similar movements in other States. Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, Ehode Island, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri followed the lead of Massachusetts and New York in rapid succession. The development of the system in New York has been upon a colossal scale, worthy of her name and fame as the " Empire State." Eight of these great training-schools are now in active operation under the auspices of the State, the cost of maintenance amounting to over one hundred thousand 36 DAVID PERKINS PAGE. dollars annually. It is only the truth of history to affirm that the establishment of the school at Albany and its great success under the fostering care of Page and his able coadjutors, Bishop Potter, Colonel Samuel Young, Francis Dwight, and others, paved the way for the won- derful revolution in educational thought, and made these great results possible. The high standard attained in every department of learning and the appliances brought into the service are the result of evolution from the modest, early beginning and of the brilliant, judicious, and self- sacrificing labors of the devoted men who were the pio- neers of those earlier days. Many of the graduates of that and subsequent periods have occupied and are still honoring some of the most important and responsible positions in other and distant States, and have helped to shape the school systems which will mould the character and destinies of generations yet unborn. Summary of the Foregoing Presentation. — An epitome of the life, educational views, and labors of Mr. Page, with the lessons deducible therefrom, may be given as follows : 1. Born and reared in humble life, he manifested at an early age an irrepressible desire for knowledge and the usefulness which its possession implies. The grati- fication of his wishes, at first denied by his parents, was at last conceded under the pressure of a renewed petition while prostrated with a dangerous illness, conditioned upon his recovery. 2. A favorable issue of his malady resulted in his en- trance at a neighboring academy, where the foundation was laid for his education and his successful career as a DAriD PERKIXS PAGE. 37 teacher, although the time spent there was very liinired. subsequent to which he commencetl teaching a distr; : : school- His term completed he returns to the aoademv. and during the ensuing winter again teaches in his na- tive town, his further studies being pursued without assistance. He became literally a self-made man. 3. Again he teaches a district sch«x>l, and definitely resolres to make this calling his profession. At its close, at the age of nineteen years, he boldly opens a private school, studying by himself, thoroughly master- ing the lessons he was to teach, and adapting his teach- ings to the several capacities of his pupUs, encouragir.^ the diffident and sluggish, restraining the forward, and kindling in their youthful hearts aspirations for the good and pure, and ever striving to enlarge his own sphere of thought, intelligence, and usefulness. 4. He becomes dissociate principal of the Xewburyport High School with one of the m«.^t eminent teachers of Massachusetts, where he rendered the most acceptable service for twelve years. Here he began his career as a public lecturer, appearing on several occasions before the Ess^ County Teachers' Association. These lectures were characterized by Horace Mann as the best ever de- livered before that or any other body. Of one of these, on ^ The Mutual Duties of Parents and Teachers,^ six thousand copies were printed and distributed. tl~ thousand of them at Mr. Mann's expense, through:.:: the State. His powers as an antor were of a high order. He could *• think standing on his feet and before folks." — a rare gift. 5. As a residt of his industry and professkwna] skill 38 DA inn perktns page. and devotion, his reputation outran his immediate local- ity and State, and in the latter part of the year 1844 he was, on the recommendation of Horace Mann, selected as the first principal of the first Normal School in the State of New York, at Albany, entering upon his duties on the 15th of December of that year. Here, with the sphere of his usefulness vastly expanded, he proved himself equal to all emergencies, and resolved order out of chaos, inspired hope and confidence where doubt and fear prevailed, and silenced all opposition among the enemies of the normal system for the preparation of teachers. This was laying the foundation for the " new education,'^ the beginning of a new era from which the marvellous progress of the later years has been rendered possible. The advent of rational, intelligent, philo- sophic methods of organizing, conducting, and teaching schools was a radical innovation upon the old system of blind groping and mechanical memorizing, so generally prevalent. It was the beginning of a revolution which has eventuated in establishing education upon a solid basis of enduring, because 'scientific, principles. It has rendered possible the universal acceptance in theory and practice of the views of Froebel and Pestalozzi, which are doing so much to elevate and ennoble the cause of general education. 6. The cardinal doctrines of Mr. Page's creed were embraced in the conviction, first, that the spirit of the teacher must be elevated and inspired above all sordid and mercenary aims to a profound reverence for the human soul, and an undying love for his noble calling; second, that only in the most thorough, careful, and DAVID PERKINS PAGE. 39 comprehensive special preparation for his profession can he find any warrant or hope of real success; third, that to this end teachers^ seminaries, properly organized, equipped, and conducted, must afford the best guaranty of the ultimate success of our common schools, and of a suitable preparation of the people of a free republic for the great duties of citizenship. 7. The impressive lessons of such a life seem too evident to require distinct specification. They are so clear that they may be known and read of all men: A noble resolve, followed by heroic and persistent en- deavor; loftiness of aim; self-reliance; a high ideal of professional responsibility; a deep reverence for the human soul, and an unwavering confidence in its possi- bilities for intellectual and moral elevation; clear and positive views of the means and ends of education; a conviction of the absolute necessity of self-culture; he who would teach efficiently must himself be a profound and earnest student; he must be a close observer of the phenomena of child life, and adapt himself to its varying needs; he must master the principles that underlie his work, and seek to exemplify them in every act of his professional life. To " succeed or die^' is the highest of human resolves. To do both is to earn a martyr's crown. SEKD All ORBERS to E. L. EELLOGO & CO., NEW YORK & CHICAGO. 45 Teachers Mamials Series. Each is printed in large, clear type, on good paper. Paper cover, price 15 cents; to teach- ers, 12 cents; by mail, 1 cent extra. There is a need of small vol- umes — " Educational tracts," that teachers can carry easily and study as they have opportunity. The following numbers have been al- ready published. It should be noted that Mobile our editions of such of these little books that are not vrritten specially for this series are as low in price as any other, the side-heads, top- ics, and analyses inserted by the editor, as well as the excellent paper and printing, make them far superior in every way to any other edition. J. G. Fitch, Inspector of the We would suggest that city super- Training Colleges of England, intendents or conductors of institutes supply each of tlieir teachers with copies of these little books. Special rates for quantities. No, I, Fitch's Art of QuesHoning, By J. G. Fitch, M.A., author of " Lectures on Teaching." 38 pp. Already widely known as the most useful and practical essay on this most important part of the teachers' lesson-hearing. No, 2. FHtch's Art of Securing Attention, By J. G. Fitch, M. A. 39 pp. Of no less value than the author's " Art of Questioning." No. 5. Sidgwick's On Stimulus in School. By Arthur Sidgwick, M.A. 43 pp. " How can that dull, lazy scholar be pressed on to work up his lessons with a will?" This bright essay will tell how it can be done. No. 4. Yonge's Practical Work in School. By Charlotte 1\I. Yonge, author of " Heir of Redclyfife," 35 pp. All who have read Miss Yonge's books will be glad to read of her views on School Work. No. 5. Fitch's Improvement in the Art of Teaching. By 3. G. Fitch, M.A. 1^ pp. This thoughtful, earnest essay will bring courage and help to many a teacher who is struggling to do better work. It includes a course of study for Teachers' Training Classes. SEXD ALL ORDERS TO 46 E. L. KELLOGG & CO., NEW YORK & CHICAGO. _, — — - — ' ' '■* No, 6. Gladstone's Object Teaching. By J. H. Gladstone, of the London (Eng.) School Board. 85 pp. A short manual full of practical suggestions on Object Teaching. No, 7. Huntington's Unconscious Tuition. Bishop Huntington \ias placed all teachers under profound obligations to him by writing this work. The earnest teacher has felt its earnest spirit, due to its' interesting discussion of the foimdation principles of education. It is wonderfully suggestive. No. 8. Hiighes' How to Keep Order. By James L. Hi^ghes, author of " Mistakes in Teaching." Mr. Hughes is one of the few men who know what to saj- to help a yoimg teacher. Thousands are to-day asking, " How shall we keep order ?" Thousands are s&ying, " I can teach well enough, but I cannot keep order." To such we recommend this little book. No. g. Quick's How to Train the Memory. By Rev. R. H. QciCK. author of " Educational Reformers." Tins book comes from school-room experience, and is not a matter of theory. Much attention has been latelj' paid to increasing the power of memory. The teacher must make it part of his business to store the memory, hence he must know how to do it properly and according to the laws of the mind. No. 10. Hoffman's Kindergarten Gifts. By Heinrich Hoffman, a pupil of Kroebel. The author sets forth very clearly the best methods of using them for training the child's senses and power of observation. No. II. Sutler's Argument for Manual Training. By Nicholas MrRKAY Btrrt.ER, Pres.' of N. Y. College for Training of Teachers. A clear statement of the foundation principles of Industrial Education. No. 12. Groff's School Hygiene. By Pres. G. G. Groff, of Bucknefl Univei-sity, Pa. No. i^. McMurry's How to Conduct the Recitation, By Chas. McMurry, Prof, in State Normal School, Winona, Minn. In 84 pp. is explained the ideas of the Hubart school of educatoi-s as re- gards class teaching. These are now acknowledged to be the scientific method. Grub^'s plan for teaching primary arithmetic is in the same line. No. I4. Carter's Artificial Production of Stupidity IN Schools. By R. Brudexell Carter, F. R. S. This celebrated paper has been so ofteu referred to that we reprint it in neat form, with side-headings. 49 pp. No. 75. Kellogg' s Pestalox\i : His Educational Work and Principles. "By Amos M. Kellogg, editor of the School Journal. 29 pp. A clear idea is given in this book of what this great reformer and dis- coverer in education thought and did. His foundation principles are made speciallj' promment. No. 16. Lang's Basedow, $i pp. Same price as above. No ly. Lang's Comenius. By OssiAK H. Lang. 32 pp. Same price as above. SEND ALL ORDKRS TO E. L. KELLOQO & CO., NEW YORK & CHICAGO. 47 IVelcJjs Teachers Psychology. A Treatise on the Intellectual Faculties, the Order of the Growth, and the Corresponding Series of Studies by which they are Educated. By the late A. S. Welch, Professor of Psychology, Iowa Agricultural College, formerly Pres. of the Mich. Normal School. Cloth, 12mo, 300 pp., $1.25; to teachers, $1; by mail, 12 cents extra. Special terms to Normal Schools and Reading Circles. A mastery of the branches to be taught was once. thought to be an all-sufficient preparation for teaching. But it is now seen that there must be a knowledge of the mind that is to be trained. Psychology is the foundation of intelligent pedagogy. Prof. Welch undertook to write a book that should deal with mind- unfolding, as exhibited in the school-room. lie shows what is meant by attending, memorizing, judging, abstracting:, imagining, classifying, etc., as it is done by the pupil over his text-books. First, there is the concept; then there is (1) gathering concepts, (2) storing concepts, (3) dividing concepts, (4) abstracting concepts, (5) build- ing concepts, (0) grouping con- cepts, (7) connecting concepts, (8) deriving concepts. Each of these is clearly exphiined and il- lustrated ; the reader instead of being bewildered over strange terms comprehends that imagina- tion means a building up of con- cepts, and so of the other terms. A most valuable part of the book is its application to practical education. How to train these powers that deal with the concept — that is the question. There must be exercises to train the mind to gather, store, divide, abstract, build, group, connect, and derive concepts. The author shows what studies do this appropriately, and where there are mistakes made in the selection of studies. The book will prove a valuable one to the teacher who wishes to know the structure of the mind and the way to minister to its growth. It would seem that at last a psychology had been written that would be a real aid, in- stead of a hindrance, to clear knowledge. Welch. Xni. The UnaTMdable Series of MentaJ Acts that in the Growth of the Mind be^n with the Senses and end in Beasoning. XEV. Intuition. SEXC AUL OKDKHS TO iS E. L. KELLOGG dt CO., NEW TORE db CHICAGO. As a text-book for the use of stiideuts in normal schools, teachers* institutes, reading circles, etc., this book is imsurpassed- The logical arrangement, the directness of presentation, without unnecessary words or repetition, the questions at end of each chapter, and tj'pographical features, make it an ideal text-book. Only two months after publication it was introduced into many normal scliools as a text-book, and adopted by the CaL Stale Teachers' Reading Circle. OUTLINE OF CONTENTS. CHAP. CEUP. L Introduction — Terms Defined IX. Imaginatioii. and their Meanings DIustrated. X. Classificatioo. EL Mind, and its Thiiee Manifesta- ', XL Judgment, tions. j XIL Reasoning. TTT. Ou the Intellect— the Seises. IV. Internal Perception. V. Memory. VI. Conception. Vii . Analysis, vm. Abstractioii. Psychology and Educatitm. CHAP- ! CHAP. XV. Education — what it is and I XTX. j:^- -'-- """rongAr- how attained. es- XVI. Special Means of Training' XT S; ._.;. .. ...otedthas each Faculty in the Order wiii Discipline me Faculties of its Growth. strictly in the Order of thtir XVn. Expression as a Means of In- Development. lellecrual Discipline. TXT Arrangement of Studies and XVHL Higher Siv^ntaneiries Spring- i Method of Instructing in ing from Trained Effort. 1 Early Educating. This book is written by one who, as a teacher, institute con- ductor, president of a normal school (!Mich., 15 years), president of college (^lowa, for many years), has shown himself to be a thoughtful student of education. He has made the volume one that will aid the teai-'her in carri^ing foncard the xhool-room work in accords ure iriih mind laia So great has been the interest created that 1,000 copies were oKDEkEO nf advance of publica- tion. Dr. Welch's book is a large limo voliune of 300 pp., beautifully printed from large, ctear type, and artistically and durably bound. As so manj- teachers are making inquiries on X>sychological points, we feel certain that they will lind this book just what they want. SEND ALL ORDERS TO B E. L. KELLOOO — The Lymphatic Temperament— The Nervous Temperament— Physical Characteristics of each Temperament : Tabula- ted—The best Temperament— How to Conduct Self Study— Many Per- Bonal Questions for Students of Themselves— How to Improve— Specific Directions— How to Study Children— How Children are Alike, How Different— Facts in Child Growth : Tabulated and Explained— How to Promote Healthy Child Growth, Full directions concerning how to treat temperamental differences. How to effect change in tempera- ment. Under "How to Become A Successful Teacher," the following topics are discussed : " What books and papers to read."— "What schools to visit."—" What associates to select." —" What subjects to study."—" How to find helpful critics." — "How to get the greatest good from institutes. "—" Shall I attend a Normal school ? " ''How to get a good and perman- ent position ? " " How to get good pay ? " " How to grow a better teacher year after year." "Professional honesty and dishonesty." — " The best and most enduring reward." Blaikies Self Culturey By John Stuakt Blaikie. 16mo, 64 pp., limp cloth. Price, 25 cents; to teachers, 20 cents; by mail, 3 cents extra. Three invaluable practical essays on the Culture of the Intel- lect, on Physical Culture, on Moral Culture. In its 64 pages this little volume contains a vast amount of excellent advice. It will help hundreds of young teachers to make a right start, or set them right if they are on the wrong track. Although published expressly for teachers, it will prove profitable reading for all, no matter what their calling, who wish to improve— and who does not? As a part of a course of reading, some such book is invalu- able, and should be read over and over again. Mr. Blaikie's book, in its present form, is so neat yet cheap, that it ought to be read by every young teacher in the country, and to be on every read- ing-circle list. It is to be a prominent book on the new profes* Bional course of reading for teachers. Nicely printed, with side-heads and bound in limp ^lotJi. SEND ALL ORDERS TO E. L. KELLOGG & CO., NEW YORK & CHICAGO. Analytical Questions Series, No. 1. GEOaEAPHY. 126 pp. No. 2. HISTOEY OF THE UNITED STATES. 108 pp. No. 3. GEAMMAE. 104 pp. Price 50c. each; to teachers, 40c; by mail, 5c. extra. The three for $1.20, postpaid. Each complete loith answers. This new series of question-books is prepared for teachers by a teacher of high standing and wide experi- ence. Every possible advantage in arrangement of other books was adopted in these, and several very important new ones added. The most important is the GRADING OF pUESTiONS into three grades, thus enabling the teacher to advance in her knowledge by easy steps. THE ANALYTICAL FEATURE is also prominent — the questions being divided into paragraphs of ten each, under its appropriate heading. TYPOGRAPHY AND BINDING. Type is clear and large, and printing and paper the very best, while the binding is in our usual tasteful and durable style, in cloth. The books are well adapted for use in schools where a compact general review of the whole subject is de- sired. The answers have been written out in full and complete statements, and have been separated from the body of the questions with a view of enforcing and fa- cilitating the most profitable study of the subject. The author has asked every conceivable question that would be likely to come up in the most rigid examination. There are other question-books published, but even the largest is not so complete on a single branch as these. Bear in mind that these question-books are absolutely without a rival FOR PREPARING FOR EXAMINATION, FOR REVIEWING PUPILS IN SCHOOL, FOR USE AS REFERENCE BOOKS. The slightest examination of this series will decide you in its favor over any other similar books. SEXD ALL ORDERS TO S. L. KELLOGG & CO., XEW TORE d- CHICAGO. Augsburg's Easy Things to Draw. By D. R. AuGSBUBO, Supt. Drawing at Salt Lake City, Utah. Quarto, durable and elegant cardboard cover, 80 pp., with 31 pages of plates, containing over 200 different figures. Price, 30 cents; to teachers, 24 cents; by mail, 4 cents extra. This book is not designed to present a system of drawing. It is a collection of drawings made in the simplest possible way, and so constructed that any one may reproduce them. Its design is to furnish a hand-book containing drawings as would be needed for the school-room for object lessons, drawing lessons, busy work. This collection may be used in connection with any sys- tem of drawing, as it contains examples suitable for practice. It may also be used alone, as a means of learning the art of draw- ing. .\s will be seen from the above the idea of this book is new and novel. Those who have seen it are delighted with it as it so exactly fills a want. An index enables the teacher to refer in- stantly to a simple drawing of a cat, dog, lion, coffee-berry, etc Our list of Blackboard Stencils is in the same line. Augsburg's Easy Drawings for the Geo- GRAPHY Class. By D. R. Augsbueg, B. P., author of "Easy Things to Draw." Contains 40 large plates, each containing from 4 to 60 separate drawings. 96 pp., quarto cardboard cover. Price 50 cents; to teachers, 40 cents; by mail 5 cents extra. In this volume is the same excellent work that was noted in Mr. Augsburg's "Easy Things to Draw." He does not here seek to present a system of drawing, but to give a collection of drawings made in the simplest possible way, and so constructed that any one may reproduce them. Leading educators believe that draw- ing has not occupied the position in the school course hereto- fore that it ought to have occupied: that it is the most effectual means of presenting facts, especisilly in the sciences. The author has used it in this book to illustrate geography, giving draw- ings of plants, animals, and natural features, and calling at- tention to steps in drawing. The idea is a novel one, and it is believed that the practical manner m which the subject is treated will make the book a popular one in the school-room. Each plate is placed opposite a lesson that may be used in connectiou. An index brings the plates instantly to the eye. iEND ALL ORDERS TO E. L. KELLOOO & CO., NEW YORK