SENSE 
 DIDACTICS 
 
 HENRY SABIN 
 
Class _L_ 
 
 Book 
 
 CopyrightN^. 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
COMMON SENSE 
 DIDACTICS 
 
 FOR COMMON SCHOOL TEACHERS 
 
 By 
 HENRY SABIN, LL.D. 
 
 Superintendent of Public Instructioji for the State of Iowa i888-g2 
 
 and i8q^-q8. C/iainnan of Cotnmittee of Twelve 
 
 on Rziral Schools, N'. E. A. iSqs 
 
 RAND, McNALLY & COMPANY 
 
 Chic a (TO Ne7v York London 
 
IBiozs 
 
 ftlBaARY of OONGHSSS 
 Twg Copies rtetftve* 
 
 JUL 13 iy05 
 
 / 2. / S'S'3 
 GOPr ti. 
 
 ;^y 
 
 y 
 
 Copyright, 1905, by Henry Sabin 
 
 Chicago 
 
THE PREFACE 
 
 PURPOSES. — This book is addressed to that large 
 body of teachers who are at work in the common 
 schools of the land. It is designed to be helpful to 
 those who have had little or no professional training 
 and whose outfit consists mainly in their native good 
 sense, and in a fair knowledge of the common 
 branches. Whatever there may be of value in the 
 volume is drawn very largely from an experience of 
 over fifty years in school work. While acting as super- 
 visor of schools, and at institutes and educational meet- 
 ings, it has been my custom to note down those points 
 of practical importance in which the body of teachers 
 seemed to need instruction. From these notes I have 
 prepared a volume for those who are disposed to inves- 
 tigate school affairs from a common sense standpoint. 
 Much genuine pleasure has been derived from the writ- 
 ing of this volume, and it is sent forth in the hope that 
 it may prove an aid and encouragement to those 
 who desire to enter more fully into the true spirit of 
 teaching, without which all knowledge is formal and 
 valueless so far as the school is concerned. There are 
 countless numbers of teachers who regard only the 
 subject matter contained in the books, and neglect "to 
 teach the child," which is a far more worthy object. 
 
 Not long since the statement was made by a promi- 
 nent superintendent, and greeted with applause, that 
 he measured the worth of a teacher by the number of 
 pupils in her room who could pass a successful exam- 
 
 3 
 
^ Preface 
 
 ination for promotion. This book has been written, 
 not only to combat, as far as possible, such ideas as 
 this, but to inculcate and enforce the opposite, which 
 Edward Thring formulates in these words: "Education 
 means training for life. Lives, not lessons, are dealt 
 with; with its corollary, that no system which battens 
 on books is true." 
 
 I have no desire to appear as a critic. The oft- 
 repeated story of incompetent teachers and wretched 
 schools, dinned into the ears of young teachers, has a 
 most disheartening effect. It kills their ambition, 
 dwarfs their enthusiasm, and sends them to their 
 schools with the feeling that in nine cases out of ten 
 failure is inevitable. On the contrary, I would take 
 down the shutters, and throw open the schoolroom 
 doors, that God's pure air, the warm sunshine, the 
 songs of birds, and the smell of flowers may come in 
 and fill every crevice and corner of the room, so that 
 the humblest teacher may see and feel what a noble. 
 Godlike thing it is to strive honestly and conscien- 
 tiously to do one's duty. 
 
 Arrangement of Subjects. — It is proper here to call 
 attention to the arrangement chosen for the subject- 
 matter in the different chapters. This volume is 
 designed as a counselor, which teachers can keep on 
 their desks, and to which they can refer at odd 
 moments, as they have time or as occasion suggests. 
 While there is a common vein of thought and purpose 
 easily traced, running through the entire book, each 
 chapter has a character of its own; it stands out by 
 itself, and is intended to meet an individual purpose. 
 Thus, any teacher can select the chapter which seems 
 to meet personal or present necessities, and defer read- 
 ing the others until a more opportune time. 
 
Preface 5 
 
 Arrangement of Chapters.— In arranging the chap- 
 ters the reader will find that the first four have refer- 
 ence to the nature of teaching and the preparation of 
 the teacher. This is followed by two chapters having 
 special reference to the child and things which will be 
 most useful to children. Moral instruction, as of 
 greatest importance, follows next, with its adjunct, 
 habits. School government naturally follows this. 
 The health of the school and the cultivation of taste 
 are next. Then the recitation follows, not because it 
 is of minor importance, but because other things which 
 have been mentioned are necessary in order that the 
 recitation may be of most use. Oral instruction, as 
 closely allied, follows recitation. The other subjects, 
 memory, imagination, and so on, come in their natural 
 order. Special attention, however, is called to the last 
 
 chapter, regarding books and their uses. 
 
 Henry Sabin. 
 
 Des Moines^ Iowa, June, iQOj. 
 
THE TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 Preface 3 
 
 Suggestions to the Reade?' . . . . = 7 
 
 /. The Nature and Character of Teaching ... 9 
 
 //, The Teacher 25 
 
 ///. Preparation for Teaching 39 
 
 IV. Things Essential to the Teacher 57 
 
 V. The Child 77 
 
 VI. Knowledge Most Useful to the Children ... 97 
 
 VII. Morals 124 
 
 VIII. Habits , . 145 
 
 IX. School Government 165 
 
 X. The Hygiene of the School 185 
 
 XL The Cultivation of Taste 208 
 
 XII. The Recitation 224 
 
 XIII. Oral Instruction 245 
 
 XIV. Memory 259 
 
 XV. Imagination, Attention, Interest 274 
 
 XVI. The Old vs. the New 289 
 
 XVII Books and Their Uses 309 
 
 Itidex of Titles ajtd Subdivisio7ts Treated of in 
 
 Each Chapter .....0.0.... 333 
 
 Index of Authors Qiioted 338 
 
 Index of Subjects . , ......... 340 
 
SUGGESTIONS TO THE READER 
 
 I • 
 
 READ this book with pencil in hand. If you find 
 anything which strikes you as wrong, or in 
 which you think the author is mistaken, read the para- 
 graph or page the second time more carefully than the 
 first, and give the subject most earnest thought. 
 Debate the matter with yourself, and draw your con- 
 clusions from your own experience. Above all things 
 cultivate the power of independent thought. 
 
 II 
 
 PAY attention to the questions at the end of each 
 chapter. Some of them will enable you to exam- 
 ine yourself as to the way in which you have read the 
 text. Others are intended as suggestions and it will 
 require some thought, and perhaps some research, to 
 answer them in a manner satisfactory to yourself. 
 
 Ill 
 
 THE quotations at the close of each subject will be 
 found very helpful if rightly read. They have 
 been carefully selected from the highest educational 
 authorities. From them the reader who has not ready 
 access to a pedagogical library may learn something 
 of the thought and style of men and women who have 
 made themselves illustrious as writers and thinkers in 
 their chosen fields. 
 
 IV 
 
 THE reader will notice that occasionally reference 
 is made in the text to a preceding page. By 
 turning back it will be found that the same subject is 
 there treated from a somewhat different standpoint. 
 
 7 
 
COMMON SENSE DIDACTICS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF 
 TEACHING 
 
 The Open Door 
 
 None but true ladies and gentlemen should be employed as 
 teachers. 
 
 —John A. Vincent. 
 
 What a man purposes to do, that he should learn before the 
 doing is attempted. 
 
 —Socrates. 
 
 Of the two I prefer activity of mind and interest in the work 
 rather than high scholarship. 
 
 — Thomas Arnold. 
 
 Teaching is telling; and he who can so tell the common things 
 of life as to excite the child's curiosity and interest, and arouse 
 him to self-activity of mind is an expert teacher. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 IF WE inquire what is the secret of success in teach- 
 ing, we shall find that it lies almost wholly in the 
 spirit of the teacher. Knowledge of subject matter, 
 skill in the use of methods, an acquaint- . 
 
 ance with the latest phases of educational ^' 
 
 thought, although very desirable, are not the only essen- 
 tial things. It is true that they are sometimes so 
 regarded and are so emphasized by those who aspire to 
 be teachers of teachers. But "teaching is telling." One 
 man will tell a story, or preach a sermon, and nobody 
 who hears will grasp his points or understand his con- 
 clusions; another will tell the same story, or preach a 
 sermon from the same text, so that his listeners will 
 
10 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 eagerly take in every word and carry lasting impres- 
 sions away with them. The reason is that the one tells 
 his story as though he had no part in it; the other as 
 though he himself were the hero: the one preaches his 
 sermon as a matter of duty and not of heart; the other 
 as though he himself were responsible for the salvation 
 of every soul in the congregation. 
 
 Between those who teach with the heart and the 
 spirit, and those who teach as a matter of duty only, 
 there is all the difference that there is between the 
 quick and the dead. "It is the letter which killeth; it 
 is the spirit which maketh alive." A certain teacher 
 was once criticized as being "educated to death." He 
 knew enough, and more than enough, but failed as a 
 teacher in the deadness of his instructions, in his 
 inability to put himself in close contact with his class, 
 and in his failure to arouse interest or awaken enthu- 
 siasm. 
 
 It is very desirable that they who aspire to be teach- 
 ers in our schools should be well grounded in those 
 y-j... definitions and principles which are at the 
 
 Hon of foundation of successful work in the school- 
 
 ternis. room. The blind should not be allowed to 
 
 lead the blind in matters of such great consequence as 
 the education of the child. 
 
 Observe, in the first place, the clear distinction 
 between teaching and learning. I may be able to 
 Teaching- ^^^^^ another something which he desires to 
 vs. learn- know, but the act of learning is his own 
 ^^^^' individual action which no other person can 
 
 appropriate Here is involved the true relation of the 
 teacher to the pupil The teacher cannot create, but 
 he can awaken and stimulate the self-activities of the 
 child's mind. What the child does for himself to-day 
 
The Nature and Character of Teaching 
 
 II 
 
 gives him power to do more for himself to-morrow. 
 Let us study this art of teaching for a moment. 
 
 True teaching is a double process, involving at once 
 the mind of the teacher and the mind of the taught. 
 Anything less than this is not teaching. ^^^^^^^^^^ 
 There must be an active cooperation be- 
 tween the will of the master and that of the disciple. 
 This cooperation must be voluntary, not forced; it can 
 be induced only where there is absolute freedom on the 
 part of all concerned in the operation. The teacher must 
 be free to teach in accordance with his own ideals, 
 and the pupil must be in that receptive state which is 
 characterized by the absence of coercion or restraint. 
 
 I do not disregard the place of authority in the 
 schoolroom, but the nearer the exercise of teaching 
 approaches a high standard of excellence the less need 
 is there for any compulsion on the part of the teacher. 
 It is only when this freedom prevails that teaching 
 becomes a noble profession. Otherwise it is a trade, 
 and a sorry one at that. Real teaching is not so much 
 an informing as an awakening process. It is charac- 
 terized by life and growth on the part of both the 
 instructor and the school. Only that which is strong 
 on the spiritual side can be made effective for the 
 highest good of the pupil. 
 
 Ruskin says: "That which is born of evil begets 
 evil; that which is born of valor and honor begets 
 valor and honor." Mechanical teaching, ^ ^^^^^.^^^ 
 the mere listening to recitations, the rigid ^f^^^^H^^^ 
 adherence to rules and formulas, so preva- 
 lent in the schools, cannot produce or maintain life. 
 Teaching which is saturated with life-giving energy 
 reproduces its own spirit in the learner, and multiplies 
 itself in many hearts. 
 
12 Com 771 Oil Se7ise Didactics 
 
 David P. Page was not renowned for his learning; 
 he had no diploma and no degree. Yet his book, The 
 Theory a7id Practice of TeacJmig, has reached the hearts 
 of more teachers than any other book ever written 
 from an educational standpoint. Thomas Arnold was 
 not superior to many others as a classroom instructor. 
 It was not until after his death that his pupils discov- 
 ered how indissoluble were the bands which bound 
 them to him through the personal influence that he 
 exerted over them. Mary Lyon, the founder of the 
 school at Mt. Holyoke, is another example. 
 
 There have been hundreds of such, unknown to 
 fame, who have swayed the hearts of pupils and par- 
 ents as the heads of ripened grain bend to the passing 
 breeze. Recall the teachers who have most influenced 
 your life, whose memory remains as a coal of living fire 
 in your heart, and you will find that they were men 
 and women whose soul enwrapped your soul, and filled 
 you with a burning desire to know all things. 
 
 A teacher had taught many years Hundreds of 
 boys and girls had passed under his care. One of 
 them, who had been a wayward boy, was heard to 
 remark, "Something that teacher said to me once, 
 opened my eyes to the possibilities of my life, and 
 changed my future career in the world." And lo! the 
 teacher, his face toward the setting sun, went on his 
 way with a glad heart, for even while in the flesh, he 
 had received a rich recompense for all his labors. 
 
 Baldwin says: "Teaching is the art of promoting 
 
 human growth." To be more specific, it is the art of 
 
 promoting mental, moral, and physical 
 
 defiiltion growth. Under its influence the child 
 
 advances from one stage to another in a 
 
 regular, systematic order. It is a constant, unvarying 
 
TJic Nature and CJiaractcr of Teacliing ij 
 
 influence ministering to the wants of the child, as the 
 sun and rain minister to the growth of the plant. 
 
 The nature of teaching is such that it must be based 
 upon mutual confidence. If the teacher is not con- 
 scious of his own powers, he hesitates, and, through his 
 timidity and his half-hearted zeal, fails to inspire his 
 class to do the best work possible. On the other hand, 
 when the pupils discover that the instructor is incom- 
 petent, or is dull, lifeless, and half-hearted in his work, 
 they first lose confidence and then interest, and the 
 time allotted to the class recitation is wasted. 
 
 Compayre says that a teacher must understand how 
 
 to make what he knows an instrument of intellectual 
 
 culture. Even the prattling child has his 
 
 ideal. The truest teachins^ known is that ^^'^poftcmce 
 ... ... 1 • , ^f laeals 
 
 which searches this out and upon it endeavors 
 
 to build the child's future. 
 
 There can be no true teaching then, where there is 
 no ideal in the mind of the teacher. This ideal, which 
 comes to the teacher as the result of study and experi- 
 ence, must be clear, well-defined, and sufficiently strong 
 to give tone to every exercise of the school. 
 
 Dr. James, in his Talks to Teachers, says: "In teach- 
 ing you must work your pupil into such a state of 
 interest in what you are going to teach him 
 that every other object of attention is ban- Q^^otation 
 ished from his mind; then reveal it to him James. 
 so impressively that he will remember the 
 occasion to his dying day; and finally fill him with a 
 devouring curiosity to know what are the next steps in 
 connection with the subject." 
 
 This is the culmination of true teaching: that it 
 reaches the heart, influences the motives, controls the 
 impulses, and promotes the growth of manliness in 
 
H 
 
 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 the youth. Teaching in its highest and best sense is 
 characterized by a personality which takes fast hold of 
 the child and creates a oneness of soul and heart 
 between teacher and taught, so that either becomes a 
 means of strength and help to the other. 
 
 The reason why so many teachers fail in their work 
 is because of the absence of the teaching spirit. Many 
 of them do not even comprehend that there is such a 
 thing in existence. They hear lessons, they enforce 
 order, but their teaching is steeped in the very dregs 
 of deadness. 
 
 Somebody has said that Mark Hopkins at one end of 
 a log and Garfield at the other, would constitute a 
 university. That is not correct. So long as the log 
 separated them there could be no teaching in any high 
 sense. That would be possible only with Hopkins and 
 Garfield sitting side by side, heart to heart, thought 
 answering thought; the teacher quickening the pupil, 
 and the pupil, by his eagerness to learn and know the 
 truth, stimulating the teacher to yet greater effort. 
 Wherever there is present a teacher with a desire to 
 communicate and a power to awaken and stimulate, 
 and a pupil not only willing but eager to learn, — these 
 two constitute a school. 
 
 I hold that the growth of the teacher is one of the dis- 
 tinctive characteristics of real teaching. Thring says: 
 "Like all other high arts, life must have free 
 Growth of pi^y Qj. j-hei-e can be no true teaching." 
 Living with the pupil; entering into his 
 thoughts, his motives, his purposes; controlling and 
 directing all his energies toward one end, and that 
 end growth, — this is teaching. 
 
 Do not go to sleep over your task; put soul and 
 brains into it. Individualize your work. At every 
 
Tlie Nature and Character of TeacJiing 75 
 
 point bring the school into contact with the world. 
 Fetch the pebble from the shore; pluck the leaf from 
 the tree, the rose from the stem; gather bud and flower 
 and fruit; go out into the highways and the hedges, 
 into the streets and the marts of trade, in order that 
 you may stimulate the pupils under your care to 
 develop into live men and women. "Light up the 
 magic lantern of common sense and common things," 
 and thus illumine your work. 
 
 Huxley says: "It rests entirely upon the intellect- 
 ual clearness and the moral worth of the individual 
 whether the political experiment which we 
 are tr3Mng in this country will succeed. Huxley's 
 While education cannot give intellectual 
 clearness or moral worth, it may cherish them and 
 bring them to the front," To cherish and bring to 
 the front intellectual clearness that the pupil may 
 think exactly, and moral worth that he may act rightly, 
 these are the ends to be earnestly sought by you in 
 your work. 
 
 Knowledge is not always a means of discipline. A 
 
 man with a comparatively small amount of knowledge 
 
 may have a mind trained to think, judge, 
 
 remember, and reason. A man with a largfe Knowledge 
 
 ' , , , . , .. . ..^ and disci- 
 
 amount or knowledge, but without discipline pline. 
 
 to put what he knows into practice, has been 
 compared to a would-be carpenter with a basket full 
 of sharp tools which he has not the skill to use. Con- 
 sequently, while the possession of knowledge is desir- 
 able, it does not always insure a good teacher. 
 
 Knowledge alone is not power. Only when it is 
 applied to some useful purpose does it become of any 
 real value to the individual or the public at large It 
 is a part of the teacher's work so to impart knowledge 
 
i() Co mm 71 Se7ise Didactics 
 
 that the pupil may assimilate it and thus gain strength 
 and power through its nutriment. Knowledge is gen- 
 erally supposed to be an accumulation of 
 not'powei' facts. But the man who remembers the 
 most dates in his.tory is not of necessity a 
 superior historian; the man who has at his command 
 all the rules and formulas in arithmetic or mathematics 
 is not always a good mathematician. To accumulate 
 information is one of the ends to be kept before the 
 pupil. Every teacher should remember this, but at the 
 same time he should not neglect the higher end which 
 is growth, to which all knowledge should be made to 
 minister. 
 
 Discipline is the source of power. A man with a 
 well-disciplined mind is one who can make the best- 
 possible use of the knowledge he possesses. 
 Useofdis- -pj^^ body is disciplined when, through care- 
 ful exercising, each organ is able to perform 
 its functions without weariness. One object of the 
 school is to discipline as highly as possible both mind 
 and body. 
 
 A noted man wrote thus of himself: "I do not make 
 any pretense of great knowledge. What I know I 
 have made my own by thought and study. I know it, 
 as it were, by heart. I feel dissatisfied if at the end of 
 the week I have not added some increment, however 
 small, to the sum of my knowledge." Yet another 
 writes: "I have striven all my life to make my knowl- 
 edge of some service to others with whom I have come 
 in contact. If I have done any good in the world, it 
 is because of this effort to make my knowledge 
 serviceable. Selfishness has seemed to me abhorrent 
 to my nature, and so I have endeavored to school 
 myself to the notion that through the possession of 
 
The Nature and Character of Teachiiig ij 
 
 knowledge I may make the world better for my living 
 in it." Knowledge and discipline combined make a 
 man a complete master of himself. 
 
 Education is systematic development. It cannot 
 do everything, nor can it supply that which is missing. 
 In other words, education cannot create; it jnstruc- 
 can only unfold or draw out. While it may tioti and 
 be true that the mind of the child differs education. 
 from that of the adult only in the power or strength 
 which comes with maturity, it is equally true that the 
 mind of one child is essentially different in its facul- 
 ties, and in its power to grasp, from the mind of his 
 seatmate. Hence the skillful teacher discriminates in 
 what may be wisely required of children during the 
 period of school education. It is the province of 
 instruction to furnish material; of educatio?i to work the 
 material up, so that it may minister to growth. The 
 mind gains strength by assimilating the knowledge fur- 
 nished through instruction. 
 
 It is not my intention to attempt an original defini- 
 tion of education or instruction. At the end of this 
 chapter are a few' definitions sufilicient to convey a 
 clear idea of what is included in each term I am 
 anxious, however, to impress upon the reader the 
 thought that neither education nor instruction is 
 derived entirely from books. 
 
 It used to be said that the child is sent to school to 
 be educated. He may just as well be sent to the 
 shoemaker's bench or the blacksmith's shop 
 for that purpose. Life is the great educator, ffj^^^J^ 
 and the incidents of life furnish the material 
 for instruction, so that whether the child becomes an 
 adept in book knowledge or skilled in the use of tools, 
 an artist or an artisan, he is educated only when he 
 
 2 
 
i8 Co mm 71 Seiise Didactic s 
 
 reaches up to the full height of the opportunities which 
 God and nature throw in his way. 
 
 He who does this does his whole duty. Emerson 
 has this in mind when he declares: "If a man can write 
 a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better 
 mouse-trap than his neighbor, though he build his 
 house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path- 
 way to his den." 
 
 Good teaching looks to the future of the child, while 
 
 poor teaching is content with to-day and takes no note 
 
 of to-morrow Education is the searchlight 
 
 The child's gnablins^ the child to scan the horizon which 
 t utuve . 
 
 limits the possibilities of his being. It is 
 
 the business of education to teach the pupil how to 
 apply knowledge, for thus only does knowledge 
 become power. A strong, sound body; a keen, sensi- 
 tive conscience; an intellect trained to reason, to con- 
 clude, to act, — these are the parallel lines along which 
 education must move in order to reach the greatest 
 degree of perfection. 
 
 Study is an essential factor in the process of educa- 
 tion. It is based upon attention, or close, persistent 
 / I'bort thought. It is a habit which can be culti- 
 
 ance of vated and made stronger by application. 
 
 study. -pj^g teacher must know what study is, and 
 
 how to cultivate it, before he can induce others to 
 study. 
 
 The power to master a subject and to make it his 
 own is lost to the pupil who has not been taught how 
 to study Do not overlook the importance of this 
 point, both in your preparatory work and in your actual 
 teaching. 
 
 Study is close application of the mind to the subject 
 in hand. It is largely a habit which may be acquired 
 
The Nature and Character of Teacliirig ig 
 
 through persistent effort. But it is a habit which fol- 
 lows the pupil into business life, and ministers much 
 to his success. The clerk often has to learn how to 
 study after he leaves school. That is, he has to with- 
 draw within himself and exclude all out- 
 side affairs while he pays strict attention defiiied. 
 to whatever his employer has committed to 
 his charge. Self-interest incites him "to this He 
 desires to retain his position, to achieve promotion, 
 and to obtain a foothold from which he may climb to 
 yet greater heights. 
 
 The training necessary to gain this power of applica- 
 tion must begin with the first lesson assigned to the 
 child in school, and it must continue to the end of 
 school life. It is the real work of the school; something 
 to do, something to acquire within a given time. 
 
 Rosenkranz insists that the plain distinction between 
 work and play must be observed. "Work should never 
 be treated as if it were play, nor play as if „ 
 it were work." There is a marked tendency kranz's 
 in our schools to-day to discard work — which ^'^^^' 
 is study — and to su-bstitute in its place a kind of semi- 
 study, which is but little better than play. 
 
 The child learns how to study by studying. He 
 must do most of the work himself. Lewis Ransom 
 Fiske, in Ma7i Buildings says: "For either the book 
 or the teacher to" do the whole work is robbing the 
 child of power. It is worth immensely more for the 
 boy to learn how to study one thing thoroughly, than 
 to read a dozen things in a book." 
 
 In order to study to the best advantage, there must 
 be sufficient will-power to call in the wandering 
 thoughts and fix them upon the lesson. In most cases 
 of failure this is the cause. Begin with giving a 
 
20 Commo7i Se?ise Didactics 
 
 short lesson and not too much time in which to learn 
 
 it, and then insist upon close application and study 
 
 during the allotted period. 
 
 Lessons should be proportioned in length and in 
 
 difficulty to the intellect of the child. Im- 
 Immaturity , .^ . , • ^^ ^ , 
 
 not a crime maturity is not a crime, ioo many teachers 
 
 make their own ability to grasp and master, 
 the criterion by which to judge the ability of the child. 
 Development is a slow process. It is a question 
 whether we do not at times hasten it so much as to 
 induce a superficial knowledge. Give the seed time to 
 germinate. Watch patiently the beginnings, and culti- 
 vate a continuous growth. "Make haste slowly" is an 
 excellent motto for the schoolroom. Do not think 
 you are doing well because you are doing much. 
 
 Training is only continual practice along a given or 
 direct line. It often precedes the real work of instruc- 
 tion, but when rightly and wisely directed it 
 ^ becomes an important aid in the develop- 
 ment of mental power. To train a child is to cause 
 him to do certain things in the best and most natural 
 way. 
 
 Physical training, as it leads to the formation of 
 habits which make the child an agreeable or disagree- 
 able member of the family or school, is by 
 no means to be neglected. The first five 
 years of the child's life ought to be devoted very 
 largely to physical development. During the second 
 five, thejnind should not be overfed. The mental diet 
 should be carefully selected. Those methods should 
 by all means be avoided which are calculated to make 
 a mental or intellectual prodigy out of the little child. 
 
 While I am at times filled with wonder at the intel- 
 lectual feats performed by little children in some of 
 
The Nature and Character of Teaching 21 
 
 our schools, 1 wonder still more at the supreme folly 
 of the teaching which permits such things. On the 
 other hand, when the child is ten years old the 
 foundations for scholarship should have been laid. 
 He should have some power of application, some habit 
 of study, and should know the pleasure which comes 
 from conquering difficulties. He should begin to 
 realize what work is. 
 
 Skill, as the expression of power, is the result of 
 careful, painstaking training. Skill can best be 
 acquired in youth. Natural or inherited ^kiii_ 
 skill, shown by the aptitude of children for how best 
 some particular line of work, can be much acquired. 
 improved by practice. If allowed to fall into disuse it 
 seems to be forgotten, and gradually to disappear as a 
 controlling power. 
 
 In all these things let there be intelligent freedom, 
 so that every teacher may find for himself the way to 
 
 The Open Door. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 tea ching 
 
 Teaching is the art of promoting human growth. The efficient 
 teacher understands the growing pupil and understands the subject 
 taught. He completely adapts matter and method and leads 
 learners to put forth their best efforts in the best ways. 
 
 —Joseph Baldwin. 
 
 All who propose to teach need to recollect that the very basis 
 of fitness for teaching, so far as it can be gained from study, is a 
 broad and accurate scholarship. 
 
 —David P. Page. 
 
 The term teaching, it is thus seen, is a little more comprehen- 
 sive than the word instruction. An instructor, strictly speaking, 
 is one who furnishes the mind with knowledge ; a teacher is one 
 who furnishes the mind with knowledge, and at the same time 
 
 aims to give mental culture. 
 
 —Edward Brooks. 
 
22 Co mm 71 Sense Didactic s 
 
 KNOWLEDGE 
 
 Knowledge is gained by study and by observation. It is 
 imparted by the printed page and living teacher and is gathered 
 from a thousand different sources. "Life forces knowledge upon 
 us," and whether he will or not man cannot escape knowledge. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 To impart knowledge at the right time, in the best way, and in 
 discreet measures is one test of a teacher's skill. It is a higher 
 test if by pointing out the sources of knowledge he can lead the 
 pupil to form habits of investigation and research such as will last 
 him his lifetime. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 DISCIPLINE 
 
 Discipline is the result of training and study. In physical 
 culture it gives a man control of his muscles, so that they are 
 obedient to his will. In mental culture it gives him control of his 
 intellectual powers, so that he is able under all circumstances to 
 do the best work possible. In moral training discipline gives a 
 man such control of himself bodily and mentally that he can resist 
 temptation, discern good from evil, and make the best choice. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 Through discipline rather than instruction the teacher renders 
 it possible for the child in youth and the adult in later life to raise 
 himself to higher levels of living. 
 
 — Selected. 
 
 INSTRUCTION 
 
 The principal means employed in intellectual education is 
 instruction. There is, in fact, no other way to develop the 
 faculties than by exercising them. Now, intellectual exercise is 
 study, and teaching is causing a pupil to study. 
 
 ■-Compayve. 
 
 Instruction is the furnishing of the mind with knowledge. It 
 is the process of developing knowledge in the mind of another. 
 The term is derived from in, into, and struo, I build, meaning I 
 build into. To instruct the mind is thus to furnish it with knowl- 
 edge, to build up knowledge in the mind. 
 
 — — Edward Brooks. 
 
 Instruction is directly giving information — knowledge of facts, 
 new ideas, and words — to the pupil. It should be done only for 
 the purpose of stimulating the desire for more knowledge, and of 
 furnishing material that the pupil cannot economically get for 
 himself. 
 
 — Ruric N. Roark. 
 
The Nature a?id Character of Teaching 2j 
 
 EDUCA TION 
 
 Education is any process or act which results in knowledge, or 
 power, or skill. It includes not only teaching and learning, but 
 all acts, processes and influences which occasion these results, 
 whether as scholarship, culture, habit, or character. 
 
 —Emerson E. White. 
 
 Education is the science of human development. We cultivate 
 plants, train animals and educate persons. Education makes 
 the difference between the feeble infant and the strong man. 
 
 —Joseph Baldwin. 
 
 Education can only develop and form, not create. It cannot 
 undertake to form a being into anything other than it was 
 destined to be by the endowments originally received at the 
 hands of nature. 
 
 Education can only develop and unfold ; it cannot create any- 
 thing new. 
 
 —Rosenkranz. 
 
 Education is a living into better things. 
 
 — Grant Karr. 
 
 STUDY 
 
 Study is the attentive application of the mind to an object or 
 subject for the purpose of acquiring a knowledge of it. Study 
 involves persistent attention, and continued or prolonged holding 
 of the mind to the knowing of an object by acts of the will. 
 
 —Emerson E. White. 
 
 Let the mind of the pupil be studied as we^! as the quality of 
 the recitation determined. What has been learned should become 
 known by the teacher, but how the student proceeds in gaining 
 knowledge should also be investigated, and guidance afforded. 
 
 — Lewis Ransom Fiske. 
 
 TRAINING 
 
 The systematic procedure of the teacher is implied in the word 
 training. It means the continuous or periodic exercise of the 
 faculty, with the definite purpose of strengthening it and 
 advancing its growth. 
 
 —James Sully. 
 
 The teacher needs to observe, read, think, practice. He needs 
 to sit at the feet of Jesus, of Aristotle, of Socrates, and of Pesta- 
 lozzi, and learn methods from the masters. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 Children may be trained so as to respond in the right way to 
 any duty in life. If they see a misplaced article, they may, on 
 catching sight of it, put it in its place as naturally as a dog points 
 toward a bird for which the hunter is looking. 
 
 —Reuben Post Halleck 
 
24 Common Sense Didac tic s 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 1. What do you understand by the expression, "the spirit of 
 
 the teacher?" 
 
 2. What is the necessity of freedom in the process of teaching? 
 J. What does Dr. James say in his Talks to Teachers, which 
 
 is applied in this chapter? 
 
 4. What end is to be most ardently sought by the teacher in 
 
 his work? 
 
 5. Why is knowledge not always a means of discipline? 
 
 6. When only may we say that knowledge is power? _ 
 
 7. When may we say a man has a well disciplined mind? 
 
 8. What is study? 
 
 g. What is it to train a child? 
 10. What is skill? How may it be acquired? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. Do I know how to study? 
 
 2. What conditions are favorable to close study? 
 
 J. What treatment is best for the excessively nervous child? 
 
 4. Are my pupils wasting their time? 
 
 5. What professional progress am I making? 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE TEACHER 
 
 The Master Builder 
 
 The inspiration of the school is the presence of the living 
 teacher. 
 
 Above all, a teacher must be a scholar, and if he is to be a 
 teacher of real power, he must be a man of wide and accurate 
 scholarship. 
 
 ~W. H. Payne. 
 
 Good methods of teaching are important, but they cannot 
 supply the want of ability in the teacher. The Socratic method 
 is good, but a Socrates behind the teacher's desk to ask questions 
 is better. 
 
 — Thomas M. Balliet, 
 
 The woman who touched the hem of the Savior's garment felt 
 at once the vivifying influences which were all the time going 
 forth from the Great Teacher. Here we stand face to face with 
 the greatest mystery of the teacher's art. 
 
 —Nathan C. Schaeffer. 
 
 THERE are some things which the teacher ought 
 to be or do. There also are some things which 
 he ought not to be or do, and these latter are of equal 
 importance with the former. He ought not 
 to be indifferent to his personal appearance. Personal 
 No matter how small his monthly salary; no aiicT 
 matter how meanly dressed his pupils may 
 be; no matter though the people of the district are care- 
 less as to cleanliness and neatness, the teacher is under 
 obligations to place before the pupils an example 
 which they may safely follow. 
 
 If the teacher is a lady, then a trim dress, which 
 costs but little, a clean apron kept in the desk for school 
 use, a spotless white collar set off by a bit of blue ribbon 
 tastefully tied at the throat, hair neatly brushed, teeth 
 
 25 
 
26 Commo7i Se^ise Didactic s 
 
 pearly white, finger nails immaculate as ivory, — these 
 things will exert a more potent influence over thought- 
 less boys and girls than switch or ferule can possibly 
 have. The frown of such a teacher is a terror to evil- 
 doers, and her smile is a perpetual reward to those 
 who do well. 
 
 With a male teacher, personal appearance is of 
 equal consequence. Tidy linen, well-kept hands, pure 
 breath uncontaminated with the odor of tobacco or 
 liquor, garments that fit the person, with nothing of 
 the dude, with everything of the gentleman, — we count 
 these as little things, and yet they add to the strength 
 of the strong and increase the wisdom of the wise. 
 
 Fuller writes: "The good yeoman is a gentleman in 
 ore, whom the next age may see refined; he is the 
 wax, capable of a gentle impression, when the prince 
 shall stamp it." 
 
 Again, the teacher cannot be one person in the 
 presence of the school, and an entirely different person 
 in society at large. He cannot shut up his 
 Uiiiforviity character in his desk, or confine it to the 
 sincerity. schoolroom when he locks the door at night. 
 The most essential thmg about a teacher is 
 his character, and that cannot be separated from his 
 individuality. The prime element in character is sin- 
 cerity. Children unconsciously judge a man by this 
 test, and if they find him wanting, they at once lose 
 confidence in him. In the old days when the teacher 
 "boarded round" a week in a family, parents could 
 estimate the master's worth with a good degree of 
 exactness. Now, about all they know of the school 
 teacher is what the children tell them at home, and 
 what they see of him as they meet him from time to 
 time. 
 
TJie Teacher 2y 
 
 Unfortunately they also have the habit of making 
 the school and the teacher a principal theme of con- 
 versation at their various gatherings. This is owing 
 mainly to the paucity of startling events, especially in 
 country life. It is not often done with malice or any 
 evil intent, and yet it has proved the ruin of many 
 schools. The teacher should so conduct himself out 
 of school that no indiscreet act will furnish food for 
 public talk or for idle rumor to feed upon. 
 
 The teacher should not say or do things for the sole 
 purpose of making himself popular. Such a course 
 will sooner or later reveal the heartlessness which lies 
 beneath. He should have convictions as to what is 
 right or wrong, and stay by them courageously. But, 
 on the other hand, he should not set himself up to be a 
 "judge in Israel," nor needlessly antagonize those 
 who with equal honesty hold opinions very different 
 from his. 
 
 There are some acts which maybe harmless in them- 
 selves, but which are distasteful to the people whose 
 children are under his care; from the practice of these 
 the teacher ought to refrain. When Horace Mann 
 sat on a stool at the tables in Antioch, partaking of 
 food indifferently cooked, some one said to 
 him: "Mr. Mann, how can you endure all ^^^^^ 
 this?" He replied: "I can endure all 
 things for the sake of these young people." So the 
 conscientious teacher may reply to one who asks why 
 he refrains from certain amusements: 'T can refrain 
 from anything rather than forfeit the confidence of 
 the people of the district, or weaken in the least my 
 influence over the pupils under my charge." 
 
 It is well if a teacher has the most wonderful of all 
 gifts, the gift of silence. As in the family, so in the 
 
28 Commofi Se?ise Didactics 
 
 school, there are many little incidents happening 
 occasionally which should be corrected at the time, 
 and then dropped. Above all, public noto- 
 The gift riety should not be given to them by mak- 
 ing them the subject of conversation out of 
 school. A parent has the right to ask a teacher con- 
 cerning the conduct and progress of his own child, 
 and he is entitled to a candid, truthful answer. But 
 he has no right to ask the same information concerning 
 his neighbor's child. If he does, the prudent teacher 
 will give him only a very general reply. A child's 
 reputation is a part of his individuality, and ought 
 not to be trifled with ruthlessly 
 
 It is exceedingly unwise for a teacher to ventilate 
 his school troubles to every one with whom he falls in 
 company A teacher may destroy his own school by 
 this wholesale slander of it. When the teacher talks 
 about his pupils, the pupils retaliate by telling tales of 
 the teacher. Then the parents become involved, and 
 the usefulness of the school is greatly impaired, if not 
 utterly destroyed. The author writes out of his own 
 experience as superintendent of schools. More than 
 once he has had occasion to say to a teacher who was 
 making a dismal failure: "The trouble with your 
 school is that you are talking too much about your 
 affairs." 
 
 Great harm comes to the school when teachers begin 
 to criticize each other's work. A superintendent of a 
 large system of schools, who is accustomed 
 Criticizmg to examine carefully into a candidate's quali- 
 teachers fications, among other questions asks this: 
 "Has she a happy faculty of getting along 
 with other teachers without friction?" He will not 
 have a teacher in his corps, if he knows it, who cannot 
 
The Teacher 2g 
 
 do this. Every teacher is entitled to the sympathy and 
 support of his fellow workers. 
 
 The introduction of one gossiping teacher into a 
 corps is calculated to injure the entire organization in 
 that city or town. At once there will spring up hard 
 feelings, jealousies and suspicions; cruel innuendoes 
 will be thrown out against one or another; without 
 knowing why or how, the innocent often become 
 involved with the guilty, and for the time being the 
 schools are wrecked so far as usefulness is concerned. 
 
 The ignorant teacher can be endured for a season; 
 the incompetent can be got rid of; but from the 
 teacher who talks there is no deliverance. His evil 
 influence lasts long after he has disappeared from the 
 scene. A teacher in a city in which there was much 
 turmoil and talk once said to me: "My daily prayer 
 to God is that He will give me grace to hold my 
 tongue." I judge that his prayer was answered, as he 
 has held his position for over forty years. 
 
 This much I have felt called upon to say, as to what 
 a teacher ought not to be or do. Upon the positive 
 side of the question no little has been written and 
 spoken by earnest teachers. Educational books without 
 number have laid down lines along which every good 
 teacher ought to walk. But, notwithstanding all this 
 mass of instruction furnished by books and papers and 
 at associations, the teacher has not yet reached perfec- 
 tion. Probably he never will until the world enters 
 upon the joys of the millennium. 
 
 Under the limitations of this life the best advice that 
 can be given a teacher is to cultivate cheer- 
 fulness and hope; to meet difficulties one at ^' 
 a time; to exercise good common sense, and more 
 
. JO Commo?i Sense Didactics 
 
 than all, not to worry. Worry is killing more teachers 
 in America to-day than all the hara work exacted 
 from them by rules and regulations of the board. 
 Brain and nerves are consumed by worry, as the fuel 
 is by the flame. Take a stroll every day in the open 
 air; take a Saturday for a party in the woods; get 
 away from school and books; learn a lesson of growth 
 from the grass as the green appears with the opening 
 days of spring, of patience from the rocks, which 
 endure alike the suns of summer and the frosts of 
 winter; of faith from the flowers, which bloom and 
 scent the air to-day though they perish to-morrow. 
 Lucy Larcom says: 
 
 And everywhere, here and always, 
 
 If we would but open our eyes, 
 We would find, through these beaten footpaths, 
 
 Our way into paradise. 
 
 - Dull earth would be dull no longer. 
 The clod would sparkle a gem ; 
 And our hands, at their commonest labor, 
 Would be building Jerusalem 
 
 A Russian prince visiting America once uttered this 
 piayer: "O Lord, if I have to die soon, let me know 
 a few days beforehand. Take me to a place where 
 they have no appointments; take me to a place where 
 I can hear something besides business. Give me one 
 day of rest before I die, where I can see the bright 
 sunshine and breathe the fresh air of heaven." 
 
 Without egotism or boasting learn to 
 a Food think well of yourself and to speak well of 
 
 opinion of your work. Nine times out of ten 
 yourse J. ^^ ^^^ ^^^ depreciates himself, and 
 decries his own work, is a hypocrite who would count 
 you his worst enemy if you should dare to murmur a 
 
The Teacher ji 
 
 soulful "amen" to what he says of himself and his 
 want of success. Emancipate yourself in all possible 
 ways from the abominable spirit of worry. Try to realize 
 
 The freer step, the fuller breath, 
 
 The wide horizon's grander view; 
 The sense of life that knows no death, 
 
 The life that maketh all things new. 
 
 The personal character of the teacher stands first in 
 the test of qualifications. Integrity in all business 
 transactions; a rigid compliance with the 
 terms of contract; the conscientious dis- 
 charge of every duty; freedom from all vices; a due 
 regard to the potent influence of example over the 
 lives of the children under his charge; a high-toned 
 morality which cannot endure anything base or low — 
 these are some of the points which school directors 
 cannot scrutinize too closely in persons who desire to 
 act as teachers in the schools. 
 
 The teacher should hold in mind the issues which 
 hang upon his work. He must himself be all which he 
 desires his pupils to become. In addition to the above, 
 cleanliness of person, neatness of attire, pleasing 
 manners, correctness of expression, gentlemanly or 
 ladylike bearing, can best be induced in the pupils by 
 the example of the teacher. (See page 25.) 
 
 Integrity is a stronger word than honesty; it reaches 
 farther; it searches out the motives which govern a 
 man's actions. A teacher with a deep sense 
 of integrity will never for a moment disre- Integrity 
 gard a contract, no matter whether it is honesty. 
 verbal or written. A contract is equally 
 binding upon teacher and directors, and one party has 
 no more right than the other to disregard its terms. 
 The honor of our calling is at stake here. 
 
^2 Co7nmon Sense Didactic s 
 
 A teacher of prominence was offered a more desir- 
 able position in the middle of the year. His board 
 decided that they could not release him consistently 
 with the interests of the school under their care. He 
 at once wrote to the proper officials: "I have a con- 
 tract here and I cannot honorably accept your offer." 
 He did what was right and commendable. Any other 
 course would have left him open to criticism. 
 
 As this is a heart to heart talk we may speak of 
 some things in confidence. Lately I saw an inquiry 
 blank which a city superintendent sends to 
 Some _ persons whose names are given as references 
 confidence, t)y candidates for positions in the public 
 schools. Among other questions was this: 
 "Does he pay his debts promptly?" There is no habit 
 which will ruin a teacher's reputation more quickly 
 than that of running in debt at the stores. If necessary 
 to ask for credit the obligation should be met without 
 fail when pay day comes. The reputation of being 
 strictly reliable in business transactions is just as 
 necessary to the teacher as it is to the business man. 
 
 Another question was this: "Does he exhibit any 
 interest in his pupils outside of his school duties?" 
 This is a very important point. The most skillful 
 disciplinarians govern their schools as much through 
 the influence which they exert out of school as by 
 commands and restraints imposed when school is in 
 session. It is the "unconscious tuition" which knows 
 no rest that really governs the school, if it is well 
 governed. Channing writes: "Parents should seek an 
 educator for the young of their families who will 
 become to them a hearty and efficient friend, counselor, 
 coadjutor in their work." And he adds: "Such is the 
 teacher we need and his value cannot be paid in gold." 
 
The Teacher jj 
 
 Payne says: "The teacher must be a scholar." (See 
 page 25.) The scholarship should be broad without 
 being shallow; it must be sufficient to meet 
 all the needs of the school— but it should Scholar- 
 not be obtained by cramming for the Cramming. 
 occasion. There can be no habit more de- 
 structive of genuine scholarship than that of cramming 
 for a certificate examination. The information thus 
 gained is not permanently in possession of the mind; it 
 perishes with the using of it. This custom is too com- 
 mon among teachers. It is not productive of thought 
 or mental strength, and under such conditions the exam- 
 ination is no test of the candidate's fitness for teaching. 
 
 More than this, it seems to me not to be consistent 
 with moral honesty, because the teacher does not 
 appear in his true light His apparent knowledge is 
 only pretension, a sham, and will avail nothing in his 
 school work. The examiner has as much reason for 
 rejecting a candidate who has crammed for the exam- 
 ination as he has for refusing a certificate to one who 
 is ignorant. 
 
 The teacher shoyld be a generous reader of good 
 books, but not an omnivorous reader of everything 
 which falls in his way. He should be a 
 student, and it is often well for the school Reading 
 if he is pursuing some chosen line of read- books. 
 ing or investigation for his own interest. 
 His scholarship should lead to a development of his 
 powers of thought. 
 
 There are too many teachers whose scholarship is 
 superficial, who skim over the surface, who never dive 
 in search of treasures which are apt to be hidden in 
 the deep places. The best teacher is one whose soul 
 is imbued with a love of knowledge, and who can 
 3 
 
j^ Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 bring to his classes the ripe fruits of a mind thor- 
 oughly trained to reason, to judge, to conclude — in a 
 word, trained to think. 
 
 The teacher should never come to the end of his 
 resources. To avoid this he should be a reader of 
 educational literature, and a student of 
 ^^^ ■ whatever branches he undertakes to teach. 
 It is a credit to a teacher when it can be said of him 
 that he studies the lessons which he expects to hear 
 the pupils recite. 
 
 "After beauty and vigor of character, there is 
 nothing that so wins the respect and admiration of 
 pupils as fullness and accuracy of preparation." 
 
 A very successful teacher once said: "If I have had 
 any success in teaching it is because I have never per- 
 mitted myself to go before a class without careful 
 preparation." Another, a master in the classroom, 
 says: "Every day should add something new to the 
 outfit of the teacher. From the first day with the 
 primary grade to the last of the high school or college 
 the teacher who would succeed cannot safely neglect 
 special preparation for the day's work, ever seeking 
 for some means for securing a closer sympathy with 
 his pupils, some way of presenting the subject more 
 naturally and more efficiently, some new illustration, 
 some truer aim, some higher motive." (See page 12.) 
 
 Bear in mind, however, that the pupil studies with the 
 view of reciting the lessons; the teacher should study 
 with the view of conducting the recitation 
 How the gQ ^g ^Q ^j^j ^j^g pupil in getting the most 
 should possible out of the lesson. This point is 
 
 ^Oi^i^^^ worthy of careful consideration by the 
 
 teacher. It is one thing to run over the 
 lesson just before the class is called, with a view of 
 
The Teacher J5 
 
 knowing what is in it; it is a very different thing to 
 prepare it with the view of ascertaining what points 
 will need explanation and elucidation, in what respects 
 supplemental information may be given, errors cor- 
 rected and principles restated. Probably it is true 
 that teachers fail to grow because of the tendency of 
 the mind to fall into certain grooves and channels. In 
 our common schools this danger is increased by the 
 multitude of lessons which the teacher must hear each 
 half day. The danger is not much, if any, lessened in 
 our high schools in which specialists are employed in 
 different branches. 
 
 We sometimes designate this tendency as "falling 
 into the ruts." It can be partially avoided by careful 
 study of the best methods, by reading the best books, 
 and by a thoughtful adaptation of knowledge to the 
 everyday work of the school. But don't be dis- 
 couraged because you cannot entirely rid yourself of 
 the proclivity. It is incident to life in every calling. 
 To-day does not vary much from yesterday; to-mor- 
 row will not vary greatly from to-day. The difference 
 between to-day and one hundred years previous is the 
 result of the slow increments of daily growth and 
 progress. Compare the work you are doing now with 
 that which you attempted years ago, and perhaps you 
 will find encouraging evidences of advancement and 
 power. Remember, moreover, that life without 
 growth is sevenfold death. 
 
 Morgan says: "A man without a heart has no 
 business to be a schoolmaster." One of 
 the strongest elements which is found in ^y^^ipcithy 
 the life of every teacher is sympathy. It patience. 
 is no part of the teacher's vocation to 
 repress the self-activity of the child, but to guide 
 
j6 Co mm 71 Seiise Didactic s 
 
 it so that it may become a factor in his growth. (See 
 page 32.) 
 
 The heart of the little child responds to loving 
 words and kind deeds, as the strings of the instrument 
 to the touches of the skillful player. As in the mirror 
 face answereth to face, so ought the heart and con- 
 science of the child to answer to the heart and 
 conscience of the teacher. 
 
 Patience combined with firmness, with no show of 
 severity, yet with no slackness in maintaining good 
 order, with a deep abiding interest in whatever 
 promotes the welfare of each child at home as well as 
 at school — these must be included in the teacher who 
 deserves success. It is an easy thing to keep school; 
 but it is a great and noble thing to be a true teacher. 
 
 If the building is to be fitly joined together, a 
 temple worthy to be the dwelling place of the soul, 
 there must be 
 
 The Master Builder. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 personality. 
 
 Society is waiting, calling — earnestly, anxiously — for men and 
 women of broader culture and nobler nature — men and women 
 of quick intelligence, of enlightened understanding, of large heart 
 and generous impulse, to take these little ones by the hand and 
 lead them into the pleasant ways of wisdom, virtue, usefulness, 
 and happiness. 
 
 —George Howland. 
 
 Survey these thickly seated benches. Before us are clustered 
 the children of to-da3\ the men of to-morrow, the immortals of 
 eternit}^ ! What costly works of art, what splendid galleries of 
 sculpture or of painting, won by a nation's arms, or purchased by 
 a nation's wealth, are comparable, in value, to the treasures we 
 have in these children? 
 
 —Horace Mann. 
 
 Doing the best always, arouses enthusiasm, earnestness and 
 courage on the part of the doer. It stimulates persistence and 
 opens a vista of better things before. 
 
 — Francis W Parker. 
 
The Teacher jy 
 
 SCHOLARSHIP. 
 
 It is the man who takes in who can give out. The man who 
 does not do the one soon takes to spinning his own fancies out of 
 his interior, like a spider, and he snares himself at last as well as 
 his victims. 
 
 — Dr. John Brown. 
 
 First of all, the teacher must be a scholar, and no part of his 
 professional education must be conducted at the expense of 
 scholarship. Under scholarship I would include some sensible 
 degree of literary culture, one indication of which is a pronounced 
 love of good books. 
 
 -IV. H. Payne. 
 
 Going to his class so full of the sujbect, that were the text- 
 book annihilated, he could make another and better one — he will 
 have, no difficulty to secure attention. 
 
 — David P Page. 
 
 A person cannot teach a rule of arithmetic intelligently without 
 having himself mastered many advanced rules. Your own expe- 
 rience, if you watch it, will force this truth upon you. 
 
 —/. G. Pitch. 
 
 GROWTH. 
 
 The price of retaining what we know is always to seek to know 
 more. We preserve our learning and mental power only by 
 increasing them. 
 
 — Henry Darling. 
 
 We are put here to grow, and we ought to grow, and to use all 
 means of growth according to the laws of our being. 
 
 — Edward H. Clarke. 
 
 A true teacher never thinks his education complete, but is 
 always seeking to add to his own knowledge. The moment any 
 man ceases to be a systematic student he ceases to be an effective 
 teacher. 
 
 —J. G. Fitch. 
 SYMPA THY. 
 
 The following extracts from that prince of English school- 
 masters, Edward Thring, will bear careful study: 
 
 A teacher is a combination of heart, head, artistic training and 
 favoring circumstances. Like all other high arts, life must have 
 free play or there can be no teaching. 
 
 Noble character is trained by noble examples of life, and by 
 honest surroundings, whether in word or deed. The highest 
 beliefs and the most true work train noble character. The 
 teacher must have high beliefs, and be allowed to teach in their 
 spirit. 
 
 If all the bones are put into lessons, and all the loveliness, the 
 life, the feelings, the pleasure flung away, no one need wonder 
 that lessons have ill-luck. 
 
j8 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 Light up the magic lantern of common things. 
 
 Yes, gentlemen; and we also, in doing this, have discovered 
 the first law of teaching, the first article of the teacher's creed: 
 work from the inside outwards. 
 
 Any fool with knowledge can pour it into a clever boy ; but it 
 needs the skilled workman to be able to teach. 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 1. What do you understand by the word sincerity? 
 
 2. What importance attaches to the teacher's personal appear- 
 
 ance''' 
 J. Why should the teacher refrain from continually talking of 
 
 school affairs in public? 
 4. What is said of common honesty? 
 J. How much and what should the teacher read? 
 
 6. Distinguish two ways of studying a lesson. 
 
 7. How may a teacher hope to keep out of the ruts? 
 
 8. With what end in view should a teacher read books and 
 
 papers? 
 g. What is it to be a man of integrity? 
 JO. What is the effect upon the teacher of the habit of worry- 
 ing? What is it to worry? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 J. Who was George Howland? 
 
 2. A teacher in a school paying $600 per year received one 
 Friday an offer of a school in a neighboring city at a salary 
 of $1,000, but he must take the position, if at all, on the 
 following Monday. What was the right course for him 
 to follow? 
 
 j>. What is a reasonable amount of recreation? 
 
 4. Who was Socrates? 
 
 5. What is meant by the Socratic method of instruction? 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 PREPARATION FOR TEACHING 
 
 Putting on the Armor 
 
 But evil is wrought 
 
 By want of thought, 
 
 As well as want of heart 
 
 — Thomas Hood. 
 
 If not to-day, then on some far future day, you will answer 
 some questions differently by reason of what you are thinking 
 now. 
 
 — Willia m Ja mes. 
 
 The human racer cannot possibly do his work as such if he is 
 tied down to one place, pressed by one dull, unchanging routine, 
 and perpetually in conflict with sordid cares. 
 
 — Edward Thring. 
 
 Other things being equal, the best work will be done by those 
 having the best means of doing it ; the best furrowing by the best 
 plow, the best weaving by the best loom, the best sailing by the 
 best boat. 
 
 —Addison Ballard. 
 
 IN ANY calling the best work is done by the best 
 thinkers. Whether the man is an artisan or an 
 artist; whether he is engaged in a pro- 
 fession or follows a trade, the root and ^ ^^S ^ • 
 origin of his success is the amount of thought which 
 he puts into his work. 
 
 It is not my purpose here to define thought or to 
 trace the process of thinking. To do this and to sug- 
 gest methods of developing the power of thought in 
 the child would require an entire volume. 
 
 I take it for granted that the teacher who reads this 
 book is a thoughtful person. If you are not, then you 
 ought not to be a teacher. There is no other profes- 
 sion or vocation which calls for such careful pains- 
 
 39 
 
40 Co mm 71 Se7ise Didactics 
 
 taking thought as that in which you are engaged. The 
 end is worth the exertion. Joseph Hall writes; "The 
 fuller treads upon that cloth which he means to whiten, 
 and he that would see the stars by day must not climb 
 up into some high mountain, but must descend to the 
 lower cells of the earth." 
 
 The mistakes which the carpenter or the blacksmith 
 makes can be repaired; or the material, if spoiled, can 
 be replaced. It is not so in teaching. Every mistake 
 y, ,. ^ here is lasting, and its effects cannot be 
 has lasting eradicated. The wound may heal, but the 
 results. g^^j. ^ji^ remain. No dependence can be 
 
 placed upon a thoughtless teacher. Chance, a run of 
 good luck, may carry such a teacher through a term 
 or a year, but such teaching has no fruition in the 
 lives of pupils. Like the ship under ballast, it reaches 
 the port but it brings no cargo. , 
 
 We are apt to praise that which is practical, and to 
 sneer at the theoretical. Yet theory has its value. 
 The thoughts which are in the mind now may write 
 lines which we shall read with profit in future years. 
 Our actions to-day, more often than we realize, are 
 determined by the thoughts of yesterday. In the 
 school, as in business, action which is not based upon 
 thought and reason is exceedingly hazardous. 
 
 I am desirous to have you read these chapters in a 
 thoughtful, receptive spirit. Some quotations will be 
 given you which are worth committing to heart. 
 Many of the suggestions you will find are not new, and 
 yet they will perhaps be all the more weighty because 
 they are old and well seasoned. 
 
 The teacher should not undervalue knowledge. It 
 has its appropriate place and use in your equipment. 
 Not only is the possession of it desirable, but the 
 
Pr£paratio7i for Tc a cJiiiig 4.1 
 
 habits of application and the discipline of mind which 
 come through its acquirement will aid you in your 
 work in the school. Cultivate a close friendship with 
 wisdom, "and with all thy getting get ^.^owledge. 
 understanding." However, it is not the 
 amount of knowledge which the teacher possesses, but 
 the ability so to impart knowledge to his pupils as to 
 arouse self-activity of mind and induce growth, which 
 counts for success in the schoolroom. 
 
 I have already said that knowledge is not power. 
 (See page 16.) It is only applied knowledge which is 
 power. The man on the huge locomotive is more 
 powerful than the man driving the ox cart, only 
 because he has more resources at his command and 
 knows how to use them. The best teacher is the man 
 or woman who is most thoroughly alive to the needs 
 of the present hour. Not "What shall I do next,'' but 
 "What shall I do 7iow'' is the question which meets us 
 at every turn in life. The past counsels, the future 
 incites, but the present is imperative. 
 
 A block of granite weighing thirty tons must be 
 lifted to its place in the monument. All other work 
 must stop until this is done. The skillful engineer plans 
 the great trestle-work, a hundred feet in height. The 
 workmen brace it on every side. On the top is a little 
 dummy engine fitted to do its master's aj^j^j- 
 bidding. The engineer lets down a great turn of 
 block of pulleys which the men below knowledge. 
 fasten to a hook in the very center of the block. Then 
 the little engine begins to throw out quick puffs of 
 steam, like the labored breathing of a man lifting a 
 heavy load. The ropes shorten, the heavy mass of 
 stone goes up, inch by inch, slowly but surely, until it 
 reaches the required level. The engine travels back- 
 
42 Co mm 71 Sense Didactic s 
 
 ward along its track, halts at the direction of its master, 
 and deposits the granite on the place designed for 
 it as easily as one can lift a book to its place on the 
 shelf. It accomplishes in an hour the work which a 
 hundred men could not accomplish in a week. 
 
 Notice here the intelligent application of knowledge 
 at every step to produce the desired result. From the 
 day the granite is lifted from its bed in the quarry until 
 it finds its position in the monument, there is evi- 
 dence of that power and skill which must accom- 
 pany knowledge in order that it may be employed 
 for some useful purpose. 
 
 A man may possess a multitude of precious stones 
 and rare gems, but if there is no market for them he 
 will go hungry and naked despite his store. So, 
 though a man possess all knowledge and all wisdom, 
 still his life may be only a blank page in the history of 
 his times. Unless you can link your knowledge to the 
 wants of men, or use it to make existence more 
 endurable for others, you may about as well not have it. 
 It is your business to hold up before your pupils the 
 worth of knowledge as a means of usefulness and 
 power in the world of matter, as well as in the spiritual 
 world. 
 
 Discipline of mind comes through close application. 
 That knowledge is most valuable which it costs us 
 some effort to gain. The close student does not 
 always succeed as a teacher, but the real teacher is 
 always a student and a close observer. (See page ZZ-) 
 
 Knowledge has a practical value. The alphabet is 
 the basis of all knowledge. The multiplication table is 
 at the foundation of all mathematics. Facts, hard 
 and dry, as we sometimes term them, are the founda- 
 tion of all thought. There can be no reasoning with- 
 
Preparatioiifor Teaching ^j 
 
 out some fact as the basis upon which to build. The 
 greatest teachers the world has ever known have been 
 men and women who have trained the practical 
 memory to retain facts and to reproduce value of 
 them as facts when the future needs them. "'^^^ ^ ^^' 
 
 Do not be afraid of a fact because some one discov- 
 ered or demonstrated it before you were born. The 
 accumulated knowledge of the world is at your 
 disposal, and out of this mass you are to select some 
 things which the pupil will need in active life, and 
 other things vv'hich will incite him to the greatest effort 
 of which his nature is capable. 
 
 The pupil goes to school to obtain knowledge. It is 
 likely to be the fault of the teacher if the pupil fails. 
 If, on the other hand, knowledge is all the pupil gains, 
 then his schooling is deficient at a vital point, because 
 knowledge which is unproductive of thought is like the 
 dead tree, bearing neither fruit nor foliage. 
 
 If the man on the platform states as a fact that 
 
 which you know is not true, by so much you are the 
 
 better man of the two. If you state to your pupils 
 
 that which purports to be a fact or truth in 
 
 history or science, and afterward they dis- T)a7iger of 
 ^ ' . -^ zgnoratice. 
 
 cover that you have made a mistake, by 
 
 just so much have you lost your hold upon the class. 
 In short, as you have gained a knowledge of facts 
 from books, or from your own experience, so it is 
 your business to impart these facts to others. More 
 than this, as you have accepted a large part of your 
 knowledge from others without demonstration or ques- 
 tion, your pupils should accept as much from you in 
 the same spirit. But it is always dangerous for a 
 teacher to display his ignorance in the presence of 
 his class. 
 
44 Cofnmon Sense Didactics 
 
 I say without hesitation to those who read this 
 chapter that the child comes to you to be informed, 
 and that it is your business to see that when he leaves 
 your tuition he has such an accumulation of knowledge 
 as will aid him in maintaining his self-respect in any 
 walk of life, whether it be the lowest or the highest. 
 
 The teacher must carefully observe the distinction 
 
 between character and reputation; between what, in 
 
 ^j . his inner consciousness, he knows himself to 
 Character . ' 
 
 and repii- be, and that which he seems to others to 
 tatwji. i^g^ Character concerns the heart and the 
 
 life of the teacher as a permanent force in his work. 
 
 The chief aim of the school is not character building, 
 but character growth. You can no more build character 
 than you can build a tree. When you attempt through 
 any scheme of ethics to form character for the child you 
 weaken his moral nature. Here, as everywhere, it is 
 what the child does for himself that gives him strength. 
 
 We send the child out of school into life, as we 
 think, well furnished for all good works. We have 
 buttressed him about with maxims and precepts and 
 sermons. We have required him to learn the choicest 
 extracts from ancient and modern literature, and even 
 from holy writ. And when the hour of temptation 
 comes he fails to stand the test. His reputation is 
 ruined, his standing in society slips from under him, 
 his character falls like the house built upon the sand. 
 It is not difificult to discern the reason. His parents, 
 his teachers attempted to build his character for him. 
 The inward work of character growth, whereby his 
 character and his reputation become inseparable, was 
 wholly wanting. This is one of the most serious mis- 
 takes which the teacher can possibly make. In many 
 cases it is fatal to right living. 
 
Prcparatio7i for T e acJiiiig ^5 
 
 Some one says: "Conduct is two-thirds of life." He 
 is wrong; conduct is all of life. It is the stream by 
 whose waters we may judge the purit}^ of the hidden 
 springs from which it flows. 
 
 Character grows through every exertion of the will 
 and every impulse of the conscience. Right thoughts, 
 right motives, right actions, — these furnish material for 
 growth of character, as the soil, the air, the sunlight 
 are necessary to the growth of the tree. These things 
 are as essential to the teacher as to the pupil. 
 
 But character is altogether another thing from repu- 
 tation. The former is what the man really ^, 
 
 ... , . ,.,,., ^ Character 
 
 is; it is the answer to the question: What vs. repu- 
 
 am I in the light of eternity?" The latter t(^i^oii. 
 is what others think and say of him; what the world 
 estimates him to be. 
 
 The reputation of the teacher is of great value both 
 to him and to the school. It should be carefully 
 guarded. He should take great pains that it receive 
 neither blot nor blemish. It is not a cowardly excuse 
 for a teacher to say, "I cannot because it will injure 
 my reputation." 
 
 Character, however, is a- part of a man's individu- 
 ality; it is the man himself. Knowledge ministers to 
 it; principles of right action underlie it; the will 
 strengthens it. Character is the outward development 
 of the inner life of the man. Some one says: "Repu- 
 tation is what men and w^omen think of us. Character 
 is what God and the angels know of us." 
 
 Still, it is your duty to guard your reputation with 
 the greatest care. Give no one any occasion to speak 
 evil of you. As the little foxes eat up the vines, so 
 little indiscretions, careless expressions, thoughtless 
 actions destroy the reputation of the teacher. 
 
46 Commo?i Sense Didactics 
 
 The reflex influence of the teacher's reputation, as it 
 affects the pupils in the school, is often very marked. 
 The great strength of the word "ought" must be made 
 a power first in your own life, and then in the life of 
 the pupil. 'T ought io do this; I ought 7iot to do that"; 
 these words convey a world of meaning. 
 
 It is always well to consider: "What influence will 
 this proposed action have upon my pupils?" There is 
 only one conclusion which a conscientious teacher can 
 reach. "If it will injure my reputation in this commu- 
 nity, and thus weaken my influence over the school, I 
 ought not to do it." This is a golden rule — only 
 remember in every doubtful case to keep on the safe 
 side. (See page 27.) 
 
 In all things cherish a feeling of humanity toward 
 your pupils. Their failings, their faults, their short- 
 comings are those usually incidental to child 
 withfu/zls nature, which is only human nature in its 
 purest form. Sympathy is a strong bond 
 between teacher and pupil. Sympathy begets sympa- 
 thy, and thus lightens the daily toil of the school. 
 
 More even than this: while you are sorry for their 
 failures you should be equally ready to rejoice in their 
 success. When you say to a pupil, "I am sorry you 
 failed, try it again," your sympathy is an encourage- 
 ment. When you say to another, "You have done 
 well; that is an improvement," then your sympathy is 
 a stimulant to yet greater exertions. This was Dr. 
 Arnold's strong hold upon his pupils. Read what one 
 of his pupils says of him at the close of this chapter. 
 
 Emerson says that the only way to have a friend is 
 to be one. So the only way to gain the sympathy of 
 your pupils is to give them yours. Assure them, not 
 by your words alone, but by your actions, that you 
 
Pr e p aratioii for T e acJiiiig ^y 
 
 have an abiding interest in their welfare; in their games 
 as well as in their studies; in their life at home as well 
 as at school. Hannah More says that she has never 
 met a boy, and she has known many, who would be 
 rude and disrespectful to a teacher openly and patiently 
 seeking to do him good. Indifference on the part of 
 the teacher breeds contempt on the part of the pupil. 
 
 "If the pupil fails to-day and I help him, and he 
 fails again to-morrow and next day, how long shall I 
 stay by him?" Just so long as he is your pupil. If 
 you give up before he does you are a cowardly teacher. 
 
 Consider for a moment what it is to come into heart 
 contact with your pupils. Thus only can you entei 
 into their lives, know their motives, understand their 
 impulses and influence their actions. It is not so much 
 to live for the pupil as it is to live witJi him; not so 
 much to control him by your strong will as to lead him 
 by your example. Study to know the child as you 
 know yourself. Give him your sympathy in his 
 troubles, your help in his difficulties, and your wise 
 counsel in tem.ptation. It is unreasonable to expect 
 the child to be any wiser or better than you are your- 
 self. 
 
 You are not to forget, however, that the purpose of 
 education is to enable the pupil to become in the end 
 independent of his teacher, so that growth 
 may continue when school is finished, e^tce the 
 By all means avoid that weakly, sentimen- purpose of 
 tal kind of sympathy which spends itself 
 in pity and caresses, but imparts no stimulating 
 power or force. Sympathy must not antagonize the 
 will; rather it should reenforce it. It must be healthy, 
 wholesome and helpful. After all, apply to the child 
 what Thoreau says: "You cannot dream yourself into 
 
48 Com7no7i Se?ise Didactics 
 
 a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one." 
 Charles Kingsley writes: 
 
 Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever ; 
 
 Do noble things, not dream them all day long ; 
 And so make life, death, and that vast forever, 
 
 One grand sweet song. 
 
 You have days when you are moody, perhaps irri- 
 table; so has the child. There are times with you 
 when you are discouraged, and when things in general 
 go wrong — "off days" you call them. The 
 allowances, child has his "off days," and some allow- 
 ance must be made for it by his teacher. 
 Strive to interest him in whatever conduces to the 
 welfare of the school. Throw some responsibility upon 
 him and hold him to answer for results. Take him 
 into partnership, as it were, and while you retain the 
 position as senior partner consult with him and estab- 
 lish a mutual interest. An old Latin author says: 
 "I think nothing foreign to me which concerns human- 
 ity." The teacher, in the same spirit, should be able 
 to say: "I think nothing foreign to me which concerns 
 any pupil in my school." 
 
 Burke, in one of his speeches, says: "My rigor 
 relents, I pardon something to the spirit of liberty." 
 Why may not the teacher sometimes say: "My rigor 
 relents, I pardon 7mich to the spirit of childhood." 
 Childhood should be made as happy as possible. 
 Obedience and attention to lessons should be exacted, 
 but not with frowns and scolding tones. Smiles and 
 pleasant greetings and loving words will win the heart 
 and soul, and these are the best weapons that the 
 teacher has against the little annoyances which 
 children so often thoughtlessly occasion. 
 
Pr e p ar ation for Tcachi?ig ^g 
 
 One element of success, the power of adapting one's 
 self to the situation, must not be passed unnoticed. 
 A weak teacher is controlled or over-awed Adapta- 
 by circumstances, and consequently fails. bility. 
 
 A strong person controls them, and makes of them 
 stepping-stones for passing over difficult places. 
 Emergencies test the teacher. The power to meet 
 them successfully is the sure criterion of skill. 
 
 The unexpected is always happening, and the school 
 affords no exception to the general rule. A blunder 
 may be disastrous, and in an instant undo the work of 
 months. It is no excuse to say, "I did not have time 
 to think." You can do an immense amount of think- 
 ing in a moment's space. Coolness, self-possession, is 
 nine-tenths of the battle. 
 
 Remember also that every school has an individu- 
 ality of its own, depending largely upon its environ- 
 ments. Different communities place different estimates 
 upon the teacher's work. In one district the teacher 
 is appreciated; in another she is left alone; and in 
 another she is opposed and hindered in her work more 
 frequently by the parents than by the pupils. 
 
 Hence a teacher who succeeds in one school may 
 utterly fail in another because he is not able to con- 
 form his measures and his school policy to the sur- 
 rounding circumstances. Backbone is a most excellent 
 characteristic in a teacher, but even backbones must 
 sometimes bend, and often it is better to bend than to 
 break. There is something worth considering in what 
 we term the "eternal fitness of things." 
 
 Give much thought to the individuality of the 
 school; to the conditions which control it. The 
 teacher who endeavors to know the past history of the 
 school will find some points which will serve as a 
 
50 Com7no?i Se7ise Didactics 
 
 guide in avoiding trouble. Talk but little, ask few 
 questions, think carefully, observe closely, and act 
 without timidity or hesitation when it is time to act. 
 
 After thoroughly considering all the surroundings of 
 the school, the character of the people of the district, 
 the attainments and dispositions of the scholars, then 
 the question to be decided upon is not "What did I 
 do in my last school?" but, "What is the best and most 
 sensible course to be taken with the school which I 
 now have in hand?" 
 
 You may find it impossible to bring everything in 
 every school up to your ideal standard. Having done 
 Ideal your best, you will be a happier and a 
 
 standard better teacher when you learn to be con- 
 atways be tented with that. There are teachers who 
 .attained. are never happy unless they have some- 
 thing over which they can worry. Take things as you 
 find them, and before you leave them make them as 
 much better as you can. 
 
 Common sense, practical sense, is of great service to 
 the teacher. The ability to look ahead and forsee the 
 evil in season to avoid it, requires thought and judg- 
 ment, quick reasoning and clear insight into the drift 
 of affairs, and it is a talent worth cultivating. 
 
 Emerson says that every day is a crisis in one's life. 
 The power to meet that crisis so that it may inure to 
 his benefit constitutes success. Every day brings the 
 teacher face to face with some crisis in the school- 
 room, either of discipline or instruction, and he needs 
 always to be ready to meet it. 
 
 Allow me to say a word here upon a much vexed 
 subject. Don't contract to teach a school unless you 
 have reason to believe that you can adapt yourself to 
 all the circumstances surrounding it. Take with you a 
 
Preparation for Teaching 5/ 
 
 spirit of self-sacrifice, if thereby you can benefit your 
 pupils. 
 
 Employ the gift thou hast, 
 
 Whate'er it be, with greatest care, 
 And this endeavor shall not be the last; 
 
 Each good performed, another shall prepare. 
 
 It is the director's duty and business to investigate 
 as to your character, education and ability before he 
 offers to contract with you. It is your business and 
 privilege to investigate the conditions which you will 
 have to meet in the discharge of your duties before 
 you sign the contract. This is more than a privilege; 
 it is a duty which you owe to yourself. If you feel 
 that it is questionable whether you can adapt yourself 
 to the school, the people, the requirements, you run 
 the risk of a disastrous failure in accepting the posi- 
 tion. 
 
 A careful observance of the laws which promote 
 personal health, and also of such general laws of sanita- 
 tion as concerns the school and its sur- 
 roundings, must be kept continually in 
 mind. Neglect to do this is criminal. 
 
 There is nothing more essential to your success than 
 a strong body, as free as possible from aches, pains 
 and weakness. With the senses well developed and 
 the bodily organs in good working order, teaching is a 
 joy and a pleasure. When the reverse is true the 
 school hours drag; there is no energy nor enthusiasm 
 in the work, and the process of teaching becomes a 
 drudgery. Oliver Wendell Holmes says: "The weari- 
 ness of instruction which comes to a teacher whose 
 faculties have been overworked and exhausted can be 
 known only to one who has experienced it." 
 
^2 Co 771 in on Sense Didactics 
 
 There is no more pitiable sigtit in the world than a 
 school of bright, active, intelligent children, who love 
 fun, in charge of a nervous, dyspeptic, head-aching 
 teacher, despondent and gloomy, who looks upon the 
 child as an untrained savage and punishes every 
 childish prank as a crime. Keep in mind these words 
 which Coleridge wrote: 
 
 O'er wayward childhood wouldst thou hold firm rule, 
 And sun thee in the light of happy faces, 
 Love, hope and patience, let these be thy graces. 
 And in thine own heart let them first keep school. 
 
 The duties of the school are enervating. They are 
 the more so because they are performed under 
 unfavorable circumstances. The atmosphere of the 
 schoolroom, even when the most approved means of 
 ventilation are resorted to, will become more or less 
 vitiated. In the ordinary schoolroom, although the 
 windows are occasionally opened, the air, after the 
 first hour of each session is positively poisonous. (See 
 page 55.) 
 
 If you would enjoy your work take daily and vigor- 
 ous exercise in the open air. Avoid the pernicious 
 habit of being in the schoolroom at eight 
 P^^^}^<^^ous eyei-y morning to prepare the day's work, 
 and of remaining till five at night to have 
 pupils make up their lessons. This is a habit into 
 which teachers fall, but it is a wicked habit. Concern- 
 ing a school in which it is the custom to keep children 
 after school to make up lessons, one of two things is 
 true: either the lessons are too long, or else the pupils 
 are idle and allowed to play when they ought to be at 
 work. 
 
 Equally injurious and wearing is the habit of taking 
 a mass of school work home, papers to look over and 
 
Preparatio7i for Teacki?ig 5j 
 
 correct, enough to keep you busy until after you ought 
 to be in bed. You wake in the morning tired, you go 
 to school irritable and peevish, and before night 
 comes you are positively cross. You should take time 
 for reasonable, healthful recreation if you desire to be 
 fresh and vigorous for your work. Observe these three 
 points: Exercise, sleep and diet. They are abso- 
 lutely vital to your usefulness in school. (See page 29.) 
 Dryden says: 
 
 Better to hunt in fields for health unbought, 
 Than call the doctor for a nauseous draught. 
 *rhe wise for cure on exercise depend; 
 God never made his work for man to mend. 
 
 The problem of complete physical being is not easily 
 solved, and none but general laws can be laid down. 
 You must study your muscular and nervous organiza- 
 tion, and adapt your methods of living to your own 
 peculiar needs. To be able to do each day's work 
 with the least waste of energy, and to come to the end 
 of the day, the week, the term, the year even, without 
 a sense of prostration, of breaking down of body and 
 mind, should be your aim. 
 
 One thing more. The presence of a strong, active, 
 vigorous man or woman in the teacher's place reacts 
 upon pupils and aids materially in their physical devel- 
 opment. It is your duty to keep well, to observe the 
 laws of health, and in all this to be an example to your 
 pupils. 
 
 You will attain the success you so much desire by 
 careful attention to details in 
 
 Putting on the Armor. 
 
54 Commo 71 Sense Didactic s 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 THOUGHT. 
 
 All ye who possess the power of thought, prize it well! 
 Remember that its flight is infinite; it winds about over so many- 
 mountain tops, and so runs from poetry to eloquence, it so flies from 
 star to star, it so dreams, so loves, so aspires, so hangs both over 
 mystery and fact, that we may well call it the effort of man to 
 explore the home, the infinite palace of his heavenly Father. 
 
 — Swing, 
 KNOWLEDGE. 
 
 Knowledge is the food of the mind. And as food may overload 
 and enfeeble the body, and is to be received only as there is a 
 capacity of digestion and assimilation, and ultimate reference to 
 action, so knowledge may overload and enfeeble the mind, and 
 should be received only as it can be reflected on and arranged, 
 and so incorporated into our mental being as to give us power for 
 action. 
 
 —James Johonnot. 
 CHARACTER AND REPUTATION. 
 
 One is apt to forget that when we speak of anything or anybody 
 as good, we have no absolute standard, and speak only by some 
 comparison often made unconsciously. The very best man we 
 know we should probably consider a very indifferent angel. This 
 latent comparison lurks under all adjectives. It has occurred to 
 me that our estimate of ourselves often differs from other people's 
 ■estimate of us, because we compare ourselves with those only who 
 are much in our minds, and the same persons are not likely to be 
 much in the minds of others. 
 
 —R. H. Quick. 
 SYMPA THY. 
 
 Froebel's real "gift," infinitely more valuable than the cylin- 
 der, the sphere and the cube, is the love for childhood that his 
 ardent zeal has inspired in the hearts of his disciples. The power 
 of the kindergarten, as it seems to me, lies in the fact that the 
 teacher, so to speak, now listens to the heart-beats of the little 
 child. 
 
 — W. H. Payne. 
 
 Directly our sympathetic emotions fail to affect us toward 
 action, and we are content to have our feelings stirred without 
 making any effort in behalf of the distress of others, our sympathy 
 degenerates into mere sentimentality. We should do our best to 
 prevent this degeneration in the case of children. 
 
 Joseph Landon. 
 
 Hence each pupil felt assured of Arnold's sympathy in his own 
 particular growth and character of talent ; in striving to cultivate 
 
Pre par ation for Teachi?ig ^^ 
 
 his own gifts, in whatever direction they might lead him, he 
 infaUibly found Arnold not only approving, but positively and 
 sincerely valuing for themselves, the results he had arrived at, 
 and that approbation and esteem gave a dignity and a worth both 
 to himself and his labor. 
 
 — Price (a pupil of Arnold's.) 
 
 ADAPTABILITY. 
 
 It is a good thing for the teacher to be able to understand 
 people, to read their character and to put a right construction 
 upon their actions. Going among entire strangers, for the time 
 being the center of observation and criticism, cordial manners, 
 frankness and honesty will win their good-will where the opposite 
 of these will create distrust and antagonism. The power to adapt 
 one's self to conditions is always the key to success. 
 
 — From an old author. 
 
 HEALTH. 
 
 It is a teacher's obvious duty to be in good health. Petulance 
 of temper, a "jaundiced" view of venial facts, forgetfulness of 
 one's own youth and youthful failings, impatience in expecting 
 rapid mental operations in immature minds, — all these and the like 
 faults may spring out of small malaises, but develop into habitual 
 ill-temper. We must, therefore, observe the simple rules of 
 hygiene in our own persons as we would keep tools of precision in 
 perfect order. Over strain and over fatigue are bad for both body 
 and mind. One of the first conditions of cheerfulness of soul is 
 
 soundness of body. 
 
 —P. A. Barnett. 
 
 A teacher who enters her school in the morning light-hearted, 
 teaches joyously all day, and then, locking all care inside, goes 
 away to prepare herself for to-morrow's teaching, is not likely to 
 suffer in health because of her occupation, provided, of course, 
 she teaches in a properly ventilated room and takes necessary- 
 recreation and out-door exercise. 
 
 — Emerson E. White. 
 
 One impulse from a vernal wood 
 May teach you more of man. 
 Of moral evil and of good, 
 Than all the sages can. 
 
 — William Wordsworth. 
 
 Keep out in the open air as much as possible. Upon this I 
 place especial emphasis. Live in the open; see God's great 
 world; get away from this confinement within walls and these 
 books. When in touch with nature you are in tune with the 
 infinite, holding silent communion with the Creator. 
 
 —Edward Everett Hale. 
 
^6 Co7n?non Sense Didactics 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 1. State briefly what is said of the first fundamental qualifi- 
 
 cations. 
 
 2. What is said of facts as of the basis of thought? 
 J. What constitutes the teacher's reputation? 
 
 4, What is the practical value of sympathy? 
 J-. What is intended by adaptability as used in this con- 
 nection? 
 
 6. In what sense is Emerson's saying true, "Every day is a 
 
 crisis in a man's life"? 
 
 7. Before you make a contract to teach a school, what circum- 
 
 stances should you investigate with care? 
 
 8. Under what circumstances would it be wise to refuse a 
 
 school which is offered you? 
 
 9. Consider with care what is said about the health of the 
 
 teacher. 
 10. What should you avoid as liable to break down your 
 strength? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 1. What measures a man's value to society? 
 
 2. Who was Dr. Thomas Arnold? 
 
 3. Is it true in every case that we must proceed from the 
 
 known to the unknown? 
 
 4. Distinguish between Science and Art. 
 
 5. In what does W. H. Payne consider the power of the kinder- 
 
 garten lies? 
 
• CHAPTER IV 
 THINGS ESSENTIAL TO THE TEACHER 
 Driving the Stakes 
 
 Every day should add something new to the outfit of the 
 teacher. 
 
 —George Howland. 
 
 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, and with 
 all thy getting, get understanding. 
 
 — Proverbs. 
 
 Power to be conserved must be continually used ; unemployed 
 power gradually wastes and dissipates itself, giving no returns. 
 
 — Homer H. Seerley. 
 
 It may be a little matter, but bear in mind that when anything 
 is well done it is done forever. 
 
 — Thoreau. 
 
 There can be nothing shaped by man or clothed in outward 
 form by him which is not a part of himself made visible. 
 
 —Edward Thring. 
 
 That ingenuity in meeting and pursuing the pupil, that tact for 
 the concrete situation, though they are the Alpha and Omega of 
 the teacher's art, are things to which psychology cannot help us 
 in the least. 
 
 — Willia m Ja mes. 
 
 BEFORE the artisan can work intelligently he must 
 have a plan of his work; the more costly the 
 materials the more minute must be the specifications 
 which guide him. Before he makes his 
 plans and computes the cost, the architect P^<^p ^^" 
 must know for what purpose the building is 
 designed; whether it is to be a church or a factory, an 
 office block or a dwelling, and how much money is to 
 be expended in its erection. 
 
 57 
 
^8 Commo7i Sense Didactic s 
 
 The modern farmer, if he is intelligent and progres- 
 sive, comprehends something of the relation of crops, 
 the value of fertilizers as adapted to different soils, the 
 choice of stock, the fruit which will flourish in his 
 section of the country. He makes himself acquainted 
 with farm machinery; he watches the market and 
 notes the best time for selling his crops or stock. He 
 knows whether his men are doing honest work, and 
 allows nothing to escape his notice which will in any 
 way affect his success. In this age of competition he 
 is forced to watch many points which did not for a 
 moment attract the attention of his father. 
 
 The same principles hold good in the profession of 
 teaching. There must be plan, order and system; the 
 end must be kept in view from the beginning. Some 
 things, however, never change. The trees still grow 
 in the forest, although the saw-mill does the work 
 once done by the adze and the broad-ax. The 
 harvester reaps more grain in an hour than the cradle 
 or the sickle could in a week, but the seed must be 
 cast, and sunshine and rain, dew and heat left to do 
 the work of nature in bringing on the harvest. (See 
 page 49-) 
 
 The nature of the child has not changed in the last 
 
 century. Children have the same passions, the same 
 
 will, the same childish desires and impulses 
 
 Child j^Q^ ^g then. However, the environments 
 
 nature r i-r 
 
 of life have changed in a marked 
 
 degree, and child nature demands a different treat- 
 ment if we would expect the best results. A knowl- 
 edge of children and of child nature in general 
 is essential to success; not "the child" about which 
 so much is said, but children as a race. Child nature is 
 often human nature in its purest form. Children are 
 
Thi?igs Esseiitial to the TeacJier ^g 
 
 moved by impulses, emotions and desires which they 
 have not yet learned to control. Temptations come to 
 them suddenly, and they have not the strength to 
 resist. Much which we consider ugly and wicked is 
 simply the result of an uncontrolled disposition to seek 
 what seems to the child to be present pleasure. 
 
 The nervous child cannot sit still; the stubborn boy 
 does not see why he should obey; the dull intellect 
 fails to comprehend the simplest statement; the mis- 
 chievous child is never idle. So on through the entire 
 category. The teacher must make allowances for one, 
 restrain another, instruct a third, and find employment 
 for all. No wonder that some fail; more wonder that 
 so many succeed. 
 
 This knowledge will come to the teacher through 
 reflection and observation. Books written by those 
 who have made this subject a careful study, comparison 
 of experience with those of more extended opportu- 
 nities for observation than you have had, will be of 
 great service to you. But after all, this is one of the 
 paths along which the teacher must walk without a 
 guide, except as his own insight into the motives and 
 impulses characteristic of child nature furnishes a light 
 for the feet. 
 
 In the old days a teacher was deemed qualified for 
 
 his work if he could pass a fair scholastic examination 
 
 in the common English branches. In some 
 
 _ - r 4.U J- i.u' -J -1 The teacher 
 
 parts of the country this same idea prevails of to-day 
 
 to-day; nevertheless the thought is rapidly 
 
 gaining ground that knowledge of books is not by any 
 
 means the most essential requisite. 
 
 Schools have changed with the times. The horizon 
 
 has broadened greatly, and every year makes new 
 
 claims upon the teacher. Nor are these demands 
 
6o Co7nino7i Sense Didactics 
 
 lessened by the fact that the education of the child is 
 a continuous process, going on during life, out of 
 school as well as in. At home, at school; at work, at 
 play; in the street, with his mates or when by himself, 
 there can be no cessation, no intermission except in 
 his hours of sleep. When you realize this you see at 
 once that "to hear his lesso,ns, to make him mind in 
 school," is only a very small part of the duty which 
 falls upon the shoulders of his teachers. 
 
 The teacher who desires to be respected must 
 himself respect the dignity of his office as an instructor 
 of children and youth. His daily life must be such 
 that it may be safely imitated by those over whom he 
 has an influence. Not only must the teacher claim 
 that which is rightfully his, but he must so conduct his 
 life, in private and as a citizen, that others may 
 concede his demands without grudging or hesitation. 
 
 The manly man with all the noble instincts of true 
 manhood, the womanly woman with all the pure, 
 delicate instincts of true womanhood, — these men and 
 women are needed as teachers in our schools, rather 
 than the coarse, the boorish, the brutal, the con- 
 scienceless, even though such be skilled in all the 
 learning of the Egyptians. 
 
 Let us consider, then, for a time the nature of that 
 
 knowledge which, apart from the text-book, is of most 
 
 rj., ^ r- importance to the teacher. An ig-norant 
 The art of ^ . . *^ 
 
 wipartzng teacher is out of place m the schoolroom, 
 knowledge. }^^^ ^ learned teacher may be just as much 
 so. Much depends upon what we understand by the 
 word "ignorance." A teacher who has but little 
 knowledge of books may teach a fairly good school; a 
 teacher with a head full of book learning may make an 
 utter failure. 
 
Thino-s Essential to the Teacher 6i 
 
 ^> 
 
 Ignorance is not alone the absence of knowledge, 
 but it is also the want of ability to use that which the 
 teacher has. A teacher who had been in the university 
 once said of a very learned professor: "He knows 
 enough. He is full to the brim with knowledge. But 
 I learned very little from his instructions; he took 
 it for granted that we understood him, and so he did 
 not condescend to explain. He shot over our heads 
 all the time." This is a severe criticism to make upon 
 any teacher. To adapt knowledge to the child mind 
 and not to dilute it until it is tasteless is a high art. 
 
 Consider these steps with great care if you wish to 
 
 become an adept in imparting. In the first place your 
 
 knowledge of the subject needs to be 
 
 intensive rather than extensive. You may ^.^^t^ ^f. 
 
 1 -11 1 • 1 1 • 1 • imparti7ig. 
 
 be skilled m the higher mathematics and 
 
 yet not be able to explain the most common opera- 
 tions in fractions so that the members of your class 
 will clearly comprehend them. Have in your mind 
 keen clean-cut ideas of the point you wish to demon- 
 strate. Then make a very choice selection of words in 
 your definitions and in your statements. Choose, when 
 you can, words such as are included in the child's vocab- 
 ulary. If forced to use a new and hitherto unused term 
 give the pupils plenty of time to get acquainted with it. 
 In the next place manifest an interest in having the 
 child understand, and when by his recitation he makes 
 it evident that he has a clear conception of the lesson 
 let him see that you are proud of his success. Don't 
 call him a blockhead, or twit him of his dullness. 
 That is a species of cruelty to which a good teacher 
 never resorts. You cannot impart knowledge to a 
 child who is in tears over his failure, or angry because 
 of your too sharp chidings. 
 
62 Co^nmon Se7ise Didactics 
 
 Patience and sympathy are just as necessary in 
 imparting instruction as in government. Sometimes it 
 is well to leave a point and take something new. 
 Weariness is always a hindrance. Then at a later 
 period or in the review, resume the matter and often 
 you will find that the difficulty hgs disappeared. 
 
 In the last place be sure that you have the attention 
 of the entire class. This is a vital point. Without it 
 there can be no permanent impression made upon your 
 pupils. Inattention on the part of the class is not 
 always the teacher's fault; but he is blameworthy if 
 he allows it without reproof or correction. 
 
 There is this also to be remembered in your attempts 
 to communicate knowledge — one child needs very 
 little explanation in his arithmetic; another under- 
 stands a principle, or the simplest exercise with the 
 greatest difficulty. One is over-fond of history and 
 dislikes grammar; another would study literature to 
 the exclusion of all other branches. These are all in 
 one class. The problem for you to solve is how to 
 adapt your instructions to the peculiar wants of each 
 pupil. The solution will require on your part perse- 
 verance, good temper, patience and a large amount of 
 good common sense. Study the child that you may 
 know the limitations of his mind as to what he can and 
 what he cannot do, and then adapt your language, 
 your illustrations and instructions to his capacity. 
 
 The teacher who wishes to become an expert in 
 
 communicating knowledge should be so thoroughly 
 
 ,^ , . versed in child nature by observation, by 
 Versed in n - ^ • i i • • 
 
 ,:Md reflection, by experience that he can antici- 
 
 nature. ^^:^x^ the thoughts of the pupil and avail 
 
 himself of those faculties which seem to be especially 
 
 active in childhood. We all know that cnildren have 
 
Things Essential to tJie Teacher 6j 
 
 their own way of judging, of feeling, of reasoning; the 
 imagination is very active; curiosity is on the alert; 
 desire and love, fear and hatred take on real living 
 forms in their minds. If you are to communicate 
 knowledge of any kind to these little people remem- 
 ber your own childhood, and become for the time 
 being a little child with them. (See page 34-) 
 
 You cannot create intellect, nor can you furnish 
 brain, but you can open the door of growth, you can 
 stimulate, you can encourage and hopefully direct the 
 feeble effort to improve. Rest content when you are 
 sure that you have done your whole duty. The dull 
 boy may not claim all your time, but he is entitled to 
 your largest sympathy. A late writer says: "There 
 is that born in the child which determines his predilec- 
 tion, and the great teacher is he who early discovers 
 the innate germ and gives it opportunity for expres- 
 sion. Soul is not the product of the school." 
 
 Loyalty is a matter which deserves more considera- 
 tion than it usually receives. For the time being you are 
 to become an integral part of the system of 
 schools in the city or township with which ^^ ^' 
 
 your school is connected. There should be always on 
 your part a hearty compliance with standard rules and 
 regulations made by those who have charge of the 
 school. If these regulations are so burdensome as to 
 restrict your usefulness you can resign, but there 
 should never be anything like rebellion. Those who 
 as directors or superintendent are placed over you are 
 entitled to a hearty support, and the teacher falls far 
 short of her duty who does not cheerfully render it. 
 Whenever anything like friction, suspicion, antag- 
 onism or even indifference exists, the interest of the 
 school must suffer. At times teachers regard teachers* 
 
6^ Commote Sense Didactics 
 
 meetings and associations as useless, and express 
 themselves as unwilling to attend. Many times they 
 fail to attend without an}^ good excuse. This is not a 
 spirit of loyalty to the best interests of the school. 
 The place assigned you on the program should be 
 cheerfully accepted and filled to the best of your 
 ability. 
 
 In nearly every instance the county superintendent 
 is honestly working for the interests of the teachers of 
 his county. He ought to have their loyal support. 
 He is not above criticism, neither are you. Your 
 advice and your experience may be a great help to 
 him, and he is in a position to be of real service to you. 
 Your influence in assisting him to introduce libraries, 
 to push the interests of the reading circle, in maintain- 
 ing township meetings, if strongly exerted, will be 
 appreciated by him if he is a worthy officer. All this 
 applies equally well to teachers in city schools. 
 Loyalty is fast coming to be considered as a chief 
 essential to successful work in any system of schools. 
 (See page 50.) 
 
 In another place I shall have something to say of the 
 power of adaptability to environment. But in an 
 r, 7 .- entirely different sense one of the essen- 
 
 to the tials of success is the ability to get along 
 
 public. smoothly with the public. In this there is 
 
 an opportunity for the exercise of both tact and 
 common sense. Little neighborhood quarrels should 
 not concern the teacher of the district school. Per- 
 sonal animosities between neighbors should be ignored, 
 and absolute friendliness maintained with all parties. 
 Do not attempt to please everybody, but do not need- 
 lessly offend any one. 
 
 Complaints which reach your ears may seem to you 
 
Things Esse?itial to the Teacher 6$ 
 
 frivolous, but they do not seem so to those who make 
 them. Give those who come to you with them 
 respectful attention and hear patiently what they have 
 to say. 
 
 Give no attention to idle rumors which may reach 
 your ears, and lose no sleep on account of them. Be 
 courteous to those even who are not your friends, if 
 such there are in the district, and make them welcome 
 to the school. Your chief business is to give the 
 people the benefits of the best school possible, and to 
 this all your energies should be bent. When you talk 
 of the school say "our school," not "my school," and 
 thus make the public feel that the people have a pro- 
 prietary interest in all that concerns its welfare. 
 
 A disposition to maintain your own dignity while 
 you manifest a friendly spirit toward any one with 
 whom you come in contact will make your position as 
 teacher much more influential and much pleasanter. 
 
 Do not allow your pupils to come to you with tales 
 of what they hear, or of what their parents say of you 
 or your school. Never on any occasion let ^ 
 the children hear you speak disrespectfully avoiding 
 or disparagingly of their parents, no matter friction. 
 how unreasonable they may be or how low their con- 
 dition in life. The natural love and regard of the child 
 for the parent should be respected and encouraged by 
 you. 
 
 Without being time-serving, or timorous, or fawning, 
 by observing the dictates of common sense and by 
 good judgment you can avoid much of the friction 
 with the public which sometimes displaces the teacher 
 from her position and perhaps greatly injures her 
 reputation. 
 
66 Commo?i Se?ise Didactics 
 
 The wise teacher recognizes the fact that every 
 school has its own individuality. What can be accom- 
 Tke study P^^^hed in one school and with one class of 
 of envirofi- pupils is not the measure of what can be 
 ^^^^^' accomplished in another district. This is 
 
 a kind of knowledge which but few instructors possess 
 — a knowledge of conditions and environments. It 
 opens a field calling for much patient thought on the 
 part of the teacher. The question is not what would I 
 like to do for this child, but what may I reasonably 
 hope to do under all circumstances by which I find him 
 surrounded, as home conditions and influences, the 
 work done by previous teachers, and the intellectual 
 and moral atmosphere which seems to pervade the 
 community. When you have answered this question 
 conscientiously and have fully determined it in your 
 mind, then you can free yourself from all worry and 
 anxiety and be at liberty to do your work for each pupil, 
 taking him as God has made him. 
 
 The most valuable knowledge which can come to 
 any one is the knowledge of one's self, the power to 
 Self knotvt- ^"'^^sure one's own ability and to under- 
 edge and stand the boundaries of personal limita- 
 setf trust. ti^^^3_ 
 
 The tendency in a man to underrate his powers, a 
 disposition to refrain from action for fear of making a 
 mistake — not actual cowardice, but a shrinking from a 
 responsibility — is a sign of weakness in his character. 
 The same is true in the character of the teacher. That 
 nervous tension which comes from the exercise of a 
 strong will power, that determination "to win out," 
 which is born of a brave heart, no matter how great 
 the difficulty or how severe the struggle, will rally all 
 the powers of the intellect, body and soul to his aid, 
 
T hi figs Esse?iiial to the Teacher dy 
 
 and bring him off victorious in the end. "I can 
 because I iviW is a good motto for the timid or dis- 
 heartened teacher. In an old book this is summed up 
 thus: "I am; I can; I ought; I ivill.'' 
 
 While the teacher should not trust to native instinct 
 or blind impulse in dealing with children, there is such 
 
 a thing as intuition, or intuitive judgment, 
 
 , . , . ^ -J 1 • Intuition. 
 
 which sometimes comes to our aid and is 
 
 almost infallible. An English author speaking of 
 intuitions says: "They present themselves spontane- 
 ously to the mind with irresistible evidence. " There 
 is not space to discuss this matter, but I believe that 
 the power to judge by intuition as to the best course to 
 be pursued is frequently an acquired habit w^hich is 
 cultivated by the exercise of observation, reason and 
 judgment joined to thoughtful, persistent study of 
 children in the early stages of development. 
 
 A general acquaintance with what the world is doing 
 also is essential to the teacher. More than ever before 
 it is his duty to prepare pupils for a broad j^ , ,^ 
 citizenship. The wgrld is coming together, of the 
 Knowledge is greatly multiplied. The '^o^^^- 
 future citizen must be a cosmopolitan, ready for his 
 work in whatever civilization his lot may be cast. The 
 world of the present is an immense telegraphic sys- 
 tem, the wires of which run into the cottages of the 
 poor as well as the mansions of the rich. Every man 
 to-day is able to read from the sounds as they come in 
 from all lands the doings and sayings of the entire world. 
 
 If the pupil is to be of any use to his generation he 
 must, when he leaves his studies, find himself possessed 
 of a spirit of growth and enterprise commensurate Avith 
 the times. That smattering of a few branches which 
 
68 Co?nmo?i Se?ise Didactics 
 
 formerly sufficed is utterly insufficient now for the 
 teacher who is aspiring to do good work. 
 
 There should always be present with the teacher a 
 
 comprehension of the avenues of success which seem to 
 
 be most promising to the youth. The boy 
 
 '^f^TcZT '^^^'^ "^^^'^^ ^^^^"^^ fi^ h^"^ ^" a" especial 
 way for some vocation should be encour- 
 aged, and his teacher should be able to point out to 
 him the advantages which may come to him from 
 following his natural bent. More than that the disad- 
 vantages and the difficulties which may meet him 
 should not be concealed. The teacher should be a 
 wise adviser — wise because he speaks from his wider 
 knowledge. Pupils admire and trust the teacher whose 
 understanding embraces something of that practical 
 life into which they expect to enter when school days 
 are over. 
 
 The time has gone by when the teacher can say: 
 "It is nothing to me what the child is to do after he 
 leaves school." The great business of the school is so 
 to shape the inclinations, the ambition, the moral 
 purposes of the child that the change from school to 
 active life shall be only a step leading to a higher 
 plane of living. 
 
 It is well to instruct children as to their duties, but 
 it is equally well to inform them of their rights. This 
 is a part of the work which a properly 
 ^ndrights organized school should do. There are 
 certain duties which have a claim upon the 
 good citizen, — duties to the state, to the family, to 
 those with whom he associates in business, but in turn 
 the citizen may claim his rights, and even insist upon ' 
 them because they are lawfully his. 
 
 Search, in The Ideal School, says: 'The child has an 
 
Thifigs E ss ential to the Teacher 6g 
 
 inalienable right to be a child; to be understood and 
 appreciated; to joyous play, freedom in movements, 
 adequate sleep, nourishing food, companionable pets, 
 and, within certain limits, self-chosen friends; to an 
 acquaintance with Nature; to capable leadership, and to 
 opportunity for initiative and unrestraining progress." 
 The same state of affairs exists in all schools. As his 
 duty you may exact from every pupil obedience, 
 respect, attention to his studies, but in turn he has cer- 
 tain definite privileges which he may expect from his 
 teacher. Impartiality, courtesy, justice, kindness, 
 respect for his feelings — upon these the pupil may 
 insist as legitimately his. The teacher who mimicked 
 the lame boy and held his misfortune up as a matter of 
 ridicule drove him from school and almost ruined his 
 life. Many a guilty prisoner in the penitentiary has 
 less to answer for than she has through her cruel 
 thoughtlessness. 
 
 A story is told of an English schoolmaster who made 
 an invariable rule that the pupil should hold his book 
 in his right hand. One day he noticed that a new boy 
 held his book in )iis left hand. The master said, in 
 commanding tones, "Books in the right hand." Still 
 the one boy made no pretense of changing. Supposing 
 it was a case of obstinacy the master brought his cane 
 down heavily upon the shoulders of the boy. In an 
 instant up came the boy's right arm with only a 
 shrivelled stump in the place of a hand. For a 
 moment the room was still as death. Then the master 
 laid his book upon the desk, and placing his arm 
 around the boy asked pardon, while the tears ran 
 down his cheeks. Then turning to the class he begged 
 their pardon also for his most grievous fault. 
 
 In his instructions to his pupils the teacher must 
 
yo CoTnmon Se^ise Didactic s 
 
 know what discriminations to make between the duties 
 
 and the rights of every one, so that he may set them 
 
 forth plainly and forcibly. This is part, 
 
 Wisedis- ^^^ ^ necessary part, of what we often 
 crumiiation. . , , , 
 
 term a practical education. It cannot be 
 
 learned from books, neither can it be set forth in ser- 
 mons or prosy talks. By proper and careful regard to 
 the rights and the duties of each, an impression can be 
 made which the pupils will retain through a long, 
 active life. 
 
 As the population of the country increases, especially 
 in view of the tendency of men to gather in cities and 
 towns, it becomes of the utmost importance that the 
 youth when he comes to his citizenship should be as 
 jealous of his neighbor's rights as of his own if he is to 
 be a citizen leading a quiet life in a respectable neigh- 
 borhood. Only in this way can we engender through 
 our schools that spirit of helpfulness which is sadly 
 wanting in the pushing, hustling life of to-day. 
 
 There is more power in a knowledge of books than 
 
 there is in book knowledge as generally estimated. It 
 
 is not necessary that a teacher should be an 
 
 General adept in literature, but he should have a 
 knowledge. ^ ' 
 
 somewhat complete knowledge of authors 
 
 and their works. Without this he must at times either 
 be ashamed of his ignorance, or cover it up by some 
 general and often misleading statement. It adds very 
 greatly to the interest which a class exhibits in a 
 certain production to know the author's name, some- 
 thing of his life and what else has come from his 
 pen. 
 
 I would not lay upon your shoulders a burden in 
 addition to what you already carry. But the news- 
 papers and public journals as well as the prominent 
 
Thi?igs Esse?itial to the Teacher 71 
 
 magazines contain items of news and information of 
 improvements in the arts and sciences which should 
 come under the teacher's notice. The reading of 
 them seems to be essential if the school is to be kept 
 in touch with the world's progress. Travels and 
 biography and history must be gathered from the 
 latest sources in order to have them fresh and inter- 
 esting. The world moves so rapidly, the progress of 
 events is so sharp and incessant that the teacher is 
 sometimes at his wits' ends to keep up with the pro- 
 cession. 
 
 In the family circle a question arose as to building 
 railroads in Siberia. The father, with his limited 
 knowledge, was positive it could not be done. An 
 older sister was equally positive that while visiting a 
 friend she had read an account of it in some paper. 
 Finally the little boy just entering the grammar grade 
 of the village school said: "I'll ask my teacher 
 to-morrow. You bet she'll know. " At noon he came 
 home in triumph. "I told you she would know. She 
 has promised to lend me a magazine that tells lots 
 about it." 
 
 The teacher is not expected to know everything, but 
 he ought to know where certain items of useful knowl- 
 edge can be found, and if, as this teacher The teacher 
 did, he can furnish it to the pupil and to fJ/J.^Z'^^f 
 the family he does a good work. kuowtedge. 
 
 Something should be said here of educational jour- 
 nals. They contain that professional knowledge with- 
 out which the teacher cannot well measure himself by 
 what others are doing. In order to keep fully up with 
 the times the teacher should be familiar with one or 
 more good educational journals suited to the special 
 grades in which he is engaged. 
 
y2 Cofninon Sense Didactics 
 
 One or more professional works should be owned 
 and carefully read by the teacher. He cannot read 
 everything which comes from the educational press, 
 and he ought not to attempt it, but something must be 
 added to his store of professional knowledge from year 
 to year or he will fall into the ruts and grow old before 
 his time. 
 
 One of the worst things than can happen to a 
 teacher is to drop behind in the march of educational 
 progress. Stunted in his intellectual and professional 
 growth he suddenly finds himself useless when he 
 ought to be most useful; set aside as of no worth at a 
 time of life when he ought to be retained for his valu- 
 able services. 
 
 Many schools are very deficient in reference books, 
 and even when the pupils have access to them the vol- 
 ^ ., umes often give only the merest outlines 
 
 prepara- which prove unsatisfactory because of their 
 tion. meagerness. The information which comes 
 
 warm from the heart of the enthusiastic teacher kindles 
 a corresponding glow in the heart of the pupil. Book 
 knowledge cannot do this unless the instructor is able 
 to supplement it by wider knowledge, drawn from all 
 the sources at his command. The teacher should have 
 a thorough acquaintance with the subject-matter con- 
 tained in the text-books used in the schools. He 
 should be familiar not only with the matter but with 
 the. methods of presentation adopted by the author. 
 The text-book is the pupil's guide, whom he trusts and 
 upon whose statements he depends. It is unwise in 
 the teacher to weaken the pupil's confidence in the 
 book. 
 
 He should, however, have other resources. Page 
 says he should be so familiar with the lesson that even 
 
Things Esse7itial to the Teacher ^j 
 
 if every text-book were destroyed he could still 
 conduct the recitation successfully. 
 
 The teacher who knows nothing more than what the 
 text-book contains, and knows that well, can be 
 endured, although he is not desirable; but the teacher 
 who knows everything else except the text-book in 
 use and the methods adopted by the author, cannot by 
 any possible means do good work, and ought not to be 
 endured more than a single month. It will take 
 about that length of time to find some one to take his 
 place. 
 
 There are other things which might be included here. 
 Some of them are found in the chapter on the Hygiene 
 of the School, others in the chapter on Moral Instruc- 
 tion. Enough points, however, have been mentioned 
 to induce the teacher to be careful in 
 
 Driving the Stakes. 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 child na ture. 
 
 For the teacher to know his subjects well from an examination 
 point of view is one thing; to know them in a form suitable for 
 presentation to his scholars is another; while, to be acquainted 
 with the best methods of communicating the knowledge he pos- 
 sesses — the principles which should gov.ern his teaching, the 
 various devices he should make! use of and the share of the work 
 he should exact from his pupils, — is still a third. 
 
 —Joseph Landon. 
 
 Children have their own characteristic ways of feeling, of 
 regarding things, of judging as to truth and so forth. And 
 although the adult observer of children has himself been a child, 
 he is unable, except in rare cases, to recall his own childish expe- 
 riences with any distinctness. How many of us are reall}- able to 
 recollect the wonderings, the terrors, the grotesque fancies of our 
 first years? And then children are apt to be misunderstood 
 because they have to use our medium of speech and often fail to 
 seize its exact meaning. 
 
 —James Sully, 
 
y4 Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 KNOWLEDGE OF SELh. 
 
 It is by faithfully performing the tasks assigned him in the 
 studies of his course that the student trains himself thus to pene- 
 trate, resolve, combine and develop. In a mind so disciplined its 
 possessor has an instrument of almost universal potency. This is 
 the general outfit, to be supplemented by such special preparation 
 as may be suited to each one's special work in life. The liberal 
 training has already given fitness to master the problem in any 
 one of the many waiting spheres, — law, medicine, theology, 
 sociology or science. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 And there at the threshold, like a fairy princess, should stand 
 the sympathetic teacher, with smiling welcome to receive him, to 
 crown his hopes with her sweet confidence and kindly care, and 
 assign him his seat, the throne of his childish ambition, and his 
 desk, the banqueting-table of his curious and wondering heart. 
 
 — George Howland, 
 INTUITION. 
 
 Intuitions are beliefs and judgments which present themselves 
 spontaneously to the mind with irresistible evidence, but without 
 the assistance of memory or reflection. 
 
 — Dexter and Garlick. 
 
 The soul is also endowed with the power to know directly and 
 immediately the necessary relations of objects. This intellectual 
 power is called intuition. 
 
 — Emerson E. White. 
 
 Hegel does not hesitate to expressly declare that ''pedagogics 
 is the art of making men moral," and to this he adds that 
 theoretically "It regards man as natural, and shows the way of 
 bringing about his regeneration, the way of transforming his first 
 nature into a second nature, so that the latter shall attain the form 
 of habit within him." 
 
 —Selected. 
 KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD. 
 
 Careless teachers do most of their proper mischief because they 
 have not acquired the scrupulous habit of intellectual truthful- 
 ness. The lack of it is not felt by themselves; they would be 
 indignant if we tried to bring it home to them. But from the want 
 of logic and from a touching belief in the performance of "experi- 
 ments" as "science," the science lessons in particular are often 
 full of reckless deceptions. 
 
 -p. A. Burnett. 
 
 MISCELLA NEO US. 
 
 In all our schools there is too strong a tendency to hold up a 
 false standard of success before the pupils. The things which 
 make for true manhood and true womanhood, which will con- 
 
Tilings E ss ential to the Teaclier 75 
 
 tribute to the usefulness of the individual as a member of society, 
 are lost sight of in the iierce ambition to obtain the mark neces- 
 sary for promotion to the next higher class. 
 
 — lozva School Report. 
 
 The circle of knowledge, through which every man in his own 
 place becomes blessed, begins immediately around him, from his 
 own being, and from his closest relations. It extends from this 
 beginning and at ever}- increase must have reference to truth, 
 that central point of all blessed powers. 
 
 —Pestalozzi. 
 
 There must be substituted for our present methods of examin- 
 ing teachers a careful inquiry into character, intellectual capacity, 
 general culture, and all that goes to the making of a teacher, 
 including a knowledge of pedagogic theory and practice as laid 
 down in the literature of the profession. Scholarship should be 
 insisted upon, but good judgment must be held as important as 
 geography, gumption as necessary as grammar. Change our 
 practice so as to make these larger demands upon our teachers, 
 our law so as to provide a rational method of licensing them, and 
 both law and practice so as to exempt them from the unnecessary 
 annoyance of never-ending reexaminations every time the moon 
 changes, a county line is crossed, or the institute fund is low, and 
 we shall at once find a reasonable supply of teachers with as much 
 preparation as the profits of teaching a country school will 
 warrant. 
 
 — A. B. Warner. 
 
 But remember — and let me say it once for all — that my aim is 
 not so much to give definite instruction as to put the reader into 
 such ways and starts of thought as shall make him eager to 
 instruct himself. 
 
 —Donald Grant Mitchell. 
 
 The best thing in this world is work, and the best work in the 
 world is for the children. It is the seed and the soil and the 
 planting that we must look after together with watchfulness of 
 the growing plants. What the harvest shall be we know not. 
 We may never know and w^e need not know. The influence of a 
 great teacher may reach — must reach — through all the years. 
 And the great teacher, whether in the country school or the uni- 
 versity, is the one whose work is limited only by his possibilities — 
 not for self, but for children. 
 
 — Orville T. Bright. 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 /. Which of the three points mentioned in quotation i from 
 
 Landon is the most important? 
 2. In what particulars does child nature never change? 
 J. What knowledge apart from that contained in text-books is 
 
 important to the teacher? 
 
^6 Co mm on Sense Didactics 
 
 4. Why is it important for the teacher to have a knowledge of 
 
 himself ? 
 
 5. Answer the same question in regard to child nature. 
 
 6. What do you understand by mtuitio7i? 
 
 7. Name some of the rights of children. 
 
 8. Tell the story of the English schoohnaster and draw an 
 
 inference from it. * 
 
 9. Tell the story of the railroad in Siberia, and draw the infer- 
 
 ence from it. 
 70. The relation of the teacher to the text-books used by the 
 pupils. 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 7. If you have any book at hand study the subject of intuitions. 
 2. Purchase one good book, not too difficult, which treats of 
 
 elementary psychology, and read it with pencil in hand, 
 J. Keep a sound, practical treatise on school management 
 
 where you can consult it occasionally. 
 4. Subscribe for not more than two educational journals, and 
 as you read discriminate between what is practical and 
 
 what is worthless. 
 J. Read for your own advancement some book not strictly 
 
 professional. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE CHILD 
 
 A Little Child Shall Lead Them 
 
 The supreme object of the child's education is the child himself. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 Observation is the absolute basis of all knowledge. 
 
 —Pestalozzi. 
 
 The soul is endowed with the power to know directly present 
 material objects. This power is called perceptioJi, and since 
 material objects are perceived by means of special senses it may 
 be called sense-perception. 
 
 ^Emerson E. White. 
 
 What a man would discover about an object by reflection and 
 reason, the child finds out through his senses. 
 
 —A . R. Taylor. 
 
 The habit of attention is an essential part of observation. 
 Therefore it must be acquired before progress in intellectual 
 culture can be made. 
 
 — N. A. Calkins. 
 
 If we do not save the children, who will? 
 
 — Francis W. Parker. 
 
 THE carpenter or the cabinet-maker must know 
 the peculiar qualities of the different kinds of 
 wood upon which he works. By the sense of touch he 
 can distinguish the hemlock from the oak, Dealino- 
 the maple from the pine, the birch from ivith the 
 the mahogany. A large part of his skill ''^«^^''^■^^• 
 consists in knowing how to get the best results possible 
 from the material at his disposal. He knows that pine 
 cannot be made to take the polish of mahogany, nor 
 the hemlock the beauty and strength of the hard 
 maple. Yet each if skillfully treated has its use and 
 
 77 
 
yS C m 711 on Sense Didactics 
 
 purpose. In his work he is guided by his knowledge 
 of the qualities which the tree has, as it were by 
 inheritance, in common with all its race. 
 
 To obtain the best results possible out of the child 
 as God made him, the teacher must deal with him in 
 much th e s am e way. That is skill; that will insure success. 
 The infinite variety that exists in the minds of children 
 is beyond our comprehension, and yet we scarcely give 
 it earnest thought. We group them in grades and 
 classes and give them set lessons from their books; we 
 praise them or blame them with but little if any dis- 
 crimination, and we dismiss them at four o'clock 
 thinking our work is done. 
 
 For too many of us it is done. The dignity, the 
 possibilities of childhood, the ideal to which the child 
 may attain under good teaching, the strength of char- 
 acter which is the combined product of motive and 
 principle, all are eclipsed by the common-place and 
 practical which have no fruition in the hereafter and 
 afford no conception of that soulful instruction which 
 is due an immortal life. 
 
 "What is the child worth in the light of eternity?'* 
 should confront the teacher at every stage of his work. 
 The worth This truth has been recognized by thought- 
 of the child, ful men everywhere. It ought to stimulate 
 the teacher to the greatest possible efforts in behalf of 
 every child under his care. Thackeray recognized it 
 when he wrote: "The death of a little child occasions 
 such a passion of grief and frantic tears as your end 
 will never inspire. " Emerson also wrote: "Whoever 
 lays his hand upon the head of a little child lays it 
 also upon the mother's heart." Out of the fullness of 
 his soul Dickens wrote of Little Nell and wept real 
 tears at her death. 
 
The Child yg 
 
 Charles F. Seward, in discussing "Spiritual Emanci- 
 pation," writes: "The most important work of this 
 generation is not the development and utilization of 
 electricity and other forces for material ends. Its 
 special task is to study, comprehend and apply the 
 principle of unity — the unity of law, of truth and of 
 life." So the most important work in our schools is 
 not to develop and cultivate the intellectual faculties 
 for the purpose of enabling the child to get on in the 
 world. Its special task is to bring out those powers of 
 the child which will make him at maturity a strong 
 influence among his fellow men with whom he daily 
 associates. Whether he be a blacksmith or a lawyer, 
 a farmer or a teacher, whatever his vocation, this prin- 
 ciple of unity — "the unity of law, of truth and of life" 
 — must be the foundation upon which his character 
 rests. 
 
 A man of great strength, one whom we sometimes 
 term a strong chara>-ter, has his whole soul buttressed 
 upon the threefold basis of right purpose, right think- 
 ing and right living. Thus he falls into line with the 
 civilization of his ,day. He becomes a tower of 
 strength to his friends, an influence for good in his 
 neighborhood, a power in every effort to make life 
 better and existence more desirable. 
 
 It is not usually possible for the common school 
 teacher to enter upon an extended course of child 
 study. The most which you can do under ^ ,^. 
 the limitations which surround you is to the chil- 
 observe children carefully, in the light of <^^'<^n. 
 experience and in view of the information at your dis- 
 posal. Native instinct, good common sense should be 
 called continually to your aid. "I never thought of 
 that," is no excuse for having neglected important 
 
8o Co mm 71 Se?ise Didactics 
 
 considerations which affect the well being of the child. 
 If you are in "dead earnest," if your soul is in your 
 work, no mortification can be as great to you as to 
 realize that you have made a mistake through want of 
 thought and attention to things which are now as 
 evident to you as the light of day. (See page 66.) 
 
 School teaching is not entirely different from other 
 vocations. The horse goes lame because a heedless 
 blacksmith drives a nail into the quick of the hoof. 
 The engine breaks because a careless machinist 
 neglected to test the nut which held a rod in its place. 
 The roof leaks because a thoughtless carpenter laid 
 the shingles in a hurry. A child goes wrong physi- 
 cally, mentally, or morally, because an indifferent or 
 ignorant teacher failed to note a marked peculiarity, 
 or charged it up to that innate wickedness which he 
 thought could be best corrected by stern repression or 
 by punishment of some kind. 
 
 Children are living, sentient flesh and blood; they 
 have bodies to be cared for and trained, minds to 
 learn and expand, hearts to love or hate, souls to 
 aspire. They read character as a book; they are quick 
 to respond; they meet distrust with distrust; they greet 
 confidence with confidence; they measure out hate for 
 hate and love for love. Of all time in a child's life, 
 that spent in school is the most precious. No matter 
 how propitious the summer weather for growth, or how 
 favorable the autumn for reaping, if the springtime is 
 wasted there will be no harvest to gather. 
 
 It is a maxim among teachers: "Never do for a 
 child that which he ought to do for himself." But the 
 reverse is also true: "Never leave a child to do for 
 himself that which you ought to do for him." The 
 child when he comes to school is entitled to some- 
 
The Child 8i 
 
 l-.hing. The teacher is placed there and paid to do 
 something; he is placed in the schoolroom for some 
 purpose. Catalogue the usual requirements '^ what of 
 for a teacher's certificate and you will find the chil- 
 them to be about as follows: A little drenV 
 knowledge of certain branches, which are called funda- 
 mental; a fairly moral character; ability to compel 
 pupils to learn their lessons and to enforce obedience. 
 And there are thousands of teachers in the land whose 
 requirements are hardly up to this standard. 
 
 Of what use to you or to me, or to any one, are facts 
 in history, truths of science, poetical fancies, beautiful 
 landscapes, pictures, painting, music, except as we are 
 able to assimilate them so that they become an actual 
 part of the living world within us. 
 
 You remember that when the Pharisees questioned 
 him that aforetime was blind concerning Christ he 
 answered: "Whether he be a sinner or no I know 
 not. One thing I know that whereas I was blind now 
 I see." The one was a speculative, the other a per- 
 sonal experience, and no man could take it from him. 
 Just so the ideal teacher has a character which is some- 
 thing more than a bundle of cold negations; it is 
 positive, bold, living, impressing itself in every way, 
 consciously and unconsciously, upon the habits of the 
 pupils under his care. 
 
 In matters of discipline and in methods of instruc- 
 tion the ideal teacher is continually asking himself, 
 "What of the children?" Unless you can take that 
 spirit into the schoolroom your success will be only 
 that of the paid hireling. It is an honorable motive to 
 teach for the pay it brings you. But there is some- 
 thing higher and more inspiring than that which leads 
 the teacher to comprehend the worth of the child; 
 
 6 
 
82 Co mm 71 Seiise Didactics 
 
 which enables him to discern in every pupil that divine 
 spark which rags cannot cover, which squalor cannot 
 conceal, and which poverty cannot quench. 
 
 In the first place the physical condition of the child 
 will demand your attention. Here the formation of 
 p^ ^^., ^ habits is of prime importance — habits of 
 needs of sitting at the desk, of standing in the class, 
 the child. q£ talking, of entering or leaving the 
 room. Especially should no habit be formed which is 
 peculiar to the school and which must be broken up 
 at home because awkward and disagreeable. For 
 instance, the child should not be taught to walk on 
 tiptoe in order to avoid a noise, or always to raise the 
 hand before asking a question. Such requirements if 
 persisted in render the child ridiculous at home. 
 
 It is part of your business, so far as possible, to see 
 that the children are made comfortable while at 
 school. They are naturally restless, and long con- 
 tinued restraint is irksome. A frequent change of 
 posture, a march round the room, a little recess of five 
 minutes during which they may talk or visit with each 
 other, a short exercise in gymnastics to start the blood, 
 — all are available and at times most useful. 
 
 Children should be trained to do things in a quiet 
 way; gentleness of manner and behavior should be 
 insisted upon by the teacher, but the boundless activ- 
 ities of the child will have their way once in a while as 
 they ought to have. His mind is also a curiosity 
 which the live teacher may well study. Quick says: 
 "The child's mind is a delightful thing in the ideal, 
 but practically it is a nuisance. It goes on wondering 
 who is the biggest man in the world, etc., etc. It 
 never seems to have any grist to grind and goes on 
 turning and turning as if in a hurricane and with no 
 
The Child 83 
 
 sense results.' In the old-fashioned courses of study 
 there were frequently found the words: "Morals and 
 manners as before." The direction needs to be heeded 
 in our modern curriculum. 
 
 What is it to know a child? You say, "I think I know 
 that boy thoroughly." Now what do you know about 
 him? Catalogue your knowledge and it 
 will be something'like this: I know that fj^'^^^^ii 
 he obeys me because he fears scolding or 
 whipping; he likes his arithmetic but he hates 
 grammar; he is the first boy out when playtime comes, 
 and the last boy in when the bell rings. I know that 
 he is full of fun and mischief. If there is any disturb- 
 ance in his part of the room I at once single him out 
 as the author of it. The other day I caught him with 
 a knife whittling in schooltime a shingle which he 
 brought in under his jacket. I used the shingle for a 
 different purpose from what he intended. I know him 
 and know how to handle him. 
 
 But there are some things which you do not know, 
 and regarding which perhaps you do not care. Do 
 you know that he 'dislikes you heartily because you 
 have no sympathy with him and blame him for what 
 he cannot help without doing violence to his boyhood? 
 What do you know of his real nature? Is he brave, 
 generous-hearted, helpful to his mother, affectionate 
 toward his brothers and sisters? What do you know 
 of his home surroundings, and of the influences which 
 may be warping his young life out of all shape and 
 symmetry? Do you know what he reads, where he 
 spends his evenings, who are his boon companions? 
 Do you ever stop to seek for the motives which 
 prompt his actions? Have you ever attempted to look 
 inside the boy and study the ideal which is gradually 
 
84 Co mm 71 Se?ise Didactics 
 
 though unconsciously forming itself in his mind and in 
 accordance with which he will surely shape his future 
 character? 
 
 I have enumerated but few things which are neces- 
 sary in order to know this one boy. He is a type of 
 every child in your school. If you have forty pupils 
 you have forty different lessons to learn. It is a great 
 deal to know which children are nervous, which are 
 partially deaf or nearsighted, and in all possible ways 
 to repair or in some degree to remedy the defect. 
 This, however, is not the greatest study of the child. 
 (See page 62.) 
 
 You have perhaps noticed at different times the 
 windows of a great cathedral. You walk about the 
 Study of o'Jtside; they are dull and in no way attract- 
 the hiner ive. But when you go inside and stand 
 ^{/^- upon the steps of the chancel, then the skill 
 
 of the artist reveals itself. Painted in gorgeous colors 
 by the light of the sun you behold the images of saints, 
 the cross and the crown, the crucifixion and the resur- 
 rection, holy text and loving remembrances of departed 
 friends. So you know the boy's character only when 
 you stand within, near his heart, and study from the 
 boy's standpoint the pictures which life paints. In 
 this spirit Whittle r wrote The Barefoot Boy : 
 
 Blessings on thee, little man, 
 Barefoot boy with cheek of tan ; 
 With thy turned up pantaloons, 
 And thy merry whistled tunes ; 
 "With thy red lips, redder still 
 Kissed by strawberries on the hill ; 
 With the sunshine on thy face, 
 Through thy torn brim's jaunty grace; 
 From my heart I give thee joy : 
 / was 07ice a barefoot boy. 
 
The Child 83 
 
 Sometimes it seems to me that to direct the active 
 mind of childhood into right channels of thought, to 
 form correct motives which lead to honest lives, to im- 
 plant germs of industry, purity and sobriety which may 
 spring up into everlasting life, to aid the child in his 
 efforts to attain his ideal of greatness and usefulness, 
 is more of a miracle than it would be to unstop the 
 ears of the deaf or to unlock the tongue of the dumb. 
 Herein is the real study of childhood. 
 
 The child when he first comes to school has a large 
 amount of knowledge which he has gained partly 
 through his experience and partly through Experience 
 observation. What he has learned through and obser- 
 experience he remembers, and by it his '^^^^<^^^- 
 actions are largely guided. It is a hard school even 
 for little folks, but its lessons make a deep impression. 
 
 What the child has learned through observation has 
 come to him by the use of his senses. Dr. Harris 
 calls these senses the five windows of the^soul. They 
 are the gateways through which all knowledge of the 
 outside world enters his mind. It is your work to aid 
 nature in developing the senses. Something which the 
 child sees awakens his curiosity. He turns it over in 
 his mind; he asks questions about it; and he is all 
 eagerness to know "Why, and wherefore, and what 
 for," until he is satisfied that he knows it all. You 
 cannot see for him, he must see for himself, and if you 
 direct him rightly this is the greatest possible satisfac- 
 tion to him. 
 
 Perhaps the keenest enjoyment that comes to the 
 child is when, through the exercise of his senses, he 
 has made a discovery for himself. By all means give 
 him the benefit of this pleasure whenever you can. I 
 fear that in many schools we are unduly hastening that 
 
S6 Co mm 71 Se7ise Didactics 
 
 which nature intended should be a slow process. The 
 teacher, impatient of results, is either doing the work 
 for the child, or else exacting from him a class of 
 work which tends to overtax the growing brain. The 
 result in either case is equally disastrous. 
 
 While regular exercises intended to train the senses 
 are good, these should not preclude the necessity of 
 making this matter a point in every exercise. Lessons 
 should be illustrated by what the pupils have gathered 
 for themselves, what they have seen and heard on 
 their way to and from school, in the shop, on the farm, 
 by the wayside, and the child should be encouraged to 
 talk of these things before the class or the school. 
 
 Jackman, in Nature Study, says: "The earliest im- 
 pulses toward goodness that come to children from 
 nature probably arise from their sincere love of the 
 beautiful. What they perceive as surpassing loveli- 
 ness in the flowers and in the song of birds, they trans- 
 late as goodness in terms of their own lives." This is 
 one source of moral growth. 
 
 Observation is the basis of the thinking process. To 
 observe closely and accurately is to think clearly and 
 well. Spurzheim says that "man arrives at truth by 
 letting himself down to simple observation and induc- 
 tion." 
 
 In estimating the general ability of the teacher it is 
 
 a matter of grave importance to ascertain whether his 
 
 senses have been well trained. It is neces- 
 
 Senses of ^^^^ f^j. ^^ hig-hest success that each sense 
 
 1/16 t6ClCh€V . 
 
 should be ready to meet any demands 
 made upon it in daily schoolroom work. The same 
 tests that are applied to children to ascertain which, if 
 any, sense is defective, should be applied to every can- 
 didate for a teacher's position. We are just awakening 
 
The Child 87 
 
 to a full realization of the importance of sense training. 
 It is as necessary to test the sense of sight or hearing 
 in the candidate as it is to test his knowledge of 
 arithmetic. 
 
 It is certain that the teacher who has been well 
 trained in this respect will be more apt to appreciate 
 the importance of cultivating the senses and to devise 
 ways for developing sense-perception in the child. 
 Its importance cannot be overestimated in any grade 
 of school work. 
 
 The order of sense development is worthy of consid- 
 eration. Touch, sight, hearing, taste, smell, is the 
 order given in the books, yet this order is not invari- 
 able, nor ought we to develop one sense to the 
 exclusion of all others. The desirable end is such a 
 development that each sense may be an aid to all the 
 others. Occasionally it is necessary to bring each 
 sense into use, or in other words to put each sense in 
 turn upon the witness stand, to enable the individual 
 to obtain a clear conception of the object under exam- 
 ination. 
 
 Children differ vjsry greatly in the natural keenness 
 of their perceptive faculties. One child notices every 
 peculiarity of dress or the color of the eyes and hair. 
 One will observe many points which entirely escape 
 the notice of a companion. The same is true of other 
 senses. In every school of twenty pupils are some 
 who are defective in sight, or in hearing, or in some 
 one sense. These children need your especial care 
 and attention. Before you blame a child for not 
 seeing be sure that he can see; before you blame him 
 for not hearing be sure that he can hear. Test in 
 some way the senses of the deficient child and thus you 
 may be able to give him intelligent sense-training. 
 
88 Com?no?i Seiisc Didactic s 
 
 In training the senses we must be careful not to 
 arrest the child's mental development. Thus Dr. 
 Harris shows how sense-perception, if too highly culti- 
 vated, may prove detrimental to some higher faculty — 
 as to memory. We must not keep the pupil too long 
 on crutches. There comes a time when he must 
 begin to deal with the abstract as well as the concrete. 
 The observing teacher watches for this period, and 
 changes the tone of instruction accordingly. The 
 truth remains, however, that to the «.nild who has been 
 taught to observe, whose senses have been carefully 
 trained, the book of nature opens a thousand pages 
 upon every one of which there is a lesson of beauty, of 
 joy, of life itself. 
 
 While it is not expected that any teacher will be an 
 
 expert in psychology, it is well for her to know the 
 
 meaning of a few psychological terms. 
 
 Psychologi- Without some such knowledge it is impos- 
 cal terms . . 
 
 sible for the progressive teacher to under- 
 stand many articles in educational journals which are 
 worth reading; she also is liable not to grasp the full 
 meaning of lectures which she hears at educational 
 institutes and associations. In the following paragraphs 
 are included those most commonly used in child study, 
 and they should be carefully read and studied. If you 
 have access to an elementary psychology it will come 
 in use here as a reference book. Every teacher 
 should own one and read it. 
 
 Calkins says that ''Sensations are those brief influ- 
 ences or impressions which external objects produce 
 upon the mind through the special bodily organs of 
 sense." Sensation is very closely allied to perception. 
 I place my hand upon a piece of ice. Through my 
 senses I have the sensation of cold. When I withdraw 
 
The Child 8g 
 
 my hand the sensation ceases, but the knowledge thus 
 
 gained remains. 
 
 Dr. Noah Porter dc^vn^s perceptio?t as "that power of 
 
 the intellect by which it gains the knowl- ^ 
 
 ^ ^ . Sensations, 
 
 edge of material objects." This knowledge perceptions, 
 is gained through the senses and is called <^onceptio7is. 
 di percept. "Percept is thus the simplest sense-product." 
 When several of these percepts are combined into 
 one general product, the product is called a concept, 
 and the act of combining them, or of synthesis, is 
 called co?iceptioji. 
 
 The term apperception is often used by educational 
 writers. In the simplest words possible, apperception 
 is the process by which the mind calls upon 
 past experiences to aid it in interpreting a ^PP^^'<^^P- 
 new experience. 
 
 We often say, "This is a new idea to me. I want 
 time to think it over. " In order to reach a correct con- 
 clusion we must first call up and consult such of our 
 past experiences as bear upon the subject. It is not a 
 new principle nor one difficult to understand. How 
 often does the association of a new^ idea with those 
 already stored in the mind throw a flood of light upon 
 the entire subject! 
 
 This process of apperception is all that makes our 
 past experience of any value to us. If the teacher's 
 experience consists only in doing to-day as he did ten 
 years ago, with no new thoughts, no fresh ideas, then 
 the more experience he has the worse for the schools. 
 I own that I am sometimes afraid of experienced 
 teachers. 
 Watt's lines have many applications: 
 
 Broad is the road that leads to death 
 And thousands walk together there. 
 
go Common Sense Didactics 
 
 But on the other hand if the teacher makes use of 
 the past in order to interpret the present, if in the 
 light and heat of the new he discovers the mistakes 
 and errors of the old so as to avoid them, then his 
 experience is the most valuable acquisition he can 
 possibly have. 
 
 Before a child enters school he has powers of 
 thought fairly well developed; he reasons, he con- 
 cludes, he judges. We can no more teach 
 ileducron' ^^^ ^^ think than we can show him how to 
 grow. He will think in spite of us, as he 
 will grow without our help. We can surround him 
 with right conditions of physical growth so that he 
 may eventually have a strong body. We can guide 
 and teach him so that he may think clearly and 
 logically, and that is an essential part of the teacher's 
 work. To do this intelligently the teacher must be 
 able to distinguish clearly between induction and 
 deduction. 
 
 By deductiofi we apply a general truth to a special 
 case. A simple illustration will make it plain. I 
 pick up a piece of iron and am desirous of knowing 
 whether it is a magnet. I know the general truth that 
 all magnets attract iron. I expose this piece which I 
 have in my hand to a pile of iron filings and find that 
 it draws them to itself. I say at once that this is a 
 magnet; this conclusion I reach through a process 
 called deduction. I apply a known general law to this 
 particular case. 
 
 If on the other hand we use several related facts to 
 establish a general law or conclusion we call the 
 process induction. To use a homely illustration: 
 After a sleepless night, in seeking for the cause I 
 attribute it to the cup of strong coffee which I drank 
 
TJie Child gi 
 
 at an entertainment the evening before. The next 
 week I make the same experiment with the same 
 result. It does not take me long to reach by mdiictioTi 
 the general rule or law that a strong cup of coffee at 
 night will break my rest and I learn to avoid it. Again, 
 if it becomes necessary for any reason that 1 should 
 remain awake all night I have recourse to the coffee; 
 by deduction I infer that what my experience has estab- 
 lished as a general law will prove true in this particu- 
 lar case. 
 
 To teach inductively requires careful thought and 
 special preparation on the part of the teacher. No 
 rule here will apply to every child. There are children 
 with analytical minds who, from the whole, descend to 
 the parts. In the common language of the day some- 
 times "the how" can be learned with [profit, and "the 
 why" left to be ascertained in the future. Every 
 experienced teacher will agree with this. In other 
 words, it is not true that the child must never learn 
 anything which at the time he does not fully under- 
 stand. 
 
 The process of 'deduction and that of induction are 
 often employed in the same recitation. Either method 
 is capable of great abuse. Some teachers The two in 
 with more zeal than wisdom would have co?tjunc- 
 the child discover everything for himself. ^^^'^• 
 But it remains true that a large part of the teacher's 
 knowledge has been obtained through conversation 
 w^ith others, or from books. Just so that child must 
 take much of his knowledge at second hand. Nor is 
 it true that all knowledge comes to the child through 
 his senses. He gains much from the experience of his 
 mates. His sources of knowledge increase as he 
 grows in years. 
 
g2 Co in mo 71 Seiise Didactics 
 
 The wise teacher pursues as far as possible those 
 methods in instruction which the child will use in after 
 life. Before he comes to school the little child has 
 unconsciously used all methods. It is a wise teacher 
 who takes him at his entrance into his room and 
 guides and encourages him, but who does not endeavor 
 ruthlessly to crowd him into pedagogical channels of 
 man's creation. The little child sometimes has 
 reason to pray to be delivered from his friends. 
 
 The teacher must bear in mind that he has to deal 
 
 with the world in its infancy. The children of the 
 
 ^L j^ poor and of the rich, of the learned and of 
 
 The world ^ . ' 
 
 in its the Ignorant, of the wise and of the 
 
 infancy. foolish, of the pure and of the vicious, of 
 
 the cultured and of the uncultured, of the tractable 
 and of the headstrong, come to him that he may direct 
 and mould their growth. So that perseverance, and 
 persistency, and judgment, and firmness, and decision, 
 and knowledge, and faith, and prayer — all fail him 
 unless he has that rare insight into character which 
 enables him to take the common things of life and 
 nature, and use them as instruments by which he may 
 stir the hidden impulses of the soul — impulses which 
 Fhall endure, 
 
 As long as the river flows, — 
 
 As long as the heart has passions, 
 
 As long as life has woes. 
 
 This chapter should be carefully read. Observation 
 is the foundation of Nature Study. The perceptive 
 powers, when carefully developed, furnish a never 
 failing source of delight to the child. Never repress 
 the curiosity of the child when he asks you questions 
 regarding things he has seen and heard, and never 
 
The Child 93 
 
 treat with indifference any knowledge which he may 
 bring you of things in nature which he has observed. 
 
 "Hasten the day when teachers shall come to regard 
 more fully and devotedly the child's inherent right to 
 himself. He is endowed with a personal property 
 which must not be trespassed upon. His feelings are 
 a sacred realm, and no teacher should violate their 
 sanctity. His right to his own self-respect is some- 
 thing inalienable, and when it has been infringed upon 
 and diminished a barrier to his development toward 
 the higher life has been erected." 
 
 This text is worthy careful consideration— 
 
 A Little Child Shall Lead Them. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 observation. 
 
 Spencer does not hesitate to declare that "success in all things 
 
 depends on the power of observation." 
 
 ^ ^ —David P. Page. 
 
 We want to draw out the child's interests, and to direct them 
 to worthy objects. We want not only to teach him but to 
 enable and encourage him to teach himself. 
 
 , —R. H. Quick. 
 
 Half of the wealth of the world is lost to most of us from lack 
 of power to perceive. The difference between so-called clever 
 children and intelligent ones is largely a difference in their sense- 
 perception. ^,. r ., rr 
 ^ ^ —Elizabeth Harrtsoi\. 
 
 If I ask myself what I have done toward the improvement of 
 elementarv instruction, I find that, in recognizing observation as 
 the absolute basis of all knowledge, I have established the first 
 and most important principle of instruction. 
 
 ^ —John Swett. 
 
 A few common fruits, flowers and spices or gums may be used 
 with a view to forming a habit of sharp discrimmation, quick 
 recognition and accurate naming. The drill exercise should be 
 very brief, aiming at thoroughness rather than multiplicity, and 
 mav be alternated with lessons in form, color, place, number, etc. 
 
 ■' ■ —Thomas I. Morgan. 
 
g4 Comma 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 The foundation of all knowledge consists in correctly repre- 
 senting sensible objects to our senses so that they can be compre- 
 hended with facility. 
 
 —Comenius. 
 PSYCHOLOGICAL TERMS. 
 
 Sense-impressions are the original material out of which the 
 mind, by its elaborative processes, constructs the whole fabric of 
 thought. 
 
 — Emerson E. White, 
 
 Perception supplies raw material, conception elaborates crude 
 percepts into finished concepts. Percepts must be, in order that 
 concepts may be. Here we find the key to correct teaching. 
 
 —Joseph Baldwin. 
 
 Percepts are , stored in memory, and from this accumulated 
 store we draw as we need. Out of percepts we build concepts ; 
 but percepts themselves give us many of our keenest pleasures 
 and purest delights, as in the colors of a sunset sky or an October 
 forest, or in the blending of musical tones. 
 
 — Ruric N. Roark. 
 
 Many of us cannot even tell the color of the eyes of our friends 
 and daily companions. Carelessness in the observation of 
 common events is just as striking; we fail to note the direction of 
 the wind, the habits of animals, the arrangement of the stars; 
 few can tell how a cow lies down or a horse gets up. This 
 inability to see correctly, or to see at all, is shown in a practical 
 way in the court room by the failure of eye-witnesses of objects 
 and events to agree as to what was seen. 
 
 —Charles A. and Frank M. McMurry, 
 A PPER CEPTION. 
 
 The word "apperceive" is derived from ad, to, and pev~ 
 cepere, to grasp or to clasp. It literally signifies the grasping or 
 clasping of one thing to another, a uniting, adhesive process. 
 But the Latin verb also means to see or perceive: so that taken 
 figuratively apperceive means to see or perceive one thing by way 
 of another, or the coalescence of a new idea with an old one by 
 modification. 
 
 — Burk A . Hinsdale. 
 
 Apperception lobbed of its metaphysical cloak, is simply the 
 process by which the mind interprets a new experience by 
 bringing to bear upon it the knowledge gained in past experi- 
 ences. Everything one learns becomes a part of his mental 
 mechanism, and as it becomes organized into himse]f this new 
 set/, with each recurring experience interprets and gives it a 
 meaning which is always colored and determined by the efifect 
 past experience, past knowledge has had upon the self'. 
 
 —A. R. Taylor. 
 
The Child 95 
 
 The object, then, of learning in education is not only to make 
 the mind fuller and to enrich the understanding, but if the 
 instruction be of the right kind the additional knowledge ought to 
 make the old knowledge more exact and better deiined. 
 
 — T. G. Rooper. 
 
 Mau}^ times the new is interpreted by means of the old until 
 the mind becomes less dependent upon the latter, and gets the 
 meaning of the new immediately by "reading itself into it." 
 This process is called apperception. 
 
 —A. R. Taylor. 
 
 Finally do not fall into the heresy that children should be 
 taught nothing that is beyond their comprehension. Under- 
 standing is a thing of degrees. No doubt too little pains was 
 formerly taken to adapt instruction to children, but that is no 
 reason for flying to the opposite extreme and measuring out every 
 idea and every word according to the child's present capacity. 
 
 — Biirk A. Hinsdale. 
 IND UCTION—DED UCTION. 
 
 Synthesis is made more perfect by making analysis more com- 
 plete, but when a proper synthesis is completed, there is no need 
 for further analysis. Studies are termed analytic when the 
 analytic process is most prominent, and synthetic when the 
 synthetic process predominates. 
 
 — Francis B. Palmer. 
 
 Induction and deduction are merely different forms of 
 reasoning. Through particular truths we reach general truths. 
 This m.agnet, and this, and this, attract iron; since nature is 
 uniform we infer that all magnets attract iron. This is inductive 
 reasoning. It is inferring a general truth from particular truths. 
 Thus we think up to principles and laws. We deduce particular 
 truths through generstl truths. Since all minerals gravitate we 
 infer that diamonds gravitate. This is deductive reasoning. It 
 is inferring a particular truth from general truths. 
 
 — Selected. 
 
 Induction proceeds from particular cases to the general laws or 
 principles governing all such cases. It is aided by observation, 
 experience and experimentation. It furnishes the materials and 
 the general rules for the solution of special problems which may 
 present themselves in everyday life. "The method, rightly 
 understood and practiced, leads straight to truth. It is the 
 patient, candid, impartial, universal method of modern science." 
 
 —Ruric N. Roark. 
 
 To insist upon beginning at the beginning in everything, to 
 cause the child to trudge along the long inductive road, to be 
 satisfied with nothing short of his learning everything by his own 
 individual effort, means that the child must be cut off from the 
 past altogether and live wholly in the present. 
 
 —Burk A. Hinsdale, 
 
g6 Co mm 71 Seiise Didactic s 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 7. Why is it no excuse for a teacher who has made a mistake 
 
 to say "I never thought of that?" 
 2. What is it to know a child thoroughly? 
 J. Why are the five senses called "The five windows of the 
 
 soul?" 
 
 4. Name the usual order of sense-development. 
 
 5. Define Sensations. 
 
 6. Define Perception. 
 
 7. Define Apperception. 
 
 8. Distinguish between Deduction and Induction. 
 
 g. Why is it true that the ;child may at times be taught what 
 he does not then fully understand? 
 10. What care must be taken in training the child at school? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. What is consciousness? 
 
 2. What is wrong in the expression, "Teaching the child to 
 
 think"? 
 J. How should you deal with children defective in one or more 
 
 of the senses? 
 4. How do you deal with children who have a special aptitude 
 
 for one branch? 
 J-. Which study do you think has the greatest disciplinary 
 
 value? 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 KNOWLEDGE MOST USEFUL TO THE 
 CHILDREN 
 
 The Making of a Man 
 
 Diligence, quiet and unfatigued perseverance, industry, regu- 
 larity and economy of time, as these are the dispositions I would 
 labor to excite, so these are the qualities I would warmly 
 commend. 
 
 — Hajinah More. 
 
 Wanted Men. — No doubt a college boy will learn more Greek 
 and Latin if it is generally understood that college honors are to 
 be mainly awarded for proficiency in those languages ; but what 
 care we though a man can speak seven languages, or dreams in 
 Hebrew or Sanscrit, because of their familiarity, if he has never 
 learned the language of sympathy for human suffering, and is 
 deaf when the voice of truth and duty utters their holy mandates? 
 We want men who feel a sentiment, a consciousness of brother- 
 hood for the whole human race. We want men who will instruct 
 the ignorant, not delude them, who will succor the weak, not prey 
 upon them. We want men who will fly to the moral breach when 
 the waters of desolation are pouring in and who will stand there 
 and if need be die there, applause or no applause, 
 
 —Horace Mann, 
 
 HAVING considered some of the things which 
 the teacher ought to know it seems proper to 
 inquire what knowledge is of the greatest importance 
 to the child. On an average the school Relative 
 life of the child does not exceed four value of 
 years. Remember also that the child is in 
 school only about seven months in a year, and five 
 days in a week, and you will at once recognize the 
 necessity of avoiding all waste and of making every 
 moment tell for his improvement. There is no room 
 in the American school for any exercise which is not 
 7 97 
 
g8 Common Se7ise Didactics 
 
 intended for the advancement of the pupils in one of 
 three ways: advancement in their studies, growth of 
 character, or the building up of sound bodies. What- 
 ever is done for show, for looks, for appearance only, 
 ought to be ruled out of the curriculum. Everything 
 should be excluded which does not have a bearing 
 upon the growth of the child. 
 
 First we will consider the branches which probably 
 will be of the greatest use to the man in after years. 
 We all concede that when the pupil reaches his real 
 work in life he must have a certain amount of book 
 knowledge as a. result of his attendance at school. 
 The common English branches as we usually term 
 them are really at the foundation of all his future 
 acquirements'. 
 
 I desire to impress the following point as forcibly as 
 I can. To know how to read stands at the head of the 
 Reading list as the most important acquisition. 
 Reading is more than the calling of words 
 arranged in logical order. It is an art which but few 
 possess; it is a creation, breathing life into the dull 
 lines and bringing into bold relief the touches of skill 
 and grace with which the author has adorned his work. 
 To read well orally is an accomplishment, while to be 
 a good silent reader, able to penetrate the secret source 
 of the author's thought, is a perpetual delight, a means 
 of growth to the mind. 
 
 I quote the following from S. H. Clark's How to 
 Teach Re adi?ig: "In the words of Carlyle: 'What the 
 universities can mainly do for you — what I have found 
 the university did for me, was that it taught me to 
 read.' This remark, of course, applies to silent read- 
 ing. A well-known college professor, in response to a 
 school superintendent's question as to what would 
 
Knowledge Most Usefjil to the Children gg 
 
 better the preparation of students for college, replied: 
 'Teach them how to read.' Another college instructor, 
 a learned authority on geology, remarks that he 
 finds occasion to say to his classes about once a month, 
 'It's a great thing to be able to read a page of English. * 
 No one who examines the reading in our schools can 
 fail to be impressed, not so much with the absence of 
 expressive power, as with the absence of mental grasp. 
 We are so anxious to get on that we are content with 
 skimming the surface, and do not take the time to get 
 beneath it. The reading lesson should be primarily a 
 thinking lesson, and every shade of thought should be 
 carefully distinguished no matter how long a time may 
 be consumed. The habit of hurrying over the page 
 which is so prevalent is clearly an outgrowth of school- 
 room methods. Careless of the future we are too 
 prone to push the pupil along, ignoring the simplest 
 and most evident of psychological laws, that thought 
 comes by thinking and thinking takes time." 
 
 It is not my intention to give you directions for con- 
 ducting a reading lesson. There are books written for 
 this purpose which' I advise you to own and study. I 
 can give you no better advice than this from Swett's 
 America?i Schools: 
 
 "By short and suitable concert exercises pupils 
 should be trained to the proper use of the lips, tongue 
 and teeth in distinct articulation. Occasional breathing 
 exercises are of great value as an aid in securing an 
 erect attitude and the free use of the vocal organs. 
 Occasionally give a drill exercise on words containing 
 vowel sounds, giving special attention to those sounds 
 which children in some parts of our country are apt to 
 give incorrectly; such as 'a' in half, calf, laugh, etc.; 
 intermediate 'a,' as in ask, last, past, after, etc.; 'u' 
 
100 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 after 'r,' as in tnith, rnde, fruit, etc. The school is the 
 proper place for correcting provincialisms in pronunci- 
 ation. Explain the essential diacritical marks of the 
 school dictionary in order' that pupils may be able to 
 find out for themselves the correct pronunciation of 
 words. Train pupils to refer to the dictionary for 
 definitions as well as pronunciation." 
 
 So much on the mechanical side. On the intellec- 
 tual side care should be taken to ascertain, by skillful 
 questioning, how far the pupils have gathered the 
 thoughts of the author of the piece which they are 
 reading. Most children do not know how to study the 
 reading lesson. You will have to show them by 
 reading the lesson for them before they attempt to do 
 the work for themselves. Read the lesson paragraph 
 by paragraph while they accompany you closely in 
 their own books. Encourage them to ask you 
 questions. Give them some suggestions as to emphasis, 
 inflection, thought, and leave much for them to think 
 out at their desks. Set them an example which they 
 may safely follow whenever you have occasion to read 
 to them either for their benefit or pleasure. 
 
 Young teachers are sometimes afraid to show a pupil 
 how the piece should be read. They are told at insti- 
 tutes that they should never do this, but 
 the pupil. should leave the child to catch the expres- 
 sion for himself. Imitation is one of the 
 natural adjuncts of childhood, and the teacher should 
 avail himself of it whenever necessary. Do not have 
 any hesitation on this point. 
 
 Miss Sarah L. Arnold, in Reading: How to Teach It, 
 says: " 'Would you ever read to children in order to 
 help them to get the right expression?' is a question 
 which is frequently asked. By all means. There is 
 
Knowledge Most Useful to the Childreii loi 
 
 no other way in which children can form an idea of 
 good reading. Many children hear no reading in their 
 homes. They are accustomed to monotonous speech 
 and to careless articulation. It is necessary to read to 
 them, and to read well, in order to show them what 
 good reading is." Mark that the words "to read well" 
 are in italics. 
 
 Something also should be said of the spiritual side 
 of the reading lesson. It is not enough to get the 
 thought, but the thought must be brought j^^ s'biri- 
 out in the tones and expression of the tual side, 
 reader. This can be done only as the 
 reader enters into the spirit and feelings of the writer. 
 Here, as everywhere, interest is the keynote of 
 success. For instance, in respect to reading Paul 
 Revere' s Ride Miss Arnold has this to say: 
 
 "Every effort should be centered upon helping the 
 children to feel, to imagine the picture and to sense 
 its depth of meaning. Say nothing now about holding 
 the book in one hand, standing on both feet or throw- 
 ing the shoulders back, but stir the class to feel as 
 Paul Revere felt, and to tell the tale with enthusiastic 
 pride. Let all the questions help to make the picture 
 clearer and the feeling stronger. Read again, and 
 again, and again, until the message becomes most 
 familiar, but with every reading more eager than 
 before.' 
 
 Note here that Miss Arnold says the piece 
 should be read "again, and again, and again." He 
 is a poor teacher who cannot make every reading 
 add to the meaning of the piece. Reading is the 
 most important branch taught in our public schools. 
 If a child can be proficient in but one branch, let it be 
 reading. 
 
102 Comma 71 Se?ise Didactics 
 
 Next in importance to the child is the ability to use 
 the English language correctly. It is a fact which 
 
 cannot well be disputed that our schools 
 language^. ^ ^""^ ^^^ doing the work in English language 
 
 in a creditable manner, or at least that we 
 are not getting satisfactory results. One reason 
 undoubtedly is that teachers do not realize the 
 importance of better instruction in these branches. 
 This is evident in the poor spelling, illegible hand- 
 writing and faulty construction found in the corre- 
 spondence of many teachers. Neither are the lower 
 schools the only ones at fault. Professors in second- 
 ary schools, in colleges and in universities fail woefully 
 when tested by the highest standards of pure English. 
 "I done it" was used three times by a college profes- 
 sor in discussing the best way of teaching geography. 
 A few suggestions may help you. Drill upon the 
 use of capital letters. Make prominent the proper use 
 
 of the period, the comma and the interro- 
 tions^ gation point. The other punctuation marks 
 
 may come at a later date. Paragraphing 
 must not be neglected. The proper form for begin- 
 ning and ending a letter, or a personal note, should be 
 impressed upon the class. It was a specialist, a 
 college graduate, an applicant for an excellent position 
 in a leading high school who signed himself — "Yours 
 respectably." Do not depend upon books or papers 
 for model lessons. These will suggest themselves to 
 you as the fruit of your careful study. The best 
 language book which directors can introduce in the 
 schools is a teacher whose daily conversation is a 
 living example of pure English. The influence of 
 such a teacher goes far toward forming correct 
 language habits in the children. 
 
Knoivledge Most Useful to the Children loj 
 
 The teacher in any school will find himself amply- 
 repaid if he will make a careful study of methods in 
 language instruction. // caiviot be done by Qyammar. 
 those who discard English grammar as an 
 abomination. It can be done best by those who have 
 made a critical study of technical grammar. The most 
 helpful thing you could do for yourself would be to 
 study and thoroughly master some standard grammar 
 of the English language. 
 
 When a boy at school I was made to learn by heart 
 Goold Brown's English Grammar, rules, exceptions 
 and notes. Possibly there was time wasted in that 
 work, but I have so often had occasion to avail myself 
 of the knowledge of construction thus gained that I 
 have never felt called upon to complain of those who 
 required it of me. In connection with this we did not 
 neglect the parsing exercises. 
 
 I studied Andrew and Stoddard's Latin Grammar in 
 the same way, and the knowledge thus obtained is of 
 use whenever I have occasion to translate a Latin 
 phrase or trace the derivation of words. 
 
 Undoubtedly th'ere is a better way than this, but the 
 child must have a thorough, painstaking drill in 
 foundation principles if we expect him to become 
 proficient in the use of common English. It is certain 
 that the substitution of meaningless, crude "language 
 lessons," as they are termed, for the more rigid drill 
 in technical grammar has not proved a success if we 
 judge by the results. 
 
 Again, simplicity and directness count for very 
 much in the schoolroom. A name is a noun; call it a 
 noun and not a name word. Take it for granted that 
 children are able to comprehend simple truths without 
 so much circumlocution of speech as we sometimes 
 
lo/j. Co mm 71 Seiise Didactic s 
 
 think necessary. It is characteristic of child nature 
 to go directly to the point. We waste time when we 
 thus trifle with children's brains. 
 
 There is no reason to fear that spelling is becoming 
 one of the lost arts. Yet there is a necessity for con- 
 Si) I line- tiiiual drill, together with a critical study of 
 \h.^ spelling lesson. The notion that spelling 
 can best be taught incidentally in connection with 
 other lessons is responsible for an immense amount of 
 mischief. The spelling lesson should have its appro- 
 priate place on the daily program, and you should give 
 it the same attention you give to other important 
 branches. In teaching spelling appeal to both the eye 
 and the ear. While Webster's Old Blue Spelling Book 
 has done much good in its day and generation it has 
 also occasioned much loss of time and a vast amount 
 of useless study. The technical terms and the long 
 complicated words of five or six syllables which are 
 seldom if ever used in the ordinary business of life 
 should claim no part of the attention given to the 
 spelling exercise. 
 
 Oral spelling is not to be discarded. It serves a very 
 important purpose in fixing the form of the word in 
 the child's mind. The same is true of the written 
 exercises in spelling. For the older pupils this is inval- 
 uable. ^yN^\X,\w\\\^ Methods of TeacJmig, ^diys,; "Make 
 a judicious combination of oral spelling with written 
 exercises. Oral spelling secures correct pronunciation 
 and awakens a keener interest in pupils; written spell- 
 ing is the more practical, but is apt to become weari- 
 some if carried on exclusively." 
 
 Every pupil who passes under your instruction 
 has a right to complain if he is not trained so that 
 he can write a letter or make an application for a 
 
Knowledge Most Useful to the Children lo^ 
 
 position without misspelling words which are in daily 
 
 use. 
 
 He should be able to write a legible hand and with a 
 
 fair degree of rapidity. These are the two essential 
 
 points. It makes little difference under 
 
 ^ , , . ^ . . . Pentnan- 
 
 what peculiar system or penmanship he is ship. 
 
 trained. As soon as he is left to himself he 
 will develop his own natural style. There is nothing 
 which is more characteristic of a man than his hand- 
 writing. Do not, however, allow your pupils in their 
 writing exercises to scribble carelessly and in haste. 
 Insist that each paper shall be the best in penmanship 
 which that pupil can do, and accept nothing less than 
 that. Help him to develop his own handwriting 
 along the lines which will be valuable to him as a 
 business man. Point out the faults of his style. Have 
 him compare his penmanship with that of others; 
 excite his ambition, first as to legibility, then as to 
 rapidity, and let him work out his own salvation. The 
 large amount of written work required of the pupil 
 will, unless carefully watched, do more than any other 
 one thing to demoralize his penmanship. 
 
 The study of history is attracting much attention 
 among teachers. As usually treated it becomes only 
 a skeleton with grinning skull and rattling Historv 
 bones. It is composed largely of dates and 
 unimportant particulars. There is nothing real about 
 it. Pages are devoted to insignificant battles, or 
 unimportant settlements, while a few lines suffice to 
 portray the character of such men as Horace Greeley, 
 Daniel Webster, Samuel Adams or Patrick Henry. 
 And yet biography makes history and should not be 
 neglected. 
 
 Can you not manage to clothe this skeleton with 
 
io6 Cojnmon Sense Didactics 
 
 living words and make it instinct with life and holy 
 patriotism? The teacher of history should be a word 
 painter. 
 
 Picture for them the scene at Lexington. The class 
 should be made to hear the drum and the shrill fifes, to 
 behold the British red-coats as they line up on the 
 village green, to hear the hoarse command of the 
 British major: "Throw down your arms, ye rebels; 
 throw down your arms and disperse!" followed by the 
 quick, sharp order: "Ready, aim — fire." Make them 
 see the patriots, one here and another there, and still 
 another there, as they fall out of the ranks and bedew 
 the sod with the first blood shed in defence of Ameri- 
 can liberty. Again at Concord! 
 
 By the rude bridge that spanned the flood, 
 
 Their flag to April breeze unfurled, 
 'Twas there the embattled farmers stood 
 
 And fired the shot heard round the world. 
 
 The pupils should be able to see in clear outline the 
 rude bridge and the farmers, each with his musket, 
 drawn up to dispute the passage of the enemy. Let 
 them follow the retreat of the British and hear the 
 crack of the guns from the covert of every haystack, 
 out of every home, from behind trees and stone walls, 
 until the weary troops, with tongues hanging out of 
 their mouths, like hunted deer, are barely saved from 
 capture by reenforcements sent from Boston to meet 
 them. 
 
 In this way the teacher who is master of the subject 
 makes history a living reality. 
 
 The history lesson should have three points in view: 
 (a) to impart information; (b) to foster a healthy 
 national pride; (c) to cultivate a taste for historical 
 reading. 
 
Kiwzvledge Most Useful to the Children loj 
 
 Every citizen should have a knowledge of the gov- 
 ernment under which he lives. This knowledge he 
 must acquire, in part, technically in the 
 schools. And yet it is a question whether civics. 
 teaching civics formally in the grades 
 below the high school is not a misuse of time. How 
 little of civics as taught in school is understood by 
 children is well illustrated in this story: 
 
 Some years ago a lady residing in Washington told 
 me that they had visiting them a young lady from the 
 east who had been well instructed in the best schools 
 and had studied especially history and civics. As in 
 duty bound they exhibited to her all the sights in 
 Washington; went with her to the capitol, visited the 
 Senate and House of Representatives which happened 
 then to be in session, pointed out notable men, and so 
 on. After her visit was finished and she had returned 
 home she wrote them a letter of thanks, in which she 
 said that while she greatly enjoyed her trip and 
 especially her visit to the capitol, she should never 
 cease to lament that she had failed to see Congress. 
 
 The above was related to me by one in whose word 
 I have perfect confidence. 
 
 A little twelve-year-old girl who "took civics" in the 
 seventh grade expressed her disgust when she said, 
 "It is all bosh to me." The text-book should be 
 reserved for the higher grades. There is very much, 
 however, which you can do orally. The duties of the 
 ofifice, but not the name of the present officer in state 
 and national politics, may be learned. The office is 
 permanent; the officer changes. The Australian ballot 
 is easily explained in a general way, not in all its 
 minutia, by the use of a ticket prepared for some 
 election. The duties of a presiding officer and of a 
 
io8 Com?non Sense Didactic s 
 
 secretary, the proper mode of making motions ana of 
 putting them, and other matters, may be gathered by 
 organizing the school into a debating club each Friday 
 afternoon. If you are in earnest your ingenuity will 
 devise ways of interesting your pupils in this work. 
 
 After all the best work you can do in this line is to 
 impress upon the pupils the dignity of American citi- 
 zenship and the responsibility of the American voter. 
 This can be done in various ways, but particularly in 
 connection with history and the reading lesson. 
 
 The pupil should be constantly reminded of the pos- 
 sibilities of life in a republic. At the same time he 
 should be cautioned against expecting 
 of life ^ unreasonable things of himself. Many a 
 
 man has gone through life sour, sulky, dis- 
 appointed, growling, grumbling and kicking because 
 in his youth his parents and teachers excited his 
 ambition far beyond what could reasonably be 
 expected of his talents. The child must learn from 
 his teacher and from school life that some knowl- 
 edge is for some men; other knowledge is for other 
 men; but all knowledge is not for any one man. (See 
 page 84.) 
 
 In teaching arithmetic no late treatise, as far as I 
 
 have seen, has made any improvement upon the fol- 
 
 Arithmetic ^^^^^S statement of principles taken from 
 
 Methods of Instruction, by J. P. Wickersham: 
 
 "Before proceeding to describe these methods it 
 may be well to state the principal ends for which 
 arithmetic is studied and the most necessary condi- 
 tions of their attainment. These ends are: First, to 
 obtain a knowledge of the properties of numbers; 
 second, to give practice in mathematical reasoning; 
 third, to attain precision in the use of language, and 
 
Knozvledgc Most Useful to the Children log 
 
 fourth, to secure skill in the application of numbers to 
 the concerns of life. There are several secondary 
 ends which must not be overlooked. Among them the 
 following: First, rapidity and accuracy in the solution 
 of problems; second, skill in the use of abbreviating 
 artifices; third, an acquaintance with methods of 
 proof. The following may be named as the most 
 necessary conditions for the attainment of these ends: 
 First, the object-matter of the science should be dis- 
 tributed in a logical order; second, pupils should 
 commence with the simplest arithmetical operation 
 and be thoroughly grounded in each step of their 
 progress before taking another; third, arithmetical 
 definitions and rules should be understood by pupils 
 before they are required to use them [sometimes the 
 understanding comes through the using. — Ed.]; 
 fourth, pupils should be taught to explain their work 
 in clear, concise and appropriate language; fifth, 
 numerous well-graded, skillfully varied problems, 
 embodying every principle learned should furnish 
 ample opportunity to pupils for making a practical 
 application of their theoretical knowledge." 
 
 If I were to add anything it would be the following 
 directions: First, do not waste time in teaching pupils 
 to read and write very large numbers, as billions, 
 trillions, etc.; second, use fractions with small denom- 
 inators. Nearly all the fractions used in business are 
 halves, thirds, fourths, fifths and sixths, excepting, of 
 course, decimals. Such fractions, moreover, as far as 
 possible should be manipulated orally; third, carry on 
 oral and written arithmetic together at every recita- 
 tion, even though you have oral arithmetic as a sepa- 
 rate exercise. Encourage the use of short methods — 
 abbreviated is a better word. Economy of time and 
 
no Common Sense Didactics 
 
 space is desirable in solving problems. Do not 
 
 neglect oral arithmetic. 
 
 These rules may be of use to primary teachers: 
 
 I. Do not hurry the child in his number work during 
 
 Pq^ the first two years of school life. 
 
 primary 2. Gfve the child full credit for what he 
 
 teachers. 1 j 1 r 1 j 
 
 already knows of numbers, and use it as a 
 
 foundation upon which to build. 
 
 3. Do not use long and wordy formulas. The 
 hences, the whences, the therefores, the wherefores 
 are as meaningless to the child as so many Hebrew 
 words would be. 
 
 4. I quote from J. M. Greenwood, of Kansas City: 
 "Let it be kept constantly in mind that these things 
 (blocks, marbles, etc.) are helps only, and as soon as 
 the child can work without, they should be cast aside." 
 I believe that much earlier than we think the child 
 ought to pass from concrete numbers to abstract. 
 
 5. The use of measures and rulers and weights has a 
 certain value in teaching arithmetic, but their con- 
 tinued use in the upper grades has a tendency to make 
 the pupil slow and uncertain in hismathematical work. 
 Teachers show the result of such training in school in 
 the length of time it takes them to write up an arith- 
 metic paper of ten simple questions. A very common 
 excuse for failure in examination is: "I could have 
 worked them all if I had had more time." 
 
 The rule as the child progresses should be: Less of 
 the concrete and more of the abstract until he has no 
 more occasion for thinking blocks and things than he 
 has for counting his fingers. 
 
 In geography study modern methods as far as prac- 
 ticable. There is no study more inviting to an ingen- 
 ious teacher than this. The miniature hifls and 
 
K7ioivlcdge Most Useful to the Oiildren i.ii 
 
 valleys in the sand box; the streams which the chil- 
 dren cross in coming to school; the landscape about 
 the school building; the direction of differ- Q^ography. 
 ent houses and churches, and a large amount 
 of other material are available in rendering geography 
 interesting to little children. 
 
 For the older pupils mathematical, political and 
 commercial geography is taking the place once filled 
 by dry details and unimportant facts. In these days 
 when the ends of the earth are brought together and 
 we are exchanging our products for those of nearly 
 every nation, the commercial relations which we bear to 
 other countries ought to be, if rightly handled, of 
 great interest to both pupils and teacher. 
 
 Comparatively few teachers have been trained to 
 instruct in geography by the laboratory method. The 
 great majority of _them will continue for years to 
 teach in the old-fashioned way. For that reason I 
 have ventured to condense some ideas which I have 
 gathered from a paper by the United States Commis- 
 sioner of Education. 
 
 Dr. Harris shows very plainly how much there may 
 be in geography in the elementary schools under what 
 is admitted to be a poor quality of instruc- /^^ 
 tion and a very inadequate text-book. Harris' 
 The average child will obtain a pretty vivid ^^ 
 notion of the shape of the earth. He will connect 
 with it the idea that the earth is one of the bodies 
 which move around the sun. Then follow the ideas of 
 latitude and longitude which are intended to determine 
 the location of any place with reference to base lines 
 like the equator or like the first meridian. 
 
 He will have a general idea that the United States 
 in which he lives is in north latitude, and nearly all of 
 
112 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 Europe in east longitude as compared with the merid- 
 ian of Greenwich. It is more important, he says, to 
 the individual to know that Brazil is in south latitude 
 than it is to know that the mouth of the Amazon is on 
 the equator, and that the capital of Brazil is about 
 twenty-three degrees south. These general ideas 
 which the child learns are remembered. The specific 
 ideas, unless exceedingly important, very soon pass 
 out of his mind. 
 
 Then come the mental images of the territories occu- 
 pied by states and nations. He ought to have some 
 notion of the shapes, boundaries and general positions 
 of the states of his own country. For myself I cannot 
 help believing that there was some benefit in the 
 outline maps which children were compelled to study 
 years ago. They certainly helped fix these forms of 
 the contour of continents and states in the mind, and 
 I find them of value to me in my reading to-day. 
 
 There is, moreover, a class of geographical knowl- 
 edge which relates to the formation and modification 
 of the features of land and water. The child learns 
 something in respect to the sources and outlets of 
 rivers and of their navigability and usefulness. He 
 obtains the general information regarding lakes, high- 
 lands and lowlands and the trend of mountain chains. 
 The child who studies geography in the way indicated 
 in the ordinary text-book cannot fail to notice the 
 climate and the dependence upon it of the fertility of 
 the soil. He finds some typical facts in relation to 
 heat and cold. He learns how altitude above the sea 
 level affects the temperature. If explanation is given 
 in one case he generalizes it and applies it to other 
 countries. 
 
 Then through this superficial study of the book he 
 
Knowledge Most Useful to the Children iij 
 
 absorbs something of the diversity of labor over the 
 surface of the earth, of that commerce which exists 
 between nations by which things are carried from 
 where they are worthless to where they are pre- 
 cious. In other words, from where they are of little 
 value to places where they afford a good profit to the 
 seller. 
 
 Then follow the occupations of men, the different 
 races of men, the governments of the several countries, 
 the beasts, and through all these means his memory is 
 assisted in retaining the dryer but more essential facts 
 of geography. 
 
 I have quoted as briefly as possible this condensed 
 statement because there is a feeling that the study 
 and teaching of geography in the way most prevalent 
 is absolutely a waste of time. I have endeavored to 
 show you some of the things which you ought to 
 emphasize in geographical teaching. You will find 
 extracts from Dr. Harris in the notes to this chapter. 
 They are worth your reading. 
 
 That training is faulty which does not cultivate in the 
 
 child a desire for'knowledge. Every recitation should 
 
 be a stimulant, every hour spent in study _, , . 
 
 11 • ' .' i- ^u ^he desire 
 
 should prove an mcentive, every new truth /^ know. 
 
 gained from any source should be an added 
 
 strength, so that the duties of life may not quench his 
 
 ambition, nor the severities of toil dethrone his ideal. 
 
 Curiosity is the term which we often apply in speaking 
 
 of small children; in the case of older pupils and of 
 
 adults it is rather the pleasure which comes to one in 
 
 the acquisition of knowledge; the consciousness of 
 
 increased strength which always is present with one 
 
 who has overcome great obstacles in the way of his 
 
 advancement. 
 
114 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 Horace Mann writes thus: 
 
 "Every new idea that enters into the presence of the 
 sovereign mind carries offerings of delight with it, to 
 make its coming welcome. Indeed our Maker created 
 us in blank ignorance for the very purpose of giving us 
 the boundless, endless pleasure of learning new things. " 
 But it is not intellectual knowledge alone which the 
 man will need; he must know how to use his hands. 
 
 They must be made useful, as the servants 
 Eye and q£ ^.j^^ brain, in order that thought may 
 
 find a tangible expression for itself. The 
 employment of the jack knife for legitimate purposes 
 ought to be encouraged in the school. The boy who 
 is whittling out his idea — it may be only a stick with 
 notches to hold the window at various heights, or a 
 puzzle for the amusement or perplexity of his mates, or 
 a simple piece of apparatus to illustrate some experi- 
 ment in physics — has a faculty which may grow and 
 make him a useful man in his generation. 
 
 There is just as much need of men who can mend a 
 wagon, or shoe a horse, or patch a roof, or repair the 
 front-door lock as there is of men who astonish the 
 world by the brilliancy of their inventions. 
 
 It is not yet possible to introduce manual training in 
 every school, but the teacher should feel the necessity 
 
 of encouraging deftness and skill in the use 
 training. ^^ ^^ hand, even in so small a matter as 
 
 sharpening a lead pencil so as to protect 
 the lead, or in repairing a broken slate frame. The 
 boy who has acquired the habit of "making himself 
 handy" about the house or barn at home is being edu- 
 cated in a most practical way. 
 
 L. D. Harvey says: "It is the ambition of every 
 boy at a very early age to become the owner of a 
 
Knowledge Most Useful to the Children ii^ 
 
 pocket knife. The reason for this is that the pocket 
 knife is the tool which for him furnishes the largest 
 opportunities for the exercise of his inherent desire to 
 do. No one thinks of denying him the pocket knife 
 because of the fear that its use will compel him to 
 become a mere whittler, but on the contrary the 
 thoughtful parent will furnish it because of its value as 
 an instrument in the training of the child's manual 
 and mental powers." 
 
 In these days of sewing machines there is danger 
 that hand sewing will become a lost art, yet the girl 
 may find herself in a position where no sewing machine 
 can be had and then her hand must do the work for 
 herself or her friends. Furthermore the eye must be 
 trained to aid the hand in its work. It is something 
 for the eye to be able to distinguish colors; it is some- 
 thing for the hand to trace on paper the design con- 
 ceived by the brain; but the joint culture of the eye 
 and the hand is necessary in order to produce the 
 design in material form. 
 
 I have dwelt upon this point for a moment in order 
 to induce the teacher to think how great a work there 
 is to be done along these lines of giving the child the 
 complete use of his eyes and his hands. 
 
 I hope this book will be read by some whose good 
 fortune it is to teach in the midst of rural surroundings. 
 Nature has a thousand voices for those who 
 have ears to hear; beautiful things beyond teachers. 
 number for those who have eyes to see. 
 Knowledge presents itself in its most attractive form 
 to the child who is early accustomed to search for 
 it in pasture and stream and garden — among all 
 living things that frequent the forest and the road- 
 side. 
 
ii6 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 George B. Emerson, in his lifetime one of the fore- 
 most of Boston schoolmasters, writes thus of his child- 
 hood: 
 
 "As my father was a person of great public spirit, he 
 was usually chairman of the school committee and 
 took care that there should always be a well-educated 
 man as master of the school. Notwithstanding its 
 excellence my elder brother and myself were always, 
 after I reached the age of eight years, kept at home 
 and set to work as early in the season as there was 
 anything to be done in the garden or on our little farm. 
 I thus gradually became acquainted with sowing, 
 weeding and harvesting, and with the seeds, the 
 sprouting and growth of the leaves, the formation of 
 the blossoms, their flowering, the calyx, the petals, 
 their times of opening, coming to perfection, persist- 
 ence of falling and the successive changes in the seed- 
 vessels till the maturity of the seed, of all the plants of 
 the garden and the field. I became also familiarly 
 acquainted with all the weeds and their roots and the 
 modes of preventing their doing harm. I was 
 getting real knowledge of things; I formed the 
 habit of observing. This was always valuable knowl- 
 edge, the use of which I felt afterwards when I 
 began to study botany as a science, and as long as 
 I pursued it; for reading the description of a plant 
 I saw not the words of the book but the roots and 
 stems and leaves and flowers and seeds of the plant 
 itself. And this habit of careful observation I natur- 
 ally extended to whatever was the subject of my read- 
 ing or study. 
 
 "This was valuable, but I made another attainment 
 of still greater value. I learned how to use every tool, 
 spade and shovel, hoe, fork, rake, knife, sickle and 
 
K?iozvledge Most Useful to the Children iij 
 
 scythe, and to like to use them. I learned the use of 
 all my limbs and muscles, and to enjoy using them. 
 Labor was never then nor afterwards a hardship. I 
 was not confined to the garden and field. I had to 
 take care of horses, cows, sheep and fowls, and early 
 learned their character and habits, and that to make 
 them all safe and kind and fond of me it was only 
 necessary to be kind to them." 
 
 In the appendix to the Report of the Committee of 
 Twelve on Rural Schools, Francis W. Parker writes: 
 "The statement of what a farm does for a q . .. 
 boy in its general lines may easily be taken from 
 from the experience of a farm boy in New p'^^hl^ 
 England, for instance. As soon as he 
 found himself upon the farm at eight years of age he 
 began to study — to study in the best sense of that 
 much-abused word. He began the study of geography 
 — real geography. He observed with ever-increasing 
 interest the hills, valleys, springs, swamps and brooks 
 upon the old farm. The topography of the land was 
 clear and distinct; its divisions into field, pastures and 
 forests were to him the commonest facts of experi- 
 ence. 
 
 "He studied botany. All the kinds of grasses he 
 knew — timothy, clover, red top, silver grass, pigeon 
 grass; how they were sown, how they came up, grew, 
 were cut, cured and fed to the cattle; what kind of hay 
 was best for sheep, and what for oxen. . . . He knew 
 the trees, the maple with its sweet burden of spring, 
 the hemlock and the straight pine which he used 
 to climb for crows' nests. He knew the wild ani- 
 mals, the squirrels, the rabbits, the woodchucks; 
 the insects, the grasshoppers and ants; bugs that 
 scurried away when he lifted a stone. With the 
 
Ii8 Co?nmo7i Sense Didactic s 
 
 birds he was intimately acquainted. He lived to 
 become a school teacher, and taught school earnestly 
 and bunglingly for twenty years before he had even 
 a suspicion of the value of his farm life and farm 
 work." 
 
 The thoughtful, ingenious teacher will find many 
 opportunities for training the eye and cultivating the 
 use of the hand, thus aiding in bringing the body into 
 subjection to the mind. No rules can be laid down for 
 his guidance; he must contrive ways for himself. The 
 penmanship lesson, drawing, blackboard exercises, the 
 -degree of neatness or orderly arrangement of examples 
 placed on the board, accuracy in map-drawing, all are 
 in their way suggestive. 
 
 Lastly, the pupil must not be left in ignorance of 
 
 the laws of healthful living. This includes cleanliness 
 
 of person, the laws of sanitation, wholesome 
 Laws oj 1- . ^ • J • J- • 
 
 health. ^\^^, temperance and judicious exercise. 
 
 Very little information concerning the great 
 
 principles upon the practice of which health and 
 
 strength depend is fixed in the mind of the pupil when 
 
 he leaves school. This ought not to be so. The fault 
 
 is with the public. We expect from the teacher great 
 
 things in the intellectual growth of the school; we 
 
 demand but little, if anything, of him in the physical 
 
 training of the children under his care. The entire 
 
 system is wrong. The order of procedure should be, 
 
 first, moral, then physical, and ultimately, intellectual 
 
 training. (See page 82.) 
 
 There is also demanded, as part of the child's outfit 
 for life, knowledge of right choice when principle is 
 involved. It is that inward grace of backbone which 
 the times require of every true man. 
 
 Last of all, be sure that he has such understanding 
 
Knowledge Most Useful to the Childrefi iig> 
 
 of the hygiene of the organs of sense and of the laws 
 of health that a strong and healthful development of 
 all his bodily organs may enable his intellect to do the 
 best work possible for all his race. 
 
 But it is not intellectual strength alone, nor skill in 
 the use of the eye and hand, which promises success to 
 the child in coming years. He must also 
 have such knowledge of right and wrong, neons. 
 of those things which pertain to truth and 
 justice and honest living, that he may be able clearly 
 to distinguish them from those which characterize 
 error and injustice and dishonest living. By precept, 
 practice and example the child must be brought inta 
 that state of mind in which feelings, choice and will 
 unite in forming a perfect manhood, 
 
 The one unchanging thing 
 Beneath Time's changeful sky 
 
 To sum up the main points of this chapter: The 
 child, when he leaves school, should be in possession 
 of such knowledge as will be of the most practical use 
 to him in life. The branches, a knowledge of which 
 constitutes a faiply good English education, should 
 receive a large share of his attention. These branches 
 should not be slighted in order to obtain time for more 
 advanced studies. If the superstructure is to endure, 
 the foundations must be solid. 
 
 Going out into life he must carry with him a desire 
 to know all things within his reach. But he should 
 have in his mind a knowledge of his capabilities, and 
 choose his line of work in accordance with their ex- 
 tent. 
 
 A great work is entrusted to your hands; it is nothing 
 less than 
 
 The Making of a Man. 
 
120 Comfnon Sense Didactics 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 value of studies. 
 
 The best education has come from contact with nature. It i5 
 absurd to say that Abraham Lincoln was uneducated because he 
 did not have the advantages of the schools. He was educated for 
 the work of his life, even if most of his clay work was done with 
 a hoe, his wood work with an axe, his physics with a crowbar. 
 
 —Earl Barnes. 
 
 In teaching reading there are just two ends to be sought: 
 (i) To make the learner automatic and quick in the recognition of 
 word and letter forms and values; (2) to secure his interest in the 
 content, the spiritual element of the printed forms. 
 
 — Ruric N. Roark. 
 
 Whenever and wherever throughout the course a part of 
 speech, a fact of etymology, a 'definition, an explanation, a rule, 
 or general direction, a lesson in parsing or analysis, will directly 
 assist pupils in comprehending or adequately expressing thought, 
 any and every detail of grammar should be freely presented and 
 freely used. 
 
 — Francis W. Parker. 
 
 In recent years there has been much so-called "language- 
 study" in our schools ostensibly for the purpose of teaching the 
 pupil how to write or compose with facility. He has been set at 
 work writing numerous commonplace sentences about common- 
 place things. The result of this language-study has been 
 described not inaptly as "gabble." 
 
 —B. A . Hinsdale. 
 DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE. 
 
 To this might be added that irrepressible curiosity, that all- 
 pervading desire to know, which is found in the mind of every 
 child. The mind, as if conscious of its high destiny, instinctively 
 spreads its unfledged wings in pursuit of knowledge. This, with 
 some children, is an all-sufficient stimulant to the most vigorous 
 exertion. To this the teacher may safely appeal. 
 
 — W. H. Payne. 
 
 Ideals come in to compel men to go forward. It is easier to lie 
 down in a .thorn hedge, or to sleep in a field of stinging nettles 
 than for a "man to abide contentedly as he is, while his ideals 
 scourge him upward. 
 
 —Newell D wight Hillis. 
 
 As the child is growing up educational training should be con- 
 tinued and should include wider interests, teaching thoughtful- 
 ness for others and at the same time the principle of self-coiitrol 
 and close obedience to the laws of health. 
 
 — Francis Warner. 
 
Knowledge Most Useful to the Children 121 
 
 THE EYE AND THE HAND. 
 
 How many schoolmasters of even the present regime compre- 
 hend with John Ruskin that "the youth who has once learned to 
 take a straight shaving off a plank, or to draw a fine curve with- 
 out faltering, or to lay a brick level in its mortar, has learned a 
 multitude of other matters which no lips of man could ever teach 
 him"? 
 
 —Charles H. Ham. 
 
 When children go into the shops and find that they have to do 
 something themselves, delight seizes their souls. They take the 
 school home with them. When education penetrates the home 
 and when the home penetrates the school then things move on. 
 
 — Francis IV. Parker. 
 
 In no country on earth is there as great a need of good, true, 
 strong characteristics in human life as in America. In no nation 
 do manhood and womanhood in their highest and noblest excel- 
 lence have such a chance to count for so much. In no way is 
 personal virtue, wise restraint and self-mastery able to exert such 
 majestic influence as is possible to-day in the wonderful call for 
 citizenship that is able at all times and under all circumstances 
 to stand for the best and the most glorious things in our civil- 
 ization. 
 
 —H. H. Seerley. 
 
 How pathetic the wrecks of men who have chosen the wrong 
 occupation ! 
 
 — Newell Dwight Hillis. 
 LA WS OF HEALTH. 
 
 Prompt and vigorous steps should be taken to acquaint every 
 school teacher in this> country with such exercises as would 
 quickly restore the misshapen, insure an erect carriage, encourage 
 habits of full breathing and strengthen the entire trunk and every 
 limb. 
 
 — William Blaikie. 
 
 The following quotations are from the article by Dr. 
 Harris, referred to in the text: 
 
 GEOGRAPHY. 
 
 It must be admitted, however, that it is a mistake to send cne 
 child to the geographical investigation of his neighborhood 
 before he has heard anything about the great facts of the world ; 
 he should be put on the investigation of his habitat in connection 
 with the great facts which are mentioned in the geography. One 
 approaches the explanation of great facts through little facts, but 
 he should learn as quickly as possible to see these little facts on 
 the background of great facts; hence they should be taught 
 together. If this is so it is certainly a mistake to keep pupils for 
 
122 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 many weeks or even many days upon the study of their neigh- 
 borhoods before taking up the colossal facts which are of world- 
 importance. 
 
 In geography the pupil comes into contact with these substan- 
 tial facts that lie outside of his daily experience and yet are 
 neces'sary to him for explanation of that experience. Good 
 instruction in the school will of course draw constantly on the 
 daily experience of the pupil in order to explain the colossal facts 
 which are not to be found in his neighborhood. The small things 
 and phenomena which he sees every day about his habitat enable 
 him to learn to understand the greater phenomena which are of 
 historical importance. He sees, for example, every day the effect 
 of the last rain-freshet in wearing away the soil of the road on the 
 hill-side, and it furnishes the small fact by which he interprets 
 the large fact of the wearing away of the Niagara-gorge. 
 
 Even the old-fashioned geography gives items regarding the 
 religious beliefs of the peoples of the different countries. Religion 
 is the underlying principle of civilization. 
 
 Thus we have a repertoire of the main points of sociology, 
 namely religious beliefs, forms of government, industrial occu- 
 pations, races, and costumes, and finally what each nation puts 
 into the market of the world from its surplus for exchange with 
 other peoples, and what it receives in return. 
 
 MISCELLA NEO US. 
 
 One thing grown-up people fail to realize about boy life, 
 especially children's life, and that is the intensity of it. There is 
 a strong life of hopes, fears, likes and dislikes, friendships and 
 quarrels going on which the master little suspects. 
 
 — /?. H. Quick. 
 
 Latterly I have found it necessary to show that the core of the 
 school curriculum is right ; that the need of an illiterate man when 
 he goes away from home is a knowledge of reading and writing 
 rather than a knowedge of bugs, beetles, lobsters, whales and 
 other stuff which is displacing the three R's in the curriculum of 
 many schools. 
 
 —N. C. Schaeffer. 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 /. How much importance attaches to the reading lesson? 
 
 2. State in your own words what Miss Arnold says of teaching 
 
 reading. 
 J. What is said in this chapter concerning the spelling lesson? 
 
 4. What points should be made prominent in teaching arith- 
 
 metic? 
 
 5. What is the effect of stimulating the child's ambition 
 
 beyond his natural ability? 
 
 6. The importance of training the hand and the eye? 
 
 7. What advantages has the teacher of the country school? 
 
Kiiozvledge Most Useful to the Childre?i I2j 
 
 8. What is said concerning the laws of health? 
 g. Sum up the main points of this chapter. 
 lo. What is involved in the motto, "The Making of a Man"? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 1. Who was Francis W. Parker? 
 
 2. Who was George B. Emerson? 
 
 J. In what way can a child be taught to use his eyes and his 
 
 hands? 
 4, Do you consider arithmetic the most essential branch in the 
 
 curriculum? Explain. 
 /. What distinction do you make between a disciplinary and 
 
 an information study? 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 MORALS ' 
 Out of the Abundance of the Heart 
 
 The simple and salient fact is we do not get hold of the little 
 children soon enough. An unfortunate childhood is the sure 
 prophecy of an unfortunate life. 
 
 — Sarah B. Cooper. 
 
 In the school, as elsewhere, good, honest toil is a remedy for 
 many of those ills that come where idleness and looseness prevail. 
 Every boy who does a piece of work thoroughly and completely is 
 a different boy from what he was before. 
 
 —Samuel 71 Button. 
 
 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S PRAYER: 
 
 Lord, deliver the laddies before Thee from lying, cheating, 
 cowardice and laziness, which are as the devil. Be pleased to put 
 common sense in their hearts, and give them grace to be honest 
 men all the days of their life. 
 
 —Ian Madaren, in "■Young Barbarians.'''' 
 
 THE cultivation of morality in its broadest sense 
 including the proper control or exercise of the 
 emotional nature of the child, the cultivation of his 
 -pf^g conscience as influencing him to right- 
 
 cultivation mindedness, this is the most important 
 oj mora I y. ^^^y imposed upon the teacher by his 
 office. There can be no more weighty concern pre- 
 sented to the youthful mind than how to attain to a 
 right life by the process of growth in right conduct. 
 
 To the accomplishment of this end all the exercises 
 of the school should be made to contribute. The 
 recitations, the recesses, the study hours, the general 
 management and the discipline, are, or ought to be, 
 strong factors in moral training. 
 
 All the signs of the times indicate the need of more 
 pointed and more radical moral instruction in our 
 
 124 
 
Morals 125 
 
 schools. If we expect to stay the tide of youthful 
 crime we must begin at the foundation, and deal with 
 the child as a responsible being. We must appeal more 
 to his conscience, and impress upon him a knowledge ot 
 the terrible consequences of wrong-doing which he will 
 bring upon himself if he persists in his evil courses. 
 
 The philosophers may philosophize as they will, 
 but in plain language, avoiding all technical terms, 
 we believe that Dr. Harris sums the whole matter up 
 when he says: "The personal conviction of respon- 
 sibility lies at the basis of all truly moral actions." 
 
 It is to be regretted that many teachers regard 
 moral training as a thing separate and by itself. It 
 is too often dependent upon the opening exercises, or 
 it is made the subject of certain lessons given at fixed 
 and stated times. In such a case it has no connection 
 with school life, and worse yet, it is wholly divorced 
 from life outside the schoolroom. Thus moral train- 
 ing fails oftentimes to take hold of the living child 
 or to find any lodgment in his heart. 
 
 Rules, regulations and restrictions have a place in 
 moral training, but as the child grows in years the 
 necessity for them should become less and less, until 
 they can be dispensed with, and the man be left to 
 stand upon the foundation laid in his youth. Moral 
 instruction concerns the inner being, and must work 
 from the heart outward. 
 
 You will occasionally be met by the objection that 
 the public schools cannot give any instruction in the 
 domain of morals for fear that in so doing The prov- 
 they may invade the field of creed and ince of the 
 J . 1 • 1 •. • .1 r • school in 
 
 dogma m which it is the peculiar province moral 
 
 of the church to instruct its children and traming. 
 youth. I cannot agree with those who take this 
 
126 Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 position. Neither can I agree with those who regard 
 the public schools as godless, and their attempts at 
 moral instruction as of little worth. 
 
 Society is based upon certain great, cardinal princi- 
 ples that by universal consent are regarded as the 
 foundations upon which depend the safety of our 
 homes and welfare of our children. A community 
 where every man is rated as a liar or a thief, where 
 dishonesty is the rule and honesty the exception, 
 where lawlessness in unchecked and human life held 
 at a low estimate, would not be a desirable place for 
 a residence. Here is a vast domain embracing every 
 sphere of life over which the church does not claim 
 exclusive jurisdiction and which the school may not 
 rightly neglect. 
 
 Every crime punished by the state is a transgression 
 of one of the ten commandments; every virtue binding 
 together the brotherhood of man is inculcated in the 
 Sermon on the Mount. Honesty, reverence, temper- 
 ance, purity, patriotism, truthfulness, justice, mercy, 
 obedience, whatever tends to add to the usefulness of 
 the citizen, the stability of the government, or to raise 
 the tone of society comes within the legitimate prov- 
 ince of moral instruction in the public school. 
 
 I refer here especially to those virtues the practice 
 of which renders it possible for men to trust each other 
 in business transactions. It makes little 
 mrtues. difference whether a man is fat or lean, tall 
 
 or short, broad-shouldered or narrow- 
 chested. We do not care what ticket he votes. We 
 make no inquiries as to his church affiliations. But 
 we do want to be assured that he gives full weight and 
 honest measure, and is exact in his accounts; that he 
 does not keep about his place of business lewd or 
 
Morals izj 
 
 drunken clerks to insult our wives or cheat our chil- 
 dren. 
 
 I dwell upon these points because so many of our 
 teachers fear to give definite and daily instruction con- 
 cerning them, lest they offend some over-sensitive 
 parent in the district. I desire here equally to empha- 
 size the necessity of teaching our children obedience 
 to law and reverence for constituted authority. There 
 can be no question upon this point. Here the teacher's 
 duty is as clear as the light of day. To live in open 
 disregard of the laws of the land is inconsistent with 
 the character of a good citizen, affixes to the offender 
 the brand of disloyalty, and affords an example which 
 the youth in our schools should be taught to shun. 
 
 If I am asked how far this instruction in morals may 
 
 be carried I am ready to answer that its extent is 
 
 measured by the welfare of the citizens and Religion 
 
 the necessities of the state. Then perhaps in the 
 
 1 1 <<Ai7, ^ r ,1 schools. 
 
 you ask me, as many have, What or the 
 
 existence of God, and what of personal responsibility? 
 
 What is my duty in this regard?" 
 
 Let me ask you 'a question in return, the answer to 
 which seems to solve the question. How can you 
 teach civil government and the sanctity of the official 
 oath if you ignore the existence of God, or discard the 
 doctrine of personal responsibility? What will you do 
 with the references to an overruling Providence, in 
 Lincoln's Gettysburg Speech, in Washington's Fare- 
 well Address, and in the proclamations for thanksgiv- 
 ing or fasting put forth by nearly every president since 
 the days of Washington? 
 
 Read in the notes at the close of this lesson the 
 extracts from the constitutions of three northwestern 
 states and you can decide the question for yourself. 
 
J28 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 A Frencn philosopher once said: "God is as neces- 
 sary as liberty to the French people." What was true 
 in France then is true in America to-day. 
 
 To the thoughtful teacher the intent of moral instruc- 
 tion is not a doubtful question. The teacher may not 
 inculcate the peculiar belief or creed of any sect or 
 class of people. The mind of the child in the public 
 schools must be left free to receive such distinctly 
 religious instruction in Sunday school, church, family, 
 or otherwise as each parent may elect. In addition to 
 this the wise teacher will in no way ridicule or bring 
 into disgrace the peculiar religious views of the family 
 from which the child comes. Nothing can be worse 
 for the child than to have his respect for the religion 
 of his parents treated scornfully or even lightly. Thus 
 far the way of the public school teacher is hedged up 
 by lines beyond which he may not lawfully pass. 
 
 Notwithstanding all that is said to the contrary 
 the fact that this is in name a Christian nation is 
 recognized in every legislature in the land. In every 
 court, from the justice office of the village to the 
 supreme court of the nation, the sanctity of the oath is 
 confirmed and strengthened by the expression, "So 
 help you God." No legislative assembly, no court 
 of law, no political convention would dare breast the 
 storm of indignation which would be raised by its con- 
 vening on the Christian Sabbath. If our government 
 has any stability it is a stability rooted and grounded 
 in the heart of the Christian people. If we have any 
 culture it is an outgrowth of our Christian civilization. 
 
 But without going beyond their lawful domain there 
 What 7n ay is a broad range of moral instruction within 
 be taught. which teachers may find a field for most 
 profitable and efficient work. 
 
Morals i2g 
 
 At the risk of repeating what I have already said I 
 desire to enforce this point. There are certain acci- 
 dental qualities which attach themselves to every 
 man. They are his peculiar property and constitute 
 the sum total of his individuality. With these we 
 have no concern. But there are other vital qualifica- 
 tions which make up his character and guide him in 
 his dealings with his fellows, and these qualifications 
 it is the business of the public school to cultivate in 
 the children who attend upon its instruction. Tem- 
 perance, regularity and promptness in meeting busi- 
 ness engagements, honesty in dealing with others, 
 reverence, purity, truthfulness and obedience, respect 
 for law, the sanctity of an oath, whatsoever virtues 
 enter into the character of the typical American citizen, 
 these must be taught to the children of all classes 
 alike, for they are the foundation of that practical 
 religion which alone makes this life endurable. "These, 
 taken as one grand whole, are the essence of that which 
 we call faith, and faith is the essence of all religion." 
 And so we come back to the point at issue, that there 
 is occasion in the^ public schools for teaching that 
 plain, practical, business morality which enters into 
 the everyday dealings of life, and which, by unfold- 
 ing to the child the brotherhood of man, enables him 
 more fully to comprehend the fatherhood of God. 
 
 Is this done in the public schools of the land? In 
 a measure, it is, but not so fully as it ought to be. 
 The intellectual has the preference over the moral in 
 most of our schools. The text-book is on the throne. 
 Mathematics, science, literature, whatever induces 
 brilliant intellectual results, are crowded to the front, 
 while the growth of those finer qualities of the heart, 
 which make up such types of manhood and woman- 
 
 9 
 
ijo Co mm 71 Se?ise Didactics 
 
 hood as we hope for in the coming American citizen, 
 is left in the background. 
 
 The following quotation is from the pen of Cyrus 
 Peirce, whom Horace Mann chose to be president of 
 the first normal school in America: 
 
 "By virtue of the understanding, man may learn the 
 laws of God; but it is the conscience only that can 
 Extract keep him in the practice of them. This 
 from Cyrus has been practically very much lost sight 
 of. In our schools, for the last thirty years 
 or more, we have been educating the head, the intel- 
 lect, so far as we have educated anything; teaching 
 boys and girls a little grammar, geography, arithme- 
 tic, and a few poor accomplishments, — rather than 
 infusing into them a right moral spirit, and teaching 
 them the great duties and responsibilities of life. This 
 is implied in all our school arrangements, text-books, 
 examinations and standards of school excellence. 
 This is the reason, or a principal reason, that educa- 
 tion, popular education, school education, has not 
 checked, and will not check crime. The head will 
 not do the work of the heart, nor the heart of the head. 
 We must be more than informed of our duty. "If ye 
 know these things happy are ye if ye do them." Let 
 us go to work and do as much everywhere for the heart 
 and the conscience as we have done for the intellect." 
 As a part of moral instruction it is necessary to 
 induce children to think seriously upon moral subjects 
 J^^ . and to determine their own actions by judg- 
 
 ing for themselves. As choice precedes 
 action so motives precede choice. Do not allow a 
 child to decide in haste a question involving a right 
 or wrong course of action. Give him plenty of time 
 to revolve the matter in his own mind. 
 
Morals iji 
 
 At the close of a patient talk the teacher said to a 
 troublesome pupil: "I do not want an answer to- 
 night. Take the matter home and think it over, 
 'Is my conduct in school such as it should be?' 
 To-morrow or the next day come and tell me your 
 decision, but take your time for it." There was no 
 answer for several days. The teacher's treatment of 
 the pupil was kind and cordial, but no reference was 
 made to the matter of which both were thinking. 
 Before the end of the week the boy had thought it out, 
 and of his own accord after the session said to his 
 teacher: 'T have been tlimkirig, and I was wrong all 
 the way through. " 
 
 Motives maybe classified thus: First, those which are 
 
 personal in their nature. We all are actuated more or 
 
 less by love of self. Only in rare instances 
 1 ' r J 1 11 Motives 
 
 do we find a person who can and does classified 
 
 entirely forget his own interests in deter- 
 mining his course of action. What we are unable to 
 do ourselves we ought not to expect children to do. 
 
 While it is right to inculcate a spirit of unselfishness 
 in the child we ought not to look upon him as totally 
 depraved because many of his actions are induced by 
 selfish interests. If we can so far control and direct 
 him that he will not strive to obtain any advantage by 
 disregarding the rights of others we have accom- 
 plished in many cases all that we have any right to 
 expect. Self-approbation is a laudable motive, and 
 the teacher has a right to appeal to it. Self-approba- 
 tion is akin to self-respect. 
 
 A second class of motives can be found in a desire 
 to gain the approbation of others. Motives which 
 may be gathered under this head are perfectly legiti- 
 mate, and the teacher need have no fear of appealing 
 
IJ2 Commoft Se7ise Didactics 
 
 to them. Care must be taken, however, to impress 
 upon the pupil that approbation and praise gained 
 through fraud or deceit is a lasting disgrace. 
 
 The third class of motives includes those which 
 appeal to the child's ideas of right, to his higher 
 nature, to his sense of responsibility, — as a child to his 
 parents, as a pupil to his school, as a citizen to his 
 country, and as an individual to his Maker. 
 
 In his address to a candidate for ordination Bishop 
 Brooks thus described the spirit that should animate 
 the minister: "The true mother loves her son and 
 loves the truth; as a result the child is educated in 
 the right manner. The disciples loved Christ, and 
 they loved the men around them; consequently their 
 work among them was crowned with success. If you 
 would teach a man a duty or a truth which he should 
 know you must have this double love. To comfort a 
 man in grief you must have one hand on the strong 
 rock of absolute truth and the other on the trembling 
 afflicted soul. Kindness without truth is not kind; 
 truth without kindness is not true." 
 
 These are sound words and should be kept in mind 
 by everyone who desires to lead the child into ways 
 of truth and soberness. You cannot force these 
 motives upon the child and have them live. They 
 must be vitalized by love and kindness, and by a 
 sincere interest in his welfare. An old writer says 
 this, and it is worth remembering: "The more expe- 
 riences we have the richer is our life. It is better to 
 hold any portion of truth in the mind in a vital way 
 than to have its whole baggage stored merely in one's 
 memory." 
 
 There is not space in this chapter to discuss the 
 nature or functions of the will. It is enough for our 
 
Morals ijj 
 
 present purpose to say that the will is the self-determin- 
 ing power of the soul. Of two courses open to the 
 child he knows that one is right and one ^, ... 
 is wrong, — one involves disobedience and 
 breaking away from all restraint; the other, obedience 
 and the conscientious discharge of any duty. Here 
 good motives and pure feelings come in to act as a 
 stimulant to the will and to compel a right choice. 
 On the other hand if the motives are low and selfish, if 
 the feelings are sluggish and dead, then the will has 
 no prompting to resist temptation and the wrong 
 choice is the result. 
 
 The boy played truant yesterday. To-day as he 
 leaves his father's house the choice presents itself. 
 "Shall I go to school or shall I do as I did yester- 
 day?" What is to determine his course? His feel- 
 ings, his regret at having caused his parents trouble, his 
 shame at being punished, his desire to regain the place 
 in his class which he has lost, his pride, his better 
 nature, all conspire to lead him to the school. He meets 
 a boon companion, ^an idler, a vagabond, yields to his 
 influence and spends the day, as he did yesterday, in 
 the fields and woods. What was the reason? When it 
 came to the point of executing his choice his will was 
 weak, and he yielded to temptation. He had not been 
 taught to look beyond the pleasure of to-day. 
 
 How can I strengthen the will of such a boy, or 
 rather how can I aid him to do this for himself? By 
 placing before him right motives, by appealing to his 
 sense of duty, by encouraging him in any attempt to 
 do right, by placing implicit confidence in his prom- 
 ises, which are honest at the time made, to do better 
 in the future. 
 
 A more difficult case is found in the boy whose 
 
ij^ Ccmmoii Sense Didactics 
 
 will is strong but depraved; it always impels to wrong 
 action whenever a choice presents itself. Of the boys 
 A strong taken from the streets, some of them young" 
 but de- criminals, and placed in proper homes 
 
 pravedwill. ^^^^^^ judicious men and women, ninety-five 
 per cent are saved. How is this accomplished? By 
 giving them something to do, by interesting them in 
 some work which calls out their native energy; by 
 meeting them more than half way in every effort to 
 do right; by trusting them in important places or 
 work, and by cultivating self-respect and the desire to 
 excel in whatever they undertake. In every case 
 give such boys an opportunity for self-reflection. 
 When the child discovers that he is an object of sus- 
 picion, that no one trusts him, his ruin is not far off. 
 Arnold's boys used to say: "It is mean to lie to 
 Arnold; he trusts us so." The boy's honor is often 
 the most sensitive point in his character. You will 
 seldom make a mistake in appealing to it. 
 
 In close connection with what I have written is the 
 
 cultivation of conscience. Every child has a character 
 
 which is his own, an individuality which no 
 
 {^OJISCICIICC 
 
 man can take from him. To form this 
 character, to give shape to this individuality, is largely 
 the work of the conscience. 
 
 The absence or death of conscience is the death of 
 every moral sense. Without a conscience a man knows 
 no distinction between right and wrong. He is chained, 
 a helpless captive, to the wheels of his mad impulses; 
 blind, he is lead in rough paths by his passions; deaf, 
 the celestial voice which approves or disapproves our 
 acts has no means of access to his soul. 
 
 If conscience is thus inborn, how can we best 
 nurture it; what are the conditions of its growth? 
 
Morals 13s 
 
 There is a strong sustaining power in the perform- 
 ance of duty. Conscience is the life of duty, it 
 prompts to action, it impels while it supports. Just 
 as the transfiguration of Christ was to his disciples 
 a new revelation, so the performance of duty some- 
 times opens our eyes to the wondrous beauty of a 
 higher life; the dull and somber raiment of earth is 
 changed for the white and shining garments; white, 
 "so as no fuller on earth can white them." 
 
 Conscience is best trained through habits of right- 
 doing, and right-doing is not limited to those duties 
 which we call moral. Every act which is required of 
 the child must be performed with due regard to the 
 motive and spirit of the action. The attempt must 
 be not simply to enlighten conscience, but to so 
 enlighten it as to deepen its hold upon the whole life 
 of the child. 
 
 Every action has a moral side and involves a ques- 
 tion of right and wrong. It is not enough that the 
 lesson is learned or neglected, the given task per- 
 formed or unperformed, the command obeyed or dis- 
 obeyed, the words pure or impure, reverent or profane. 
 Back of all and under all are motives; the spring of 
 every virtue is a tender conscience. 
 
 This caution is, in some instances, very needful. It 
 is a species of cruelty to nurture a tender conscience 
 in the child, and leave him with a weak and f,, ., 
 vacillatmg will to become the prey of his bothcon- 
 passions and afterward the victim of a bit- ^J^if^^ ^^^ 
 ter remorse. The will can be exercised only 
 when one or two or more courses is to be chosen. In 
 addition to nurturing the conscience we must bring to 
 bear upon the child the power of duty and obligation; 
 the force which there is in must and otight^ in thou shalt 
 
1^6 Co mm 71 Seiise Didactics 
 
 and tliou shalt fiot; we must appeal to motives rather 
 than to impulses; we must show him the results of 
 actions if we would have him both know and choose 
 right things. Against this cultivation, on the part of 
 the teacher, of the child's moral sense by the nurture 
 of conscience and the strengthening of the will, there 
 is no law. The state should require it, the church 
 should urge it, the community should demand it, 
 because the absence of it threatens them all with a com- 
 mon peril. Neither is there any law which forbids 
 the teacher to recognize the child as an accountable, 
 immortal being. 
 
 There are boys and girls, it is true, who are deficient 
 in conscience, as there are those deficient in intellect. 
 If we deal tenderly and patiently with one. 
 Children so ought we to deal tenderly and patiently 
 Z^nsdence!' with the other. Very much depends upon 
 the motives which are placed before such a 
 child. It is in vain that we attempt to instil correct 
 notions of God and his claims upon us as his children 
 before we have aroused a sense of right and wrong in 
 the mind. The first dawnings of conscience as an 
 acknowledged power should be used to correct bad 
 habits, for often that which we are accustomed to 
 call inherited tendency to crime is only habit, born 
 of vicious surroundings; by careful nurture it can be 
 brought under the power of conscience. 
 
 What now are the conditions most favorable to 
 
 the growth of conscience? In dealing with the child 
 
 ^ ,. . we often appeal to his fear of punishment. 
 
 Conditions . . K , • 
 
 favorable to ^o his self-approbation, to many mmor 
 
 growth of motives which are in themselves lawful and 
 conscience . 
 
 proper , but we do not often enough bring 
 
 him face to face with the question, "Is it right?" 
 
Morals ijy 
 
 In the lower courts the child pettifogs with his 
 lame excuses, pleads the law of circumstances and 
 frequently baffles justice. We do not often enough 
 appeal to that higher court wherein" the silent, 
 thoughtful judge strips the question of all sophistry, 
 and in plain, unmistakable terms decides each ques- 
 tion in its turn as right or wrong. The continual 
 exercise of conscience is the surest condition of its 
 growth. 
 
 If by the promptings of this inner moral sense we 
 can place truth in such a light that the child sees 
 and feels it to be more desirable than error, then the 
 culture and development of conscience must be 
 regarded as the foundation of moral instruction. 
 
 We are told that the design of education is to build 
 
 character. But character is not something to be built 
 
 and torn down and rebuilt at our pleasure. _. 
 
 . . r 1 1 1 Character- 
 
 It is not like a suit of clothes to be put on building not 
 
 to-day and put off to-morrow. Character is the design 
 
 . ^ r • A of education. 
 
 a thing of growth, not of creation. As every 
 
 movement of the muscles adds strength to the limbs 
 of the growing child, so every act which takes cog- 
 nizance of duty, which offers to the child a choice 
 between right and wrong gives tone and shape to the 
 character. (See page 44.) 
 
 It is not the relation of the child to politics, it is 
 not how to develop his power to earn and hoard 
 money, it is not an accumulation of dry facts — which 
 may be as useful to a villain as to an honest man — 
 that most nearly concern the child and his teacher. 
 The relations of the child to himself as an accountable 
 being; the inward consciousness that he is responsible 
 for his actions and their results; the relations, above all 
 others, which, commencing with himself as the center, 
 
Jj8 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 radiate through his words, his deeds, his motives, 
 influencing all with whom he comes in contact — these 
 are to his character what the warp and woof are to 
 the texture of the cloth. 
 
 Right actions always spring from right-mindedness. 
 If we can induce the child before he acts to think 
 in reference to results of his actions he will seldom 
 do wrong. Thus it is entirely proper that the child 
 should be instructed in the department of morals, 
 especially in those minor habits which constitute the 
 conduct of every-day life. Still the practice of lectur- 
 ing and preaching to the children should not be over- 
 done. 
 
 An incident which happens m connection with the 
 school may sometimes be utilized, and made the basis 
 of a most effective talk. So the reading of some story, 
 or some selection from a popular author, may be 
 introduced as inculcating a healthy moral lesson. But 
 more than this every exercise or recitation should have 
 a bearing upon the moral side of the life which pre- 
 vails in the schoolroom. Moral training in the school 
 should lead directly to independence in moral actions. 
 This cannot be accomplished unless we can. develop in 
 the child a conscience which becomes the ruler of his 
 conduct. 
 
 This thought also must not be omitted. The 
 example of the teacher is often the most powerful 
 influence which can be brought to bear in 
 exainple. moral instruction. Nowhere as here can the 
 power of unconscious tuition be seen and 
 felt. Children are natural imitators, so that the dress, 
 the speech, the tones of voice, the manners of the 
 teacher are apt to be reproduced in the plays and 
 amusements of the children at recess and at home. 
 
Morals IJQ 
 
 The conscientious teacher must have a care that in 
 none of these things does he offend one of the little 
 ones of his flock. 
 
 Wickersham says upon this point: "The teacher's 
 example, his daily walk and conversation, has a 
 powerful influence upon the young of whom he has the 
 care. We all grow like our ideals. The ideal of a 
 child is the teacher he loves. On his soul is stamped 
 the teacher's image, and the impression deepens day 
 by day. Silently, unconsciously to either party, the 
 teacher's life settles down upon the child's life and 
 moulds it in its own likeness. Without a spoken word 
 the example of the true teacher is a continuous ser- 
 mon, sinking into the young hearts about him and 
 working marvelous results in forming character and 
 shaping life. 
 
 "The great teachers of the world have not been its 
 famous scholars, but those who by example, by word 
 and deed, were able to influence for good the young of 
 whom they had charge — those at whose magic touch 
 all that is best in, human nature is evolved and made 
 ready to serve mankind and to honor God." 
 
 As a conclusion to this chapter: These three terms 
 — the intellect, the sensibilities, the will — are com- 
 monly used in discussing the question of r^^^/^/^/^;; 
 moral training. Through the intellect we 
 apprehend or know, through the sensibilities we feel, 
 through the will we determine action. Knowledge 
 precedes the sensibilities, or feelings, as some authors 
 designate them. Mark Hopkins says: "Without 
 intellect there is no light, without feeling there is no 
 motive, without motive there is no choice." Thus 
 both intellect and sensibility are necessary to motive; 
 motives rule the will and determine the action. 
 
140 Com?no7i Se7ise Didactics 
 
 It is well for the teacher to remember that there is 
 sometimes a child with a normal intellect, but without 
 any sense of fear, or love, or hatred, or reverence. The 
 sensibilities seem to be wanting, and it is little less 
 than a miracle to create or awaken them. Another 
 with a feeble intellect has very keen sensibilities. Yet 
 another is deficient in will, although the intellect and 
 feelings are fairly active. Probably these exist, if only 
 in an unconscious state, in the mind of every child 
 excepting the natural idiot, and even in the case of 
 the idiot it is marvelous what skillful training will 
 sometimes do. 
 
 Button says in his Social Phases of Education: "To 
 treat harshly a child who bears the marks of a low 
 and ignorant or even criminal ancestry would partake 
 of the Chinese method of administering justice. The 
 greater the misfortune of the child the more heavily 
 he is handicapped by the degradation and sins of the 
 family to which he belongs, the greater his claim to 
 that sympathetic discrimination and masterly treat- 
 ment, and that redemptive love which alone can save 
 him and lift him above the conditions which threaten 
 to destroy his life." 
 
 You will see as a result of this discussion that 
 developing the intellect is only a small part of your 
 work. To cultivate the finer feelings of man's nature, 
 so to stimulate the conscience that under its prompt- 
 ings the will must always make a right choice, this is 
 the highest work you can do for the pupils in your 
 school. 
 
 There is nothing more certain than that a man who 
 lives the life of a hermit, cannot know Christ and the 
 fullness of his errand. Moral instruction in our 
 schools should fit the child for a life full of activity 
 
Morals i^i 
 
 and of every manly virtue. He cannot hope to escape 
 from the evil that is in the world. The tares grow with 
 the wheat, the perishable flourishes side by side with 
 the imperishable. Only by painstaking, persistent 
 culture of the conscience can the child be led to 
 distinguish between that which at the last shall be 
 gathered for the burning, and that which shall be gar- 
 nered to fill the store-house of infinite existence. 
 
 To accomplish the ends aimed at in this chapter it 
 is necessary that you teach 
 
 Out of the Abundance of the Heart. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 the cultiva tion of morality. 
 
 Moral training promotes intellectual advancement. This it 
 does by giving a high and sustained energy, such as a sense of 
 duty and moral principle can alone supply, by removing 
 hindrances to progress, and by the questions which it oflfers for 
 examination and careful judgment. 
 
 —John Gill. 
 
 Functions of moral sentiment: (i) It deals with voluntary 
 human action — conduct. (2) It considers motive or intention. 
 (3) Its judgment is really on character. 
 
 — Selected. 
 
 It should not be claimed that there is no art or science of 
 training up to virtue. Remember how absurd it would be to 
 believe that even the most trifling employment has its rules and 
 methods, and at the same time that the highest of all departments 
 of human effort — virtue — can be mastered without instruction 
 and practice. 
 
 — Cicero. 
 
 The home life and the school life of the child should prepare him 
 for transition to freedom by effective training in self-control and 
 self-guidance, and to this end the will must be disciplined by an 
 increasing use of motives that quicken the sense of right and 
 make the conscience regal in conduct. 
 
 — Emerson E. White. 
 RELIGION IN THE SCHOOL. 
 
 Has not all education this one purpose, that the pupil shall do 
 consciously and with free self-decision what moral instruction 
 impresses upon him, what in the beginning, however, he does 
 
14-2 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 only by compulsion from parents or teachers, as well as from 
 habit? Education should create a will which harmonizes with the 
 insight determined by the moral ideas. 
 
 — Habit in Education. 
 
 From the preambles to the constitutions of three great states: 
 
 Iowa. — "We, the people of the State of Iowa, grateful to the 
 Supreme Being for blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our 
 dependence on him for a continuation of those blessings, do 
 ordain and establish a free and independent government." 
 
 Minnesota. — "We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grate- 
 ful to God for our civil and religious liberty ... do ordain and 
 establish this constitution." 
 
 Wisconsin. — "We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to 
 Almighty God for our freedom, ... do establish this constitu- 
 tion." 
 
 The cause of popular education never received a greater harm 
 than in the promulgation of the idea that the teaching in our 
 Schools must be wholly secular. Whatever tenets distinguish the 
 various sects, whatever is a matter of serious controvers}^ in faith 
 or doctrine, is rightfully excluded; but honor, honesty, justice, 
 love, fear, reverence, purity, obedience, the claims of God, and 
 right, and duty, may be taught, and infringe on no man's 
 conscience. 
 
 —Iowa School Report. 
 MOTIVES. 
 
 The best motive which the circumstances will admit of is the 
 one to which appeal should be made; and the lower ones should 
 be so used as to lead gradually up to those of higher character. 
 We must be content with small things at first; to get a child to 
 act from principle at all, even of low character is a great point 
 gained. 
 
 —Joseph Landon. 
 
 It is neither just nor wise to charge the worst motive of them 
 all with more than its due share of influence. The worst motives 
 may be pointed out to excite an inversion of them, and they 
 should not be excused because an offender is able to point out 
 some better associated motives, but after a clear analysis of all 
 the motives it should be the endeavor to develop the feelings that 
 will prevent such action and strengthen correct motives. 
 
 — Selected. 
 THE WILL. 
 
 The Training of the Will : 
 
 1. Training should follow the order of growth. 
 
 2. It should proceed through instruction and exercise. 
 
 3. It should demand good discipline. 
 
 4. It should demand the formation of good habits. 
 
 5. It should study disposition. 
 
 6. It should encourage self-education. 
 
 —Dexter and Garlick. 
 
Morals 14J 
 
 We mean by the Will that constituent of a man's being by 
 which he is capable of free action, knowing himself to be thus 
 capable; just as we mean by the Intellect, that constituent of his 
 being by which he is capable of thought, knowing himself to be 
 thus capable. 
 
 — Mark Hopkins. 
 
 The other and more pleasing aspect of the teacher's work in 
 aiming at the foundation of character is the encouragement of all 
 good-dispositions. The nourishment of the good is the surest 
 way of repressing the evil. 
 
 — Henry Calderwood. 
 
 CONSCIENCE. 
 
 Conscience includes not only a susceptibility to feeling of a 
 certain kind but a power or faculty of recognizing the presence of 
 certain qualities in actions (rightness, justice, etc.), or of judging 
 an act to have a certain moral character. 
 
 —James Sully. 
 
 A tender conscience of all things ought to be tenderly handled ; 
 for if you do not, you injure not only the conscience, but the whole 
 moral frame and constitution is injured, recurring at times to 
 remorse, and seeking refuge only in making the conscience 
 callous. 
 
 — Burke. 
 
 Conscience is the light God has placed in every human breast 
 to enable us to know right from wrong — a monitor that gives us 
 peace and joy when we have done our duty, and fills us with 
 sorrow and remorse when we have come short of its requirements. 
 
 —J. P. Wicker sham. 
 
 EXAMPLE. 
 
 The teacher should be patient, full of hope, of a cheerful spirit, 
 generous, a lover of children, full of benevolence, just, a lover of 
 order, a reverencer of God and his laws, conscientious, firm, with 
 a talent to command. 
 
 — The School and the Schoolmaster. 
 
 I look back to-night and count nearly a score of teachers on my 
 fingers, and raise the question of their influence upon me. Just 
 one crowds any or all of the others out, and that one was neither 
 the handsomest nor the most learned among them. He was the 
 only one, however, who seemed to live wholly in his pupils. 
 
 —A. P. Taylor. 
 
 The teacher by his example does teach for good or evil whether 
 he will or not. Indifference will not excuse him, for when most 
 indifferent he is not the less accountable. 
 
 —David p. Page, 
 
144 Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 A THOUGHT FOR SEVEN DAYS 
 To be honest, to be kind ; to earn a little and to spend a little 
 less ; to make upon the whole a family happier for his presence ; 
 to renounce when that shall be necessary and not be embittered ; 
 to keep a few friends, but these without capitulation. Above all, 
 on the same grim condition, to keep friends with himself; here is 
 a task for all that a man has of fortitude and delicacy. 
 
 —Robert Louis Stevenson. 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 /. Name those virtues which the public school may rightly 
 
 inculcate. 
 2. How far may instruction in morals be carried in the public 
 
 schools? 
 J. What three terms are used in discussing the question of 
 
 moral training? Discuss them. 
 
 4. How may motives be classified? 
 
 5. Define the will. 
 
 6. What is conscience? 
 
 7. How may conscience be trained? 
 
 8. Why is it necessary to develop the conscience of the child? 
 
 9. What is said of children who are deficient in conscience? 
 10. What is the design of education as concerns the character? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. What can I do for the most careless child in my school? 
 
 2. What for the worst child? 
 
 J. How can I stimulate the idle to study? 
 
 4. What remedy can I devise to break up truancy? 
 
 J-. The effect of my personal example. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 HABITS 
 A Helping Hand 
 
 Then sow ; for the hours are fleeting, 
 
 And the seed must fall to-day : 
 And care not what hands shall reap it, 
 
 Or if you shall have passed away 
 Before the waving cornfields 
 
 Shall gladden the sunny day. 
 
 —A delaide A nne Procter 
 
 To you, teachers, has been given the most delicate work God 
 has ever given to mortal man, — to train immortal mind to a 
 destiny worthy of its Creator. You are to stand before God's 
 angels, little children, and 
 
 "Ever, evermore, shall it be thine 
 To mark the growing meaning in their eyes, 
 And catch, with ever fresh surprise and joy, 
 Their dawning recognition of the world." 
 
 —Jonathan Piper. 
 
 George Macdonald uttered a most beautiful sentiment when he 
 said: "The woman who takes into her heart her own children 
 may be a very ordinary woman, but the woman who takes into 
 her heart the children of others, — she is one of God's mothers." 
 
 THE formation of habits has such an important 
 bearing upon the growth of character that I 
 have deemed it worthy of a chapter by itself. Habit 
 
 rules the life of everyone. We cannot con- ^^ , . 
 
 - , , . , . c Habits and 
 
 ceive of such a thing as the existence ot character. 
 
 man without habits. The first and perhaps 
 
 the greatest problem which confronts a teacher is how 
 
 to form correct habits of action in the life of the child, 
 
 and this problem is often intensified by the necessity 
 
 of first breaking up those which are vicious. You 
 
 must eradicate the evil before the good will flourish. 
 
 10 1 45 
 
1^6 Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 Remember also that bad habits cannot be broken up 
 until you present to the mind of the child some motive 
 for the formation of better ones. (See page 130.) 
 
 To the question, "What is habit?" I give this 
 answer: Habit is that manner of doing or living which 
 characterizes the individuality of the man. What is 
 the origin of habit? Sometimes it is part of man's 
 heritage; sometimes habits are the fruit of unconscious 
 tuition; sometimes they are formed through the influ- 
 ence of depraved motives, while the child is ignorant 
 of the result; and sometimes they are the fruit of careful, 
 judicious instruction and discipline. 
 
 Motives induce habits, and thus control the activ- 
 ities of body and mind. A change of habit can be 
 induced only through a change of motives. (See 
 page 131.) 
 
 But it is through education alone the influence of a 
 superior upon an inferior that the child becomes 
 enlightened enough to distinguish between worthy and 
 unworthy motives, and free enough to renounce one 
 habit and adopt another. This is true in manhood as 
 in childhood and youth, but the man is himself both 
 schoolmaster and pupil; thenceforth emancipated from 
 his teachers his future depends upon whether he has a 
 true conception of right, whether this conception is 
 realized in himself, and whether he can subordinate 
 both the conception and the realization to right lines 
 of action. 
 
 The individuality of every man has two sides — the 
 particular, which characterizes him as a unit, and 
 the universal, through which he comes in contact with 
 others of his race. His habits partake of this dual- 
 ism; some of them as his speech, his walk, his laugh, 
 are individual only; they are passive in their nature 
 
Habits 147 
 
 and do not reach beyond his own experience. Others, 
 
 as his habits of work, of obedience, of sympathy, of 
 
 cheerfulness, are universal. They are active in their 
 
 nature and affect all with whom he associates. 
 
 Habits are very largely the result of unconscious 
 
 tuition during childhood and youth. No one can 
 
 say that any knowledge is wasted, because power of 
 
 no one can trace the lineage of his present iinconscious 
 
 1 1 • r thought. 
 
 thougnt and action back to its hrst cause. 
 
 I do not know what made me what I am to-day, 
 
 because my line of mental and moral action is the 
 
 resultant of many influences and motives, no two of 
 
 which run in parallel directions. 
 
 Think naught a trifle, though it small appears: 
 Small sands the mountains, moments make the years, 
 And trifles life. 
 
 And yet as I am conscious of my being so am I 
 conscious that the truths which have the deepest root 
 in my soul are those of earliest growth. The seed 
 which matures before the early frosts was sown 
 before the weeds sprang up, received the dews while 
 yet the nights were longest and the sunshine while 
 the skies were clearest and the days were brightest. 
 The body grows weary with study, learning is treach- 
 erous, a hidden traitor lies between the covers of every 
 book, but those lessons which we learned in youth, 
 without conscious effort of the mind, — theirs is 
 
 That friendship which first came and which shall last endure. 
 
 We do not make enough of the power of uncon- 
 scious thought — of what German writers style "pre- 
 conscious activity of mind." The thoughts of our 
 silent hours — they enter without salutation, they walk 
 by our side through the street, they sit with us through 
 
148 Co?nmo?i Sefise Didactic s 
 
 our reveries by the evening fire, they are present in our 
 dreams, they depart without farewells; life alone can 
 give us power to read what they have written. (See 
 page 67.) 
 
 We have no occasion then to teach the child to 
 think; to him thought is as natural as his breath. We 
 can, however, so place within his reach knowledge 
 of facts, of actions and results, that through the uncon- 
 scious activity of his mind, they become assimilated, 
 imbedded into his being and are forever a part of his 
 soul. 
 
 One' thing more must be said in this connection; 
 between the child's moral and intellectual growth there 
 Moral and Js a broad distinction. The child waxes 
 intellectual strong intellectually by what he does for 
 himself; his moral nature, especially in 
 early childhood, is formed for him rather than by him. 
 In later years it develops into a growth rather than a 
 formation. Carpenter, in his Mental Physiology, speaks 
 of the "moral atmosphere" in which the child lives, 
 the breathing of which is as involuntary as is the 
 action of the respiratory organs of his body. Intel- 
 lectual force and moral force develop side by side, but 
 each has its roots in different soil, and each is 
 nourished through a different process. 
 
 If commenced at an early age with this end in view 
 education can be so directed as to control and fashion 
 habit, but habit once formed is very apt to resist, if not 
 defy, education. Habit is characterized by persistency. 
 
 There are certain personal habits which are the basis 
 Personal of all moral training. I use the word train- 
 habzts. jj^g jj^ j^g g^^j^^ sense, "to form by practice." 
 
 Out of the many habits which the school should aid 
 in forming I have selected: 
 
Habits i4g 
 
 (i) Neatness. — In this I include personal cleanliness. 
 It can best be taught by example. If necessary to 
 speak to a pupil about his personal appearance it should 
 be done privately; never in the presence of others, so 
 as to mortify the child. A neat, tidy appearance 
 about the wardrobes and in the schoolroom is a very 
 efficient aid in the management of pupils. Careless- 
 ness in this respect is little short of being criminal. 
 Some one says, with much truth, that to teach the 
 child to come to school with clean hands and face, to 
 brush his teeth and black his shoes, is to put him in 
 the way of leading a godly life. Not only is cleanli- 
 ness next to goldliness, but in many cases there can 
 be no godliness without cleanliness. 
 
 (2) Order. — I do not mean discipline, but having a 
 place for everything and everything in its place. 
 This is one of the most useful habits which you can 
 help the child to form. If he becomes a business 
 man it will save him much time and vexation of spirit. 
 
 In the early days a conductor of the teacher's insti- 
 tute was accustomed to number each hook or nail in 
 the wardrobe and 'to give a corresponding number to 
 every teacher. Then he directed each teacher to 
 hang hats and wraps on the hook corresponding in 
 number to the one he held. He sent the monitor out 
 after the exercises commenced, and if any clothing 
 was found out of place the owner was brought to 
 account. When asked why he did this he answered: 
 'T consider this as useful a lesson as anything they 
 learn at the institute." 
 
 (3) Regularity, including Pimctuality. — Tardiness and 
 irregularity of attendance are most prevalent in small 
 towns and in country districts. It is difficult to break 
 these habits up because parents do not stop to consider 
 
ijO Co mm 71 Se?ise Didactics 
 
 how injurious they are to the future welfare of the 
 child. Make the children understand that no business 
 man will tolerate about his establishment a clerk who 
 is habitually late. There is one rule which I commend 
 to you, given to me by an old teacher: ''I do not fail 
 to inquire, personally if possible, into every case of 
 absence and tardiness as soon as I can after it occurs. 
 By this means I manage to impress upon parents and 
 pupils the idea that I am continually concerned in 
 the attendance at school." The best remedy for 
 irregularity which I can devise is to make everything 
 about the school as cheerful and attractive as possible. 
 Let the children learn by heart this saying of Horace 
 Mann's: ''Lost^ yesterday, somewhere betzveen sunrise 
 a?id sunset^ two golden hours ^ each set with sixty dia- 
 mond mintctes. No reward is offered, for they are go?ie 
 forever.'' Children generally are not impressed with 
 the value of time or the consequence of lost oppor- 
 tunities. 
 
 You may, however, be too strenuous upon this 
 point. Irregularity and tardiness must not be reckoned 
 as a crime or placed in the same class with falsehood, 
 theft or swearing. A certain amount of irregularity is 
 excusable, and sometimes perfect attendance is 
 attained at too great a sacrifice of more important 
 matters. A teacher who had worked up great enthusi- 
 asm in this matter once confessed to me: 'T have 
 overdone this matter. If a child comes in late the 
 other pupils are ready to point their fingers at him. 
 If he should tell me a lie they would think nothing of 
 that." She also added: "When I have called the 
 roll and it is evident that everyone is here they settle 
 back in their seats, as much as to say, 'We have done 
 our duty, you must do the rest of the work.' " When 
 
Habits 151 
 
 you can rid the school of all inexcusable irregularity, 
 that is sufficient. 
 
 (4) Obedience. — It may not have occurred to you that 
 obedience or disobedience is a habit with most chil- 
 dren. Some of the children come from homes where 
 such a thing as disobedience is never thought of, 
 others from homes in which disobedience is the rule, 
 and obedience the exception. Great allowances are 
 to be made, and progress in the right direction will 
 be slow, but by some means obedience must be exacted 
 from every pupil. A director once said to a teacher 
 who had just signed his contract, "You will find us 
 all ready to sustain your authority, but when you 
 find that you cannot govern the school come to us 
 and resign. We will cancel the contract, but this 
 community cannot afford to tolerate a disobedient 
 school. " 
 
 To allow disobedience is the surest road to making 
 the child unhappy. If you would have children love 
 and respect you insist upon prompt, cheerful obedi- 
 ence. If you find it necessary to say to a child, "You 
 must do that," or '"You must not do so," then you 
 lower your authority unless you see to it that he obeys. 
 For this reason it is better sometimes to put your 
 commands in the form of suggestions and leave much 
 to the discretion of the child. This is a stronger foun- 
 dation upon which to build a permanent habit of 
 obedience, and that is what we really desire to do. I 
 grant that obedience must sometimes be enforced, and 
 that disobedience must be punished. But the child 
 who obeys simply because the teacher or the parent is 
 stronger than he, is not forming that habit of obedience 
 which will make of him a "law-abiding citizen." An 
 old writer says: "Trv to make obedience honorable, 
 
1^2 Co mm 71 Sense Didactic s 
 
 and disobedience dishonorable, and tlius lift your 
 school into the atmosphere of right actions." 
 
 (5) Civility. — The teacher who would win civility 
 from the pupils must himself be civil. Civility is in 
 the spirit of the act. Do not be too ready to take 
 offense at rudeness or boorishness. Perhaps the child 
 does not know any better, and by acting out his nature 
 gives you an opportunity to inculcate better manners. 
 In this respect our schools are deficient. It is very 
 different in the schools of the old world. There 
 children are taught to respect those who are older or 
 who are placed over them as rulers or teachers. 
 
 Civility includes politeness to others; it is the oppo- 
 site of rudeness which children should be taught to 
 shun. It includes good behavior on the street and in 
 public places. It is an acquisition to be able to sit 
 erect and quietly while making or receiving calls in the 
 parlor. In fact civility is the fine art which marks the 
 real lady or the perfect gentleman. 
 
 In going from one school to another, I overtook a 
 little Norwegian boy with a large bundle of clothes on 
 his head. He evidently had been in the country but a 
 few weeks. I told him to jump in and I would carry 
 him. At a certain corner he said, "I gets out here." 
 After he had taken out his bundle he took off his cap 
 and with a very graceful bow he said, "You are very 
 much obliged to me, sir, for this ride." The action 
 was the purest civility I ever saw. 
 
 There are additional habits, moral in their nature, 
 which it is your duty to foster in the child. Among 
 them are temperance, purity, reverence, self-control, 
 respect for the rights of others. Then there also are 
 intellectual habits, as attention, concentration, study, 
 application, diligence, industry. Bear in mind that 
 
Habits /jj 
 
 every child comes to you confirmed in these habits or 
 
 in their opposites, and that the only way to eradicate 
 
 a bad habit is to introduce some motiv^e as an incentive 
 
 for forming a better one. Bear also in mind contin- 
 
 uall3^that you cannot inculcate in a child a habit which 
 
 you yourself do not constantly exercise. An English 
 
 writer says: "A child more readily attempts what he 
 
 sees done than obeys a command addressed to it in 
 
 words." (Seepage 20.) 
 
 I cannot better illustrate what I want to say than 
 
 by asking you to read carefully the following: If you 
 
 are to attempt anything in the way of 
 
 Nature Studies, the basis of which is obser- ^^^^ ^^^^^^ 
 ' , oj seeijig 
 
 vation in your school, as I hope you will, things. 
 keep in mind the following directions: 
 
 (a) Choose your subjects with reference to awaken- 
 ing an interest and imparting information. Some 
 authors will tell you that to impart information is not 
 one of the objects to be sought in Nature Study. If 
 that be true then Nature Study has no place in the 
 school curriculum. 
 
 (b) Connect les'sons so as to form a series, each 
 lesson depending upon the others. This gives an 
 opportunity for review and restatement of facts and 
 principles. 
 
 (c) Make thorough and exhaustive preparation on 
 your own part. A more careful preparation is 
 demanded of the primary teacher than of one in the 
 higher grades. 
 
 (d) On the one hand avoid sameness, deadness, 
 routine, ruts; on the other hand avoid scatteration, 
 aimlessness and a wasteful use of words. 
 
 Nature Study embraces all things pertaining to the 
 laws of the natural world. In Waymarks for Teachers 
 
1^4 Commo7i Sense Didactic s 
 
 the author says: "The immediate ends in view in the 
 nature lesson are observation, knowledge, expression 
 and enjoyment." Among the many points to be 
 emphasized in Nature Study, I commend the following, 
 written by Margaret W. Morley: 
 
 "There is nothing in nature more delightful than the 
 mutual helpfulness of plants and insects, and the 
 helpfulness of the different parts of plants to each 
 other. Help the young people to feel this mutual 
 helpfulness and to know that it is as true and as impor- 
 tant as the mutual 'struggle for existence' about which 
 so much has been written of late. In fact so much 
 stress has been laid upon the struggle that many people 
 as a result of their scientific study have come to hold the 
 untrue and depressing view that all life is a carnage. 
 This is but half the truth, there is another side to life, 
 and that is the side of mutual helpfulness." 
 
 Nature Study also should be made to have a strong 
 bearing upon the ethical training of the child. He 
 ^ , should be taught in school to care for the 
 
 Study and domesticated animals about the home, to 
 ethical \q^^ and protect the birds that frequent the 
 
 orchard and garden, the songsters of the 
 wood, and the squirrels that make their nests in hollow 
 trees or in the stone wall by the wayside. Sometimes 
 the boy whom you call "bad" has the most intimate 
 acquaintance with Dame Nature and the denizens of 
 her secret haunts. Possibly the key which unlocks the 
 dull intellect of the "stupid child" may be found in 
 the keen delight which he manifests in telling you of 
 the marvelous cunning and ingenuity of beasts and 
 birds which he has discovered while wandering in the 
 v/oods or fishing in the streams of the neighborhood. 
 
 Take into the schoolroom with you as much as pos- 
 
Habits 1^5 
 
 sible of the light and freshness of out-door life. Be 
 patient with the boys and girls if at the beginning of 
 the year they are a little restless under the restraint 
 of school. If they seem to forget some things which 
 they have studied in the books, see if they have not 
 learned other things during their rambles in the fields 
 and woods which they will always remember. Nature 
 is a skillful teacher, and her books are wonderfully 
 illustrated. She keeps a summer school, and counts 
 her pupils by the thousands. To despise her teachings 
 is to despise also the little ones whom she has taught. 
 
 Do not overlook the necessity of cultivating in 
 children the importance of seeing things as they go 
 along through life. A gentleman of liberal education 
 was one day visiting a farmer. He took occasion to 
 question the son, a lad of fourteen, in some of the 
 common branches and expressed his astonishment at 
 the boy's want of knowledge. A day or two afterwards 
 they were riding along a country road and the boy 
 commented upon the crops as they rode by the fields. 
 "That corn won't pay for gathering. The man did not 
 know how to cultivate it." "Hold on here; that is a 
 fine piece of corn. It beats anything I have seen." 
 Then he handed the reins to the gentleman, jumped 
 over the fence and disappeared. Pretty soon he came 
 back. "That is a great field. I'll bet it will go 
 seventy-five bushels to the acre." "Why," said the 
 gentleman, "you do know something after all." The 
 boy replied without any impudence in his tones, "Yes, 
 and you would know as much as I do if you would keep 
 your eyes open." , 
 
 Patriotism is an emotion, a feeling which prompts to 
 action whenever the welfare of the community in which 
 we dwell is concerned. Some one says very truly: 
 
1^6 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 "Just as all duty in the eyes of the believers is duty 
 towards God, so to one who loves his country all duty 
 becomes a duty to it." There is as much 
 Patriotism, patriotism in endeavoring to elect a compe- 
 tent man to the ofiFice of school director as in 
 choosing the president of the United States. The man 
 who lays aside all business for the time in order that 
 he may go to the polls to vote is a patriot, just as much 
 as he who shoulders his gun and goes out to face the 
 enemies of his country's flag. 
 
 It is right that children should be taught to salute 
 the flag, to reverence our great names in history, and 
 to be proud of our heroes, both the living and the 
 dead. But they should be brought to see that obedi- 
 ence at home and in school leads them to become law- 
 abiding citizens; that idleness in childhood is the 
 beginning of thriftlessness in manhood; that criminal 
 life in the world originates in a disregard in youth of 
 the rights of others. In a word, true patriotism can 
 best be taught by a personal appeal to those qualities 
 which ought to characterize American citizenship. 
 
 It makes but little difference to the school whether 
 alcohol, in a technical sense, is classed by scientists 
 as a poison or a food. As teachers we are 
 temperance. ^^^ called upon to determine the question. 
 The ends which we hope to reach through 
 temperance instruction are to inoculate the mind of the 
 child with true ideas of the effects of alcohol, tobacco 
 and narcotics, upon the physical frame, and to con- 
 vince him that total abstinence is the only path of 
 safety if he desires success in the business of life. By 
 continuing this instruction from year to year we may 
 hope to shape such habits of abstinence as will render 
 him secure against those temptations which are leading 
 
Habits 157 
 
 so many American youths to destruction. It is every- 
 thing to implant right ideas, to establish right habits of 
 moral action early in life. It is of equal importance 
 to guard the child against the introduction of wrong 
 ideas and the adoption of wrong rules of conduct. 
 
 In its persistency error has a seeming advantage over 
 truth. As with the camel and the Arab, let a false 
 idea of right, or duty, or manhood once fairly insert 
 its head, with the owner's permission, and it will not 
 rest until it possesses the whole tent. 1 believe that 
 the teacher who does not inculcate the doctrine of 
 total abstinence as the only path of safety falls far 
 short of his duty. 
 
 Again, the enormous evils which these habits inflict 
 upon individuals are multiplied many-fold because of 
 the relations which men bear to their families and to 
 those with whom they have business interests. The 
 evils thus produced invade every station in life and 
 affect all classes of men. 
 
 The electric chain of suffering, as of pleasure, 
 touches every point. All nature has a common lan- 
 guage. Speech 'and thought are not confined to 
 animate things. 
 
 The palm-tree dreameth of the pine, 
 The pine-tree of the palm. 
 
 Through the effects of these habits broad acres have 
 remained unproductive, and mines undeveloped; ships, 
 precious with freight of life and wealth, have gone 
 down in mid-ocean, and vast enterprises have mis- 
 carried; houses have been burned, and the most revolt- 
 ing crimes have been committed. Because of their 
 influence men, fitted by nature. 
 
 To sway senates with a statesman's soul, 
 Or look on armies with a leader's eye, 
 
i§8 Co mm 71 Sense Didactic s 
 
 have fallen like the "Son of the Morning"; and the 
 poet, most gifted of the children of God, has for- 
 feited his high estate; 
 
 And his soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor, 
 Shall be lifted nevermore. 
 
 Emphasize the fact in all your teaching that the work 
 of the world is to be done by sober men. The large 
 ^ , ,, railroad corporations have stringent rules 
 
 work done forbidding their employes to use intoxicants 
 
 by sober jj^ ^^y form or even to be known as visiting- 
 
 men. -^ ^ 
 
 places where these are sold. Other corpora- 
 tions are equally careful to fill important places of trust 
 or responsibility with men whose habits are strictly tem- 
 perate. These and other facts of a similar nature 
 brought to the notice of an ambitious boy will make a 
 lasting impression and will strengthen him in his 
 determination to avoid the use of intoxicating liquors. 
 
 But zeal in instruction must be thoroughly tempered 
 with knowledge or it will prove a sword without a hilt. 
 It is for this reason that the instruction should be made 
 a matter of careful study. 
 
 In some districts a few injudicious words would 
 raise a tempest of opposition that would nullify all the 
 efforts of the teacher. In others an unguarded or 
 rash statement would bring the whole matter into 
 ridicule. The daily preparation for this instruction in 
 temperance hygiene will draw upon the teacher's 
 resources and knowledge as no other subject can. 
 
 As paths exist in which the blind have no sight to 
 walk, so there are matters concerning life and death in 
 which the ignorant have no right to instruct. 
 
 So also concerning the spirit of this special instruc- 
 tion I desire to say this: Pains must be taken to insure 
 
Habits i^g 
 
 for the truth an impartial hearing. The teacher must 
 confine himself to simple statements of undisputed 
 facts. Such illustrations may be given as jy^^ spirit 
 will deepen the impression upon the mind. ofinst7'uc- 
 But the instruction must in no sense take ^^^^' 
 the form of a temperance lecture. Many children 
 come from homes in which much that might be said 
 would at once be made a personal matter. Not one 
 of these little ones should be offended by this instruc- 
 tion. It is bad enough to be a drunkard's child without 
 having it brought to the notice of the school. 
 
 The evils which arise from the use of tobacco call for 
 special action on the part of the teacher. Many boards 
 make a regulation that tobacco in every 
 form must be excluded from the school and habit'! ^^^^ 
 school grounds. Such a rule is reasonable 
 and you should see that it is rigorously enforced. But 
 the tobacco habit cannot be broken up by suspension, 
 expulsion or whipping. Bring these points to the 
 notice of the boys: (i) It is expensive; (2) It is 
 injurious to the development of the growing boy; 
 
 (3) Figures show that those who use tobacco very sel- 
 dom rank high in scholarship at college or university; 
 
 (4) No athlete training for a contest is allowed to use 
 either intoxicating liquor or tobacco; (5) It is an 
 uncleanly habit and renders the person addicted to it 
 an unpleasant -companion in society, especially of 
 ladies. Try the power of persuasion, argument and 
 example, and never despair of success as long as the 
 boys are under your care. 
 
 We must not fail, however, to invoke the most 
 potent of all influences — that of example. "Thou 
 therefore that teachest another, teachest thou not thy- 
 self?" "Thou that preachest another man should not 
 
i6o Common Sense Didactics 
 
 steal, dost thou steal?" "Wherefore if meat make my 
 brother to stumble, I will eat no flesh forevermore, 
 that I make not my brother to stumble." 
 
 The man who wrote these words was one in whom 
 
 Persuasion and belief 
 Had ripened into faith, and faith become 
 A passionate intuition. 
 
 Go into the streets at nightfall and notice the boys 
 who are loitering about the corners with cigars in their 
 mouths; note in your schoolrooms the number whose 
 clothing is saturated with the perfume of smoke, or 
 whose pockets are filled with tobacco which they are 
 too willing to distribute among their mates. And then 
 before you tell them that tobacco unstrings the 
 nerves, deadens the brain, stunts the growth, weakens 
 the muscles, aggravates and often causes diseases of 
 the heart, ask yourself this question in the watches of 
 the night when men's thoughts turn inward: "Is it 
 true that there is not enough of the grace of humanity, 
 of the strength of Christian manhood within me to give 
 up this habit for the sake of these boys with whom my 
 duty brings me in daily contact?" 
 
 The following very simple classification of habits 
 may be found useful as an aid to memory: 
 
 Under the head of Training we may include the per- 
 sonal habits — cleanliness, order, regularity, obedience, 
 
 e civility. These include what is usually 
 
 iamninary. ... . 
 
 called discipline, and form the basis of 
 
 moral training. A neglect of any one of these impairs 
 the usefulness of the school. 
 
 Under the head of Instruction we may place these 
 moral habits — truthfulness, reverence, purity, indus- 
 try, self-respect. Education includes these mental 
 habits — silence, observation, concentration of thought, 
 
Habits i6i 
 
 acquirement of knowledge, reproduction of knowl- 
 edge. 
 
 It is first a little thread, then a string, then a cord, 
 then a rope, and last a strong cable; such is the forma- 
 tion of a habit. There is need that in breaking up a bad 
 habit in the child, the teacher should be ready to lend 
 
 A Helping Hand. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 HABITS. 
 
 As without instinct the infant could not live to become a man, 
 so without habit man would remain an infant through life, and 
 would be as helpless, as unhandy, as speechless, and as much a 
 child in understanding at three-score as at three. 
 
 —Reid. 
 
 If the period of habit-making has been passed wisely in the 
 home the period of will-training will present fewer difficulties. I 
 cannot emphasize too much in the matter of will-training the 
 advantages of the country home. The good will is there more 
 easily fostered because the boy is from the start an active member 
 of the firm. 
 
 — IVilliam Byron Forbush. 
 
 Habit is the tendency to assume or to be what has once been, 
 and is consequently one of the most powerful agencies in edu- 
 cation. 
 
 —Gill. 
 
 Not a leaf waves in the wind, not a drop of dew comes spark- 
 ling out of nothing co gem the bladed grass with orbs of light, 
 without telling something to those fitted to receive it. 
 
 — Thring. 
 
 In brief, a habit is established by repeatedly performing an act, 
 and it is destroyed by refraining from the performance of the act. 
 In no other way can a habit be established and in no other way 
 can a habit that has been formed be removed. Simply to refrain 
 from action may not be sufficient for a life, but whatever else is 
 done nothing will break down a habit but refraining from the 
 action which has become habitual. 
 
 —Smith. 
 
 Moral education is a training in habits, and not an inculcation 
 of mere theoretical views. 
 
 — William T. Harris. 
 
i62 Commofi Sense Didactics 
 
 THE HABIT OF SEEING THINGS. 
 
 Questioning is not, therefore, merely one of the modes of 
 teaching, it is the whole of teaching; it is the excitation of the 
 self-activities to their work of discovering truth, learning facts, 
 knowing the unknown. Nature always teaches thus. But it is 
 necessary that every question shall be in the interrogative form. 
 The strongest and clearest affirmation may have all the effect of 
 the sharpest interrogation if the mind be sufficiently aroused to so 
 receive it. An explanation may be so given as to raise new 
 questions while it answers old ones. 
 
 —John M. Gregory. 
 
 Pupils can learn to read by reading about real things which are 
 in close touch with their daily lives, and which they wish to 
 remember, as well as by reading about remote, fictitious things 
 which they cannot and do not care to remember. First-hand 
 knowledge should be learned before any other. 
 
 —Hiram H. Shepard. 
 PATRIOTISM. 
 
 The study of literature again has its value as a training in 
 patriotism of the honorable and reputable kind as we shall see by 
 inspiring a rational love of country through a respect for its great 
 past and for great common possessions. 
 
 —P. A. Burnett. 
 
 There is no such inculcation of patriotism among our children 
 as among the children of some other lands. If I had my way I 
 would hang the flag in every schoolroom, and I would spend an 
 occasional hour in singing our best patriotic songs, in declaiming 
 the masterpieces of our national oratory and in rehearsing the 
 proud story of our national life. I would attempt to impress upon 
 all the supreme value of their inheritance, and the sacred duty of 
 transmitting it untarnished and unimpaired, but rather broadened 
 and strengthened to the millions who will follow after. 
 
 — A ndrew S. Draper. 
 
 Really patriotism in a democracy is something altogether apart 
 from war and the memories and rumors of wars, and in America 
 it is something imaginably apart from gunpowder and the army, 
 and Fourth of Julys and Memorial Days. This fact the public 
 school should teach and compass. 
 
 —Rabbi Charles Fleischer. 
 
 TEMPERANCE HABITS. 
 
 It is a significant fact that men training for athletic contests 
 (no matter what their ordinary habits or principles) let alcoholic 
 drinks alone. One of the famous pugilists said: "I'm no 
 teetotaler, but when I have business on hand there's nothing like 
 water and dumb-bells." 
 
 — Colton. 
 
Habits i6j 
 
 "The State Demands the Moral Education of the People as the 
 Safeguard of Order, Liberty and Progress." 
 
 —Motto of Boston's Public Library. 
 
 Such a young man reverences the divine skill and wisdom by 
 which his physical frame has been, so fearfully and wonderfully 
 made, and he keeps it pure and clean as a fit temple for the living 
 God. For every indulgence of appetite that would enervate the 
 body or dull the keen sense or cloud the luminous brain, he has a 
 "Get thee behind me!" so stern and deep that the balked Satans 
 of temptation slink from behind him in shame and despair. 
 
 —Horace Mann. 
 
 Look not thou upon the wine, when it is red ; when it giveth 
 his color in the cup; when it moveth itself aright. At the last it 
 biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder. 
 
 — Prov. xxiii: ji, J2. 
 THE TOBACCO HABIT. 
 
 Here is something that may be used as a first-class memory 
 gem. Write it in large letters on ycur board and then ask the 
 children what they think about it: 
 
 "I am not much of a mathematician," said the cigarette, "but 
 I can add to a man's nervous troubles ; I can subtract from his 
 physical energy; I can multiply his aches and pains; I can divide 
 his mental powers; I can take interest from his work and discount 
 his chances of success." 
 
 At any rate I hope the time is coming when the good taste of 
 teachers and a regard for personal neatness and the comfort of 
 others shall present motives sufficiently strong to induce them to- 
 break away from a practice at once so unreasonable and so dis- 
 gusting — the use of tobacco. 
 
 —Page. 
 
 The cigarette has been found to be even more harmful than 
 the other forms of smoking. It not only becomes a habit that it 
 is hard to abandon, but the very failure which so many make in 
 their efforts to quit its use shows ^.oo plainly that it undermines 
 the power of self-control, and so is a weakening of that vigor of 
 trained will, of that mastery of self, which is a part of the 
 physical as well as of the intellectual welfare and prowess of 
 manhood. 
 
 — Selected. 
 
 Many boys seem to think it is manly ; they wish to do as others 
 do. It is not manly to imitate any one. Do nothing simply 
 because some one else does it. To do this is to be a slave to be 
 led. And one bad feature of t:he tobacco habit is that one makes 
 himself a slave to the weed. 
 
 —Colton. 
 
i6d Co7nnton Se?ise Didactics 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 /. What is habit? 
 
 2. Name five personal habits. 
 
 J. What do you understand by the term Nature Study? 
 
 4. What are the ends in view in this branch? 
 
 5. Define patriotism. 
 
 6. How is it best taught? 
 
 7. What ends are to be kept in mind in temperance instruction? 
 S. What is said as to enforcing obedience? 
 
 9. What is said of the power of example in the formation of 
 habits? 
 10. Why should you cultivate in children the power of observa- 
 tion? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. Who was Emerson E. White? 
 
 2. What habits have I of which I should like to be rid? 
 
 J. In what book do you find the expression, "Gather up the 
 
 fragments that nothing be lost"? 
 4. Do you know whether your boys smoke cigarettes? 
 J. Where do the boys in your school spend their evenings? 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT 
 
 In the King's Name 
 
 We must be as courteous to a child as to a picture ; give it the 
 
 advantage of the best light. 
 
 —Oliver Wendell Holmes, 
 
 School government is that ordering of the affairs of the school 
 which is necessary to the attainment of its proper ends. 
 
 —Henry Calderwood. 
 
 Brain-spinners, who have never taught a child, might just as 
 well go to bed and dream and publish their dreams, as prescribe 
 what should be taught, and how, in total ignorance of the 
 problems to be solved in teaching a child. 
 
 ^ —Edward Thring. 
 
 From simply commanding he should proceed to explain the 
 reasons of his commands ; from these again to the expression of 
 desires and the manifestations of a generous confidence, and from 
 these to the frequent option and discretion of the child, prepara- 
 tory to the moment of giving him entirely into his own hands. 
 
 •— William T. Harris. 
 
 TO govern the school wisely is mainly to direct 
 the activiJ:ies of the children into right 
 channels; to restrain evil tendencies, and to encourage 
 all which is good; to implant right motives, Govern- 
 and in a word to form rather than to reform. ^«^^^^- 
 
 It is preventive rather than curative. With this point 
 in view government becomes only a means to accom- 
 plish certain ends in the growth of character. 
 
 It is true that there must be in the school rules and 
 regulations which every pupil must observe, as in the 
 family and the state there are laws and customs to 
 which every good citizen submits. It is a great mis- 
 take to abrogate all authority over children. "Thou 
 shalt" and "thou shalt not" is part of God's plan from 
 
 26J 
 
i66 Co mm 71 Se?ise Didactics 
 
 which there is no escape. We shall fail in our purpose 
 to make a good citizen of the child if he is left free 
 to accept or reject as he pleases whatever truth or 
 error presents itself to him, without regard to the advice 
 or counsel of those in authority over him. 
 
 The ends of school government are twofold: First, 
 the establishment and maintenance of order in and 
 about the school so that its affairs may be carried on 
 with as little friction and disturbance as possible; 
 second, the enabling of the child to form for himself 
 such habits of self-control, such command over his 
 passions, emotions and feelings that he may be pre- 
 pared to meet the temptations, the labors and the 
 trials of mature years. The first of these points we 
 shall discuss under the head of authority^ and the sec- 
 ond under that of infliiciice. 
 
 Every one who attempts to control or direct the 
 actions of another should be able to point out the 
 source and extent of his power. He should 
 ^' also thoroughly comprehend its limitations 
 so that he may not, through his assumption of power, 
 bring his authority into disrepute and contempt. 
 There can be no greater mistake made in school gov- 
 ernment than for a teacher to keep his authority too 
 prominently before the school. Such a course stirs 
 up the worst emotions of pride and self-will, and tends 
 directly to incite rebellion against all restrictions. 
 
 The source of authority is in the law which singles 
 the teacher out as one fitted to instruct children and 
 youth, and places him in the schoolroom with that 
 power to command and to to compel obedience, which 
 it confers upon no other person except the parent or 
 guardian. To this extent only, and because the 
 education of the child, in which the state has a vital 
 
School Government i6y 
 
 interest, cannot proceed without it, the law recog- 
 nizes the authority of the teacher as equal with that of 
 the parent for all school purposes. 
 
 With the regular routine of the school the parent 
 may not interfere. The daily program, the length of 
 recitations, the methods of instruction 
 adopted, the general order are to be such ^^^^ parent. 
 as accord with the best judgment of the 
 teacher. This must of necessity be so inasmuch as it 
 would be impossible to consult the wishes and opinions 
 of every parent in the district. 
 
 If lessons are unreasonable in length, if rules and 
 restrictions are such as to impose unnecessary restraint 
 upon the child, if punishments are too severe, the 
 parents have their remedy through an appeal to the 
 school authorities of the district or city. If they wish 
 to advise with the teacher they should be met half- 
 way and listened to with respect. 
 
 The law does not suppose that the parent surren- 
 ders to the teacher all right to direct the education 
 of the child, or that he loses his interest in the child's 
 progress and welfare when he sends him to school. 
 Only he may not dictate to the teacher or compel him 
 to act contrary to his own reason and judgment. 
 Neither may he intrude his complaints, or interrupt 
 the daily exercises of the schoolroom, although he 
 should always be a welcome visitor. 
 
 The best results are obtained when the authority 
 of the school and the home supplement each other 
 and work along the same lines in exacting obedience 
 to, and compliance with, reasonable rules. This is the 
 point at which some teachers fail in school govern- 
 ment. When once you gain the confidence of the 
 people of your district in your manner of exercising 
 
i68 Co mm 71 Se?ise Didactics 
 
 authority you have gained everything, when you lose 
 
 it you have lost everything. (See page ii.) 
 
 Do not then parade your authority continually before 
 
 the school or the public. Rather keep it in reserve 
 
 as something to be appealed to only when 
 
 The aims of occasion requires it. Its exercise should be 
 authority. ,ri.i''ii 
 
 for the good of the individual, sometimes 
 
 for the good of the school as a whole; never for the 
 
 gratification of the teacher. This from Bain's Science 
 
 of Educatio7i is exactly to the point: "It is understood 
 
 that authority with all its appurtenances exists for the 
 
 benefit of the governed, and not as a perquisite of the 
 
 governor." 
 
 There must be some source of authority in every 
 school as there is in every community. But authority 
 maintained by means of fear is heartless if not cruel, 
 and falls short of its high purpose. Punishment may 
 at times be necessary, but to resort to it frequently 
 weakens the government of the school. 
 
 The result of authority, however, must be obedi- 
 ence, and obedience must be prompt, cheerful and 
 hearty. Obedience which is compulsory is better than 
 disobedience, but that obedience to rules and regula- 
 tions which comes from a sense of right and a desire 
 to do right is the kind which we should seek to develop 
 in the child. 
 
 Idleness is the prolific source of disorder. Good 
 government in the school is based upon this truth. 
 Give the child constant employment, awaken his inter- 
 est in his books, stimulate his ambition to learn and to 
 do and he seldom if ever is a source of disturbance. 
 
 A quiet, unobtrusive and persistent exercise of 
 authority should be marked by the following charac- 
 teristics: 
 
School Cover 7iment i6g 
 
 (1) Firmness without obstinacy. We are often 
 told, very truly, that the teacher should not be strict 
 one day and lenient the next, that the law character- 
 should know no holidays, but should be '^Hf^jf 
 imposed at all times alike. Nevertheless 
 
 the wise teacher knows when discipline may be 
 relaxed a little, when some indulgences may be 
 granted, when authority may smooth its wrinkled brow 
 and lay off the austere garb with which the law has 
 clothed it. 
 
 (2) Impartiality, yet regard to the personality 
 of each child. What is a severe reprimand to one 
 child is not adequate to correct the same fault in 
 another. What is a reasonable punishment for a fault 
 in one child may be altogether too severe for the same 
 fault in another. 
 
 The impartiality must consist in the motive which 
 prompts the teacher. It is a difficult thing to make 
 pupils understand why you discriminate in the treat- 
 ment of different children. This led, in the old time 
 school, to the custom of reading upon the opening 
 day a set of rules intended to cover all cases and affix- 
 ing to each a definite punishment. Thus, as a result, 
 the teacher often found himself perplexed as to what 
 to do, and sometimes, in order to be consistent, pun- 
 ished when it did more harm than good. 
 
 Do not make many rules until you find them neces- 
 sary. The absence of rules is not the absence of law. 
 Your wish should be regarded by your pupils as law 
 to them for the time being. 
 
 It is sometimes best to say, "I think I shall have 
 to forbid that hereafter," but in such cases the children 
 can easily be made to see the reason of your action. 
 When you find it requisite to take such a step be def- 
 
I'jo Common Sense Didactic s 
 
 inite in your requirements. The children in a certain vil- 
 lage school were accustomed during the winter term to 
 spend the recess in coasting down two successive hills. 
 The teacher said to them one day when they were late 
 in coming in from recess, "After this please confine 
 your sliding to one hill." They were late again at 
 the next recess, and when asked for the reason 
 answered, "You didn't say which hill, and so we chose 
 the one down by the store because that is the longest." 
 (3) To be just to each and every one requires much 
 thought and consideration on the part of the teacher. 
 
 You will be confronted at times by these 
 Justice. ^^^ questions: What is best for this child, 
 
 and what is best considering its effect upon the entire 
 school? You will frequently find that you cannot 
 decide one of these questions independently of the 
 other. Exact and even-handed justice in dealing with 
 children must always be tempered with sympathy and 
 mercy. A fault repented of should be forgotten, and 
 every attempt to do better should be encouraged. To 
 lend a helping hand or to speak an encouraging word 
 to the erring child is often an act of the highest justice. 
 And here let me add one other thought. Praise 
 and censure should be bestowed with regard to justice. 
 
 It is not what the pupil has accomplished 
 ^censure'^'^ that deserves praise, but what he has tried 
 
 to accomplish. Not what he has failed to 
 do, but what he has neglected to attempt deserves 
 censure. Effort, not success, should determine the 
 measure of reward. 
 
 The teacher who is not alive to this point is in 
 danger of committing some grievous mistakes. "Who- 
 soever offendeth one of these little ones" is in danger 
 of punishment. Scan closely the motives which seem 
 
School Gov ernme 7it lyi 
 
 to prompt the child who fails to meet your require- 
 ments. Are you careful to hold up the best motives 
 before the children? Fear of punishment is no worse 
 as a motive than undue love of self. Sometimes a 
 whipping works less injury than flattering, coaxing or 
 undeserved praise. The pleasure which comes from 
 well doing and the approval of conscience are the 
 highest motives and should be constantly in the mind 
 of the pupil. How can I cultivate these two germs so 
 that they may become permanent factors in life? This 
 is the great question which confronts the teacher in 
 school government. 
 
 Cheerful obedience, respect for law and order, a 
 hearty acquiescence in whatever is for the good of the 
 entire number, are characteristics of a school which is 
 well governed. The healthy atmosphere in which the 
 children delight to dwell is not the product of brute 
 force, but rather of the "combined reign of mercy, 
 love and justice." There must be subjection on the 
 part of pupils to the teacher's authority — authority 
 which must never be questioned. This lays the foun- 
 dation for subjection to law in after life. But author- 
 ity must commend itself to the children as reasonable, 
 and having no other end than their good. 
 
 Authority, if rightly understood, requires that justice 
 should be based upon reason. There is no room for 
 impulse or passion. Do not be in haste to Reasoft 
 threaten punishment or to promise favors. the foun- 
 Let conditions and circumstances decide elation. 
 what is best when the time for action is at hand. Jus- 
 tice exacts that you keep yourself free to do as your 
 judgment prompts you. Justice exacts also that you 
 make a plain distinction between a fault and a moral 
 offense. 
 
iy2 Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 I have seen schools in which a tardy mark or a case 
 of absence called forth more severe reprimand than a 
 lie or an oath. The scholar who came in late had the 
 finger of scorn pointed at him by his mates, but the 
 one who told a lie and was corrected for it was pitied, 
 not because he told the lie but because he was detected 
 and punished. The unthinking teacher has committed 
 many crimes in the name of justice. 
 
 Children have a very keen sense of justice. Their 
 hearts have not been hardened by contact with the 
 rough world. When right intentions are met by a 
 rude rebuff, and little misdeeds which have no evil 
 purpose are magnified into crimes and punished as 
 such, the child loses confidence not only in the justice 
 of his teacher, but what is worse, in his own ability to 
 do better. 'T have tried my best to please her to-day, 
 and I won't try any more, " was the report made to her 
 mother by a little girl who came home from her school 
 one night in disgrace. An encouraging word, an 
 approving smile, would have given her an uplift when 
 she needed it most. 
 
 A school journal of recent date in an editorial says 
 that "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not" never made 
 Necessity either children or men better; that on the 
 of law and contrary, it has made multitudes of them 
 worse. Then why did God put these words 
 in the decalogue? We say reverently: "Is it pos- 
 sible that He did not have the light of some of our 
 modern philosophers, and hence did not realize when 
 He wrote on the tablets of stone 'thou shalt' and 
 'thou shalt not,' that He was thereby making multi- 
 tudes of men worse?" Sincerely we believe that our 
 American schools are receiving a great detriment by 
 this kind of talk among teachers. 
 
School Govern ni e nt lyj 
 
 We may philosophize in a fine way about making 
 the child independent, free, self-governing, but we 
 cannot lift him above the restraints of law and 
 authority. Is that a poor kind of school or family 
 government which does not do more than this for the 
 child? We cannot banish desire or remove tempta- 
 tion. It is a most excellent government which, as a 
 result, brings the child up to that point where he has 
 a hearty respect for authority, human and divine. We 
 are told that authority is only an expedient, a means 
 to an end. But authority rests upon law, and back of 
 law is power. 
 
 A fundamental principle of all government, and nec- 
 essary to its existence, holds that there is somewhere 
 a source from which emanates the ability and the right 
 to reward good and punish evil. This principle must 
 be recognized in the child's education. The will, that 
 faculty through which freedom of choice is exercised, 
 should be persistently strengthened and cultivated. 
 But the moment we free the child or the man from 
 all fear of consequences, from those considerations of 
 duty which rest 'upon "must" and "ought," upon 
 "shall" and "shall not," we leave him to become a 
 prey to his evil passions. 
 
 Confidence in the integrity and intention of the 
 pupil is not inconsistent with the proper exercise of 
 authority. No teacher ever exercised his 
 authority when necessary more vigorously notmcon- 
 than Dr. Arnold, the famous master of sistent with 
 Rugby, and yet no man was ever more ^^^ on y. 
 heartily respected and loved by his pupils than he. 
 Never say to a child, "I have no confidence in you," 
 unless you desire to lose your influence over him. The 
 day the child discovers that you consider him a liar, 
 
1^4 Coinmon Sense Didactics 
 
 or a thief, or the author of all the mischief in the 
 school — in a word, when he discovers that he is under 
 suspicion at all times and on all occasions— the sooner 
 he is out of school the better. It is a question whether 
 he is not receiving from the teacher more injury than 
 his own presence can inflict upon the school. I have 
 seen such instances many times, and my heart has 
 gone out in pity to the child because the teacher in 
 his wrath and vexation left him no place for repent- 
 ance. 
 
 The only other element to be considered in this 
 connection is prevention. The evil habits which some- 
 times defy all authority are of slow but 
 tion^^^' continuous growth. They creep in unno- 
 ticed and make their presence known at 
 most unexpected times. There is always room in the 
 government of the school for "the ounce of preven- 
 tion." It is a competent reason to assign for any 
 course: "I am fearful my pupils may acquire bad 
 habits and I am anxious if possible to prevent it." 
 Here is an opportunity for the rightful exercise of 
 your authority. To form is far easier than to reform, 
 but it requires much thought and study on the part of 
 the teacher. 
 
 Be sure that your eyes are always open to see, and 
 your ears to hear; that your senses are on the alert so 
 that you may forestall the evil and prevent it before it 
 obtains a lodgment in your school. Richmond, in his 
 late book, The Mind of a Child, says: "There is no 
 easier method of education than that practiced by so 
 many educators of the young, the method of letting a 
 tendency develop into a fault and then punishing the 
 fault; this is far more comfortable to ourselves than 
 taking the trouble to turn and train the tendency in 
 
School Gov eminent 775 
 
 its earliest stages. Punishment is an easy form of 
 discipline, and we punish recklessly, bolstering up our 
 consciences with the reflection that the fault must 
 be eradicated, never stopping for one moment to 
 inquire who is to blame for the fact that the fault has 
 developed in the child at all." 
 
 The discipline of the school falls naturally under 
 two heads: an^a ?ige me nt ^r\d inanagefuent. 
 
 The natural and efficient arrangement of the exer- 
 cises of the school is the key to government and dis- 
 cipline. It should be as simple and with as 
 little machinery in sight as possible. Rules Arrange- 
 and regulations should be made as occasion 
 requires, and then only such as are necessary for the 
 good of the school. 
 
 The following are the characteristics of skillful 
 arrangement: It should be simple, definite, syste- 
 matic, practical. 
 
 Under this head we name methods of seating the 
 pupils, of calling and dismissing classes, the details 
 of the daily program, etc. The latter — the daily pro- 
 gram of work and ^tudy — must be carefully planned. 
 For the first week make it provisional, and then change 
 it as circumstances seem to require. Do not make 
 many changes during the term, but occasions will arise 
 when it may seem best to the teacher to change its 
 order for a time or to remodel it altogether. The pro- 
 gram should always be elastic rather than too rigid. 
 
 In making the program a few general principles 
 should be observed, (i) Regard should be had to the 
 number of pupils, advancement, etc. (2) Care should be 
 taken in assigning the number of minutes to be given 
 to a class. (3) It may be possible to alternate some 
 recitations; thus, history may be alternated with geog- 
 
iy6 Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 raphy so as to give each subject five recitations in two 
 weeks. (4) It is advisable whenever possible that a study 
 period should follow recitation. (5) In arranging the 
 program due regard should be had to the age of pupils. 
 The recitation periods should be shorter in the primary 
 than in the grammar rooms; in a mixed school they 
 should be shorter for the younger children than for the 
 older. (See page 82.) 
 
 To be successful, management must be prompt, firm, 
 earnest, impartial, genial, quiet. 
 
 The management of the school requires both tact 
 and skill on the part of the teacher. Tact, especially 
 Manage- ^" dealing with parents and pupils, involves 
 7nent. a large amount of common sense. Parents 
 
 do not always see the faults of their children as you 
 see them. Yet it is necessary to have the confidence 
 and good will of parents if you expect to preserve the 
 highest discipline in the school. 
 
 The management should also be firm and unvarying. 
 There must be the same spirit and the same require- 
 ments every day of the term. That which is treated 
 as an offense to-day must be an offense if committed 
 to-morrow. 
 
 Most teachers fail in these two points. They are the 
 key to good government. Some one says: "School 
 government consists in putting things in order and in 
 keeping them in order." The first is arrangement, 
 the second is management. 
 
 Under the head of i?iflue?ice I wish to consider those 
 
 things which aid the teacher in maintaining order and 
 
 discipline with little, if any, show of author- 
 
 njiuence. .^^^ The first of these is the public opinion of 
 
 the school. Some one once asked John D. Philbrick, 
 
 "How do you manage these boys so easily? There 
 
School Government ijy 
 
 seems to be perfect order and yet little restraint." 
 The answer was very brief, "By public opinion." In 
 further explanation he added, "It is disreputable in 
 this school for a boy to be disorderly or disobedient, 
 and when one tries it is not necessary for me to pun- 
 ish him. His mates attend to that; he can have no 
 standing among them until he makes amends for his 
 wrongdoing." 
 
 A careful observance of the points already suggested 
 in this lesson will naturally create among the pupils 
 a public opinion on the side of good government. 
 When that is the case then the teacher is left free to 
 devote all his energy and strength to the duties of 
 instruction. 
 
 Foster throughout the school a healthy pride not 
 simply in the school proper but in all things per- 
 taining to it and to its reputation in the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Again, there is something in the doctrine of sugges- 
 tion. In every school there are certain children who 
 have not a strong bias towards what is Sup-p-es- 
 right. Their inclinations are not positively ^^'on. 
 evil; neither are they positively good. A suggestion 
 which betrays a want of confidence on the part of the 
 teacher, a suspicious look, an unkind word, or a bit of 
 sarcasm will sometimes be sufficient to array the 
 childish nature in open hostility to the teacher. 
 
 The same is true of those suggestions which are 
 calculated to arouse and stimulate the better impulses 
 and emotions of the child. The aesthetical can be 
 made to reenforce the ethical. Pictures on the walls, 
 attire, cleanliness of person are very powerful aids 
 through the suggestions which they create. 
 
 A clergyman entering the home of a friend found 
 
 13 
 
iy8 Co?nmo7i Sense Didactic s 
 
 the mother greatly depressed. He asked the reason 
 and she said, "You know that my oldest son perished 
 at sea; my second boy is on his first voyage, and now 
 my youngest has just informed me that he hopes to 
 be a sailor. I cannot understand it." On the walls 
 of the room there hung the picture of a beautiful ship, 
 with all sails spread, under sunny skies, making its way 
 through the foaming seas. "There," said the minister, 
 pointing to the ship, "is the cause of your troubles." 
 
 The degree of interest which the teacher manifests 
 in everything which concerns the happiness of the 
 pupils, as children count happiness, affects the con- 
 duct of the pupils. "As long as we get our lessons and 
 don't whisper," is the standard of right in the minds 
 of many pupils. "They get their lessons fairly well 
 and don't make me much trouble," constitutes the 
 object of government and discipline as viewed by too 
 many teachers. In the pupil's conduct in school can 
 be seen as in a mirror his conduct out of school. He 
 is actuated by the same impulses, the same motives, 
 the same feeling in one case as in the other. In order 
 to know the whole boy follow him on the playground, 
 notice his conduct on the village common, at his 
 games, in his own dooryard, his attitude toward his 
 mates on the way to and from school; in a word, if 
 you wish to govern the whole boy you must study him 
 under all the conditions of boy life. 
 
 Certain points are worthy of careful consideration. 
 
 (a) The strictest impartiality should be observed in 
 . dealing with pupils. Every child has a 
 
 worth con- right to the best which the school affords in 
 sidering. government as well as in instruction. 
 
 (b) Scolding, nagging, faultfinding, ridicule are not 
 proper means to be used in governing the school. A 
 
School Government ijg 
 
 serious talk with individuals, or to the whole school, is 
 legitimate, but there should be no element of cen- 
 soriousness in it. The tongue is sharper than the 
 switch. Whipping is the refuge of weak teachers, but 
 scolding or tongue-lashing or ridicule is more cruel, 
 and cannot be justified by any reasons whatever, 
 (c) The entire school should never be punished for 
 the faults of a few\ To deprive the room of the 
 recess, or to detain every one after school because of 
 the restlessness of some is never wise. If you are not 
 sharp enough to single out the culprits let it ^o w^ith 
 as little notice as possible. Do not encourage tattling 
 or tale-bearing. Never question the child about the 
 conduct of his mates. There are occasions on which the 
 children may give evidence, but it is a point which 
 requires great caution, (d) Praise, not flattery, is an 
 essential element. Look for the good that is in even 
 the bad boy, and encourage him to perseverance in 
 welldoing. 
 
 This chapter cannot be considered complete without 
 some reference to rewards and punishments. Suspen- 
 sion or expulsion-from school is to put the Rewards 
 boy to the worst possible use. It is a con- and pun- 
 fession of failure on the part of the teacher, ishvients. 
 and turns the boy into a hero in the eyes of his fel- 
 low^s. If you can make his parents see that the school 
 is doing him no good, and that he would be better off 
 at work learning a trade, or on a farm— that may be 
 the right thing to do, but not a disgraceful severance 
 of his relations with the school if it can be avoided. 
 
 To strike a child is another confession of weakness. 
 I do not say it should never be done, for on the con- 
 trary, it is at times the only recourse. Read in the 
 quotations at the end of this chapter what Page and 
 
i8o Co 771 in on Sense Didactics 
 
 Wickersham have said on this subject. I commend 
 their words to you as full of wisdom. Do not make 
 up your mind that you will never whip a child. Wait 
 and decide that question when you are brought face to 
 face with it. You may never have to pass upon it. 
 Read what Quick says about training children. There 
 is much wisdom in his words: "Yesterday I was 
 talking with a very skillful dog trainer. He often 
 buys a dog for $i and after a fortnight's training sells 
 it for $15. I asked him how he did it. 'Well, sir, it 
 takes a deal of patience. You must never get vexed 
 with a dog. I've known a lot of dogs spoilt through 
 a man losing patience with them and giving them the 
 whip at the wrong time.' " (See page 70.) 
 
 Fretting at the pupil, complaining of him every 
 time you meet his father or mother, talking about him 
 to other pupils, mocking some defect, ridicu- 
 mel/io§s, li"& some peculiarity, these you will avoid at 
 all times. A young lady, herself a teacher, 
 came to me in tears, saying, "We cannot prevail on 
 my brother to go to school any longer, and he is very 
 deficient in the common branches." Upon inquiring 
 as to the reason she said, "He stutters and stammers 
 over some words, or when he is excited. His last 
 teacher made fun of him by trying to read like him. 
 The children laughed at him, and now he can neither 
 be hired nor driven to go again." It is the old story 
 repeated of the thoughtless, not to say cruel, teacher 
 who destroys much good. 
 
 If you have Page's Theory and Practice of Teaching 
 read the chapters on school government. I advise you 
 not to use prizes in your school. At the very best their 
 benefit is limited, not to say questionable. They 
 are apt to arouse pride in the breast of the winner and 
 
School Gov eriime nt i8i 
 
 disappointment and envy in those who fail. It is not 
 always the most deserving who obtain them. The 
 effect of the prize upon the entire school is generally 
 bad. I would not attempt it. 
 
 Of praise I wish to say this: Used at all times and 
 lavishly it soon loses its power. Praise bestowed for 
 real merit for overcoming difficulties or temptation 
 should not be withheld. A smile, an encouraging 
 word, shows the child that his efforts are appreciated, 
 and stimulates him to persevere. To praise a child 
 for doing well is sometimes the best way of bringing 
 his mind to see what you want him to do. 
 
 Teach the child to question his own conscience. Is 
 this right or wrong? Is my conduct at all times such 
 as my ideal man would require it to be? Then let him 
 answer the question for himself, but always 
 
 In the King's Name. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 government. 
 
 Discipline is not the art of rewarding and punishing, of making 
 pupils speak and be silent. It is the art of making them perform 
 in the most appropriate, easy and useful manner all the duties of 
 the school. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 The want of order is the great master defect of nearly all 
 schools. I know of no one thing which so powerfully counteracts 
 the exertions of teachers as the want of good discipline. 
 
 — Teaching, Its Pleasures, Its Trials. 
 
 Children must be governed, not coaxed. Control within proper 
 limits is natural and wholesome for them. No amount of implor- 
 ing them to do right will ever accomplish the purpose, and it very 
 easily becomes positively harmful. On the other hand restraint 
 must not be carried too far ; we must remember that it is not the 
 course which is the easiest for ourselves, but that which is most 
 beneficial to the child which is to be followed. Mere quiet is not 
 good order. 
 
 —Joseph Landon. 
 
i82 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 "Order is heaven's first law," and it is scarcely more essential 
 to the harmony of heaven than it is to the happiness and success 
 of the school. 
 
 —David P. Page. 
 A UTHORITY. 
 
 In the next place there must be a standard of order, and this 
 must be backed by authority ; for, of what avail are law or regula- 
 tions without the ability to enforce their claims in case of any 
 resistance or disobedience? 
 
 —John Ogden. 
 
 Discipline, therefore, in the formation of character extends its 
 sphere of activity even into the setting forth of a lesson and into 
 all the details of instruction. In teaching well or ill we encourage 
 the formation of good habits or we check them ; we make the 
 formation of bad habits more difficult or we make them inevitable. 
 And by habits we must mean habits both moral and intellectual, 
 for the two are inextricably associated. 
 
 —P. A. Barneit. 
 
 A disciple is one who follows ; a disciplinarian should be one 
 who leads, not one who compels — and the man who can lead 
 children truly is the man who possesses those qualities of mind 
 which mark him out as superior to the "common herd," and a 
 superior mind will always find a following, will always find other 
 minds able and anxious to be led. 
 
 — Ennis Richmond. 
 
 A languid and dilatory yielding to repeated commands is rank 
 disobedience. "Not as in my presence only, but also in my 
 absence," must be the requirement, and nothing short of this is 
 worthy of commendation. 
 
 — Teaching, /is Pleasures, lis Trials. 
 
 JUSTICE. 
 
 It is wise sometimes not only to withhold the expression of 
 suspicion, but to give some token of your confidence to the pupil 
 who is troublesome. Intrust him with some errand involving 
 responsibility, or assign to him some duty by way of assistance to 
 yourself, and very likely you will gain his good will ever after. 
 
 -David P. Page. 
 
 Patience, diligence, quiet and unfatigued perseverance, indus 
 try, regularity and economy of time, as these are the dispositions 
 I would labor to excite, so these are the qualities I would warmly 
 commend. 
 
 — Hannah More. 
 
 The difference in sensitiveness between children is very great, 
 and when many are brought together to be treated as a school it 
 requires the greatest care and judgment to regulate the incentives 
 of pain and adapt them to these differences of individual character. 
 
 — Francis B. Palmer. 
 
School Cover 71 me 71 1 i8j 
 
 In all our schools there is too strong a tendency to hold tip a 
 false standard of success before the pupils. The things which 
 make for true manhood and true womanhood, which will con- 
 tribute to the usefulness of the individual as a member of society, 
 are lost sight of in the fierce ambition to obtain the mark neces- 
 sary for promotion to the next higher class. 
 
 — Iowa School Report. 
 PREVENTION. 
 
 If the child is to have an interval of leisure let it be in the play- 
 room or ground, where relaxation is permissible, and even noise 
 is not a sin. But let him have no intervals of leisure in school. 
 There, and in school time, where play is not' permitted, let work 
 be systematically prescribed, 
 
 -/. G. Fitch. 
 
 I never yet met with a boy — and thanks be to God I have taught 
 many — who would be rude to a female earnestly and kindly 
 seeking his welfare without attempting to crush that indepen- 
 dence of spirit which is man's prerogative and which no woman 
 has a right to crush. 
 
 —Charlotte Elizabeth. 
 SUGGESIION. 
 
 It's all very well to say that a teacher should always have a 
 kind manner, but at times when one feels irritable a kind manner' 
 seems impossible, or at best a piece of hypocrisy. When one is 
 not in the best of spirits there is some difficulty in keeping order 
 wnthout a repressive manner. By custom one learns to avoid any 
 breaking out of temper, but the master feels an undercurrent of 
 sulkiness and the boys know this better than he does. 
 
 — R. H. Quick. 
 
 That government of the school which does not reach the 
 conduct of the child out of school as well as when under the 
 immediate eye of the teacher, is defective in its aim and in its 
 results. 
 
 —David p. Page. 
 
 REWARDS AND PUNISMENTS. 
 
 The true way and the safe way, in my opmion, is to rely 
 mainly on moral means for the government of the school — to use 
 the rod without much threatening if driven to it by the force of cir- 
 cumstances, and as soon as authority is established to allow it to 
 again slumber with the tacit understanding that it can be again 
 awakened from its repose if found necessary. The knowledge in 
 the school that there is an arm of power, may prevent any neces- 
 sity of an appeal to it, and such a knowledge can do no possible 
 harm in itself. But if the teacher has once pledged himself to the 
 school that he will never use the rod the necessity may soon come 
 to him to abandon his position or lose his influence over the 
 pupils. 
 
 — David P. Page. 
 
184 Common Se?Lse Didactics 
 
 And yet the young must be taught to obey — their welfare, their 
 success in hfe, the well being of society depend upon it. A school 
 cannot be suffered to run riot. Order, obedience, respect for 
 authority are lessons much needed by the American people and 
 must be taught at all hazards in the family and in the school. If 
 to "spare the rod" is to "spoil the child," the rod should not be 
 spared. Better a government of barbarism than no government 
 at all. 
 
 —J. P. IVickersham. 
 
 Love for the truth, a spirit of serviceableness, respect for 
 sacred things, regard for the rights of his neighbor, integrity in 
 dealing with his fellows, the cultivation of the conscience, growth 
 of character in the direction of obedience to the precepts of divine 
 law, these are the weightier matters which the true teacher keeps 
 continually before her pupils. It is very necessary that the next 
 generation should have right ideas of what constitutes success. 
 
 —Iowa School Report 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 /. Define school government. 
 
 2. What is it to govern a school wisely? 
 
 J. Name some of the objects of school government. 
 
 4. When are the best results obtained? 
 
 5. Name some points which should characterize the exercise 
 
 of authority, 
 
 6. What is said of praise and censure? 
 
 7. What points are considered under the head of influence? 
 
 8. What is meant by the doctrine of suggestion? 
 
 g. Why are not prizes to be commended as beneficial in their 
 influence? 
 10. State briefly the statements in reference to corporal punish- 
 ment by Page and Wickersham in the quotations. 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. What does Holmes mean by saying we must be as courteous 
 
 to a child as to a picture? 
 2. To what extent can you dispense with rules and regulations 
 
 in school government? 
 J. What is the best course to pursue with persistently idle 
 
 pupils? 
 4. What do you think of Page's axiom, "The minimum of 
 
 punishment is the maximum of excellence?" What limi- 
 tations has it? 
 J. What would you do in case an innocent pupil knows who is 
 
 the author of some mischief but through a sense of honor 
 
 refuses to disclose his name? 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 THE HYGIENE OF THE SCHOOL 
 
 To Keep the World from Growing Old 
 
 Not only "lying lips" but a dyspeptic stomach is an abomination 
 to the Lord. 
 
 —Horace Mann. 
 
 Is there anything better in a State than that both women and 
 men be rendered the very best? There is not. 
 
 —Plato. 
 
 Nature's discipline is not even a word and a blow, and the blow 
 first ; but the blow without the word. It is left for you to find out 
 why your ears are boxed. 
 
 —Huxley. 
 
 No perfect brain ever crowns an imperfectly developed body. 
 When Michael Angelo reared St. Peter's dome in the air he made 
 every stone beneath contribute not only to the use and beauty of 
 the part he put it in but to the support and power of the dome. 
 
 —Edward H. Clarke. 
 
 WE COME in this chapter to the consideration 
 of a subject of very grave importance. 
 Hygiene, which concerns the laws of healthful being, 
 is at the foundation of human happiness. ^y^^ fou7i' 
 To be well and capable of endurance, to be dation of 
 strong, whether it be to run a race or fight fj^aMiness 
 a battle, to possess nerves which are not 
 easily unstrung and muscles which through proper 
 exercise have become hard and "firm like iron bands" 
 is to be well fitted for active life. Add to these the 
 clear brain, symmetrically developed; the cunning, 
 skillful hand, and we have a foundation upon which 
 we may base a moral nature which no temptation can 
 swerve from the path of rectitude, and an intellect 
 
 183 
 
1 86 Co mm 71 Se?ise Didactics 
 
 whicti can devise and accomplish great things for the 
 progress of mankind. 
 
 There is no question but that too little attention is 
 paid in our schools to those details which minister 
 directly to soundness of body. Heat, light, ventilation, 
 exercise, posture in recitation and at the desks are 
 treated only as incidental matters, inferior in impor- 
 tance to intellectual advancement and mental acumen. 
 
 It is impossible for the mind to do its best work 
 when it inhabits a feeble, diseased body. Blaikie, in 
 How to Get Strong, says: "But a bright and uncommon 
 head on a broken-down, or nearly broken-down, body 
 is not going to make half as effective a man in the 
 life-race as a little duller head and a good deal better 
 body." More than this the body must be surrounded 
 by right conditions if in effect it is to be a willing, 
 competent servant of the brain. 
 
 While the teacher is not entirely responsible for the 
 general health of the school, yet it is a subject to 
 which he should give constant and close 
 er's part. attention. To a certain extent the pecul- 
 iarities of each individual pupil should be 
 studied with reference to inherited or predisposed 
 tendency to disease of any kind; bodily defects should 
 be carefully noted in order that they maybe corrected, 
 or at least minimized as far as possible under the cir- 
 cumstances. In fact the teacher must not forget that 
 the physical growth and development of the child is 
 the foundation of intellectual strength and moral 
 stamina. 
 
 John Locke wrote: "How necessary health is to 
 our business and happiness, and how requisite a strong 
 constitution, able to endure hardship and fatigue, is to 
 one that will make any figure in the world, is too 
 
The Hygie7ie of the ScJiool iSj 
 
 obvious to need any proof." The philosopher was 
 wise, but no wiser than every common-school teacher 
 ought to be. He merely states in his own language 
 what common sense teaches us is true. (See page ii8.) 
 
 The following points are placed before you nearly 
 in the order of their importance: 
 
 Very few schoolrooms are provided with artificial 
 means of ventilation. Even in those in which some 
 attempts are made in this direction the 
 means used are not adequate to produce ^/^^^ 
 the desired results. In the majority of 
 cases teachers must depend upon such resources as 
 seem most ready at- hand. 
 
 But few teachers realize the necessity of a supply 
 of pure air in the schoolroom. A child requires about 
 2,500 cubic feet of air, and an adult about 4,000 cubic 
 feet per hour. There should be at least 30 square 
 feet of floor space, and 350 cubic feet of air space to 
 each pupil. A schoolroom 22x33 feet, with a ceiling 
 12 feet high, is usually seated for forty pupils. This 
 gives over 200 cubip feet of space to each person, and 
 when windows and doors are closed the air will be 
 vitiated, or rendered unfit for breathing in less than 
 ten minutes. 
 
 Every teacher who has had experience knows that 
 by the time school has been in session fifteen minutes 
 the air becomes heavy and loses its vitality. This 
 condition increases but is often endured until time for 
 recess, although in the meantime pupils and teacher 
 become drowsy and dull and the lessons drag. 
 
 It is not alone the process of breathing which 
 vitiates the atmosphere. Many of the children are 
 uncleanly in person, and wear clothing impregnated 
 with odors of the kitchen or the stable. In addition, 
 
i88 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 the soft coal stove consumes its share of the oxygen 
 and gives out its noisome gases. To this must be 
 added the chaik-dust from the blackboards, and the 
 dust from the mud and dirt which accumulate on the 
 floor. At times the visitor, who comes from the clear 
 atmosphere outside, finds it difficult to overcome his 
 repugnance to the odors which greet his senses when 
 he opens the door to enter the room. 
 
 I call your attention to these things in order to 
 impress upon you the necessity of providing some 
 method of supplying fresh air for the pupils. How 
 can this be done? In the first place, when you reach 
 your school in the morning throw the windows and 
 door wide open for a few moments. Let the children 
 find the air sweet and fresh when they enter. Do the 
 same when all the pupils have left the school at night. 
 Do not let the foul air, the accumulation of the last 
 hours of the afternoon, remain in the room until morn- 
 ing. As far as practicable, without exposing the 
 pupils, do the same thing at noon and at recess. Some 
 one once said of a teacher by way of criticism, "She 
 has got ventilation on the brain." I wish more of 
 our teachers were afflicted in the same way. 
 
 Sometimes the upper sash may be dropped a few 
 
 inches with safety, sometimes not. In no case should 
 
 the children be exposed to a draught of 
 Methods of ,, • ,., .. ^ ^u • j i t-t. 
 
 ventilation. ^^^^ ^^^ while sittmg at their desks. The 
 
 watchful teacher will devise other ways of 
 modifying an evil which cannot be entirely eradi- 
 cated. For instance, raise the lower sash a few inches 
 and fit a board closely under it. The opening thus 
 created between the upper and the lower sash forms 
 a fairly good ventilator. 
 
 It is impossible to frame a scientific treatise upon 
 
The Hygiene of tlie School i8g 
 
 ventilation in this chapter. My desire is to call the 
 attention of those who may read this book to the 
 necessity of careful observation and study of the entire 
 subject. 
 
 If as a teacher you are really in earnest and desire 
 to have some means of ventilation afforded for your 
 schoolroom ask your superintendent or director or 
 some of your more influential patrons to read this 
 chapter. You need their cooperation. 
 
 There is no more important question before us 
 to-day than the ventilation of schoolrooms. Under 
 all conditions of life pure air is an absolute necessity, 
 but when thirty, forty, fifty, or even sixty children are 
 shut up in a schoolroom, many of them coming from 
 homes where the bath-tub is a luxury unthought of, 
 where often the garments are worn day and night and 
 perhaps are unwashed for weeks, only the most com- 
 plete forced ventilation can keep the air decently pure. 
 
 The problem is intensified when we remember that 
 to the impurities arising from the usual causes we 
 must add those from catarrhal breaths, diseased 
 stomachs, decayed' teeth, and uncleanly persons. It 
 is a very liberal allowance to say that, in the average 
 school of forty pupils where there is no forced ventila- 
 tion, at the end of the first five minutes the air is unfit 
 to sustain vigorous life. Yet in all my experience I 
 have found comparatively few schoolrooms in the 
 arrangement of which the supply of fresh air has been 
 taken into account. This is as true in the city as it 
 is in the country. 
 
 Supposing that in order to convince yourself beyond 
 all cavil that my statements are true you make a few 
 observations; take an account of stock, as it were. 
 Just before the close of school step out into the open 
 
igo Common Sense Didactic s 
 
 air, but be careful to close the door behind you. Fill 
 your lungs with the pure oxygen of out-doors, inhaling 
 and exhaling two or three times; then step 
 iration. back into your schoolroom. Possibly the first 
 breath of the fetid atmosphere will make 
 you sick or faint; but no matter, you will survive it as 
 thousands have before you. 
 
 Spare a moment to consider these facts. You are 
 dealing with a matter of great interest to all concerned. 
 You are not a chemist; you have no apparatus for 
 ascertaining the real condition of the air in the room, 
 but this is a test which is reliable and which any one 
 can make. 
 
 Here you have a room 23 feet by 28 by 12, heated 
 by a vicious soft coal stove, and absolutely with no 
 means of ventilation except by lowering the windows. 
 This you hesitate to do because a blast of cold air 
 slays like a sword. I say no means of ventilation. 
 Possibly there is a hole in the ceiling 7 by 9 inches in 
 size, or one of the same dimensions in the side near 
 the chimney, which for ventilating purposes is of no 
 practical use whatever. The hot air furnace is equally 
 vicious unless well supplied with fresh air taken from 
 outside the building and warmed before it reaches the 
 schoolroom. In this case, if suitable outlets for the 
 escape of foul air are provided, the furnace becomes a 
 very effective method of heating the room. In this 
 room you will sometimes have thirty to fifty pupils — 
 two, often three, at one desk. If you happen to have 
 a thermometer it will register possibly from 80 to 85 
 degrees. Read carefully in the quotations the extract 
 from the report of W. W. Stetson, of Maine, which 
 treats of ventilation. It is applicable with slight 
 modifications to village schools. 
 
The Hygiene of the School igi 
 
 The cracks in the walls and in the floor are filled 
 with the accumulated dirt of many terms; they are the 
 best possible breeding place for disease germs, bacteria, 
 or whatever name may be the most appropriate. The 
 floors have not been washed for weeks, months, 
 perhaps years. The desks and seats have not felt hot 
 water since they were screwed into their places. The 
 walls are black with smoke and guiltless of white- 
 wash. If this is not true in all cases it is in too many. 
 
 Pay watchful attention to the heat of the room. 
 Your own sensations are not a sure guide. You are 
 well fed and warmly clothed; many of your 
 pupils are under-fed and thinly clad. You of heating. 
 may be uncomfortably warm, while some of 
 them are uncomfortably chilly. Watch the thermome- 
 ter. If the mercury is below 68 degrees the room 
 is too cold. If it is above 72 degrees the room is too 
 warm for health or comfort. If your room is warmed 
 by a stove maintain as steady a fire as possible. See 
 that the room is evenly warmed when the session 
 opens, and in ordinary weather you will not find much 
 trouble in holding t^he temperature about 70 degrees. 
 Perhaps the teacher will say that one person cannot 
 attend to all these things. There is some truth in 
 the suggestion. But "to keep school" is just as 
 important as instruction or teaching. 
 
 It will require but a moment to convince yourself 
 that some parts of the room have less light than is 
 needed on cloudy days, and that there are 
 no shutters or curtains to shield the eyes of Care of the 
 pupils when the sun is bright; that some 
 seats and desks are too high, and others too low; that 
 blackboards are placed between the windows where 
 the light is as bad as it can possibly be, and that the 
 
ig2 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 general arrangement of the room is in entire disre- 
 gard of sanitary laws. 
 
 This is a subject which calls for thoughtful attention. 
 
 In many buildings the blackboards are placed without 
 
 any reference to the light as it strikes them 
 
 boards. ' fi^oi^ the windows. Much of our teaching 
 
 to-day involves the use of the board. 
 
 Take a little time during the day to observe what is 
 going on in your schoolroom. Every program should 
 provide for vacant periods in order that the teacher 
 may observe and act intelligently. 
 
 Go across the room and sit down beside that group 
 of scholars. They are endeavoring to make out -their 
 lessons from the blackboard. You can get an indis- 
 tinct outline of the writing, and that is all. The 
 pupils are squinting their eyes and twisting their 
 heads and straining themselves to make out the wri- 
 ting, but the light strikes the glazed, shining board so 
 as to give them the greatest possible amount of 
 trouble. The time is near when some of those chil- 
 dren must be taken to an oculist to have glasses fitted 
 to their eyes before the sight is permanently injured. 
 The increasing shortsightedness is due very largely to 
 the defective methods of admitting light, or to insuffi- 
 cient quantity in certain parts of the room. 
 
 Observe these two points: First, the lesson should 
 be placed where it can be easily and plainly read by 
 the entire class If necessary, duplicate it by writing 
 it in different places. If this cannot be done, then let 
 part of the class move temporarily into seats from which 
 the lesson can be read without straining the eyes. It 
 is very possible that you can dispense with some of the 
 blackboard work, with profit to your pupils. 
 
 In the second place, the hand writing of the teacher 
 
TJi c H y g ic n c of the School igj 
 
 should be large, the letters well formed, and without 
 any flourishes. I am fully convinced that at least one- 
 half the troubles which affect the eyes of school chil- 
 dren come from a wrong use of the blackboard. See 
 the quotation from Professor Bergen at the conclusion 
 of this lesson. 
 
 The pupil who is nearsighted should be brought for- 
 ward nearer his work. No child should be allowed to 
 study with the sunlight shining into his face. There 
 is sometimes danger from too much light, as there is 
 from too little. I can merely touch upon this subject, 
 but it deserves careful consideration. The day you 
 observe that the child has any difficulty with his eyes, 
 you should inform the parents, that the necessary 
 steps may be taken to apply the correct remedy. 
 
 Do not require pupils to study the fine print in the text- 
 book, except under the best conditions as to light. 
 
 There is an increasing tendency on the part of school 
 boards to consult teachers whenever a change of books 
 is contemplated. In such cases the follow- 
 ing points should be.taken into careful con- text-book. 
 sideration: In choosing text-books, those 
 having the least fine print, other things being equal, 
 are to be preferred. It is said, by those who have 
 investigated the subject, that defective eyesight is on 
 the increase among our youth. It is unquestionably 
 true that poor paper, bad impressions, broken and 
 worn type, and fine print in our books have had much 
 to do with injuring the sight of school children. 
 
 The paper used in all books should be thick and 
 firm in texture, so as not to be transparent; it should 
 be white, forming a sharp contrast with the black let- 
 ter; and should be w^ithout any gloss to dazzle the 
 eyes. The ink is a matter of im.portance; the type 
 
 13 
 
ig4 Co7n7non Se?ise Didactics 
 
 should be of a proper size and form so as to give a 
 perfect impression; and the general arrangement of 
 the page should be such as to render each letter and 
 word legible without any conscious effort of the eye. 
 
 The eyesight of the child is his most precious heri- 
 tage; more precious even to the children of the poor 
 than to those of the wealthy, as its use is one of the 
 means by which they are to obtain a livelihood. A 
 text-book which is not made in accordance with the 
 latest scientific discoveries, calculated to preserve and 
 strengthen this sense, should not be allowed in the 
 schoolroom, no matter how excellent it may be in 
 other respects. Such mechanical perfection is not the 
 result of accident. To produce it requires expenditure 
 of money, scientific research, and the employment of 
 skilled labor. If you are asked by your directors to 
 recommend text-books for adoption, pay particular 
 attention to the points enumerated above. 
 
 Under the head of physical culture I do not include 
 gymnastics, athletic exercise, and exercises tending to 
 develop the muscles and strengthen the 
 ^ti/turf body. You will find these treated of under 
 another title. Physical culture has refer- 
 ence to the growth of the body into that natural grace 
 of form and movement which belongs to childhood. 
 I instance only a few important points. You should 
 pay very careful attention to the posture assumed by 
 the pupils in walking, standing, or sitting. Those posi- 
 tions which cramp the chest, induce round shoulders, 
 or distort the spine, should be carefully guarded against. 
 
 As you sit at your table, or, more to the purpose, as 
 you stand at the end of the room, notice with care the 
 positions the pupils take while at their desks. There 
 is one boy who has slipped down under his desk until 
 
The Hygie?ie of the School ig^ 
 
 his weight rests on the end of his spine. Another is 
 bending over his work so as to compress his vital 
 organs to such an extent that they cannot do the work 
 demanded of them. Mark that boy moving uneasily 
 in his seat, swinging his legs as they dangle in the air. 
 His feet are six or seven inches from the floor. How 
 would you like to take his place and swing your feet 
 for hours at a time? 
 
 ^y and by his mother will take him to the doctor 
 and tell him that Johnny complains that his bones 
 ache and his feet are numb; that he is too tired and 
 restless to sleep soundly as a child ought to sleep. 
 The doctor prescribes a tonic and "take him out of 
 school." Can you not change his seat and desk so as 
 to remedy these evils, in part at least? 
 
 Do you see that little girl writing at her desk? 
 Observe that her arm is elevated so as to be at right 
 angles with her side and that her left shoulder is cor- 
 respondingly depressed. In a few months her mother 
 will take her to the physician to be treated for curva- 
 ture of the spine. Isn't prevention to be preferred to 
 cure in such cases? Better that the lessons in penman- 
 ship be put off to a later period, than that the child 
 should be allowed to assume a position which requires 
 the arm to be raised at right angles to the body as she 
 sits at her desk. In many cases curvature of the spine 
 can be traced directly to the writing lesson in school. 
 
 The gymnastics practiced in school under various 
 names and systems are useful in quickening the circu- 
 lation and in promoting development of Gymnas- 
 certain muscles. Practice them when the tics;ath- 
 windows are open for ventilation, in con- 
 nection with breathing exercises, or when the weather 
 is too inclement for the usual recess. 
 
ig6 Com7no?i Sense Didactics 
 
 I want, however, to caution you against the notion 
 that anything can take the place of exercise in the 
 open air when the weather is suitable. Possibly you 
 will find that the school authorities have dispensed 
 with the out-door recess and that the teacher has sub- 
 stituted for it a five-minute gymnastic drill, which ii? 
 a matter of exercise is about as beneficial as a long, 
 deep, healthy yawn would be! I do not know who 
 first suggested the idea of abolishing the out-door 
 recess. Whoever he was, he was no friend to children. 
 There is nothing that can fill the place of it. 
 
 Baseball and football are excellent when under con- 
 trol; but do not let them run riot among your boys. 
 A victory in the athletic field is not the greatest 
 honor the school can achieve, and is sometimes pur- 
 chased at a fearful loss of time and interest in studies. 
 
 All the games should be under the eye of the 
 teacher. The recess is no time for hearing lessons or 
 disciplining pupils. The recess is time for real play, 
 and the children should be encouraged to enter heart- 
 ily into their games. Of course, allowance must be 
 made for city schools having no play-ground. But 
 even in these schools the tension should be relieved by 
 an intermission near the middle of each half day, at 
 which time the pupils should be allowed to talk with 
 each other, to move about the room, and to be, in a 
 large measure, free from restraint. In this connection 
 read in the quotations at the close of this chapter the 
 extract from Francis H. Tabor. 
 
 In every case where city water is not available, the 
 schoolhouse well must have some attention. Pure 
 water is absolutely essential to health. See to it that 
 the school authorities look closely after this matter. 
 Especially insist upon it that after a vacation the 
 
The Hygiene of the School igy 
 
 well must be thoroughly pumped out before the chil- 
 dren drink from it. This is a matter of grave impor- 
 tance which is but seldom attended to. 
 Keep the pails clean, and have them filled supply. 
 
 with fresh water three or four times a day. Do 
 not leave water in the pails or cups over night. When 
 possible, see that the pails and cups are taken every 
 week to some neighbor's house and cleansed with hot 
 water; but if a janitor is employed, then it should be 
 part of his work to keep all drinking receptacles 
 scrupulously clean. 
 
 Do 710 1 let one drink what another has left hi a cup, nor 
 should the water remaining in a cup after a child has 
 had his drink be thrown back in the pail. If any 
 thoughtful mother provides an individual cup for her 
 child, no other child should be allowed to drink from 
 it under any pretense whatever. It would be much 
 better to have individual cups for the entire school 
 whenever it is possible. Often the teacher can bring 
 it about with very little trouble and it is exceedingly 
 desirable. AH these are little points, not often con- 
 sidered worthy of notice; and yet a decent regard to 
 cleanliness and health will prompt a conscientious 
 teacher to see that such rules are carefully observed. 
 
 It is a legitimate part of a teacher's work in the com- 
 mon school to carefully guard against the entrance of 
 
 contagious diseases into the school. This 
 
 ■i • . -rr , .,, Cotttagious 
 
 you can do m two ways: If a child comes diseases. 
 
 from a home in which such a disease as 
 diphtheria, smallpox, or scarlet fever exists, even in a 
 mild form, rigorously exclude him from the school. 
 In case he has had such a disease and returns as recov- 
 ered, demand a certificate from some physician that 
 all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent 
 
jg8 Common Seiise Didactics 
 
 contagion from the presence of such a pupil in the 
 schoolroom. This is not only your right, but it is 
 your bounden duty as concerning the welfare of the 
 community and of the children under your care. 
 
 But more than this, you should exercise watchfulness 
 over the children that you may detect the beginning 
 of the disease. Headache, feverish condition, sore 
 throat in any child will always justify the teacher in 
 sending the case home with a note to the parents. 
 Do not take any risks, but watch these points with the 
 greatest care. Don't allow children to spit upon the 
 floor, and avoid in all possible ways raising a dust in 
 the room. It is not possible to introduce medical 
 inspection in all the schools. For this reason it is all 
 the more important that teachers should be acquainted 
 with the symptoms of these diseases and able to rec- 
 ognize an ailing pupil at once and report the case to 
 the proper person. 
 
 The choice of janitor for a building of two or more 
 rooms is nearly as important as that of principal. 
 Tanitors There should be a most friendly relation 
 between him and the teachers in the build- 
 ing. If they have the right understanding of their 
 respective duties they may be mutually helpful. It is 
 not best to delegate to him entire authority over the 
 pupils on the school grounds, but the children should 
 be taught to respect him, and when he reports disor- 
 der or abuse of privilege the matter should receive 
 immediate attention. 
 
 Do not, as is sometimes the case, expect too much 
 from the janitor, or impose unnecessary duties upon 
 him. Whatever he has to do, see that he does it thor- 
 oughly. Do not treat him as a menial, but interest 
 him, if you can, in the welfare of the school. I once 
 
The Hygiene of the School igg 
 
 said to a janitor who came to the office for supplies: 
 
 "How is Miss getting on?" She was a new 
 
 teacher and an experiment. "Pig-pen," was all his 
 answer. He had no education except such as the 
 Lord gives some people — good common sense. Upon 
 investigation I found that when she "adjourned school" 
 — she always used that term — the floor was littered 
 with papers and refuse; the children were not required 
 to clean their shoes, and a general air of untidiness 
 was everywhere evident. There was more work for 
 the janitor to do in that room than in any two other 
 rooms in the building. 
 
 Washing the floors and desks, sweeping, dusting, and 
 building the fires is not all the work the janitor should 
 accomplish. There are a thousand little things making 
 for comfort and health and cleanliness in which you 
 may ask his aid. A few things observe with care: 
 Treat your janitor courteously; if you have occasion to 
 find fault with his work, do it without any spirit of 
 censoriousness; and when he does well let him know 
 that you appreciate it. Possibly you may find occa- 
 sion to lend a hel-ping hand in the work of keeping 
 things clean. Read this from Ruskin — it is practica- 
 ble: "I myself have washed a flight of stone stairs all 
 down, with bucket and broom, in a Savony inn, where 
 they hadn't washed their stairs since they first went up 
 them, and I never made a better sketch than that 
 afternoon." 
 
 It is the janitor's business also, to care for the clean- 
 liness of the outbuildings and closets. This you should 
 require of him, and should take immediate notice of 
 any abuse of these buildings by the pupils. Nothing 
 should deter you from talking to the janitor about 
 these matters, or from upholding his authority when- 
 
200 Co mm 71 Sense Did act 
 
 ic s 
 
 ever it seems necessary. Look to this point yourself. 
 There is no excuse why every law of decency which 
 prevails in all respectable homes should be violated, 
 as it is, in the buildings to which our children resort 
 when at school. Horace Mann once wrote: "A want 
 of decency enforced upon boys and girls will become 
 physical and moral turpitude in men and women." The 
 doctrine of suggestion is applicable here. The inde- 
 cent writing, the obscene pictures on the walls, may 
 be springs of impurity whose waters will embitter the 
 entire life of the child. (See page 146.) 
 
 Pupils should be so trained that they need not ask 
 permission to leave the room, but go out quietly as in 
 ^ ^ a well ordered home, attracting as little 
 
 considera- attention as possible and returning as 
 Uo7ts. quietly to their desks. Their reasons should 
 
 not be questioned. In this matter you can safely trust 
 their honor. The following extract is by William K. 
 Fowler, state superintendent of Nebraska: 
 
 "A teacher should permit pupils to leave the school- 
 room when necessary, and she should be cautioned not 
 to constitute herself the judge of the child's physical 
 necessities, but she should use all reasonable means to 
 reduce the number to a minimum. One teacher has 
 adopted the plan of excusing during the first five min- 
 utes after nine o'clock, while settling down and hang- 
 ing wraps, pupils who think they may need to pass out 
 before recess, and strange as it may seem, this almost 
 entirely cures the evil of a string of pupils constantly 
 going and coming. Pupils will not neglect play to 
 attend to their physical necessities before school time, 
 even with the tap of the bell five minutes before the 
 hour to remind them." 
 
 Do not allow yourself to be prejudiced against a 
 
T h e H y gi c ii e of the Sc Jiool 201 
 
 hearty laugh on the part of the pupils. Sometimes 
 join with them and enjoy it. It relieves the strain, 
 and enlivens the school as nothing else can. From a 
 hygienic viewpoint the atmosphere of our schoolrooms 
 is too somber. Scowling and frowning should be 
 buried in the same grave with nagging and scolding. 
 (See page ^(i) 
 
 Attention to the clothing of the children is also a 
 part of your duty. No pupil should be allowed to 
 pass from the heated atmosphere of the ^ ^ 
 
 schoolroom into the outer air without some outside 
 additional protection, in the way of cloth- 'ojraps. 
 ing, for the head and shoulders. When school is out 
 at noon or night, the pupils, especially the younger 
 ones, should be carefully watched by the teacher to 
 see that they are suitably prepared for the walk home. 
 In cold weather they should be allowed to bring their 
 wraps into the warm room to make their preparations. 
 Everything which is done for their comfort tends to 
 promote their health. Wet, damp clothing or outside 
 wraps of any kind should not be allowed to hang in the 
 room in which j;he children study. The steam and 
 odor which come from them helps to vitiate the 
 atmosphere and to render it unfit for breathing. 
 
 W^orry has killed thousands of people. It is a kind 
 
 of contagious disease for which no sure remedy has 
 
 vet been found. It seems to be a great 
 
 . . ^ Wo7-ry. 
 
 sorrow that it is ever permitted to invade 
 
 the realm of happy, cheerful childhood, or to cast its 
 
 baleful shadows across the pathway of the ambitious 
 
 youth. 
 
 Whenever the child goes home at night tired with 
 
 the restraint of the school and worried over lessons 
 
 which must be prepared for the next da3^ when his 
 
202 Cofiimon Sense Didactics 
 
 sleep is disturbed by visions of unlearned tasks which 
 he seems vainly trying to master, then it is high time 
 to call a halt. Either the lessons are too long or the 
 subject is above his limited comprehension, or, as is 
 often the case, he is stimulated to an unhealthy degree 
 by the feverish desire to stand at the head of his class. 
 It is in your power to remedy these evils by reason- 
 able requirements and by holding up only proper 
 motives before the pupils. That is not a proper 
 motive which makes a pupil who has done his best 
 dissatisfied with himself because some one else has 
 done better, or makes a pupil who has not done his 
 best satisfied with himself because some rival has 
 fallen below him in class standing. (See page 29.) 
 
 In regard to the assigning of lessons to be learned at 
 home, very careful discrimination should be exercised 
 
 by the teacher, "having due regard to age. 
 Study health, and status" of the child. However, 
 
 there is a change coming; the tendency is 
 in the right direction, and the home life of the child 
 will receive deserved attention. It would be better 
 for the pupil if he had fewer studies, shorter lessons, 
 more intense study during school hours, and more free- 
 dom at home for general reading and for cultivating 
 habits of helpfulness to others. The rules and regula- 
 tions under which you work may not leave you an}^ 
 right of private judgment, but they cannot destroy 
 your right to think. The child who is compelled to 
 spend all his time out of school on school work and 
 who has no time for home duties is being deprived of 
 the best part of his education. If you would have 
 your pupils happy and healthy, greet them with smiles 
 in the morning; take your sunshine with you when 
 you go to your schoolroom. Don't nag and fret and 
 
Til e Hy gi e ne of tJic School 2oj 
 
 worry the pupils over the little disappointments and 
 difficulties of school duties, but send them home when 
 school is done with the contented spirit of childhood, 
 "... that through all the ages past. 
 Has kept the n'orld from grozving old. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 ventila tion. 
 
 Pure air means dearer brains and better lessons, and may 
 determine whether or not a child shall gain a sufficient kno\yledge 
 to assure his success in life. In every half day of school it is well 
 to allow a short recess in which windows and doors can be thrown 
 wnde open and the pupils sent out to get deep breaths of oxygen 
 during play. 
 
 ^ ^ ■> —Selected. 
 
 Dr. Franklin, in his usual humorous manner, but with his 
 accustomed gravity, relates in one of his essays the following 
 anecdote for the purpose, doubtless, of showing the influence of 
 pure air upon health, happiness and longevity. "It is recorded 
 ■of Methusalem, whom being the longest liver, maybe supposed to 
 have best preserved his health, that he slept always in the open 
 air ; for when he had lived five hundred years an angel said to 
 him, 'Arise, Methusalem, and build thee a house, for thou shalt 
 live yet five hundred years longer.' But Methusalem answered 
 and said, 'If I live but five hundred years longer, it is not worth 
 while to build me a house. I will sleep in the air as I have been 
 accustomed to do.''" 
 
 — Ira May hew. 
 
 There can be no doubt that very much of the complaint we 
 hear of the injurious effects of school life upon children and the 
 early breaking down and heavy death rate among teachers are 
 due far more to unwholesome conditions of work than to the 
 severity of the work itself. 
 
 —Joseph Landon. 
 
 It is often possible to see, especially in the case of young and 
 delicate children, how a fresh, healthy appearance gradually dis- 
 appears and gives place to a pale, ansemic color — a condition 
 traceable chiefly to the impure air of the schools. 
 
 — Kotelmann. 
 
 The simplest and most effective form of ventilation in school 
 buildings in rural communities is to have a cold-air box extending 
 from an opening in the wall under the floor to a point immediatel}- 
 beneath the stove. This air shaft should be as short and direct 
 as possible. It should be at least 30 inches square for a single 
 
204 Common Sense Didactic s 
 
 room building, and should be covered at both ends with a coarse 
 wire netting and about one inch inside of this netting screens 
 should be placed similar to those used in dwelHng houses to 
 exclude flies. The opening beneath the stove should be provided 
 with a slide which may be completely closed during the time the 
 roomi is being cleansed or swept. 
 
 The stove should be surrounded by a Russia iron jacket 
 fastened securely to the floor, and extending above the top of the 
 stove from eight to twelve inches. The sides of the jacket should 
 not be at any point within six inches of the sides of the stove. By 
 this very simple plan fresh air is admitted to the room in any 
 required volume, and is passed near the stove in such a way as to 
 be warmed before it passes into the room. 
 
 The ventilating flue or chimney for school houses of one room 
 should be not less than 30 inches square on the inside. The smoke- 
 stack should be about S inches in diameter, and placed in such 
 position in the flue as to be most easily connected with the 
 heating apparatus. The register which opens into the ventilating 
 flue or chimney should be about 28 inches square, and shouldd be 
 covered with a coarse wire netting, bordered by a simple mould- 
 ing on the outside. This opening should be near the floor. 
 
 — W. W. stetson, 
 CARE OF THE EYES. 
 
 Direct sunlight should not fall on the eyes or work of the pupils, 
 as it will irritate the retina. To prevent this school windows 
 should have means of protection either on the outside or on the 
 inside. 
 
 — Kotelmann. 
 
 Do not let children bend over their desks; still, remember that 
 the short-sighted child cannot sit up and see his book on a flat 
 desk. To save children from becoming short-sighted prevent 
 them from using their eyes too long and too closely on near 
 objects. The boy should sit up well, with his head upright and 
 his eyes at least twelve inches from his book. 
 
 ^Francis Warner. 
 
 BLACKBOARD AND TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 The Position of Blackboards. — The blackboards should be on 
 the inner wall of the room, where the greater amount of light will 
 fall upon them, and they should be of a dull black color. The 
 principal cause of defective eyesight in school children is no 
 doubt traceable to improper lighting of the room, which may be 
 either excessive light or deficient light or light coming from' the 
 wrong direction. The position of the blackboards and their 
 frequent use for copying exercises while the child is at his desk 
 requires rapid changes in the accommodation, which is also a 
 factor in producing defective eyesight. Another factor, inde- 
 pendent of the arrangement of the schoolroom, is the use of 
 books printed with defective type or with too small a type. 
 
 — /. Y.Bergen. 
 
The Hygic7ic of the School 203 
 
 Through the sense of sight the mind has its broadest field of 
 knowledge. The eye is the soul's most perfect wmdow, as it 
 seeks to scan this outer world as a wonderful mechanism, and m 
 its interdependent movements. 
 
 ^ —Lewis Ransovi Fiske. 
 
 PHYSICAL CULTURE. 
 
 There are certain negative duties which are self-evident. 
 Teachers should at least protect their pupils against impure air 
 too lono- confinement, over-work and the deadening effects of 
 mental worrv, caused bv severe competitive written examinations. 
 A great deaf more thanUis ought to be done, but in many schools 
 not even this is attempted. _^^^^^ ^^^^^ 
 
 At college I was taught the motions of the heavenly bodies as 
 if their keeping in their orbits depended upon my knowing them, 
 while I was in profound ignorance of the laws of health of my 
 own body The rest of my life was, in consequence, the one long 
 battle with exhausted energies. _^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^_ 
 
 Parents and teachers should never forget that children are as 
 susceptible to phvsical training as to intellectual or moral culture. 
 And here especiallv they should be "trained up m the way they 
 should go." Physical uprightness is next to moral. 
 
 *=> •' — Ira Maynew. 
 
 What we call skill in the arts consists of muscles and nerves 
 trained to respond to some mental ideal. A habit is a facility of 
 doing in some particular way amounting to a tendency. 
 
 — Lewis Ransom Fiske. 
 
 There should be the same intelligent and sympathetic super- 
 vision and direction of the play activities of the pupils as of their 
 
 ^^^^^^^' ' -RuricN.Roark. 
 
 This reminds us how many wells and cisterns that stand 
 unused during the long vacation are supposed to be ready for use 
 as soon as the pump-handle is fixed or bucket tied to the rope. 
 Every such well or cistern ought to be thoroughly cleaned out 
 before the pupils are permitted to use the water m it. Filth, 
 and too often death, is at the bottom. Teachers, do not forget 
 your responsibility in such matters. See that the board under- 
 stands its responsibility also. __^ ^ ^^^^^^^ 
 
 GYMNASTICS. 
 
 There can be no comparison between a good healthy game— m 
 
 which every muscle is suitably exercised and bram and lungs ]oin 
 
 in the complete happiness of the honest laugh and the careless 
 
 shout— and the "dead alive" military drill, or formal gymnastics, 
 
 which, while developing many muscles abnormally leave the bram 
 
 torpid' and the spirits depressed. . „ ^ a 
 
 ^ ^ —Francis H. Tabor. 
 
2o6 Commo?i Sense Didactics 
 
 The following are the requirements for a good school desk; 
 The seat should be of such a height that the feet may be placed 
 evenly on the floor or foot rest, while the upper and lower legs 
 make right angles with one another. Its height must, therefore, 
 be somewhat less than the distance from the sole of the foot to the 
 knee. 
 
 — Kotelmann. 
 HOME STUD Y. 
 
 It is a question well worth the consideration of our school men 
 and educational theorists whether the time has not come for the 
 simplification of the courses of study and the reduction of the 
 number of school hours in our gymnasia. 
 
 — Kotelmann. 
 
 Children under ten years of age ought to have no lessons 
 whatever assigned for home study. Whatever time they can 
 spare from play ought to be spent in reading suitable library 
 books. Boys and girls from ten to twelve years of age ought not 
 to have more than one lesson for home study. And girls from 
 fourteen to sixteen years of age, in high schools, ought not to 
 study more than one hour a day out of school. From ten to 
 sixteen is the golden period for the reading of good books, and 
 any course of school work that deprives pupils of time to read by 
 keeping them all the time at the drudgery of text-book lessons is 
 a mental wrong and a physical sin. 
 
 —John Sweit. 
 
 May we not reverently ask, What shall it profit a child if he 
 gain the whole world of knowledge and lose his health, or what 
 shall he give in exchange for his health? 
 
 ~G. Stanley Hall. 
 
 TEACH THE CHILDREN 
 
 Not to spit; it is rarely necessary. To spit on a slate, floor, or 
 sidewalk is an abomination. 
 
 Not to put the fingers into the mouth. 
 
 Not to pick the nose. 
 
 Not to wet the finger with saliva in turning the leaves of books. 
 
 Not to put pencils into the mouth or moisten them with the lips. 
 
 Not to put money into the mouth. 
 
 Not to put anything into the mouth except food and drink. 
 
 Not to swap apple cores, candy, chewing gum, half -eaten food, 
 whistles or bean blowers, or anything that is habitually put in 
 the mouth. 
 
 —Clifton F. Hodge, in Nature Study. 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 /. What relation exists between a healthy body and a brain 
 
 capable of doing its best work? 
 2. How many cubic feet of pure air should be allowed each 
 
 pupil per hour? 
 
The Hygiene of the School 20^ 
 
 J. Give conditions of ventilating a schoolroom by various 
 
 methods. 
 ^. What danger arises from too frequent use of the blackboard 
 
 in giving instruction? 
 J. Give the two cautions as to placing writing upon the board. 
 
 6. Give the caution regarding the position at the desk in the 
 
 penmanship lesson. 
 
 7. What attention should be given nearsighted pupils? 
 
 S. What is the teacher's duty as regards the clothing of the 
 
 children when passing out of the room? 
 9. What are proper and what improper motives as incentives 
 
 to study? 
 10. Why is it not well to crowd children so that they worry 
 
 over their lessons? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. Is there too much home study assigned in our schools to-day? 
 ^. The use and abuse of athletics. 
 
 3. How can I improve my schoolroom so as to make it more 
 
 healthful? 
 
 4. What is the effect of pictures on the walls? 
 
 5. How to make the out-doors recess beneficial to study and 
 
 health. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE CULTIVATION OF TASTE 
 
 Beautiful Gates Are for Beautiful Things 
 
 We hear much in these days of the precocity of childhood. 
 Josephus tells us that once in the siege of Jerusalem this golden 
 gate which we have made the image of childhood, "was seen to 
 be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night." 
 Some thought it was a good omen, "as if God did open to them 
 the gate of happiness." Others thought it was very bad, "as if 
 the gate were open to the advantage of their enemies." So in 
 this critical time of ours not the least critical sign is this: that the 
 golden gate stands open wide, that childhood is exposed and sen- 
 sitive to new impressions and ideas. Is it for good or evil? The 
 wider open the gate the better, if only the truth can be poured in. 
 The more receptive the children's hfe the better, if only they w^ho 
 train the children can thoroughly believe that there is a manly 
 and beautiful religion of which the child is capable, and work 
 with God to bring their children to it. 
 
 — Phillips Brooks. 
 
 THIS chapter has much to do with schools in the 
 rural districts. Teachers in graded schools can 
 read it with profit. To make a system of education 
 Aims of effective it must be in accord with its envi- 
 t he conn- ronments. The country school should be 
 ' thoroughly countrified; it should never put 
 on metropolitan airs. It is not desirable that the 
 country school should keep equal pace with the city 
 system in the character and kind of studies introduced 
 in it; but especially in nature studies and in elemen- 
 tary science as bearing upon agriculture and rural life, 
 the curriculum of the country school should be greatly 
 enlarged. What the city school ought to do in fitting 
 boys for the office or for professions, the country 
 school must do in fitting boys and girls for the farm. 
 
 2o8 
 
The CtLltivation of Taste 2og 
 
 Just as soon as the farmers in the agricultural sections 
 of the land find that the school is making the boys and 
 girls more useful on the farm, more intelligent and 
 more contented to remain at home, they will value it 
 for its usefulness and rally to its support. Whatever 
 has a tendency to make the boy more intelligent in 
 farming matters or to make the life of the farm more 
 attractive to him; whatever will make the daughter 
 more useful in the home, or make the home a place of 
 supreme pleasure to her, may legitimately be taught 
 in the district school. 
 
 The subjects taught in the country school ought to 
 bear a close relation to country life. The great store- 
 house of nature opens her doors and displays her treas- 
 ures to the rural school. Seedtime and harvest, bud 
 and flower, blossom and fruit, the care of animals, 
 singing birds and running streams, can be made^the 
 source of lessons useful as well as pleasant to the chil- 
 dren. The country school is shorn of half its usefulness 
 because the teacher is not able to rise to the height of 
 her opportunities. And what a wonderful opportunity 
 she has to teach tfie pupil "to translate forms of beauty 
 into thought, and thought into words." 
 
 In an article in the Commo?i School Joiir?ial, then, in 
 1840, edited by Horace Mann, the writer, after enu- 
 merating a long list of eminent men, says of them: 
 "All common school men, some scarcely that, but yet 
 all educated men, because they were made alive." 
 The school, whether it be in the city or country, which 
 does not do this for the pupils is failing of its purpose. 
 We have lost sight, to some extent, of the purposes of 
 school education, and possibly we may have to go back 
 to the country school of Horace Mann in order to get 
 our bearings again. 
 
 14 
 
210 Co7n?no?i Se?ise Didactics 
 
 I do not say we do not, but I do say we ought to 
 turn out of our common schools reasonable, thinking, 
 live men and women, anxious to be of service to man- 
 kind, eager for knowledge, with a quickened con- 
 science, with the seeds of growth planted so deep that 
 neither drought nor frost can affect them, growing 
 year by year like the young sapling of the forest which 
 does not reach its maturity until it has been nourished 
 by the sunshine of a hundred summers and has breasted 
 the storms and winds of a hundred winters. He is 
 educated, then, "who thinks most, feels the noblest, 
 acts the best. " 
 
 An ideal country schoolhouse and grounds can very 
 easily be pictured. The grounds should be not less 
 
 than one acre. The best form is one hun- 
 The ideal ^^.^^ ^j^j eighty feet front by two hundred 
 
 and forty feet deep. The land should be 
 dry and well drained. Tame grass, such as one would 
 have in his own dooryard at home, and trees not too 
 near the fence and yet so planted as not to be in the 
 way of the children when at play, should be well cared 
 for. The schoolhouse should be located so as to 
 admit of playgrounds for the boys and girls, with 
 open space for outbuildings and sheds in the rear. 
 To plant a cluster of evergreens so as to hide such 
 buildings in a measure would go very. far to inculcate 
 that sense of modesty and decency which is of incal- 
 culable value to our boys and girls. The cost would 
 be a mere pittance, while the benefits would be beyond 
 our power to estimate. Hard, dry walks to the out- 
 buildings and from the front gate to the door should 
 always be provided. In the front yard pupils should 
 be encouraged to plant and care for shrubs and flowers. 
 Time spent in their cultivation would not be thrown 
 
TJie Ciiltiv atiofi of Taste 211 
 
 away by any means. School grounds thus arranged 
 
 and beautified would exert an influence throughout the 
 
 entire district in the improvement of farm property. 
 
 There is room for great improvement along these lines 
 
 in every state. Desolate school grounds can be made 
 
 glad, and the barren, treeless school lots can be made 
 
 to bud and blossom as the rose. 
 
 The district schoolhouse should be the rallying 
 
 point for every influence which tends to elevate or 
 
 benefit mankind. Within its walls should 
 
 11 1 T • 1-1 1 r The rally- 
 
 be kept the district library, the museum ot ing place. 
 
 specimens gathered and labeled by the 
 children, the herbarium of flowers and leaves which 
 the children have gathered on the prairies or the hills. 
 Here may be held the country lyceum, the debating 
 society, the singing school. No matter if religious 
 meetings and Sunday schools are held here, provided 
 the religious conscience can be so elevated that the 
 worshipers will not desecrate the room by tobacco, 
 nor purloin the books of the pupils. Here maybe held 
 historical or scientific lectures for the benefit of both 
 parents and pupils. The surroundings should be sightly 
 and attractive. Trees and flowers and shrubs should 
 adorn the grounds, which should be scrupulously cared 
 for. In short, the district schoolhouse and the grounds 
 should have such a hold upon the community that they 
 would be the last places which the people would per- 
 mit to be desecrated by the vandal or the tramp. 
 
 A child naturally loves the beautiful. If you will 
 show me a child who has no love for birds or flowers, 
 or pictures or music, I think that I can in ^^^ taste 
 turn show you one in whom the doctrine of for the 
 total depravity will probably be exempli- beautiful. 
 fied. So strong- is this instinct in the child's mind that 
 
212 Cofnmon Se?ise Didactics 
 
 the infant in his mother's arms manifests the first 
 dawning of intellect in striving to reach some bright, 
 attractive object, or in jumping and crowing in 
 response to the singing of the canary bird in the cage 
 on the wall. 
 
 Nor is this true of children alone. The attempts of 
 the poor in our cities to keep alive their sense of the 
 beautiful is most piteous. The oyster-can, picked up 
 out of the street, is made to serve as a flower pot in 
 which, for a time, the geranium grows and flourishes. 
 The cracked sugar bowl holds a rose which, in its 
 bloom, softens the air of poverty and adds something 
 of cheer to the room. The vine is trailed over the 
 broken window, and great pains are taken to give 
 vigor and luxuriance to its foliage. 
 
 Most touching sight of all is it when, at the door or 
 window, we catch a glimpse of the cripple boy, the 
 sick girl, or the worn, discouraged mother, trying to 
 get some brightness into their life through flowers or 
 the beautiful things which nature places at their dis- 
 posal. It is one of the most beneficent designs of 
 nature that the lilies of the field are not for the rich 
 alone; the flowers, and buds, and sunshine, and trees, 
 and fruit are common gifts of God to all his creatures. 
 
 Again, this innate love of the beautiful can be made 
 a strong influence in shaping and forming youthful 
 character. I have seen a school of rough, uncultured 
 boys and girls completely transformed in spirit by the 
 action of the teacher in appealing to their sense of 
 beauty. Pictures, not always artistic, but better than 
 the children see at home, are hung upon the walls. 
 Flowers occasionally grace the teacher's desk. A 
 bouquet of wild flowers, gathered by a boy or girl 
 on the way to school, is accepted with hearty thanks. 
 
Tlic Ciiltivation of Taste 2ij 
 
 The room is kept more tidy, and neatness of person 
 begins to be the habit of pupils as well as of teachers. 
 
 In many states the law designates one acre as a 
 suitable size for a schoolhouse lot. This affords ample 
 room for the buildings, for playgrounds improve- 
 and for planting flowers and shrubs. No ment of 
 more healthful influence can be thrown gromids. 
 around the school than the habit, on the part of 
 the children, of caring for things which they have 
 planted and the ownership of which is vested in them. 
 A few roses growing in a corner or climbing over the 
 door, a flower bed at either side of the front walk, a 
 cluster of shrubs near the fence would cost but a trifle, 
 while the school grounds would soon become attractive 
 to the children and they would view their school with 
 pleasure and not with dread. 
 
 There is not very much, I grant, to encourage a 
 teacher in this direction. Often the community would 
 sneer at it and rude boys w^ould destroy in a night the 
 labor and growth of days. And yet most teachers could 
 do a work along this line which would be of immense 
 benefit to the next generation. Not only would well- 
 kept school grounds and pleasing buildings raise the 
 price of every acre of ground in the district, but the 
 boys and girls of the community would carry into 
 active life a remembrance of school days which would 
 make better men and better women. 
 
 Likewise, opportunity exists for much improvement 
 in the grounds about the city schools. As a general 
 thinff, they are destitute of shrubs or flow- ^ .^ 
 
 ers; they are apt to be littered with papers schools. 
 
 and sticks, and refuse of all kinds. In 
 some cases they excel the country school in ugliness. 
 It is very seldom, in the city, that there is not some 
 
214- Co mm on Sense Didactic s 
 
 space about the building which, if the teachers were 
 only anxious to do it, could be so utilized as to culti- 
 vate the children's taste and develop their love for the 
 beautiful in nature. 
 
 I can only reiterate what I have said: That, next 
 to his home, the schoolhouse ought to be to the child 
 the most attractive spot in the district. The lawn 
 should be of tame grass; trees of several varieties 
 should be planted and cared for. I look forward to 
 the time when, especially in our country schools, it 
 will be part of the course to teach children the kind of 
 trees which flourish best in that section, which of them 
 are best for timber, which for shade, and which for 
 fuel. Specimens of each will then be found on the 
 school ground and referred to for purposes of illustra- 
 tion. In the same connection we must teach how to 
 plant and care for them, and thus cultivate in each 
 child an honest respect for a thriving, growing tree. 
 It means much to the child to be initiated in his youth 
 into "the brotherhood of venerable trees." 
 
 To decorate the walls of the rooms in the building 
 is not necessarily expensive. A few pictures which 
 
 can be purchased at a small cost, a shelf in 
 Decora- ^-j^^ corner for books, plants growing in the 
 
 windows, two or three vases filled with 
 flowers which the children will take pleasure in pro- 
 viding, will change the aspect of the room and make 
 it a pleasant, cheerful school home for the pupils. It 
 is wonderful how much can be done in this direction 
 by the teacher. The effects of these attempts at 
 decoration render the pupils more susceptible to good 
 influences, and in time reach into the homes from 
 which the children come. 
 
 Very often you will find parents ready :and willing to 
 
The Ctiltivation of Taste 215 
 
 assist you, by loaning pictures for a short time. In 
 many places this is done with excellent result. By 
 such a means parents become interested in the school 
 and study works of art at the same time with their 
 children 
 
 The following is taken from the Report of the Com- 
 mittee of Twelve on Rural Schools. It is from the 
 pen of Supt. Lawton B. Evans, of Georgia. 
 
 "If children are daily surrounded by those influences 
 that elevate them, that make them clean and well- 
 ordered, that make them love flowers, and jrro7n Re- 
 pictures, and proper decorations, they at last port of^ 
 reach that degree of culture where nothing ^X'J/^1 
 else will please them. When they grow up 
 and have homes of their own they must have them 
 clean, neat, bright with pictures, and fringed with 
 shade trees and flowers; for they have been brought 
 up to be happy in no other environment. The true 
 test of our civilization and culture is the kind of home 
 we are content to live in, and the influences of our 
 schools should help to form a disposition for those 
 things that make home life happy and healthy. If 
 the farmer's boy can be taught to love books when he 
 is at school, he will have a library in his home when 
 he becomes a man; if the farmer's girl can be taught 
 decoration at school, she will want pictures and flow- 
 ers and embroidery when she becomes a woman." 
 
 No teacher can be called progressive in any true 
 sense of that word who is willing to teach in the old- 
 fashioned schoolroom with bare, unwhitewashed walls, 
 black with the smoke of many winters, and cheerless 
 of anything calculated to make it pleasant or attrac- 
 tive. Something in the air of such a room makes 
 teaching a drudgery which is well-nigh unendurable. 
 
2i6 Co mm 71 Se?Lse Didactics 
 
 It costs but little to make a beginning, and, like all 
 other good works, when it is once started it will grow. 
 Success depends upon whether the teacher is in earnest 
 or not. 
 
 No curriculum is complete, no matter how scientific- 
 ally it may be framed, which does not make ample 
 
 ^ . provision for the aesthetical side of the 
 
 Drawing. ^ . . , . 
 
 child's nature. Hence singmg and draw- 
 ing should have their places in the daily program. 
 The introduction of these branches has done much to 
 soften the austerity of school life and to improve the 
 manners and morals of the children. 
 
 If you cannot instruct in drawing, you are deficient 
 in an important qualification. Perhaps you think you 
 have no talent in that direction. Possibly you are 
 right; and yet there are but few persons who cannot 
 become fairly good instructors in drawing if they are 
 willing to make the effort. You certainly can learn so 
 far as to be able to direct the pupils, if you will avail 
 yourself of some of the excellent manuals at your 
 command. 
 
 I quote the following from Mi?id a?id Ha?td, by 
 Charles H. Ham: 
 
 "The value of drawing as an educational agency is 
 simply incalculable. It is the first step in manual 
 training. It brings the eye and the mind into relations 
 of the closest intimacy, and makes the hand the organ 
 of both. It trains and develops the sense of form and 
 proportion, renders the eye accurate in observation 
 and the hand cunning in execution." 
 
 The above quotation is worthy careful study and 
 thought. If drawing is of any value in the city schools 
 it is equally so in those of the country. The use of 
 the hand and the eye, the development of form and 
 
The Cultivation of Taste 217 
 
 proportion is essential to every child. Because you 
 teach in a school in which there is no special teacher 
 of drawing is all the stronger reason why you should 
 make yourself as nearly perfect as possible in this 
 branch. Even though drawing is not in the course of 
 study and you are not required to teach it, it still 
 remains true that the possession of this art will be of 
 great assistance to you in your daily work. 
 
 Drawing widens the child's power of self-expression 
 and makes him a more complete master of himself. 
 It has a vocabulary of its own which the child must 
 have at his finger's ends to fit him for the greatest use- 
 fulness in life. 
 
 The introduction of smging lessons into the public 
 school marks an important step in educational prog- 
 ress. P. A. Barnett says this: "To put it sino-'ng- 
 on its lowest ground it is a fine physical 
 exercise; it cultivates very directly a sense of commu- 
 nity and common endeavor, and it is a very powerful 
 means of stimulating strong sentiment on wholesome 
 lines. " 
 
 Rightly conducted, it is an efficient aid in school 
 government. In a large western city a prominent 
 lawyer made an attack on music in the schools as a 
 useless and costly fad. The same day the supervisor 
 of music told me that if the gentleman would go with 
 her she would show him an entire school, of five 
 rooms, almost made over from rough, disorderly 
 pupils into quiet, orderly, and obedient boys and 
 girls. She added, "The teachers attribute the change 
 to the softening, chastening influence of the music 
 lessons." Other teachers, since then, have verified 
 to me the statement that they avail themselves of 
 the same means in governing difficult schools. 
 
2i8 Com?no?i Se?ise Didac tic s 
 
 The person who can sing is more at home in the 
 church which he attends, and in the social circle. 
 In every walk of life it ministers to his enjoyment and 
 adds to his usefulness. Perhaps you cannot sing; you 
 say you have neither ear nor voice. Where there is a 
 will there is a way. You can at least learn to read 
 music. You can always find in your school some older 
 pupil who will assist you if you are really in earnest 
 in your efforts. 
 
 Do not make the blunder, however, of mistaking 
 noise for music. It is not a good plan to allow sing- 
 ing the first thing after an intermission. Rather let 
 the children sit in perfect quiet until the circulation 
 becomes normal and the heart ceases to throb vio- 
 lently, as it does after exercise at recess, and then let 
 them go directly to their books. For a singing exer- 
 cise the period before recess is much better than the 
 one directly after. 
 
 Be sure that you appreciate the importance of the 
 singing lesson. It will help you very much if you can 
 have some musical instrument in your schoolroom. 
 Perhaps among your pupils there is one who has a fine 
 voice, or one who can play the violin or the piano 
 with rare skill. Avail yourself of the aid of such pupils 
 occasionally in making music popular in the school. 
 
 If you can do this successfully, you will have less 
 occasion to worry over unruly pupils and more strength 
 and zeal in the work of instruction in all branches. 
 
 An old lady who was asked what was the best thing 
 
 her mother did for her, replied: "She taught me to 
 
 love beautiful things. All my life, although 
 Conclusion. , . j ^ i i t i 
 
 I nave seen sorrow and trouble 1 nave 
 
 seemed to dwell in a garden of roses. Under the 
 
 tuition of my mother I learned to interpret the Ian- 
 
The Cultivation of Taste 2ig 
 
 guage of flowers and the love songs of the birds. 
 Since then I have traveled in foreign lands. I have 
 caught the inspiration which comes when standing in 
 the presence of the great masterpieces of painting and 
 sculpture, but I have rejoiced more at the glimpse of 
 a beautiful landscape, or at the sight of the white- 
 washed cottages, or the fruitful fields kept by the 
 peasantry of the land, because there I find the beauty 
 which blesses the humblest lot. This sense of the 
 beautiful which my mother implanted has been a 
 source of strength and comfort, and daily I thank her 
 for it." 
 
 Try these things if you have not already done so; if 
 you have commenced the good work, persevere in it 
 day by day and week by week. You will do a blessed 
 work for the children in your school if you can con- 
 vince them that 
 
 Beautiful Gates Are for Beautiful Things. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 the country school. 
 
 Free Schools.— \n a social and political sense it is a free school 
 system. It knows no distinction of rich and poor, of bond and 
 free or between those who, in the imperfect light of this world 
 are 'seeking through different avenues to reach the gate of 
 Heaven Without money and without price it throws open its 
 doors and spreads the table of its bounty for all the children ot 
 the State. Like the sun, it shines not only upon the good, but 
 upon the evil, that they may become good; and, hke the ram, its 
 blessings descend not only upon the just but upon the unjust, that 
 their injustice may depart from them and be known no more. 
 
 —Horace Mann. 
 
 Still sits the schoolhouse by the road, 
 
 A ragged beggar sunning : 
 Around it still the sumachs grow 
 
 And blackberry vines are running. 
 
 — /. G. Whittier> 
 
 The tendency of primary education has been to lead the coun- 
 try youth away from the farm instead of helping him in the study 
 
220 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 of those sciences relating to production. It would be politic and 
 patriotic to incorporate into the farm youth's education some 
 knowledge that shall bear more directly upon his future life and 
 work. 
 
 — Secretary Ja tnes Wilson, 
 
 The day for plain talking is at hand. The exigencies of the 
 times demand it. All over the land are school grounds bare, 
 dreary and desolate, without a tree to shelter the children from 
 the winter's blast or the summer's sun. Schoolhouses ill-venti- 
 la,ted, unattractive and repulsive. Outhouses with doors off the 
 hinges, clapboards off the sides, defiled and defaced, a disgrace 
 to a civilized community. Teachers working for a mere pittance, 
 with no adequate conception of the true nature of their work, 
 charged with training ihe future citizens of the republic. O 
 women of the state, O mothers of a coming race, remember that 
 
 "The child's sob in the silence curses deeper 
 Than the strong man in his wrath." 
 
 Would you work for God, would you work for Christ, would 
 you work for your country, would you work for humanity? God 
 in his wonderful providence has brought his work and laid it 
 down at your very doors ; it is in your home ; it is in your family ; 
 it is in the school which your child attends. 
 
 —From an Address to Teachers. 
 TASTE FOR THE BE A UTIFUL. 
 
 A thing of beauty is a joy forever. 
 
 —Keats. 
 
 A taste for all things beautiful is a taste for all things good. 
 
 —Old Sayi7ig. 
 
 As thrills of long-hushed tone 
 Live in the viol, so our souls grow fine 
 With keen vibrations from the touch divine 
 
 Of noble natures gone. 
 
 —James Russell Lowell. 
 
 The lovely things men build in the days of strength are but the 
 reproduction of the lovely thoughts that were whispered in their 
 hearts in the days of tender youth, 
 
 —Selected. 
 DECORA TIONS. 
 
 The sink, porcelain lined to prevent rust, is 3 feet long by 
 lyi feet wide. The water pipe conducts to the exterior of the 
 building. The statuary and plants were placed there by the 
 teachers. It makes a very attractive drinking place where good 
 pure water is secured. The cost for tank and sink was Si 2. 
 Most district schoolhouses I am acquainted with have a small 
 passage way at the entrance where a tank and sink may be 
 placed, thus taking the water out of the schoolroom proper. 
 
The C ultiv ation of Taste 221 
 
 Even if the tank and sink must be put in one corner of the 
 schoolroom it can be screened with a curtain ; either way is infinitely 
 superior to the open pail among dinner pails, wraps, overshoes, 
 broom, washpan, fragments of lunch, etc. 
 
 The tank should have fresh water twice a day at least and 
 always be emptied at night, so there would be no danger of 
 freezing in cold weather. 
 
 —Suggestions by O.J. Kern. 
 
 Fiowers should abound in the schoolhouse grounds. They are 
 among the best educators, for they develop taste and a love for 
 the beautiful, and make men sensitive to the attractive and 
 lovely, in town or country, in field or forest. , . . The young 
 farmer attending the district school could readily be taught what 
 a plant gets from the soil and what it gets from the air. The 
 several grasses could be planted and their office in filling the soil 
 wnth humus, enabling the soil to retain moisture, could be 
 explained. The legumes — peas, beans, clover and alfalfa — could 
 be grown in the schoolhouse yard, and during recess or at the 
 noon hour the teacher could interest the students by digging up a 
 young pea or clover root and showing the nodules, whose office is 
 to bring the free nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it in 
 
 the soil. 
 
 — Secretary James Wilson^ 
 
 The planting of a sapling is a trifle in expense. There it grows 
 and costs nothing but time. Every tree is a feather in the earth's 
 cap— a plume in her bonnet — a tress upon her forehead. It is a 
 comfort, an ornament, a refreshing to the people. It is a virtue 
 to set out trees. It is loving one's neighbor as we love ourselves. 
 Set out trees, not to make your home outshine your neighbor's, 
 but for him to look at and walk under and to beautify God's earth, 
 which He clothes with trees, 
 —Nathaniel Peabody Rogers, ''Herald of Freedom," Concord, N. H„ Aug. 6, 1841. 
 
 The environment of the child may be made a permanent influ- 
 ence in moulding taste. The colours of the walls and the wall 
 decorations should be artistic ; both school furniture, decorations 
 and the building itself should be marked by proportion and sim- 
 plicity of design ; the school should be clean and bright; the furni- 
 ture orderly arranged; the teacher's dress in good taste. The 
 presence of a few plants and fiowers also has a refining influence, 
 and speaking generally the addition of anything that is pretty, 
 graceful or attractive should be utilized. Owing to the plastic 
 nature of the children these first impressions are very important. 
 
 — Dexter atid Gar lick. 
 
 Children are quick to notice contrasts and to make comparisons. 
 They will compare their dusty, dirty, dingy, smoke-begrimed 
 schoolhouse, with its broken plaster, rusty stove and rough knot- 
 protruding floors, its broken, rattle-trap desks and dirty windows, 
 
222 Coninion Sense Didactics 
 
 with their mother's clean, neat, tidy kitchen, with their parents' 
 homes where comforts and conveniences are multiplying, where 
 plate glass windows, cedar trees and other evidences of prosperity 
 and care and forethought attract one's eye as he drives from one 
 schoolhouse to another. 
 
 — Wni. K. Fowler^ 
 DRA WING. 
 
 A help to see the picture which the sentence suggests is the 
 picturing with the pencil. The imagination works more defi- 
 nitely, and the words grow to have definite meaning, as the child 
 pictures his thought. This suggests profitable busy-work for 
 primary grades. 
 
 —Sarah L. Arnold. 
 
 Allow pupils from the beginning to attempt drawing from real 
 objects instead of from pictures on the flat. Drawing a leaf from 
 the fiat copy is only a makeshift compared with sketching the 
 outline of a real leaf placed on the desk right before the eyes of 
 the child. 
 
 —John Swett. 
 SINGING. 
 
 Plato said: "Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the 
 universe, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gayety 
 and life to everything. It is the essence of order and leads to all 
 that is good, just and beautiful." Luther said: "Music is one 
 of the best arts. It drives away sadness, quickens and refreshes 
 the heart. It is half the discipline, and makes men more gentle, 
 more modest and sensible. A schoolmaster must know how to 
 sing, else I will have nothing to do with him." Mr. Gladstone is. 
 quoted as saying: "They who think music ranks among the 
 trifles of existence are in gross error, because from the beginning 
 of the world down to the present time it has been one of the most 
 forcible instruments both for training and arousing and for gov- 
 erning the spirit of man." 
 
 —F. F. Churchill. 
 
 Teach the children to sing our national hymns. And when 
 they sing "The Star Spangled Banner" or "America" the entire 
 school should stand as a token of patriotism. 
 
 — From an Address. 
 
 The highest results cannot be reached, especially with children 
 who do not hear good music outside of the school, unless the 
 instructor or other persons interested provide for the occasional 
 execution of good music in the schoolroom. This is consistent 
 with the idea consistently stated that the development of the 
 musical sense and the ability to enjoy music is not second in impor- 
 tance to the power to execute, considered in its general applica- 
 tion, inasmuch as while few will attain such skill in the rendition 
 of music it is desirable that here in America, as in Germany, all 
 the people become lovers of music. 
 
 —5. T. Button. 
 
The Cultivation of Taste 22j 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 1. What do you understand by the term Nature Study? 
 
 2. How is patriotism best taught? 
 
 J. What ends are to be kept in mind in temperance instruction? 
 4. What reasons may be given for the introduction of singing 
 
 as a study in our schools? 
 J-. In training children what use can be made of their natural 
 
 love for the beautiful? 
 
 6. Describe an ideal schoolhouse and grounds. 
 
 7. Contrast two schoolrooms; one decorated and one undeco- 
 
 rated. 
 
 8. What value has drawing as a branch to be taught? 
 
 9. Speak of music as an aid in school discipline. 
 
 10. What ought the country school to do for the boy on the farm? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. Who was Col. Francis W. Parker? 
 
 2. How far can a person who has neither voice nor ear teach 
 
 music? 
 
 3. Are you afraid of fads? 
 
 4. Am I willing to expend a little of my salary in decorating 
 
 my schoolroom? 
 
 5. Am I careful to recognize in any pupil a sense of beauty 
 
 and harmony as seen, for instance, in the arrangement of 
 a bouquet of wild flowers? 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE RECITATION 
 
 The Life of the School 
 
 A good recitation is one of the best tests of the pupil's moral 
 character. It gives him an opportunity to describe himself. 
 
 - William T. Harris. 
 
 A good recitation is the real test of the school. It shows, as in 
 a mirror, the interest, skill and information of the teacher, and 
 the work done by the pupils. 
 
 — George Rowland. 
 
 Give laggards and dullards a chance. After a pupil has made 
 tw^o or three failures call on another pupil to do the work, but do 
 not forget to give the one who made the failure another trial. 
 
 — /. N. Patrick. 
 
 Good methods of teaching are important, but they cannot 
 supply the want of ability in the teacher. The Socratic method 
 is good, but a Socrates behind the teacher's desk to ask quesdons 
 is better. 
 
 — Thomas M. Balliet. 
 
 '^r^HERE are three factors concerned in the recita- 
 
 l tion: the lesson, the class, the instructor. 
 
 The lesson may be too difficult, or not adapted to 
 the present wants of the class; the pupils may be dull, 
 or willfully idle; the teacher may be too 
 recitation. learned, or too ignorant, or indifferent; and 
 the recitation fails from one or more of 
 these causes. In fact, at times all these faults are 
 plainly to be noted as the cause of an insufferably dull 
 recitation. 
 
 Let us note these factors in the order named. 
 
 It is vain for us to talk of discarding text-books. 
 The main point is to know how to use them so as to 
 get the most out of them for the class. In assigning 
 
The Recitation 225 
 
 the lesson upon which the recitation is to be based, the 
 teacher should have regard: (a) to the age and ability 
 of the pupils in the class; (b) to the diffi- j^j^, i.^son. 
 culties which will need careful study and 
 explanation; (c) to the amount of mechanical work 
 required, as solving examples or preparing manu- 
 script; and (d) to the number and length of other 
 lessons which the pupil must prepare. 
 
 The last two points should have more attention than 
 they usually receive. Sometimes the arithmetic lesson 
 embraces one or two pages of examples, and the work 
 must be brought in on paper. The examples are very 
 easy, but it takes time to solve them. A long history 
 lesson is assigned, without regard to other work. In 
 schools in which special teachers are employed, pupils 
 often have a right to complain: "She doesn't seem to 
 think we have any other lessons to learn." Other 
 matters, also, must be taken into account, such as the 
 physical conditions of the class and the amount of 
 home duties which parents may rightfully exact from 
 their children. In fact, the assignment of lessons 
 demands a carefifl adjustment of requirements to the 
 conditions of home and school life. 
 
 After listening to the attempts of a class to recite 
 and noting the failure of the majority to comprehend, 
 in the slightest degree, the subject of the lesson, I 
 heard the teacher say: "You may take to the middle 
 of page ninety-five next time. The class is excused." 
 At recess I purposely drew the teacher into a conver- 
 sation upon the assignment of lessons, and she 
 explained the machine to me in this way: 
 
 "Our term's work is from page 116 to page 226. I 
 divided the number of pages, no, by 12, the weeks in 
 the term. Then I divided this by the number of school 
 
 15 
 
226 Conimo7i Sense Didactics 
 
 days in the week, and that gave me the average length 
 of the lesson." "How long have you followed this 
 practice?" "Ever since I have been in this grade — ■ 
 three years." "Do you mean to say that the lesson 
 assigned to your class to-day is exactly the same as 
 you assigned your class a year ago?" "Why, certainly 
 it is. This book goes out at Christmas to make room 
 for another study." 
 
 Oh, the terrible machine; how it grinds on and on, 
 crushing the children between its merciless cogs, in the 
 meanwhile stifling thought and killing enthusiasm in 
 the poor teacher who is forced to turn the crank! 
 
 Whatever day 
 Makes man a slave, takes half his worth away. 
 
 I have dwelt at some length upon this point because 
 it is so seldom brought to the notice of teachers. A 
 wise determination in the quantity of matter assigned 
 for each lesson is one criterion of a thoughtful teacher. 
 I have named the details to be considered in assigning 
 the lessons. They are worthy of careful thought and 
 attention. 
 
 There are two conditions under which the lesson may 
 
 be re-assigned. First, if it is evident that the pupils 
 
 o . have not made an honest attempt to master 
 
 Re-assign- . , ^ . 
 
 inent of it, they may be sent to their seats with a 
 lesson. reprimand more or less severe, as circum- 
 
 stances demand. In no case should the pupils be 
 allowed to make use of the teacher as a crutch, by the 
 aid of which to hobble over the ground. 
 
 Second, the same lesson may be assigned for farther 
 study, after the explanations given by the teacher have 
 thrown additional light upon some difficult points 
 which proved to be beyond the pupils' ability to con- 
 quer without help. In many cases the period allotted 
 
The Recitation 22^ 
 
 to the recitation may be profitably spent in explana- 
 tions and suggestions, and in carefully working as a 
 member of the class — a class leader, as it were— espe- 
 cially when the subject seems very intricate or dry. 
 But the recitation, when repeated, should be the work 
 of the individual pupil, and should determine how 
 much he has profited by your assistance. The aim 
 should be to aid the pupil in the direction of more 
 intelligent study of the lesson. 
 
 The second factor is the pupils, or the class to be 
 instructed. The pupils in the class must be convinced 
 that a good recitation is their gain, and a The class. 
 poor recitation is their loss. They must 
 comprehend still further that a competent recitation is 
 always the fruit of diligent and intelligent study on 
 their part. I use the word i?itellige?it designedly, as 
 you will see when you read what I have to say in dis- 
 cussing the next point. 
 
 A recitation is simply a reproduction of that which 
 the pupil has acquired and retains in his mind. There 
 is nothing complicated about it. It requires an appli- 
 cation of attention, memory, and expression. The 
 character of the recitation will vary with the develop- 
 ment of these qualities in the mind of the individual 
 pupil. One pupil will give you a memoriter recitation, 
 and another will give the recitation in his own words. 
 Which one understands the lesson the best you can 
 determine for yourself when the recitation is over. 
 
 The practice of letting pupils question each other 
 during the recitation and ask for explanations from 
 their fellows has much to commend it, especially in 
 the upper grades. It induces thought, and adds to the 
 pupiTs power of expressing his ideas. Under such a 
 drill the habit, which so many form, of learning the 
 
228 Common Seiise Didactics 
 
 very words of the book will disappear as the incentives 
 to originality increase. 
 
 The recitation should do four things for the pupil: 
 (a) It should determine his knowledge as obtained 
 from the book used by the class; (b) it should be the 
 means of making clear to him points which need 
 explanation; (c) it should convey to him information 
 not in his book; (d) it should afford him the medium 
 of measuring himself with his fellows. 
 
 Individual instruction has its advantages, but class 
 instruction is superior as an agent for awakening 
 Individual interest and inciting to exertion. Yet a 
 and class large amount of personal instruction must 
 instruction. ^^ ^^^^^ -^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ school. The lazy 
 
 must be stimulated, the indolent aroused, and the 
 dullard encouraged and aided in his efforts to keep 
 up with his class. In a large class there is little oppor- 
 tunity during the recitation for work with individual 
 pupils. To attempt it is to throw the class into dis- 
 order and to cultivate habits of inattention on the part 
 of the brighter pupils. You must not neglect personal 
 instruction, but how and when to give it must be deter- 
 mined by circumstances. 
 
 Sometimes an older or more mature pupil may be 
 called to your rescue, with advantage to all concerned. 
 Upon this point Dr. Harris says, in the Report of the 
 Committee of Twelve upon Rural Schools: "Limited 
 entirely to ungraded schools and to teachers with dis- 
 ciplinary power, the older pupils may profitably be 
 employed to help in the work of the school. But they 
 should not take up any work continuously — it should 
 be occasional, inasmuch as every thread of the school 
 work must come under the e3'^e of the schoolmaster. 
 If he has asked an older pupil to explain a point in 
 
TJie Recitation 22g 
 
 arithmetic to a dull pupil, the latter will show the 
 
 degree of efficiency of that help in the first recitation 
 
 after it." 
 
 The limitation made by Dr. Harris to ungraded 
 
 schools may be removed in cases in which the number 
 
 of pupils in the class is unreasonably large, j^ot limited 
 
 as it is in many of our smaller towns and to ungraded 
 
 , " , . , 1 • • schools. 
 
 Cities. 1 once saw a case like this in a 
 
 large school: The class in arithmetic was at the 
 
 board. After the teacher had explained a typical 
 
 example to the pupils they turned to the board for 
 
 work. One little girl seemed hopelessly confused; she 
 
 was slow in her comprehension. The teacher said to 
 
 a little boy who had finished his work: "John, May is 
 
 in trouble; see if you can't help her." John stepped 
 
 quietly to May's side; they conversed in low tones 
 
 until the example was finished, and he returned to his 
 
 place. The puzzled expression passed from the girl's 
 
 face, and throughout the remainder of the recitation 
 
 she had no difficulty in her work. Sometimes a child 
 
 can help a child better even than the teacher can. 
 
 The remaining 'factor is the teacher. (See page 12.) 
 Time should be given, near the close of the recitation, 
 to prepare for that of the next day. This ^. , 
 
 preparation should consist in pointing out 
 those items which may likely need especial study, and 
 sometimes in giving a partial explanation of them. 
 The effort should be made by the teacher to show the 
 connection between the lesson just recited and the one 
 to follow. When the pupils of the class go to their 
 seats, they should have fixed in the mind a definite 
 idea of what will be expected of them to-morrow. 
 
 This will lead to that intelligent study to which I 
 referred in a preceding paragraph. (See page 18.) To 
 
2J0 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 study intelligently is to have constantly in mind an 
 aim, a purpose, an ability to accomplish the end 
 sought. It is a part of your legitimate work to prevent 
 aimless study. This you can best do by directions 
 and suggestions tending to concentrate attention upon 
 the most important or material parts of the lesson. 
 
 The best method for you to use in any recitation is 
 that by which you can awaken the greatest interest in 
 the subject. The method must be adapted to the per- 
 sonality of the class. In the first place, study the sub- 
 ject; then study the class individually and in the aggre- 
 gate, and methods will suggest themselves. It is 
 rarely that a student of devices only is a good 
 instructor. Our text-books are full of devices 
 designed to lessen the work of the teacher and to 
 hasten the progress of the pupil. But it is just as nec- 
 essary that the teacher should think as it is that the 
 pupil should. This multiplication of devices does 
 more than any other thing to give us rote teachers, 
 who take the road the guide-board points out, and 
 who are lost at once if the guide-board is missing. A 
 blind, persistent study of devices in the school, and at 
 the institute, destroys the germs of originality on the 
 part of the teacher. This in turn prevents the devel- 
 opment of his individuality, and quenches the teaching 
 spirit. (See page 13.) 
 
 It is essential to a good recitation that the teacher 
 snould be a leader in thought. He has the advantage 
 of superior knowledge; he sees the essential parts of 
 the lesson more clearly, and has a mind better trained 
 to observe, compare, and conclude. But this must 
 not prevent him from being a co-worker with the 
 class. The best teacher is a member, for the time 
 being, of his class, enters into all difficulties, and 
 
The Recitation 2jr 
 
 rejoices in every success. "I am with you," is won- 
 derfully stimulating to the pupils. 
 
 Teach the pupil the art of study, and everything- 
 besides becomes easy to him. But to do this you 
 must sometimes study ivith\\\m\ never for Teach the 
 him. In difficult places you may go before art of 
 him with a lantern, but never behind him ^i^'^y- 
 with a whip. If he slips, help him to rise; if he mis- 
 takes, set him right; if he becomes discouraged, lend 
 him a helping hand; but do not carry him in your 
 arms, lest you make a child of him; and do not 
 reprove him too severely, or chide his dullness, lest 
 you make him a slave. 
 
 Read what Roger Ascham, an old English school- 
 master, says: "When the child doeth well, either in 
 the choosing or true placing of his words, let the 
 master praise him, and say, 'Here ye do well!' For I 
 assure you there is no such whetstone to sharpen a 
 good wit, and encourage a will to learning as is praise. 
 But if the child miss, either in forgetting a word, or in 
 changing a good with a worse, or misordering the 
 sentence, I would not have the master frown, or chide 
 with him, if the child have done his diligence and used 
 no truantship. For I know, by good experience, that 
 a child shall take more profit of two faults gently 
 warned of, than of four things rightly hit." (See 
 page 170.) 
 
 The teacher who understands the true nature of the 
 
 recitation will readily see the necessity of becoming a 
 
 good listener. Let the child finish what he Teacher 
 
 has to sav in answer to a question, and do a good 
 
 , . .... V . ttstejier. 
 
 not interrupt him with hints or suggestions. 
 
 The proper time for the teacher is when the pupil is 
 
 through. Neither should pupils be allowed to inter- 
 
2J2 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 rupt each other In reciting. Here is a splendid oppor- 
 tunity to inculcate good breeding. Nothing is more 
 awkward and nothing can be more embarrassing than 
 for one person to interrupt another in conversation. 
 
 The pupil should not be able to judge of his work 
 from any indication on the part of the teacher or mem- 
 bers of the class, until he has completed his answer. 
 Any other course tends to confuse him, to hinder him 
 from giving clear expression to his thoughts, and to 
 destroy his confidence in his own ability. If the 
 progress of the class as a whole seems slow and unsat- 
 isfactory, do not let the pupils think that you are dis- 
 couraged. Nothing so disheartens a class as a dispiri- 
 ted teacher. 
 
 One part of the teacher's work is to hear the recita- 
 tion, and it is the part of the pupils to make the best 
 recitation possible under the circumstances. Expla- 
 nations, suggestions, questions, fuller information, 
 should come at the appropriate time after the pupil 
 has been tested as to the amount of preparation he has 
 made. Dr. Harris says that "a good recitation — a 
 class recitation — enables the teacher to show each 
 pupil how his lesson that he has worked on looks in 
 the minds of his fellow pupils, so that he learns just 
 as much by hearing his fellows recite as by reciting 
 himself; and if there is no text-book, that cannot be 
 done." As he progresses, however, the pupil ought 
 to gather this knowledge of how the subject looks 
 to others in the class, without directions from the 
 teacher. 
 
 This suggestion from Dr. Harris is very wise and 
 exceedingly practical. To be able to look at questions 
 from the standpoint of others is a valuable acquisition, 
 and sometimes it is a safeguard against drawing wrong 
 
TJic Recitation 2jj 
 
 infe-rences or arriving at unwarranted conclusions. It 
 makes the man more charitable and more tolerant of 
 the stand taken by others. The recitation, if rightly 
 conducted, affords, with older pupils, an opportunity 
 to inculcate an honest respect for the opinions of their 
 fellows, which will follow them into after life. 
 
 What then is the purpose of the recitation ? How may 
 the recitation be made to subserve its purpose? Those 
 two questions must naturally be discussed Prepara. 
 together, as each depends so largely upon Hon. 
 the other. To recite is to rename, or recall. I cannot 
 recite that of which I have no knowledge. The first step, 
 then, is that of preparation. The recitation is to be con- 
 fined to the matter contained in a certain number of 
 pages, or matter grouped under a given topic. The pupil 
 is to recite, or recall, all that he has been able to gather 
 from these pages. The recitation exercises his mem- 
 ory, his expression, his ability to reproduce in his 
 own words the thoughts of others, his powers of con- 
 centration, and his habit of attention. 
 
 A good recitation embracing all these points is the 
 result of right 'habits of study. Without diligent 
 study of the lesson on the part of the pupils there 
 can be no good recitation. Consequently, the teacher 
 who refuses to hear a recitation which the pupils have 
 not attempted to prepare has a correct understanding 
 of the situation. But, on the other hand, certain 
 duties connected with' the recitation appertain to the 
 teacher. Preparation from the teaching standpoint is 
 most desirable. To study a lesson with the view of 
 teacJiing it to a class is very different from studying it 
 with the view of reciting it iii the class. 
 
 Here is the point of failure, many times. The 
 teacher is prepared to recite, and does recite for 
 
2J4 Comino7i Sense Didactics 
 
 the pupil when he fails, but is not prepared to illus- 
 trate, suggest, or explain so as to interest the pupil 
 and at the same time stimulate him to do his best for 
 himself. 
 
 The next time your class fails in a recitation don't 
 be in haste to charge it up to dullness, or even to idle- 
 ness. Possibly the fault is with you. At any rate, the 
 suggestions thrown out will bear thinking about. (See 
 page 72.) 
 
 It will be well for you to keep in mind these three 
 principles, which are universally recognized: unity, 
 thoroughness, and the spirit of inquiry. 
 
 The recitation should not be a detached exercise, as 
 it is in many schools. The connection between the 
 jj . lesson in hand and those preceding it should 
 
 never be overlooked. So, too, the way 
 should be left open for connecting the lesson in hand 
 with those which are to follow it. You are to con- 
 sider, not the unity of the recitation, but the unity 
 of the subject. Hence the value of frequent reviews 
 is not only to fix what was learned yesterday, but to 
 aid the pupil in the mastery of to-day's lesson. This 
 element in conducting the recitation is seldom called 
 to the attention of teachers. One reason why pupils 
 fail in term examination is because they have learned 
 each subject by piece-meal, as it were, and have no 
 well-defined, clear conception of it as a whole. 
 
 The high-school teacher complains that the pupils 
 from the grammar grades have not been well instructed; 
 the college professor makes a similar charge against 
 the students who come from the high school; and the 
 college graduate finds that his knowledge is not avail- 
 able in active life. The same reason applies to each 
 case. The entire process of instruction has been frag- 
 
TJie Recitation 2j^ 
 
 mentary, disjointed, and mutilated. It is impossible 
 to construct an enduring conception of any subject 
 thus learned in fragments. 
 
 Before the lesson in hand is passed by for the next, 
 the pupil should comprehend its meaning as far as 
 possible at that time. Insist upon thorough- Thorouo-h- 
 ness, but not to the extent of causing ncss. 
 weariness in the child's mind. Make sure of certain 
 points and then you may leave others to be cleared up 
 in the review, or even to be explained by succeeding 
 lessons. Lay aside a subject before you exhaust it if 
 you do not intend to kill all interest in it on the part 
 of the children. 
 
 "How far shall I insist upon thoroughness?" is a 
 question to be answered in connection with the ability 
 of the pupil's mind to comprehend. Do not attempt 
 to measure his ability by yours. This wrong idea of 
 thoroughness, that before a child is allowed to drop a 
 subject he must grasp all its bearings — in fact, under- 
 stand it as well as his teacher — has caused an immense 
 amount of waste^ in education. Read the extract from 
 Hinsdale's Art of Study, at the end of this chapter. 
 It will help you to understand this subject of thorough- 
 ness in a practical way. 
 
 Thoroughness is often but another name for dullness; 
 and most irksome dullness at that. Thoroughness in its 
 true sense does not consist in knowing everything that 
 is to be known about a subject, but rather in knowing 
 well whatever you do know. To attempt to cover an 
 entire subject in a given time is really an enemy to 
 thoroughness. This practice of regarding quantity 
 rather than quality has led to overloading courses of 
 stud}^ to the great detriment of sound learning. The 
 teacher should insist upon clear ideas and clear think- 
 
2j6 Coninion Se?ise Didactics 
 
 ing to-day, in order that there may be clearer ideas 
 and clearer thinking to-morrow. 
 
 Upon this matter Roark, in his Methods in Ediica- 
 tio?i, sdiYs: "The rule of the first importance in drill- 
 ing is that the interested consciousness of the pupils must 
 be evoked throughout the exercise; mere dull monot- 
 ony of repetition is not drill. Gain in power and skill 
 is made in the same degree in which — to use Matthew 
 Arnold's fine phrase — ' consciousiiess permeates the work.' 
 
 "It is in violation of this rule that pedagogical crimes 
 are committed in the name of 'thoroughness.' To 
 have the pupils thresh over the old straw of their 
 learning is not to secure thoroughness. The strong 
 distaste for some studies or portions of subjects that 
 results from such work seems to close the pores of the 
 mind, so to speak, and thus effectually prevents such a 
 'soaking in' of the matter as is essential to true 
 thoroughness. Drill must be stimulative, not dead- 
 ening." 
 
 The teacher should seek to arouse in the pupil's mind 
 
 such a spirit of inquiry, and of self-activity, that he 
 
 welcomes new ideas; and, through assimila- 
 
 Spirit of x^xoxv with those already held in mind, comes 
 inq2iiry. .•'.,... 
 
 at last to a comprehension or the subject as 
 
 a whole. This is one criterion of a successful recita- 
 tion — that the mind of the pupil be left in a receptive 
 condition, eager for to-morrow's lesson. 
 
 The most alarming feature about the recitation, as 
 universally made, is its deadness. Cold, pulseless, 
 without the breath of life to quicken its features, it is 
 laid away at its close, and no reference is made to it 
 by friend or foe. The dead past is allowed to bury its 
 dead. (See page 34-) 
 
 The object of the recitation is not simply to awaken 
 
TJie Recitation 2jy 
 
 a transient interest; it is to stimulate, to feed, to keep 
 alive, so that the growth of the mind may be steady, 
 progressive, and perpetual. Unless to-day's recitation 
 throws light upon that of yesterday, there is small 
 hope that to-morrow's lesson will aid in understanding 
 that of to-day. In the light of yesterday, to-day, and 
 to-morrow, the recitation should become a unit. 
 
 Study carefully the following propositions taken 
 from the proceedings of the Wisconsin Normal Teach- 
 er's Institute. 
 
 "Prop. I. The teacher must have in mind a definite 
 purpose, or purposes, to be realized in the recitation. 
 
 "Prop. 2. He must have in mind the things which 
 must be known, or the steps which must be taken, in 
 order that the purpose may be realized. 
 
 "Prop. 3. The teacher must determine what of these 
 things the pupil now knows or can do. 
 
 "Prop. 4. He must thus determine what of the 
 things indicated under Proposition 2 the pupil still has 
 to learn or do, and the order in which they should be 
 known or done." 
 
 Other points rnust not be neglected. The place in the 
 room assigned for the class to stand or sit should be 
 carefully selected. It should not be in the ^, , 
 rear of the room, because both teacher and ics of the 
 class must then talk over the heads of the ^^^^t'^^^^^- 
 pupils studying at their desks. It should be where 
 the teacher can command the eye of every one in the 
 class, and yet it must not obstruct the view which he 
 should have of the school. 
 
 The attitude of the teacher toward the recitation 
 determines its character. You cannot hope to obtain 
 a good recitation if your whole soul is not in the work 
 of that hou;. The personality of the teacher is shown 
 
2j8 Comfnon Sefise Didactics 
 
 in the recitation more than in government or discipline. 
 A|;tention and interest on the part of the teacher will 
 generate the same attributes in the pupils. 
 
 The recitation must be adapted to the individual 
 capacity of the child. The boy having a good com- 
 mand of words will impress the hearer with the idea 
 that he knows it all "and more too." The hesitating, 
 timid girl will convey the impression that she knows 
 but little, and yet a few searching questions will reveal 
 the fact that she really has the better comprehension 
 of the lesson. 
 
 One of the most important factors in conducting the 
 recitation is the eye of the teacher. Stand in such a 
 position that you can see every member of the class 
 during the recitation. Look in the faces of the class 
 reciting, and you can judge of the real interest which 
 the lesson awakens, by the changing expression of 
 countenance on the part of different members. 
 
 Also by the tones of his voice, the teacher expresses 
 what is going on in his own mind, his interest or lack 
 of interest, his attention or inattention; in fact, the 
 teacher, at the time of recitation, reveals himself by 
 his voice as in no other way. Train your eye to see 
 and your voice to express, if you expect to awaken the 
 enthusiasm and attention necessary to a recitation pro- 
 ductive of the most good. 
 
 Some one says that to question well is to teach well. 
 This art, so desirable for the teacher, cannot be 
 ^, attained without much care and study. 
 
 of ques- Consider that the questions must be 
 tiomng. pointed, concise, and definite. It is a sorry 
 
 comment upon your methods when the pupil replies to 
 your question, "I don't know what you mean." It 
 is true that the question should not contain in itself 
 
TJie Recitation 
 
 239 
 
 the answer, or suggest the answer to the pupil, but it 
 is equally true that every reasonable question should 
 be stated in terms familiar to the class, and should 
 have relation to some portion of the lesson under 
 consideration. 
 
 There are three kinds of questions which you will be 
 called upon to use in the class. First, there are those 
 intended to aid you in ascertaining the amount of 
 honest effort which each pupil has made to master the 
 lesson; next, you may ask questions in order to make 
 clear points which need explanation, and also to give 
 information not in the text-book; finally, are the 
 questions which reach back into yesterday's recitation 
 and enable you to judge whether this lesson connects 
 with those preceding it, whether your explanations 
 were understood, and whether the recitation as a whole 
 has made an enduring impression upon the class. 
 The questions last mentioned will afford you a good 
 method of proving your own work. 
 
 In asking questions these directions will be of help 
 to you: 
 
 1. Do not point at the pupil from whom you desire 
 an answer. 
 
 2. Do not repeat a question for the benefit of the 
 inattentive pupil. 
 
 3. State your questions in language easily under- 
 stood. 
 
 4. Wait a moment for an answer, if the pupil is dull 
 of comprehension. 
 
 5. Do not allow pupils to try twice in answering one 
 question. 
 
 6. Look steadily at the pupil who is answering, and 
 require him to look at you. 
 
 The written exercise has a value of its own. No 
 
240 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 pupil is well taught who is not occasionally subjected 
 to the test of answering in writing questions pertaining 
 to the lesson for that day. Such an exercise 
 recitation. tends to make the pupil independent of 
 the teacher, aids in cultivating language, 
 and fixes knowledge permanently in the mind. Oral 
 and written recitations each have advantages, and 
 neither should prevail to the exclusion of the other. 
 
 Read in the notes what Dr. White says regarding 
 the attempt to teach by the inductive method only. 
 Study it carefully, for it is full of suggestions. The 
 recitation offers the means of imparting a certain 
 amount of information directly, and this is by no 
 means an unimportant phase of the exercise. 
 
 In conducting the recitation you will find occasion 
 to employ your knowledge, your skill, your ingenuity, 
 if 3^ou expect to make it 
 
 The Life of the School. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 recita tion. 
 
 The object of the recitation is : 
 
 1. To find what the pupil knows, to prepare him for instruction. 
 
 2. To discover his misconceptions and difficulties. 
 
 3. To secure the activity of his mind, and his full cooperation. 
 
 4. To test the result and outcome of what you have taught. 
 
 5. To determine the pupil's readiness or ability to go on. 
 
 6. To test yourself as his teacher, 
 
 — /. G. Fitch. 
 
 It is the recitation, with its direct and indirect influence, which 
 makes a pupil an independent, courageous student, or a hopeless 
 beggar. 
 
 — Selected. 
 THE LESSON. 
 
 In order to assign a lesson well the teacher must not only 
 know the text-book used but must know the subject also. 
 
 —Ruric N. Roark. 
 
 The first thing to be considered is that the pupil shall be ready 
 
The Recitation z/j.! 
 
 for the lesson, or to reverse the form of statement, that the lesson 
 shall be adapted to the pupil. 
 
 —B. A . Hinsdale. 
 
 To assign the lesson in accordance with the ability of the class 
 to acquire, requires judgment, knowledge and a large share of 
 common sense. 
 
 —Selected. 
 THE CLASS. 
 
 No teacher can make good scholars who does not manage the 
 recitation skillfully. It is in this he will need his greatest tact, 
 for he has much to lose or much to gain. If he fail he will have 
 taught his pupils to hate school and study, will have paralyzed 
 their efforts to learn, and will have created habits that must 
 continue to cripple their energies through life. If he succeed, he 
 will have the proud satisfaction of seeing the budding faculties of 
 the human soul bloom under the culture of his hands, and happy 
 hearts made wiser and better, will thank him for his kindness 
 and care. 
 
 —J. p. Wicker sham. 
 
 Class work enables the pupil to compare himself with others ; 
 but more than this it enables the teacher to see the child as 
 nature has made him, — ambitious or indolent, honest or tricky, 
 frank or deceitful, jealous or rejoicing in the success of his mate. 
 Child nature is revealed in the class as it is nowhere else. 
 
 —Selected. 
 THE TEACHER. 
 
 "What thou dost not know thou canst not tell." What a 
 teacher knows superficially he teaches superficially. As no one 
 can teach all he knows so one must know a subject thoroughly 
 before he can teach it thoroughly. 
 
 — /. N. Patrick. 
 
 In considering a teacher's qualifications the power of exacting 
 an interest in the recitations of his school may not be overlooked. 
 No man can be successful for any length of time without this. 
 This comprises what is usually implied by aptness to teach. 
 
 —David P. Page. 
 
 Let me put this before you. Your class is reading history. 
 They come across the narrative of the battle of Marathon ; the 
 lesson -hearer examines them on the facts and puts at the top of 
 his class the boy who writes them down most accurately from 
 memory. Well, what has he written down? an auctioneer's cat- 
 alogue of a series of actions. 
 
 —Edward Thring. 
 
 The aim of the teacher should be to make himself useless. In 
 other words, the school should aim to lift the pupil to the plane of 
 an independent thinker, capable of giving conscious direction to 
 his intellectual life and of concentrating all his powers upon any- 
 thing that is to be mastered. 
 
 —Nathan C. Schaeffer. 
 
 16 
 
242 Co in mon Sense Didactics 
 
 UNITY. 
 
 No recitation should be conducted as complete in itself; each 
 lesson should be fitted on to what has preceded and to what is to 
 follow. Each recitation should begin with a brief review of what 
 has been gone over recently, and should close with a "preview" 
 of the next. 
 
 —Ruric N. Roark. 
 
 Another common mistake in giving lessons is the attempt to 
 teach by the inductive method knowledge which can only be 
 taught directly. The facts of history and biography, and some of 
 the facts of geography and other elementary branches can only 
 be taught directly, and the attempt to teach such knowledge by 
 inductive or other indirect process is a waste of time and effort. 
 
 — Emerson E. White. 
 
 As a means toward these ends the pupil should have learned 
 some portions of the subject-matter in an exact form, and should 
 reproduce the substance of the lesson in his own language. 
 
 — W. H. Payne. 
 THORO UGH NESS. 
 
 First, it must be taken into account that the word "thorough- 
 ness" has no fixed meaning, but is a relative term. Thoroughness 
 at one time and place is not thoroughness at another time and 
 place. Thoroughness in one person is not thoroughness in 
 another person, and thoroughness in the same person is not the 
 same thing at different times. 
 
 —B. A.Hinsdale. 
 
 One of the main problems in teaching is how to get things 
 remembered that are useful but not interesting. The ordinary- 
 instance is the multiplication table. This is acquired by repeti- 
 tion, and nobody who has not taught knows what a tremendous 
 amount of repetition is required. 
 
 —R. H. Quick. 
 
 Child study will perhaps find its most profitable field of investi- 
 gation in the matter of arrested development. If it can tell the 
 teacher how far to push thoroughness toward the borders of 
 mechanical perfection, and where to stop just before induration 
 and arrest set in, it will reform all our methods of teaching. And 
 it can and will do this. The new psychology, in its two phases of 
 direct physiological study of brain and nerves, and its observation 
 of child development, will vShow us how to realize by education 
 the ideals of the highest civilization. The prolonged infancy of 
 man will be in less danger of curtailment through vicious school 
 methods. 
 
 — William T. Harris. 
 INQUIRY. 
 
 There is no calling more delightful to those wno like it; none 
 which seems such poor drudgery to those who enter upon it 
 reluctantly or merely as a means of getting a living. He who 
 takes his work as a dose is likely to find it nauseous. 
 
 —J. G. Fitch. 
 
The Recitation 2^j 
 
 It is said that Dr. Arnold, of Rugby, was once asked why he 
 spent several hours daily in his study, preparing lessons which he 
 had taught for years, and that his answer was, "I wish my boys 
 to drink from a running stream, and not from a stagnant pool." 
 
 —Einerson E. White. 
 
 An ignorant man has been defined as one "whom God hat> 
 packed uj^ and men have not unfolded." The best forces in such 
 a one are perpetually paralyzed. Eyes he has, but he cannot see 
 the length of his hand ; ears he has, and all the finest sounds in 
 creation escape him ; a tongue he has, and it is forever blundering. 
 
 —Newell Dwight Hillis. 
 QUESTIONING. 
 
 First, however, we may be fitly reminded that the art of 
 putting questions is one of the first and most necessary arts to 
 be acquired by a teacher. To know how to put a good question 
 is to have gone a long way toward becoming a skillful and 
 efficient instructor. 
 
 —Selected. 
 WRITTEN RECITA TION. 
 
 What an eye-opener a searching written examination would be 
 in schools where teachers talk and explain much, and the pupils 
 recite very little; where the instruction is given largely in the 
 form of running talks without a halt to test results ! 
 
 —Enter son E. White. 
 
 There are several good ends to be gained from a written reci- 
 tation that are not reached by the oral, (i) It gives a drill in 
 rapid writing, making the pupils use penmanship only as an 
 instruvi£7it. (2) Writing a recitation accustoms the pupils to spell 
 by eye. (3) Through a written recitation each pupil may be tested 
 upon the whole lesson. (4) Writing the recitation affords a 
 training in one of the most valuable forms of expression. 
 
 —Ruric N. Roark, 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 1. What is the meaning of the word recite.? 
 
 2. Name the three factors concerned in the recitation. 
 
 J. What cautions are mentioned in connection with assigning 
 
 the lesson? 
 4.. What advantage has class recitation over individual 
 
 instruction? 
 J. What is the relation of the teacher to the recitation? 
 6. Name the three principles which are generally recognized. 
 
 7. What is the object of the recitation? 
 
 8. In what respects is the written recitation sometimes advan- 
 
 tageous? 
 g. What is your idea of the meaning of "being thorough"? 
 10. In the light of this lesson what, in your mind, constitutes a 
 good recitation? 
 
244 Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. In what respects are recitations in my school defective? 
 2. How am I accustomed to treat dull pupils? 
 J. Do you ask the pupil to explain to you as if you did not 
 understand? 
 
 4. In what cases may a memoriter recitation be accepted? 
 
 5. The mechanics of the recitation, how can they be abused? 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 ORAL INSTRUCTION 
 
 By Man's Voice the Heart is Stirred 
 
 The living word is the most powerful agent of instruction, 
 
 — Rosenkranz, 
 
 The living voice gives richer nourishment than reading. 
 
 — Qiiintiliayi. 
 
 Every addition to true knowledge is an addition to human 
 power. While a philosopher is discussing one truth a million may- 
 be propagated among the people. 
 
 * — Horace Marin. 
 
 Oral instruction presupposes on the part of the pupil : (a) willing- 
 ness to learn ; (b) capacity or ability to learn ; (c) manifest interest 
 in the subject before him. It also presupposes on the part of the 
 teacher: (a) superior knowledge; (b) familiarity with the subject; 
 (c) ability to communicate knowledge ; (d) ability to adapt knowl- 
 edge to the mental capacity of the pupil. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 A PRACTICAL age demands practical aims in 
 education, as in everything else. To think, to 
 speak, to act with accuracy, judgment, and prompt- 
 ness, to hold all the intellectual powers in subjection 
 to the reason and the conscience is the education 
 demanded by the American people. 
 
 The question of greatest interest to the teacher is 
 not how to teach, but how to teach each branch so that 
 it may best minister to the mental growth 
 
 of the child. Improved methods of instruc- -^^^^ subject 
 
 ^ stated. 
 
 tion should not have reference to the 
 
 adoption of some favorite device or scheme, which 
 
 too often is only learning to ride some other person's 
 
 hobby, but to conducting the education of the child in 
 
 245 
 
24-6 C 7)1 mo 91 Se?ise Didactics 
 
 accordance with the constitution and laws of his being. 
 We have attempted long enough to find out by experi- 
 ment what methods may be successful. It will be a 
 step in advance when educators study to know what 
 must be successful, as settled by fixed and determined 
 laws. The exacting spirit of the times is scrutinizing 
 our educational work, — is trying it as by fire, whether 
 it is built of wood, or hay, or stubble. If we expect 
 to meet its demands, we must formulate our educational 
 principles in terms intelligible to the common mind. 
 Our courses of study, in their arrangement, in their 
 subject matter, and in their presentation to the pupil 
 must be in accordance with the most pressing wants of 
 the child. He who works upon marble may spurn as 
 worthless the chips which accumulate about his block; 
 but the workman who works upon fine gold, gathers up 
 as precious the very dust which falls under his file. 
 
 In response to the demands of the times outlined 
 above, there has of late years been a marked tendency 
 Growth ^^ regard the power to do good oral work, 
 
 of oral not alone in the primary, but in all grades, 
 
 znstructioji. ^^ ^^^ q£ ^.j^^ y^^^^ ^^^ surest criterions of a 
 
 competent teacher. The ability to thus instruct inde- 
 pendently of the text-book, or at times in connection 
 with it, distinguishes the best system of schools in 
 Europe, and the normal schools of our own land are 
 giving it more attention every year. A progressive 
 teacher will always find pleasure as well as profit in 
 cultivating on her own part the power of expression, so 
 that she may be ready in illustrating the lesson, and 
 apt in exciting interest in the minds of her pupils. 
 
 Certain things are necessary to good oral work. 
 First, the teacher who essays it must have absolute 
 power over himself, mentally as well as bodily. Other- 
 
Oral I nstriLctioii 24^ 
 
 wise it is impossible to control the class, and hold the 
 
 attention of the pupils to the matter in hand. The 
 
 room must be quiet, and the pupils at their ^, , 
 J 1 r • 1 , . , , . Nature 
 
 desks furnished with plenty of employ- of oral 
 
 ment, that during the time of recitation i^istruction. 
 the teacher may be free from the burden of discipline. 
 
 Above all other work, oral instruction calls for close 
 attention and concentration of thought. Hence the 
 recitation periods should be short, especially when the 
 pupils are young. The moment interest begins to lag, 
 and a stage of fatigue is reached, the work should stop. 
 If persisted in, after this, even to finish out the lesson, 
 the children are sent to their desks tired and disgusted, 
 and half the work must be done over at the next 
 recitation. The duration of oral instruction must be 
 determined from the pupil's standpoint, rather than 
 the inspiration of the moment. Meaningless talk 
 which has no objective end is a waste of the pupil's 
 time. 
 
 Make at least one point plain and implant it per- 
 manently in the mind of the child. It is necessary to 
 
 awaken interest and fix attention, but we ^ . 
 
 ^ ^ i-u . • , • ; hit er est 
 
 must, at the same time, cultivate language o?ily one of 
 
 and expression. To amuse the class is not i^^^ factors. 
 the object of oral lessons. The subjects should be 
 selected with care; the preparation should be thorough, 
 and made with a view of presenting the subject in 
 language adapted to the child's mental development. 
 
 Do not take the assent of the child as a sure indica- 
 tion that the oral work is well done. Very often the 
 child, in order to get away from the class, or perhaps 
 because of a disinclination to appear dull, will assent 
 to everything you say. You cannot be sure of having 
 attained your purpose until you gain from the pupil 
 
248 Commoji Se7ise Didactics 
 
 a clear re-statement or reproduction of your explana- 
 tion, given in his own language, not necessarily in 
 yours. Sometimes a few questions will open the eyes 
 of the teacher to the fact that the work of explanation 
 has not been well done. It is not always the child's 
 fault that he fails to understand. 
 
 Oral instruction is the best possible means of break- 
 ing the dead routine of the schoolroom. It can be 
 „ ,^ made to impart life to what would other- 
 
 of ov.al wise be a dead recitation. Through it the 
 
 instruction, teacher stimulates the child's mind to pre- 
 sent action, and awakens a desire for further investi- 
 gations. 
 
 Donald G. Mitchell, in one of his books, says of 
 Shakespeare: "No, no; this man did not go about 
 in quest of newness; only little geniuses do that; but 
 the great genius goes along every commonest road- 
 side, looking on every commonest sight of tree or 
 flower, of bud, of death, of birth, of flight, of labor, of 
 song; leads in old tracks, deals in old truths, but with 
 such illuminating power that they all come home to 
 men's souls with new penetrative force and new life in 
 them. He catches by intuition your commonest 
 thought and my commonest thought, and puts them 
 into new and glorified shape." 
 
 Mrs. Browning in Aurora Leigh says: 
 
 . . . Earth 's crammed with heaven, 
 And every common bush afire with God ; 
 But only he who sees takes off his shoes. 
 
 Another purpose of oral instruction is so to interest 
 the pupil in the subject that he may be willing, and 
 even anxious, to learn. Every day's work should 
 increase his capacity or his ability to master the lesson 
 of the next day. It is too often the fault of oral 
 
Oral Iiistriic tio7i 24g 
 
 instruction that there is no growth in it. One teacher 
 succeeds where another fails, in oral work, not because 
 he knows more or is better prepared, but because he 
 has cultivated the ability to stand before his class and 
 impart knowledge. Joined with this there must always 
 be the skill to adapt the knowledge which the teacher 
 possesses, to the mental capacity of the pupil. Because 
 a teacher knows a certain point and sees it clearly him- 
 self, is not a sign thatthe pupil understands it or grasps it. 
 
 The preparation of the teacher must also have regard 
 to right use of language. This includes more than 
 the grammatical construction of sentences, 
 although that is very essential. Simplicity, Laiiguage 
 the employment of short words which are 
 of common use and within the child's vocabulary; con- 
 ciseness, an avoidance of any redundancy of words; 
 clear expressions, such as are easily comprehended, 
 are some of the essentials to be studied by the suc- 
 cessful oral instructor. 
 
 Some one says of a writer: "He touches the 
 
 daisies and the roses with tints that keep them always 
 
 in freshest, virgi'n, dewy bloom; and he fetches the 
 
 forest to our eye with words that are brim full of the 
 
 odors of the woods and of the waving green boughs." 
 
 The skillful teacher can do all this. It will not do, 
 
 however, for him to depend for his language upon the 
 
 inspiration of the moment. If he does he runs the 
 
 risk of a bad failure. 
 
 As a general thing, technical terms are to be avoided, 
 
 especially with young children. Yet the teacher 
 
 should not go too far out of his way to avoid ^ ._, 
 u ^ , 1 • , , , Avoid 
 
 such terms, when their use would be technical 
 
 preferable. Whenever new words are used, terms. 
 every possible pains should be taken to make the 
 
2jO Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 children familiar with them, so that they may 
 recognize them when used again. It is especially 
 necessary in oral work that you make sure of the 
 ground as you go over it the first time. It is one of 
 the advantages of oral instruction that the teacher goes 
 straight to the mark, and avoids the round-about ways 
 which confuse and weary the child, if they do not 
 disgust him with all learning. 
 
 The following, taken from an English work, illustrates 
 the point: 
 
 "Once upon a time, for instance, a master was about 
 to give a lesson on marble to some small boys, and 
 began, for some occult reason, by asking his class to 
 tell him the names of various stones. He thus elicited 
 hearthstone, blue-stone, granite, kerbstone, sand- 
 stone—everything but marble. At last he tried 
 another tack. 'Did you ever,' he asked, 'go for walks 
 on Sunday — in the churchyard?' 'Yes, sir,' said a 
 little boy. 'And what do you see there?' 'The 
 tombstones.' 'Well, don't those remind you of 
 another kind of stone? Think, boys, think!' 'Please, 
 sir, brimstone.' " 
 
 Now, this teacher should have told his boys with- 
 out any preface that he was going to give them a lesson 
 on marble; there was not the least reason for beginning 
 his work by asking them to guess what was in his 
 mind. 
 
 It is not, by any means, the province of oral 
 instruction to make the rough places smooth and the 
 
 ^, ^ crooked places straight; in other words, to 
 
 1 he pyoD- ^ o ' 
 
 i7ice of oral provide a royal road to knowledge. If oral 
 instruction, ^qj-^^ jg done in the right way, and in the 
 true teaching spirit, it will draw upon the thinking, 
 reasoning, and observing faculties of the child much 
 
Oral Instruction 2ji 
 
 more strongly than the lesson from the text-book. 
 Some teachers take it for granted that oral instruction 
 is very easy work In the way they do it, it is easy 
 work and amounts to nothing in the end. They simply 
 "multiply words without knowledge." 
 
 In the lower grades oral instruction stands out as 
 the prominent work of the school. As we ascend in 
 the grades, it gradually loses its prominence and gives 
 place to the text-book, which it supplements until, in 
 the upper grades and in the high school, its chief use 
 is to explain and elucidate the work of the book. In 
 every recitation some of the work should be oral. In 
 no other way can interest be awakened and kept alive. 
 The pupils follow the words of the teacher and catch 
 their inspiration from his eyes and voice. 
 
 The province of oral instruction seems to be three- 
 fold: (a) instruction furnishing information; (b) 
 explanation; (c) stimulating the pupil to draw upon his 
 resources, or to think. As concerns the pupil, it 
 serves this triple purpose: (a) cultivation of continuity 
 of speech; (b) inducing him to comment in his own 
 words upon what he has learned from outside sources; 
 (c) quickening his perceptive faculties, or leading him 
 to observe and discover for himself. 
 
 The effort which good oral instruction calls for from 
 
 individual members of the class serves a very valuable 
 
 purpose. Providing the construction of the 
 
 languag-e used is correct, there should be Freedom 
 ^ ^ , . ' . essential. 
 
 much freedom in oral instruction on the 
 
 part of teacher and pupils. There was, for a time, a 
 
 disposition to require that answers to questions always 
 
 should take the form of a complete sentence. There 
 
 is too much formality about this. It is not natural, and 
 
 places the child at a great disadvantage. He is 
 
2^2 C 7117710 11 Se7ise Didactics 
 
 required to do something at school which he does not 
 do naturally at home or on the playground. Oral 
 instruction is simply conversation in its best form, and 
 success depends very much upon putting the child at 
 ease during the recitation. (See page 229.) 
 
 Remember, however, that oral instruction loses 
 much of its real worth when the teacher, in his eager- 
 ness to impart knowledge, or to awaken an interest on 
 the part of the class, does nearly all the talking and 
 the pupils little or none. "The between method," as 
 it is called, is not well suited for common-school work. 
 Encourage pupils to ask questions of each other, to 
 make statements, to interpose objections, and to 
 express their thoughts independent of the teacher. It 
 was a fine criticism which a visitor made when he said 
 to the teacher, "That was a good recitation. I only 
 wish you had given the class a chance to try their 
 hand at it. Do you ever let them do any of the 
 reciting?" 
 
 The importance of the general subject of oral instruc- 
 tion is much broader than object or illustrative lessons, 
 embracing explanation, questions, and all matter 
 designed to supplement the text-book. At least one- 
 half of the work of an ordinary school day is included 
 under the head of oral instruction. For this reason 
 the subject deserves a more careful consideration than 
 it usually receives. 
 
 There are but few, if any, schools in the land in 
 which text-books could be abandoned, and oral instruc- 
 tion in each branch substituted. The main purpose of 
 oral instruction is to awaken thought and arouse the 
 activities of the mind, but not to supplant the text. 
 Such instruction is adapted for use when the pupils are 
 too young to use a text-book, or when no suitable 
 
Oral I nstrii c tion 2^j 
 
 text-book is at hand. It also has an important use 
 when, as is often the case, the text-book in the hands 
 of the pupils is not sufficiently explicit and clear upon 
 every point of the lesson. In every class there will be 
 pupils who do not and cannot understand the words 
 used in the book, until the teacher supplies simpler 
 illustrations 
 
 With this in view, the teacher must make a thorough 
 preparation for his work. It will not do to trust to 
 chances, or to suggestions prompted at the moment. 
 Such suggestions are often pointless and irrelevant. 
 
 The custom prevalent in many schools of separating 
 oral instruction from the text-books is not entirely 
 praise-worthy. Even in what are usually termed 
 general exercises, reference must often be made to 
 information gained from books, and the sources from 
 which such information can be obtained must be 
 pointed out. In no other way is the skill of the 
 teacher more clearly revealed than in her ability to 
 intersperse oral instruction in connection with recita- 
 tion from the text-book. 
 
 Not the least -of the advantages which accrues to 
 
 oral instruction is that through it the teacher frequently 
 
 is able to vary or diversify methods to 
 
 meet the individual wants of the pupil. It of diversi- 
 
 doesn't take very much of a teacher to fyi^^g 
 1 ^u 1 u i. ^ 1 • 4.U 1 inethods. 
 
 hear the lesson; but to enliven the lesson, 
 
 to illuminate the chief points, to fasten it in the mind 
 of the child an*d to awaken within him the desire to 
 know more, is the real criterion of a good teacher. 
 
 Not alone the capacity of the teacher to give instruc- 
 tion in this way is to be considered, but the capacity 
 of the pupil to receive and digest it. Formal instruc- 
 tion, as given in the text-book, loses very much of its 
 
2^4 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 terror to the unwilling pupil, and gains an additional 
 
 attraction for him who is willing, when the living 
 
 voice of the teacher directs the work. 
 
 To be successful in illustrative teaching, it is essential 
 
 that those who are to teach in village and country 
 
 ,, , . schools should be able to construct forms, 
 
 Making . . ' 
 
 simple solids, maps, charts, and simple apparatus, 
 
 apparatus. ^^ very little expense. I say it with 
 reverence akin to awe, as one who may be charged 
 with trifling with sacred things, that no reading of 
 psychology, no depths of pedagogical lore, no study 
 of educational history, no knowledge of methods 
 obtained from books, can compensate for a lack of 
 that power which enables the school teacher to stand, 
 crayon in hand, before the blackboard and illustrate 
 the lesson, or to construct apparatus from the cheap 
 articles to be obtained at the country store, or to use 
 the things of common life to make clear the truths of 
 nature to the minds of the wondering pupils. 
 
 Occasionally some ingenious boy or girl will devise 
 and make a piece of apparatus which will be useful 
 in your work. Such a tendency is always to be 
 encouraged. It adds fresh interest to the subject and 
 stimulates others to exercise their skill in the same 
 way. Even when it is rude in its construction, such 
 an appliance should receive commendatory notice by 
 being used during the recitation. 
 
 In no way can you be so helpful to the children 
 under your care as by presenting to them, in an 
 attractive form, information worth remembering. Do 
 not, however, dwell too long upon unimportant facts, 
 do not try to illustrate and make plain what every child 
 understands as well as his teacher. Besides, it is well 
 to leave some points which are not quite clear at that 
 
Oral Instruction 
 
 255 
 
 time, for the pupils to think over and investigate for 
 themselves. 
 
 It should be understood that oral instruction cannot 
 be carried on successfully without any effort on the 
 part of the pupil. Too often the pupil j,. , 
 
 looks upon it as a leisure hour, during must make 
 which the teacher takes the laboring oar, ^"^ ^J'ort. 
 and they are only passengers. The object ot oral 
 instruction is not to cram the pupil with certain dry 
 facts, nor is it to require him to state in his own words 
 truths or facts so commonplace that every one has 
 observed them. This commandment is prominent in 
 the teacher's decalogue: Thou shalt not cram thyself 
 with superficial knowledge that thou mayest appear 
 learned beyond thy fellows, nor shalt thou cram thy 
 pupil lest by so doing thou destroyest his desire to 
 know. Blaikie says: "Cramming is a species of 
 intellectual feeding neither preceded by appetite nor 
 followed by digestion." Cramming is simply a 
 synonym for shamming. 
 
 To cultivate and draw out the observing powers of the 
 child is the purppse of this kind of work. Often it is 
 necessary to give the child an outline of what the work 
 is to be, and to expect of him a certain amount of 
 preparation as a prerequisite to a successful recitation. 
 He may be asked to observe certain things on his way 
 to and from school, to bring certain objects which may 
 be used as illustrations, as a means of connecting him 
 with the lesson and the lesson with him. It is a step 
 in advance when the pupil is led to say: "I knew 
 that before, but I never thought of it." As a teacher 
 must observe and reflect for himself, so he must 
 skillfully lead the pupil along until, in turn, he 
 observes and reflects for himself. 
 
2j6 Commo?i Sense Didactic s 
 
 Let me ask you this question: Can you teach? I 
 do not mean can you keep school? That is not so 
 difficult a thing to do. Make the children 
 teachV^ walk on tip-toe; keep the room as still 
 as the grave, while you sit at your table, 
 book in hand, and hear the recitation. Keep the 
 pupils on an eternal dress parade, inculcate the idea 
 that whispering and laughing are among the sins not 
 to be forgiven; report 97 per cent attendance, and the 
 thing is about done. 
 
 Order and discipline are very valuable as a means, 
 but they are useless, and even vicious, when they are 
 made the end. The best disciplinarian is not always 
 the best teacher. The most valuable acquisition a 
 teacher can possess is the power to teach; to stand 
 before her class, and with or without a book, explain 
 and illustrate, drawing upon her own resources until the 
 subject matter of the lesson is fully brought within the 
 comprehension of the child. 
 
 The chief function of the teacher is to secure 
 independent mental activity on the part of the pupil. 
 This thought was in the mind of Philip of Macedon 
 when he entrusted his son Alexander to the tutorship 
 of Aristotle with the one direction: "Make yourself 
 unnecessary as soon as possible." 
 
 Remember the motto at the beginning of this chapter, 
 whenever you attempt to give Oral Instruction: 
 
 By Man's Voice the Heart Is Stirred. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 NA TURE OF ORAL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 The product of the school must be the free, enkindled soul, 
 alive to observation, trained to habits of industry, original inquiry 
 and artistic enjoyment — a creator in the world of action — a self- 
 governing, independent-thinking and wealth-contributing citizen. 
 
 — Preston W. Search. 
 
7' a I 1 71 s true ti 71 2§'/ 
 
 Teacher-experience supplements child-experience ; the teacher 
 stimulates and guides the efforts of the child, but its ideas are 
 gained directly from things. This is oral work. 
 
 — Henry Halderwood. 
 
 Methods should vary according to the subject taught, for in 
 knowledge itself there is great diversity. 
 
 —Bacon. 
 INTEREST A FACTOR. 
 
 Dr. Andrew Hell says: "Of all subjects calculated to call forth 
 a pupil's own efforts, those which give him something to do have 
 the preference over those which merely give him something to 
 say." 
 
 —Preston W. Search. 
 
 If the boy has to pick stones on the road or to handle hammer 
 and drill in a quarry, all the more need of his learning to see the 
 beautiful around him, and to read in nature such messages as will 
 cheer and encourage him in his toil. 
 
 — Sarah L. Arnold. 
 PROVINCE OF ORAL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 In the physical world, the earth, the rock, the tree, the plant, 
 the flower, the fruit, the beast, the bird, the fish — what illustrative 
 material is found for the lower as well as the higher grades, com- 
 bining the sweetest pleasure with the highest use ! 
 
 — George Howland. 
 
 Draw the subjects of oral exercises, not from collections' con- 
 structed at pleasure to complicate the difficulties of language, but 
 from matters of current interest, from an incident in the school, 
 from the lessons of the day, from passages in sacred history, in 
 the history of France, or in a recent geography lesson. 
 
 -IV. H. Payne. 
 
 It is chiefly by the means of the living voice that scholars can 
 be readily inspired ; it is only when the eyes meet and expression 
 and gestures are seen and tones are heard, that there arises that 
 subtle and indefinable sympathy between teacher and taught, 
 v^'hich is so essential to the intellectual life of the scholar. 
 
 — /. G. Fitch. 
 
 As a leading influence in this direction the pupil must be 
 taught to value his work. That he may do this it must have 
 something of permanence in its preparation, making it possible to 
 preserve it, and, finally, adequate means for keeping it must be 
 provided. To this end pupils should never write, paint nor draw 
 upon scraps of paper, nor should they ever use poor pens or bad 
 ink. 
 
 — Wilbur S.Jackman. 
 
 The preceptor should employ every means in his power to 
 guard his pupils against using obscure terms, or words without 
 definite ideas attached to them. To this effect objects and facts 
 must be brought under their notice in very rapid succession. 
 
 —Selected. 
 17 
 
2^8 Coffimon Sense Didactics 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 /. What does oral instruction presuppose on the part of the 
 
 teacher? 
 2. Name one criterion of a good teacher. 
 J. In oral instruction what caution is given as regards the use 
 
 of language? 
 
 4. What double purpose does oral instruction serve on the 
 
 part of the pupil? 
 
 5. The relation of oral instruction to the text-book? 
 
 6. When may you be reasonably sure that the child compre- 
 
 hends your meaning? 
 
 7. Name any advantages accruing from oral instruction. 
 
 8. What part should the pupil take in oral instruction? 
 
 9. What do you understand by the expression, "The dead 
 
 routine of the schoolroom"? 
 10. Define the term oral instruction. 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. Are we ready to dispense with text-books? 
 
 2. What do we mean by cramming the children's heads? 
 
 J. Prepare an outline for an oral lesson in geography. 
 
 4. There is danger of falling into the ruts in oral as well as 
 
 text-book instruction. 
 
 5. What are the most prevalent faults of text-book instruction? 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 MEMORY 
 
 Man's Best Servant 
 
 Memory is the act of recalling the picture of a past experience. 
 
 —A. R. Taylor. 
 
 Not only what the child now understands but what is within 
 the probable range of his understanding may be memorized. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 In order to commit to memory the attention should be undi- 
 vided. This faculty, more perhaps than any other, requires 
 freedom from disturbing influences. 
 
 — Francis B. Palmer. 
 
 We all know that a teacher may know facts enough about 
 history to pass an ordinary examination very creditably, and yet 
 know them to very little purpose because he knows them in a 
 purely mechanical way 
 
 — /. P. Gordy. 
 
 The great passages of the Bible may be read and committed to 
 memory years before they can be logically analyzed. A glimpse 
 of the Divine Majesty, a view of the future glory, a touch of the 
 celestial fire will come into the heart and life of a little child from 
 a lesson that he will never fully comprehend. 
 
 —B. A. Hinsdale. 
 
 TO HAVE an accurate and retentive memory is 
 one of the essential equipments for business or 
 professional life. How to train it in the child, so that 
 
 it may be most serviceable to him in his 
 
 ^. r ^ J. /?/W^/ use 
 
 mature years, is a matter or great moment, of memory. 
 
 There is no question but that the memory, 
 like any other faculty of the mind, can be strength- 
 ened by use. No greater good can come to a youth 
 than to be placed under the tuition of a person who 
 knows how to train this faculty by judicious exercise. 
 
 259 
 
26o Co?nmo7i Sense Didactic s 
 
 The aim should be to develop the "universal mem- 
 ory." Many teachers have an exercise consisting 
 mostly of poetry to be committed to memory and recited 
 by the entire school, under the impression that they 
 are thus building up and strengthening the memory. 
 Such an exercise has its value in a restrictive sense only. 
 This course makes it easier for the child to learn poetry. 
 Dates in history, facts in geography, rules in 
 arithmetic, may be memorized in the same way, with- 
 out strengthening the memory as a whole. 
 
 The only sensible course seems to be that which 
 regards memory as an objective point in every 
 exercise of the school, and one never to be lost sight 
 of. 
 
 There are two extremes to be avoided. One of them 
 is to regard memory of such importance that it is to 
 be cultivated even to the neglect of other faculties. 
 The other is that memory, in itself alone, is of little 
 practical significance, and worthy of no especial atten- 
 tion. The truth is, that a ready memory is of great 
 use as an efficient aid to other faculties, and that only 
 in its relation as determining the efficiency of the 
 working whole can its real value be estimated. 
 
 Taylor, in The Study of the Child, says that "Mem- 
 ory is the act of recalling the picture of a past expe- 
 rience." Other definitions are given at the 
 memory? conclusion of this chapter. I quote also 
 what Taylor further says in this connec- 
 tion, because it contains so much truth. "Its 
 (memory's) value depends upon its accuracy, its 
 rapidity and comprehensiveness. Without memory 
 there could be no progress in knowledge getting. 
 Perception makes little advancement if memory is not 
 following closely behind." These words form a com- 
 
Memory 261 
 
 plete refutation of the views of no inconsiderable 
 number of teachers who affect to regard the cultivation 
 of memory as of minor importance. 
 
 In a general sense, special training in one subject 
 tends rather to weaken than to strengthen memory. 
 The same is true of memorizing anything for temporary 
 purposes only. The geologist has a memory for 
 geological facts alone; so the chemist, for chemical 
 terms; the historian, for important dates; and the 
 mathematician, for rules and formulas. But the 
 memory which is most serviceable in daily life is that 
 which comes to a man's aid when it is most needed, 
 and upon the assistance of which he can always depend. 
 Some authors call it a rational memory, thus dis- 
 tinguishing it from that which is more mechanical in 
 its nature. Thus when we say a pupil has a good 
 memory, we simply mean that he has the power to 
 reproduce that which at some time has become fixed in 
 his mind, and to state it in the plainest and most simple 
 language. (See page 227.) 
 
 Avoiding, as far as possible, psychological terms, we 
 may state that the subject under consideration by the 
 child is fixed in his mind through attention, study, and 
 thought. Interest is here an important factor. 
 
 To apprehend or to understand is the first step. The 
 explanation of a difficult point in a lesson is remem- 
 bered by those of the class who comprehend ste'ds in 
 each step, but it is forgotten by those who memoriz' 
 give no attention to what is going on. ^^'^■ 
 Many teachers fail to comprehend that the pupil's ina- 
 bility to recite is often due, not to a defective mem- 
 ory, but to the teacher's inability to awaken mind or 
 arouse any real interest. 
 
 The next step is that of retention in the mind. Here 
 
262 Co7nfno7i Sense Didactics 
 
 constant repetition and daily drill is valuable and 
 necessary. Reviews should be frequent. Questions 
 should be asked with the intention of bringing out 
 certain valuable points in preceding lessons, and of 
 thus testing the pupil's memory. The teacher must 
 make much allowance here for different minds. Some 
 retain with great readiness, others with the utmost 
 difficulty. There is no doubt, however, that in the 
 normal mind the power of retention can be greatly 
 increased by careful training. 
 
 The third step is reproduction; bringing back into 
 actual existence or into life that which has been re- 
 tained for a longer or shorter time in the mind. That 
 remains the longest, and is most easily reproduced, 
 which made the deepest impression at the time of 
 acquiring. "It made such an impression upon me at 
 the time that I have never forgotten it," is a very com- 
 mon expression, but it conveys the exact truth. 
 
 Expression, or language, plays an important part in 
 reproduction. The ready use of words is more marked 
 in one child than in another. The three steps, acquisi- 
 tion, retention, reproduction, constitute the unit of the 
 art of memory. I cannot reproduce what I have not 
 retained. I cannot retain what I do not acquire. I 
 cannot acquire what I have not made my own through 
 application and study, incited by interest in the work. 
 
 Whether we call memory a faculty of the mind, or 
 regard it as a function of the intellect, it can be culti- 
 vated and strengthened by constant use. It 
 of memory. ^^^^^ takes equal rank with reason or judg- 
 ment, and is essential to the right exercise 
 of these other powers. 
 
 To overburden the memory with words and facts 
 having no relation to each other, or to life, is one 
 
Me Tnory 26J 
 
 extreme to be avoided. To neglect the cultivation of 
 memory, or to treat its growth as of incidental impor- 
 tance, is the other extreme into which too many- 
 teachers have fallen. Between these extremes there is 
 a happy medium, and in no way can the teacher show 
 greater skill or do more for the child than in cultiva- 
 ting in him a ready, retentive, accurate memory. The 
 teacher must, however, keep constantly in mind that 
 memory is a variable power; in some children naturally 
 strong, in others naturally weak. Hence cultivation 
 of the memory must be adapted to the wants of the 
 individual child. 
 
 What the child has learned he must be required to 
 use as often as possible. Knowledge retained in the 
 mind becomes dim and obscure through disuse. We 
 say we have forgotten much that we learned in child- 
 hood. It is only because such knowledge has been 
 forced into the background by later acquisitions, which 
 are of more immediate use to us in our daily vocation. 
 It is by no means an indication of faulty instruction, 
 that the child, at the end of the term, does not easily 
 recall everything' which he learned at the beginning. 
 For this reason final examinations are not a sure test 
 of scholarship, or of fitness for promotion. 
 
 One pupil, through the possession of a strong verbal 
 memory and a ready use of language, obtains a high 
 percentage. Another, because defective in these same 
 particulars, obtains a low mark. It is possible that the 
 latter has given more study and more thought to the 
 subject than the former, and is better prepared for 
 advanced work. Hence in this connection the teacher 
 should observe the caution that, in the cultivation of 
 memory, we must insist upon right habits of study. 
 "Without attention, interest, thought, the most valua- 
 
264 C ommo7i Sense Didactics 
 
 ble element of memory, the power to retain, will be 
 weak and useless." 
 
 The cultivation of the memory is too important to 
 be left to chance. The teacher should have some care- 
 Methodof fully devised plan, so that every day may 
 cultivatio7i. witness growth in memory power. 
 
 Some one says: "In a child a good memory is well 
 known by these properties: that it is quick in receiv- 
 ing, sure in keeping, and ready in delivering forth 
 again." This implies close attention, interest, and 
 language — three things very essential in order to arouse 
 the memory to exertion and effort. Continual repeti- 
 tion, likewise, is needed to deepen the impression. 
 The mind retains only that which it makes its own. In 
 this, also, "one day must help another." 
 
 The child mind receives readily; its power to retain 
 should grow with every year of school life. The mem- 
 ory grows as our bodily organs grow, by constant use. 
 
 So far as verbal memory gives us the power to repro- 
 duce in the very words of the author, it is valuable. 
 A more important office of memory is to enable us to 
 reproduce general ideas, thoughts, or principles, and 
 state them in our own words. The methods to be com- 
 mended, then, are awakened interest, constant repeti- 
 tion, and a grasp of the subject in its oneness. (See 
 page 234.) 
 
 Two points must be kept continually in mind. First, 
 if a task is given to be learned by heart see to it that 
 it is thoroughly memorized. Exactness is very impor- 
 tant. Do not permit one word to be substituted for 
 another, but use invariably the exact language of the 
 author. To be able to quote the very words in which 
 the idea is expressed by the writer, or speaker, is a 
 most valuable acquisition. 
 
Memory 26§ 
 
 The subject, however, should be adapted to tne age 
 and mental capacity of the child. Physical conditions, 
 as well, are to be regarded. I do not believe that the 
 time of day is very important, under right environ- 
 ments. Children should be fresh and vigorous during 
 the last hour of the session if due regard is had to 
 exercise, ventilation, and rest periods. 
 
 In the second place, pupils must be trained to 
 express the thoughts of others in their own words. A 
 clear conception of the meaning of words, in their 
 relation to each other and to the sentence as a whole, 
 is necessary and must be obtained in order to make 
 memory available for this usage. 
 
 To have only memoriter recitations is to cultivate 
 memory at the expense of other functions of the mind, 
 while to have nothing memorized, "word for word as 
 it is in the book," is to cultivate other functions to the 
 neglect of memory. Either extreme should be care- 
 fully avoided. Some one says: "Memory especially 
 is an excellent preparatory school for the thinking 
 activity." Unless the thinking powers are carefully 
 exercised, memory becomes a useless function of the 
 mind. 
 
 A prominent author says that the three points to be 
 observed in the cultivation of memory are attention, 
 order, repetition. These are the very points Attention, 
 which a good primary teacher observes in order, 
 her work. But in order that a fact be ^^ 
 apprehended with precision, it must be stated with 
 precision. The language used by the teacher in stating 
 the fact, becomes the basis of the language used by 
 the child in reproducing it. 
 
 Inaccurate observation, imperfect conception of 
 truth, erroneous views of principles, are not the only 
 
266 Co fit 771 71 Se7ise Didactics 
 
 indications of superficial scholarship. Inaccurate 
 statements, incorrect use of language, a choice of words 
 which does not convey the intended idea, are the 
 strongest possible proofs that the subject has not been 
 mastered in its full sense. Accuracy is the criterion of 
 mental discipline. 
 
 This is a slow process of rebuilding. It depends 
 upon the association of ideas. I am unable to recall a 
 
 certain event. A friend mentions some 
 
 Recollection. • • i , . i -^.u •*. a • • *. 4. 
 
 mcident connected with it, and in an instant 
 
 the entire scene flashes upon me as fresh as though 
 it happened but yesterday. There is also what we 
 sometimes term sub-consciousness. The mind fre- 
 quently retains knowledge which it seems unwilling, 
 at the moment, to give out. A friend once said to me: 
 "What is the name of a cousin of yours whom we both 
 knew?" Neither of us could recall it. We finally 
 gave it up, but days afterward it came into my mind 
 although I was then not even thinking of it. 
 
 We should not be too prompt to blame a pupil who 
 declares: 'T know, but I cannot tell." Perhaps he 
 has not the ready language with which to clothe his 
 ideas. Possibly his sub-consciousness is not prepared 
 to reproduce what the mind, in truth, possesses. We 
 have, all of us, been in the same position and needed 
 time in which to collect our ideas. Instead of scolding 
 or punishing, give the boy time to reflect, and encour- 
 age him to exercise his powers of recollection. 
 
 Recollection is memory vitalized. The will is called 
 
 to our aid. The laws of association are appealed to; 
 
 ideas of time, place, and circumstance are 
 
 Kinds of called upon to help rebuild that which the 
 recottectton. . , , ^ , . , . , • , „, . . 
 
 mind has for the time laid aside, ihis is 
 
 what is often called voluntarv memory. 
 
M c mory 26y 
 
 On the other hand, iiivohintary memory calls up, 
 v'thout any conscious effort on our part, some past 
 experience which the mind contains. This is what we 
 mean when we speak of remembrance. We cannot 
 always control this kind of memory. We ought not, 
 therefore, to chide too harshly a child for inattention. 
 His mind is busy with some remembrance; for 
 instance, he is associating the ball game of yesterday 
 with the one he is to play after school. He is very 
 attentive — but it is to a remembrance rather than to 
 the lesson in hand. The only remedy is to make the 
 lesson so interesting as for a time to shut the ball game 
 out of his mind. At times some motives must be 
 placed before him, or his will must be stimulated so as 
 to interrupt, for the present, this stream of remem- 
 brances upon which he loves to float. 
 
 It follows that if a child has studied a lesson until he 
 has made the ideas contained in it his own, he will 
 naturally fall into the habit of using the words of the 
 book which he has studied. The idea will come to his 
 mind, clothed in the words in which it was presented 
 to the mind. A memoriter recitation is not of neces- 
 sity an evil; it becomes an evil only when the teacher 
 regards it as the criterion of a good recitation. 
 
 The tendency is to forget that memory precedes 
 reason and judgment. The power to reason correctly 
 is an outgrowth which comes to maturity late in the 
 child's education. It does not make its appearance 
 until the storehouse of memory has a generous supply 
 of facts upon which reason may base its theory. It is 
 not always a misapplication of time and effort to 
 require the child to memorize a mass of dry facts. 
 
 It is not a waste of time to place the rough, unsightly 
 stones in the ground for the foundation, before the 
 
268 Common S e ?ts e Didactics 
 
 building is raised. The building itself may have the 
 proportions of the Parthenon. Its pillars may be 
 
 crowned with the delicate tracery of the 
 of ineniory Corinthian order, or they may preserve the 
 and reco/- severe simplicity of the Doric or the Tuscan. 
 lectioji. T^ 1 ^ i. • r 1 • t 
 
 lowers and turrets may rise trom solid 
 
 walls supported by massive buttresses, but if the 
 foundations are not compact and firm, the skill of the 
 architect and the labor of the workman will not pre- 
 vent the utter ruin of the edifice. 
 
 ' If we neglect the cultivation of the child's memory, 
 we leave him destitute of that upon which reason and 
 judgment must be based. The child comes to the reci- 
 tation to recite. He is to recite not what he has dis- 
 covered by his own efforts, but what he has learned 
 from his book. If he has committed his lesson word 
 for word, it is not a mortal sin. The foundation for 
 the next step is complete. 
 
 If he has learned it — as is too often the case, in our 
 dislike for memoriter work — in a careless, slipshod, 
 ^ ^^ half-guessing way, he should be sent back 
 involves to his seat to prepare his lessons. To "help 
 study. j^jj^ Q^j|." y^y questions, to attempt to draw 
 
 out his ideas when, in fact, he has no ideas about it, 
 is to do him an injury. He may need explanations 
 upon difficult points, but it is not his teacher's business 
 to master his lesson for him. After his lesson is 
 learned, and he gives evidence, by his recitation, of 
 hard study, then his teacher may and ought to question 
 him closely and keenly, in order to bring out the ideas 
 of the author and to ascertain to what extent. they 
 have been made his own. There is no good school 
 without earnest study, and he is not a good teacher 
 who does not require it. (See page i8.) 
 
Me m ry 26g 
 
 With the youngest children, especially, diligent 
 study involves the use of memory. What they remem- 
 ber they should be required to remember accurately; 
 what they state, they should be required to state accu- 
 rately. The greatest abuse of memory, the abuse from 
 which our schools have the most to fear, is to leave 
 it unused and untrained. I do not assert that no other 
 faculty is to be called into service. I do, however, 
 assert that a ready and accurate memory, as an essen- 
 tial element in the child's education, is to be carefully 
 cultivated. 
 
 It is said of William M. Evarts, who was one of the 
 most famous lawyers of his day, and who was called to 
 fill many high offices, that in his youth he found that 
 he could not depend upon his memory, even to recall 
 the events of the day. He at once set himself the 
 task of correcting this fault. At noon he would recall 
 all the events of the morning, and Saturday night he 
 went over in his mind the occurrences of the week. He 
 continued this habit until he had his memory trained 
 so that he could depend upon it. He was accustomed, 
 in later years, to say that his success in life was to be 
 attributed to his ready, accurate memory. 
 
 It is said, with some truth, that our schools fail to 
 make good scholars. One reason is to be found in 
 that style of teaching which substitutes the Miscella- 
 crudest oral work in place of a carefully neotis. 
 prepared text-book; which assumes that the pupil is to 
 be only a passive recipient of such knowledge as his 
 instructor prepares for him — knowledge which does not 
 stimulate him to work, to grow strong with mental 
 exercise, but sends him out to face the real difficulties 
 of life with neither ability to think nor courage to 
 execute. 
 
2JO Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 We are charged with cramming the children. There 
 is no occasion for cramming, where hard study has 
 been the rule. If the child comes to the upper grades 
 unprepared for assiduous work; if his statements are 
 inaccurate; if his memory is not to be trusted; then 
 either he crams continually to pass his examination, or 
 frets and worries over his failures until he leaves the 
 school in disgust. It is not true that a ready memory 
 always indicates a good scholar; but it is true that 
 many good scholars find their work doubled because they 
 were not trained in youth to rely upon their memory. 
 
 Dr. Hammond writes, in a recent work, that many 
 children are injured by the study required of them out 
 of school. He may state the fact correctly; yet a 
 more intimate acquaintance with our public school 
 system would perhaps convince him that during the 
 child's first years at school, a training having especial 
 reference to the use and abuse of memory would render 
 those studies, which are now so injurious, only those 
 needful to a healthy mental growth. 
 
 Few children are ever harmed by simple, honest 
 brain work. The brain, wonderful in its mechan* :m, 
 delicate in its texture, the birthplace of great ideas, 
 the home of spiritual life, works in perfect harmony 
 with all the baser organs, when nature stands as warden 
 at the gate. Do not forget that memory, as an active 
 power connecting the present with the past, is 
 
 Man's Best Servant. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 wha t is mem or y? 
 
 Memory is the result of attention, and attention is the concen- 
 tration of all the powers of the mind upon the matter in hand. 
 The art of memory is largely based upon the art of paying 
 attention. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
Memory 2^1 
 
 Memory is the store-house in which are deposited the sensa- 
 tions, the facts and the ideas, whose different combinations form 
 what is called intelligence. 
 
 — Helvetius. 
 
 When the mind acts in such a way that it records, retains and 
 restores the ideas gained by its own activity, it is said to perform 
 an act of memory. 
 
 — Dexter and Gar lick. 
 
 In order that the memory shall be counted excellent the indi- 
 vidual must show readiness in acquisition, tenacity in retention, 
 and promptness in reproduction and recognition. 
 
 —H. T. Smith. 
 CULTIVA TION. 
 
 The first condition for cultivating the memory is forming habits 
 of fixed attention. Nothing can be remembered that is not 
 attended to. A second condition for cultivating the memory is 
 order. A third condition is repetition. 
 
 —Mark Hopkins. 
 
 One must put thought into the act of memory. The memory 
 if only strong enough to retain a single item with effort will grow 
 stronger by that effort, will soon retain two items, and finally 
 others in vast numbers and without effort. 
 
 — IVilliam 71 Harris. 
 
 That memory may perform its functions without failure it is 
 necessary that an idea should be forcibly impressed upon the 
 mind at once, or that it should be repeated a sufficient number of 
 times to make a deep impression. 
 
 —James Johonnot. 
 
 Colburn's rules for memory study are worth careful thought, 
 {i) Learn one thing at a time; (2) Learn it thoroughly; (3) Learn 
 its connection with other things. 
 
 Baldwin's Rules: (i) Take a deep interest in what you study ; 
 (2) Give your entire attention to what you study; (3) Thoroughly 
 assimilate and associate the old and the new ; (4) Push effort to 
 complete mastery. 
 
 —Joseph Baldwin. 
 
 Joseph Baldwin enumerates these mistakes in memory culture : 
 (i) Stated examinations and reviews at long intervals; (2) Giving 
 words without ideas ; (3) Memorizing what has not come into the 
 experience; (4) Studying from books instead of Nature; (5) 
 Crowding the mind with non-essentials. 
 
 RECOLLECTION. 
 
 Recollection is memory under control and direction of the will. 
 By utilizing the laws of association and suggestion the will 
 rebuilds a former experience, slowly or rapidly as the degree of 
 familiarity may permit. 
 
 —A.R. Taylor. 
 
2J2 Co mm OIL Se?ise Didactics 
 
 Recollecting is remembering by an effort of will. All recol- 
 lecting is remembering, but all remembering is not recollecting. 
 Recollecting is a kmd of remembering. 
 
 —J. P. Gordy. 
 
 KINDS OF MEM OR V. 
 
 In education what may be described as a "local" or "verbal" 
 memory is of slight influence in comparison with an intelligent or 
 rationalizing memory. 
 
 — Henry Calderwood. 
 
 Memory may be distinguished as spontaneous and intentio7ial. 
 In spontaneous memory the will is passive, the representative act 
 being involuntary; in intentional memory the will is active and 
 directing, and the representative act is voluntary. 
 
 — Emerson E. White. 
 
 Kant classifies memories as follows: 
 
 1. The Mechanical Memory, which depends on associations by 
 contiguities. 
 
 2. The Ingenious Memory, which endeavors to trace out more 
 or less fanciful similarity between things. Mnemonics are an 
 outcome of this type of memory. 
 
 3. The Judicious Memory, which depends mainly upon the 
 natural working of the law of similarity. 
 
 —Dexter and Garlick. 
 
 ADVANTAGES OF MEMORY AND RECOLLECTION. 
 
 If the powers of observation, attention, memory and discrim- 
 ination are rightly trained in school the whole after-life of the 
 pupil may become a continuous source of education ; for in 
 society, as in school, the sources of knowledge are reading, con- 
 versation, observation and reflection. 
 
 —John Swett. 
 
 "Experience teaches us," says Dr. Schwab, of Germany, 
 "more and more, from day to day, that a child will retain in its 
 memory only what is incorporated into its life. It will forget 
 what it has seen or heard, but rarely or never what it has accom- 
 plished through its own efforts." 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 That only is to be learned by rote that is unchangeable. 
 Extracts of poetry, and sometimes of prose, those crystals of 
 thought that must remain as pure, as durable as the diamond, 
 may well be memorized and made familiar. 
 
 — George Howland. 
 
 The activity of this power (memory) is, in fact, the measure of 
 the child's growth in mental stature and strength. 
 
 —RusselPs ''Lecture to Young Teachers."'' 
 
Me mory 2y^ 
 
 The words that are recited and written to-day should be woven 
 and wreathed into other figures and expressions to-morrow, and 
 thus repetition, one of the most efficient means of memory's aid 
 becomes invested with all the charm of novelty. 
 
 —George Howland. 
 
 An unnatural memory may be produced at the cost of reason, 
 judgment and imagination, or the emotional aptitudes. This is 
 not a desirable result. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 /. Define memory. 
 
 2. Name the three steps which constitute the art of memory. 
 
 J. How may memory be cultivated? 
 
 4. How cultivate an exact memory? 
 
 5. What is recollection? How different from memory? 
 
 6. Is it always wrong for the child to recite in the words of his 
 
 book? Explain. 
 J. What is the relation of study to memory? 
 S. Distinguish between voluntary and involuntary memory. 
 9. Define verbal memory. 
 10. What is the effect upon memory of special training in one 
 subject alone' 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 7. What do you think of memory exercises? 
 2. Is memory of equal importance with imagination, reason, 
 etc.? 
 
 J. What is meant by association of ideas? 
 
 4. Of what educational treatise is Herbert Spencer the author? 
 J". Who was Horace Mann? 
 
 18 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 IMAGINATION, ATTENTION, INTEREST 
 
 "The Tunes Are Left Forever in the Strings" 
 
 The village laborer, with the reverent heart, can be as wise as 
 the wisest thinker and with equal justice. They are both full of 
 light. Neither wants more. 
 
 —Edward Thring. 
 
 The imagination is the very secret and marrow of civilization. 
 It is the very eye of faith. The soul without imagination is what 
 an observatory would be without a telescope. 
 
 — Henry Ward Beecher. 
 
 We have long heard a good deal about interest as a means, but 
 interest as an end ;is destined to have high value in the modern 
 school. "Knowledge," says Herbart, "shall pass away, but 
 interest remains." 
 
 — Samuel T. Dutton. 
 
 Sympathy between teacher and taught is a great means of 
 maintaining the attention. The sympathetic teacher may have 
 to work in a badly lighted, badly warmed school, and his teaching 
 may not be psychologically sound, yet notwithstanding these 
 drawbacks he will succeed in securing attention. 
 
 — Dexter and Garlic k. 
 
 NOAH PORTER defines imagination to be "the 
 power to re-combine anew materials furnished 
 by experience." It is, in fact, so closely combined 
 with the act of memory that one cannot be 
 tTon^^^^^' intelligently discussed without reference 
 to the other. 
 I remember the old schoolhouse which I attended in 
 my youth. At once memory and imagination combine 
 to call up the scene. The form of the building, the 
 doorway, the interior, the arrangement of the desks, 
 the mates who met me there, memory recalls them one 
 
 274 
 
1 magi ?iati 72, Atte nti on, Inter e st 2'/§ 
 
 by one; and as I dwell upon them, imagination pre- 
 sents to my mind a perfect picture of the scene as I 
 once knew it. Children have naturally very vivid 
 imaginations; the mental images which they form may 
 not always be correct, but they are keen and clear cut. 
 
 Mental images are of two kinds; those which arise 
 from remembering what we have learned by the use of 
 one or more of our perceptive powers, and those which 
 arise from pictures and descriptions, paintings of 
 things which we have not seen but in which we are 
 intensely interested. The latest authorities call the 
 first kind of imagination Reproductive, and the second 
 Constructive. 
 
 We indulge, at times, in reminiscences; the past is 
 summoned and old time friends, pleasant days, and 
 events in which we took part years ago Rei)roduc- 
 come fresh and vividly to mind. We pic- tiveimagi- 
 ture real scenes which once existed, and ^^(^i^on. 
 listen to voices which have long since passed away. 
 
 And old time friends and twilight plays 
 And starry nights and sunny days 
 Come trooping up their misty ways, 
 And life is young again. 
 
 How does this differ from memory? I remember a 
 person who lived in a certain place. The name is 
 familiar to me. I know the town in which he resided, 
 and the circumstances about him. But I cannot recall 
 his features nor anything of his personality. In refer- 
 ence to another person, also, my memory serves me to 
 fix his location, the years in which I knew him, and 
 the circumstances of his life. But, in addition, my 
 imagination enables me to reproduce his features, his 
 form, his voice, so that he exists as a living reality in 
 my thoughts. I can see the color of his eyes and hair. 
 
2y6 Coni?non Sense Didactics 
 
 the cast of his features, his height, and general appear- 
 ance; and thus I rebuild the mental image through the 
 aid of my imagination. 
 
 We obtain satisfactory results only when reproduc- 
 tive imagination and memory mutually assist each 
 other. 
 
 Constructive imagination serves another purpose. 
 The child hears the fairy tale as his mother reads it to 
 ^ . him, and at once he conceives a mental 
 
 tive i77iagi- picture which, for the time being, is as real 
 nation, ^^ j^jj^ ^g though it were present before his 
 
 eyes. So in his history and geography there is but 
 little which brings up past experiences, and yet he 
 constructs images of events, of famous buildings or 
 noted persons; he travels over different routes and 
 scans the landscapes, as eagerly as the actual traveler. 
 
 The right cultivation and use of the imagination is 
 worthy of important consideration on the part of the 
 teacher. "Imagination is the spiritual power to which 
 all instruction turns, and upon whose cooperation the 
 success of all instruction depends. The pupil appre- 
 hends the words of instruction only when his imagina- 
 tion succeeds in illustrating them by corresponding 
 images." 
 
 The child has a very active imagination, and often 
 he so constructs images that to him they seem alive. 
 He tells you what you know to be untrue, but in his 
 own mind he is not able to distinguish between the 
 true and the false. He is not conscious of any attempt 
 to deceive, and yet he is accused of lying and perhaps 
 is punished. We sometimes say, "Where did the 
 child get that idea?" He got it from something which 
 he heard you say and which was not intended for his 
 ears; he listened to you as you read something to the 
 
l7naginatio7i, Attention, Interest 2'jy 
 
 school which he but half understood, and his imagina- 
 tion supplied^the rest; he saw an incident in the street, 
 on his way to school, and gathered there the materials 
 for his constructive image. 
 
 Children live real lives through their imagination. 
 The doll which the little girl dresses and undresses, 
 
 fondles and sings to sleep, is her child. A 
 
 *^, , ^ r u- A Its value to 
 
 wise mother takes advantage ot this and the child. 
 
 teaches her to cut and sew the doll's 
 
 dresses, to make up the bed in which it sleeps, to wash 
 
 its clothes, and to care for it in many ways. The little 
 
 boy rides his stick, and in his imagination it is a real 
 
 horse. Soon he has a place for it which he calls a 
 
 stable. After a time he discards it for a rocking horse, 
 
 because that is nearer his ideal. Anon he wants his 
 
 wheelbarrow and shovel that he may be at work in his 
 
 garden or on his farm. In all phases of child life the 
 
 imagination plays an important part, and is a source of 
 
 enjoyment to the child. It is often a spur to his 
 
 ingenuity and aids materially in developing his powers 
 
 of invention. That which attracts his attention he 
 
 wishes to imitate'. To do this, he invents the means, 
 
 or converts to his use those already existing. Thus 
 
 the circus which he and his mates plan in the barn is 
 
 just as real as the one they saw last week in the tent. It 
 
 gives them greater pleasure because they are the actors. 
 
 The imagination needs both direction and cultivation: 
 
 1. Furnish the child in various ways with a fund of 
 ideas or of material suitable for the exercise of imagi- 
 nation. This is largely oral work, but the jyi^^ction 
 teacher may have recourse to story books, aiidcultiva- 
 tales, and pictures. 
 
 2. Give him the opportunity to exercise his repro- 
 ductive imagination by recalling this knowledge, and by 
 
2y8 Common Sense Didactic s 
 
 painting in words what he has in mind. He may be en- 
 couraged to do this by drawing on his slate or on paper. 
 
 3. Give the child paper cutting, clay modeling, illus- 
 trative drawing, pictures, descriptive writing. At 
 times direct him, but at other times let his ingenuity 
 be his guide. 
 
 4. He should exercise his constructive imagination 
 in his language work. Let him invent his tales and 
 illustrate them, or construct them from pictures and 
 paintings and works of art. 
 
 5. "Imagination is the great instrument by which 
 we 'proceed from the known to the unknown'; it must 
 therefore be brought into play in all fruitful acquisi- 
 tion." If we attempt to follow the well-known maxim, 
 "from the known to the unknown," the above quota- 
 ion is true. 
 
 Keep the child's imagination clean and sweet; let it 
 
 exercise itself upon things pure and wholesome, but 
 
 do not thwart it nor discourage its develop- 
 A pure "^ , . , . 
 
 zmagina- ment. Every architect has the plan in his 
 
 Hon. mind before he puts it upon paper. The 
 
 inventor appeals to his imagination for assistance in 
 bringing his invention to perfection. The student of 
 history plunges into the wilderness and helps the first 
 settler build his log cabin; he goes on to the field and 
 hears the roar of the battle; in the Senate chamber he 
 listens to the eloquence of Webster or Clay; and all 
 this by the aid of his imagination. 
 
 The imagination helps the child to think, especially 
 in the reading lesson. He cannot read with any emo- 
 tion, with any intelligent idea of the author's thought, 
 unless he sees with the author's eyes, hears with his 
 ears, and feels with his heart. An old author says: 
 "When thou readest, look steadfastly with the mind at 
 
Imagijio tion, Attention^ I?iterest 2yQ 
 
 the things which the words signify. If there be ques- 
 tion of mountains, let them loom before thee; if of the 
 ocean, let its billows roll before thy eyes. This habit 
 will give to thy voice even pliancy and meaning." 
 
 Do not be too ready to blame the child for his day 
 dreams, and accuse him of idleness. Some day the 
 dreams may wax real, and because of them 
 the life of the world become easier and '^f^'J^^i^f,' 
 more cheery. It is true that children have 
 strange and curious imaginings — some call them fan- 
 tasies — which seem to arise from attempts to think of 
 things far above their comprehension. 
 
 To ask a child to tell us what is his idea of God or 
 the angels is to ask him questions which the most 
 learned theologians cannot answer. Yet certain wise 
 school men do this and laugh at the crudity of the 
 replies. A little girl, coming home from a walk with 
 her father, asked her mother, "Mamma, didn't God 
 make everything?" "Certainly, my dear; why do you 
 ask me that?" "Well, I saw him this morning." 
 "Saw whom?" "I saw God. He was in a black- 
 smith's shop finishing off a horse he had just made. 
 He had him all done except his shoes." 
 
 Dr. Hillis calls the imagination the vision faculty. 
 "It is also given to this vision faculty to redeem men 
 out of oppression and misfortune, and 
 through its intimations of royalty to lend Jf^^^'^Jj/'''^ 
 victory and peace. Oft the days are full 
 cf storms and turbulence; oft events grow bad as heart 
 can wish; full oft the next step promises the precipice. 
 There are periods in every career when troubles are so 
 strangely increased that the world seems like an orb 
 let loose to wander widely through space. In these 
 dark hours some endure their pain and trouble through 
 
28o Common Sense Didactics 
 
 dogged, stoical toughness. Then, men imitate the tur- 
 tle as it draws in its head and neck, saying to misfor- 
 tune: 'Behold the shell, and beat on that.' But, God 
 be thanjced! victory over trouble has been ordained. 
 In the blackest hour of the storm it is given to the 
 vision faculty to lift man into the realm of tranquillity. 
 As travelers in the jungle climb the trees at night and 
 draw the ladder up after them, and dwell above the 
 reach of wild beasts and serpents, so the soul in its 
 higher moods ascends into the realms of peace and rest. 
 In that dark hour just before Jesus Christ entered into 
 the cold and darkness, and fronted his grievous suffer- 
 ing, he called his disciples about him, and uttered that 
 discourse beginning: 'Let not your hearts be troubled'. 
 Strange wonder words, words of matchless genius and 
 beauty." 
 
 The following, taken from the School a?id Schoolmaster^ 
 illustrates the use to which the imagination may some- 
 times be put in dealing with children: "A lad of some 
 talent, who had failed to be influenced by the rod, by 
 medals, by the desire of pleasing his friends, or fear or 
 love of his instructor, was awakened as from a sleep 
 by a striking picture of the miserable condition of an 
 old age spent without any of the resources which love 
 of books can give. What was immediately before him 
 did not touch him; but his imagination passed over 
 youth and manhood, of which he felt secure, and dwelt 
 upon old age; and the desire of being, at that period 
 of his life, surrounded by friends and books, set him 
 seriously at work." 
 
 The art of paying attention is the art of concentrat- 
 ing all the powers of the mind upon the 
 Attention. , . , , • i .• 
 
 subject under consideration. 
 
 Attention is not a special function of the mind, like 
 
I ma gi?iatio7i. Attention, Interest 281 
 
 memory. It is rather, as Dr. Hinsdale very aptly says 
 in his Art of Study, an intellectual state or condition of 
 the mind. The authors of Psychology in the Schoolroom 
 use the following illustrations which any teacher can 
 verify out of his own experience. 
 
 (a) "Suppose I am looking at a small object by arti- 
 ficial light. I cannot see it distinctly. I interpose a 
 lens between my eye and the object. The light is con- 
 centrated on the object and I see it distinctly. Now 
 consciousness, like light, seems to increase in vividness 
 in proportion as it is concentrated on one spot." 
 
 (b) "Two boys are talking in an undertone in the 
 class. The teacher is dimly conscious of a noise in the 
 room; he thinks there is a noise, but is not certain. 
 He begins to listen, to concentrate his mind, as it 
 were, upon the supposed sound. He identifies it as a 
 sound of conversation, and localizes the sound as com- 
 ing from the two boys who are talking. The boys are 
 talking no louder at the conclusion than at the begin- 
 ning of the incident, but the teacher has by his act of 
 attention given greater distinctness and vividness to 
 his consciousness." 
 
 But how shall the teacher command and retain the 
 attention of the class? The first duty of the teacher is 
 to determine in his own mind that he will 
 
 have the attention of the class, and that he J^ow to hold 
 
 attejition. 
 will ?iot put up with inattention or indiffer- 
 ence. Hart, in his I?i the Schoolroom, says: "This is 
 half the battle. Let him settle it with himself, that 
 until he does this, he is doing nothing; that without 
 the attention of his scholars, he is no more a teacher 
 than is the chair he occupies. If he is not plus, he is 
 zero, if not actually minus. With this truth fully real- 
 ized, he will come before his class resolved to have a 
 
282 Common Se7ise Didactics 
 
 hearing; and this very resolution, written as it will be 
 all over him, will have its effect upon his scholars. 
 Children are quick to discern the mental attitude of a 
 teacher. They know, as if by instinct, whether he is 
 in earnest or not, and in all ordinary cases they yield 
 without disputes to a claim thus resolutely put." 
 
 A teacher once said to me, "In some way I fail to 
 get the attention of the class. About half of them 
 seem to be interested; the other half are thinking of 
 something else." In a few days I spent an hour in 
 her room, listening to a recitation. After the class 
 passed out, I was able to say to her, "Your failure is 
 due to the fact that the pupils do not believe you are 
 in earnest. Once I notice you said, 'Please give me 
 your attention.' For a moment they complied with 
 your request, and the next moment their minds were 
 off on an excursion somewhere. Your request should 
 have been less of a request, and more of a command. 
 My advice is that you proceed to impress upon your 
 class that you will not tolerate inattention. For the 
 next week or two make the inattentive pupils do most 
 of the reciting. In gaining attention there is some- 
 times as much occasion to use your authority as there 
 is in governing the room. You have a good degree of 
 will power. Make use of it in gaining and holding the 
 attention of your classes." 
 
 Attention, like memory, may be of two kinds, volun- 
 tary and involuntary. Baldwin, however, in his Psy- 
 
 cholos'V of the Art of Teachi?io^, does not admit 
 attention. ^^ ^^^^ division, but insists that attention is 
 
 always voluntary. Something startles me, 
 and attracts my attention. My will has nothing to do 
 with it, and involuntarily I look out of the window. I 
 hear an unusual noise in the street. If, however, the 
 
1 77iagi7iatio7i, Atte7ition, l7iterest 28j 
 
 matter proves to be of such importance that I continue 
 
 to give it my attention, possibly going out to find the 
 
 occasion of the disturbance, then my attention becomes 
 
 voluntary; it is under the control of the will. 
 
 It is not necessary to discuss this point further. 
 
 How to cultivate the attention is of far 
 
 , . , T^-i.t-r A i.' Cultivation 
 
 greater importance. It is the toundation of atteittion 
 
 upon which scholarship, study, and the 
 
 daily recitations rest. Without it time is wasted, and 
 
 the efforts of the best teacher fail. 
 
 Let me remark here that attention and the control 
 of the will after awhile take on the nature of a habit, 
 and can be cultivated, as any other habit is cultivated, 
 by a resolute persistence in doing. 
 
 Cultivate attention by requiring attention. You do 
 your pupils great harm when you allow a recitation to 
 go on while the class is inattentive. Pause for a 
 moment, and wait quietly until the pupils give you 
 their attention. Sometimes a motion of the hand, a 
 glance of the eye, a question given to the right 
 scholar, will accomplish the desired result. 
 
 The will power of the teacher, a ready and compre- 
 hensive knowledge of the subject, an intense interest 
 in the lesson, will prove of great assistance. Do not 
 stop in the midst of the recitation to scold or disci- 
 pline a pupil or to answer questions except such as are 
 unavoidable. When the thought of the class is fixed 
 upon the lesson, to break the continuity is to distract 
 attention. Too many teachers are thoughtless in this 
 respect. (See page 237.) 
 
 Again, children will not give attention to those 
 things toward which they are indifferent. You 
 cannot command attention unless you can stimulate 
 an interest in the child's mind, or awaken his curiosity, 
 
284 Co7n7non Sense Didactics 
 
 which is only his desire to know. Read this quotation 
 carefully: "Attention, the indispensable condition of 
 r ,.rr. all mastery, follovv^s the lead of interest, and 
 
 ence, akin- IS steadied and given purpose by it. Inter- 
 drance. ^^^ jg aroused by a proper relating of the 
 novel and the familiar. Voluntary attention sets the 
 mind to the performance of a given piece of work; 
 involuntary attention holds the mind to the work." 
 
 It is perfectly right to say to a pupil, "You must 
 give your attention to this lesson," but your com- 
 mand will not accomplish anything unless you can 
 convince him there is something there worth attend- 
 ing to. 
 
 Let me, however, add this thought. If the child is 
 to be fitted for life, he must be so trained in the school 
 that he can by force of will lend his attention to the 
 work which must be done then and there, although it 
 may not be at the time altogether to his liking. How 
 often do we compel ourselves to attend to some matter 
 in hand, although the heart is drawn in another direc- 
 tion. 
 
 By training and exercising the attention the business 
 man renders it of the greatest service to himself, and 
 he does not want a clerk about his store or his office 
 who has not this habit. The place and time to form 
 habits of attention are in the school and during child- 
 hood. 
 
 Attention is most easily fixed when interest is keen, 
 but interest will grow when attention is fixed by 
 the power of the will. This point is worth 
 consideration. The stronger will of the 
 teacher should be so exerted as to prevent the pupils 
 from drifting into idle, indifferent habits of study. 
 Everything should be avoided which tends to distract 
 
I ma gin ati 71, Attention, Interest 28 j 
 
 the pupil's attention from his work, either while he is 
 preparing or reciting his lesson. If you really expect 
 to win the pupil's attention, you should be as much 
 interested in the lesson as you expect him to be« 
 
 Do not, however, look for too much. Observe the 
 little child at his play. He changes continually from 
 one game to another. He tires of the same playthings. 
 One is the favorite to-day, another to-morrow. It is 
 possible to require too much in the way of prolonged 
 attention from older pupils. The interest, excited by 
 strong motives, if prolonged may give rise to such 
 tense attention as to produce physical weariness, or 
 perhaps permanent injury to the brain. (See page 92.) 
 
 In closing this chapter I wish to remind you of the 
 intimate connection which exists between memory and 
 attention. The art of memory is based, 
 almost entirely, upon the art of paying at^tenUon^ 
 attention. Here, also, is the secret of the 
 art of study, which is only the power of concentra- 
 tion, the ability sometimes natural, often acquired, to 
 call in all wandering thought, and fix the efforts of 
 the mind upon Ihe lesson to be learned. This power 
 is a most valuable acquisition to the scholar or to the 
 man of business. It is the secret of success in any 
 calling, and the time to cultivate it is in childhood. 
 Persisted in from day to day it at length becomes an 
 enduring habit of the mind. 
 
 The degree of attention and interest determines the 
 permanence of the impressions which memory retains. 
 Whatever is learned to-day is learned for all to-morrows. 
 Horace Mann says: "No unskillful hand should ever 
 play upon the harp when 
 
 The Tunes Are Left Forever in the Strings." 
 
286 Com7no7i Sense Didactics 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 imagination. 
 
 The most trivial and unsuitable objects are sufficient to excite 
 its action. The rude and unfinished toy is more acceptable to the 
 child than the more costly and elaborate, because it leaves more 
 room for the constructive power. It is all the better if the greater 
 part of the work is left for this to complete and supply. The 
 sports and plays of childhood are little romances, prompted and 
 acted over for the simple exercise and delight of the imagination. 
 
 —Noah Porter. 
 
 But perhaps the greatest power of imagination over life comes 
 from the creation by it of what are called ideals, not of art, but of 
 character and conduct. Ideals are representations of that which 
 is perfect, or which we esteem so. They are a setting before 
 ourselves of lines of conduct such as belong to the higher and 
 better parts of our nature. 
 
 —Mark Hopkins. 
 
 Imagination and fancy, or fantasy, are like recollection, free in 
 the sense that they depend on the self. But they are freer than 
 recollection, because they are not tethered to real events or 
 things that belong to a past experience. They determine forms, 
 shapes, situations and actions entirely ideal, and without reference 
 to actual existences except in so far as the general laws of space 
 and time which logically condition fancies as well as existences 
 
 demand. 
 
 — William T. Harris. 
 
 It may take contact with but a little of evil to fan into a con- 
 suming flame the imaginings of a child who might, but for that 
 contact, have been made almost divine. In these recommenda- 
 tions it is not forgotten that some one must face evil in order to 
 put it down, but that person should be one whose character is 
 established beyond question, and not a child. 
 
 —A.T. Smith. 
 
 Literature has a most marked effect in the developmeni of the 
 imagination. It is this quality which makes the bad look so dan- 
 gerous — even more dangerous than the evil companion. 
 
 — Ruric N. Roark. 
 A TTENTION. 
 
 Mr. Fitch has a lecture on the art of securing attention, and 
 he briefly passes these methods in review: the posture must be 
 changed; places can be changed. Questions, after being 
 answered singly, may occasionally be answered in concert. 
 Elliptical questions may be asked, the pupil supplying the missing 
 word. The teacher must pounce upon the most listless child and 
 wake him up. The habit of prompt and ready response must be 
 kept up. Recapitulations, illustrations, examples, novelty of 
 order and ruptures of routine — all these are means for keeping the 
 attention alive and contributing a little interest to a dull subject. 
 
 — William James. 
 
Imagination, A ttc ntion, Inf ere st 28y 
 
 Inattention is as necessary to mental activity as attention. 
 Morbid attention to a particular subject shows a tendency to 
 insanity; we often speak of people being "mad on music" or 
 "mad on politics." A perfectly healthy mind has special inter- 
 ests, so that it is not always possible for us not to attend to our 
 hobby. 
 
 ^Selected. 
 
 The pupil must learn to exclude and ignore the many things 
 
 before him, and to concentrate all his powers of mind on the one 
 
 chosen subject. ^ ^^ 
 
 ^ — William T. Harris. 
 
 We must not suppose, however, that the value of attention is 
 
 limited to intellectual pursuits ; it extends to the whole practical 
 
 world as well. In fact it is no exaggeration to say that a man's 
 
 power of attention often determines his success or failure in life, 
 
 involving his ability to use effectively his powers, both of mind 
 
 and body. 
 
 ^ —B. A. Hinsdale. 
 
 INTEREST. 
 
 If, then, you wish to insure the interest of your pupils there is 
 only one way to do it, and that is to make certain that they have 
 something in their minds to attend with when you begin to talk. 
 
 — William James. 
 
 What we must do in teaching if we expect to interest our pupils 
 is to set them to do something that they are able to do in order 
 that they may acquire the power to do what they can not do. 
 
 — /. P. Gordy. 
 
 The teacher's first duty is to lay hold of such of the pupil's old 
 interests as can be made available. Attention is possible only on 
 the tw^o conditions,. that the child shall have something to pay 
 attention with and something to pay attention to. 
 
 —B. A. Hinsdale. 
 
 There is one person about whom every one feels an interest 
 and is very keen to hear remarks about him— everyone takes an 
 interest in himself. This gives the teacher a power of which he 
 may make very great use. If he can study the boys as indi- 
 viduals he will often be able to send a shaft right into the bull's- 
 eve bv feathering it with a personal allusion, 
 ^ ^ ^ —R. H. Quick. 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 /. Define imagination. 
 
 2. Distinguish between reproductive and constructive imag- 
 ination. 
 J. How may you aid the child in cultivating his imagination? 
 4. How may imagination help the pupil in his reading lesson? 
 
288 Commo7i Se?ise Didactics 
 
 J-. What does Dr. Hillis say of the imagination? 
 
 6. Give the extract taken from the School and the School- 
 
 7naster. 
 
 7. Define the two kinds of attention. 
 
 8. How may the teacher gain and retain the attention of the 
 
 class? 
 g. Discuss the relations between memory and interest. 
 10. How does imagination differ from memory? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. How should I train the child in whom memory is naturally 
 
 defective? 
 2. Who was Cyrus Peirce? 
 J. Do I train my own memory daily? 
 4. In connection with imagination what use can be made of the 
 
 illustrations in the text-books? 
 J-. Who is Newell D wight Hillis? 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE OLD vs. THE NEW 
 
 Let There Be Light 
 
 Go with the sun and the stars, and yet evermore in thy spirit 
 Say to thyself: It is good, yet there is better than it: 
 This I see is not all, and this that I do is but little; 
 Nevertheless it is good, though there be better than it. 
 
 —Arthur Hugh Clotigh. 
 
 The new education of which we have heard so much in later 
 years really began its work v/hen the great Teacher summoned 
 the world to a life of service. 
 
 —Samuel T. Dutton. 
 
 The power to use tools, instruments and machinery lifts man 
 above the brute creation. There is labor-saving machinery in 
 thinking as well as in manual labor. 
 
 — Nathan C. Schaeffer. 
 
 Lay aside all affectation, you teachers ; be yourselves good and 
 virtuous, so that your example may be deeply graven on your 
 pupils' memory until such time as it finds lodgment in their heart, 
 
 —Rousseau. 
 
 EVERYTHING in this world exists either in the 
 positive or comparative degree; there is no 
 superlative. One thing is good, another is better; 
 nothing is best. What we do to-day can 
 be compared with what we did yesterday, T^''-^^'^^ ^^ ^}o 
 but it cannot be used to measure what we 
 hope to do to-morrow. 
 
 We stand with a certain amount of work thrust into 
 our hands. It is not to our credit that we do it better 
 than some one else does his, nor is it to our discredit 
 that some one else does his work better than we do 
 ours. The pernicious habit of comparing ourselves 
 19 28g 
 
2go Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 and our success with others is the cause of half the 
 unhappiness the world knows. God allots the task, 
 and he gives the penny a day to every laborer. But it 
 is only a penny. He is a wise man who accepts it 
 without grumbling. 
 
 The servant in the parable was condemned for what 
 he did 7iot do, not for what some one else did. 
 
 The man who can conscientiously say, "I am doing 
 the best I know how to do, let who will do better," 
 can sleep in peace, nor fear to-morrow. While he who 
 can say, "I am doing better to-day than I did yester- 
 day; there is more thought and more skill in my work; 
 there is more humanity and more of Christ in my 
 spirit," hath achieved "a distinction which will live in 
 heaven. " 
 
 The only measure of greatness, then, is fidelity to 
 duty. The progress of the world is traced not by let- 
 tered stone, nor storied monument; but by the 
 unmarked graves, the resting-places of heroic men and 
 women, who died and left no name. 
 
 The healing of the world 
 Is in its nameless saints. Each separate star 
 Seems nothing ; but a myriad scattered stars 
 Break up the night and make it beautiful. 
 
 Among those who read this book there are, without 
 doubt, teachers of all grades. Some are charged with 
 weighty responsibilities, and others — to themselves, at 
 least — seem to fill small and obscure positions. Don't 
 worry about that; let God decide what work you can 
 do best. The college professor, the city superintend- 
 ent, the instructor in the graded school, the teacher in 
 the little schoolhouse upon the prairie, have more in 
 common than they think they have. 
 
 The walls in the stately building settle and yawn in 
 
The Old vs. The New 2gi 
 
 unseemly cracks, not because the carver and engraver, 
 the worker in fine brass, and the painter, failed to do 
 good work; but because the bricks were spoiled in 
 burning, or the mortar was untempered, or the trench 
 in which the foundations were laid was not deep 
 enough. The touch of an unskilled workman makes 
 itself everywhere felt. We learn from each other. 
 Nothing can be said to be the best possible. When 
 there is nothing beyond in this world, then comes the 
 millennium. 
 
 In some things the city school is superior; but the 
 well regulated country school has a freedom from con- 
 ventionality — from red tape, from dead routine — and 
 an approach to the personality of the child which the 
 city teacher may study with great profit. 
 
 I ask you here to consider certain principles, and 
 apply them to the individual work which each one has 
 in hand to-day. During the eighteenth cen- 
 tury a few thinking men changed the tvpe Foujida- 
 
 ^ ^ , *=* ^ ^ t tons. 
 
 of educational thought in the old world. 
 
 Any attempt to transfer their ideas, unmodified by the 
 conditions of Ame'rican life, to our own times, must 
 of necessity prove a failure. Times and seasons re- 
 cast all things. 
 
 But the ideas in question are so full of material for 
 thought, they come so near the life of true learning, 
 they are so akin to nature, that our system of schools 
 can only hope to approach perfection as teachers study 
 the precepts and imitate the example of these men. 
 
 I wish the fences about the schoolhouse were so high 
 that the hobby-rider could never overleap them, and 
 the door so narrow that in order to enter the building 
 he m.ust leave his package outside. The purpose 
 should be not to reject anything which experience has 
 
2g2 Coimno7i Sense Didactics 
 
 taught us is of value in educating the child, nor to pull 
 down for the pleasure that there is in rebuilding. The 
 man of one idea who would smash jj/(9?/;' idol and Tnine^ 
 and compel us to worship his, is a nuisance. 
 
 In every step looking toward advancement there 
 should be an effort to kindle a warm glow of thought; 
 to rouse an irresistible impulse toward a nearer 
 approach to humanity; to compel an uplifting of the 
 whole being into a purer, holier atmosphere of unselfish 
 love. This was Froebel's mission in the kindergarten. 
 
 In this connection three names are prominent: 
 Rousseau, Pestalozzi, and Froebel. 
 
 Rousseau, who aspired to be the founder of the 
 natural method of education, attempted to array nature 
 yy against art. "Childhood," he says, "has 
 
 reformers: its methods of seeing, perceiving, and 
 Rousseau. thinking peculiar to itself." This is nature. 
 He adds, "Nothing is more absurd than our being 
 anxious to adopt our own method in its stead." 
 
 As the author of the "new education," Rousseau 
 defines it to be "The art of guiding without precept, 
 and of doing everything by doing nothing." He sums 
 up the object of his system when he says, "Natural 
 education must fit a man for all human relations." 
 
 We are not to infer, however, that this new education 
 would leave a child free to grow up as directed by 
 chance. On the contrary, it would carefully guard him 
 against all adverse influences. All that which is arti- 
 ficial is to be shunned, and that is artificial which 
 weakens the body or degrades the intellect. The 
 instructor must make himself a child, must study the 
 child, must grow up with the child. He is not so much 
 a teacher as a guide; not so much a governor as a 
 playmate; but he is not to correct nature in anything, 
 
The Old vs. The New 2g3 
 
 lest he destroy the personality of the pupil. When the 
 teacher forgets that he was once a child, it is time for 
 him to surrender his certificate. The man or woman 
 who was never a child has no right in the teacher's 
 place. 
 
 To reach the age of discretion, possessed of a sound 
 mind in a sound body; to be devoid of anger, malice, 
 envy, hatred, and of all kindred vices; to 
 know few things, but to know them well; %Z7chUd. 
 to possess the power of acquiring knowl- 
 edge, and a hungry desire to know all things, was the 
 education Rousseau designed for his imaginary child. 
 The child is divine; knowledge is his birthright. 
 Nature will lead the child into the possession of his 
 inheritance. 
 
 Pestalozzi followed Rousseau. As simple as a child, 
 as pure as a saint, as awkward as a clown, as firm as a 
 martyr, unelated by success, enthusiastic pestalozzi 
 even amid defeat, his character was the and his 
 strangest mixture that ever bequeathed a 
 name to posterity.^ The crudeness of his habits minis- 
 tered to his strength, and the courage of an honest 
 heart was seen in every thought. 
 
 With Pestalozzi the family was supreme, and the 
 mother was supreme in the family. He said: "Mater- 
 nal love is the first agent in education." "The starting 
 point of the child's education is the cradle; what is 
 most demanded of the mother is a thinking love." 
 There are some eternal landmarks which God has 
 established, and this is one of them. As the child 
 progressed the senses were to be carefully trained, 
 vigorous growth was to be encouraged, but in no way 
 to be forced. The activity of the teaching mind was 
 to be an aid, but not to supplant self-activity on the 
 
^p^ Co in 711 71 Se7ise Didactics 
 
 part of the child, which he considered the highest aim 
 of education. 
 
 As the apostle of the new education, Pestalozzi 
 taught that, from the first dawning of consciousness, 
 every incident in the child's life should be made to 
 teach him some useful lesson, and to inculcate the 
 habit of thinking upon what he sees, and of speaking 
 after he has thought. 
 
 If the teacher can get hold of the whole child he 
 may hope to make a man of him. Training, whether 
 intellectual, moral, or physical, must begin when 
 growth begins. Many a holy man has been converted 
 while yet in his cradle. 
 
 He is the best teacher who enters most heartily into 
 the everyday life of his pupils. What a depth of reve- 
 lation there was in the question: "Did not our hearts 
 burn within us as he talked?" It is written once in 
 the life of every man: "Behold the sower went forth 
 to sow." Were it not so the Lord of the harvest 
 would have no need of laborers for there would be no 
 harvest. 
 
 Following Pestalozzi came Froebel, with his kinder- 
 garten. Froebel was not an imitator, neither was he a 
 philosopher. He was rather an inventor, 
 Froebel and ^]^^ succeeded in reducing to system and 
 practice the crude theories of his associ- 
 ates and predecessors. He was endowed with the 
 divine gift of thought. 
 
 The fundamental idea with him was that the child's 
 education should be founded upon his innate love of 
 activity. With Froebel all occupations are plays, and 
 all materials are gifts. He would attempt to meet the 
 demands of the child's nature, both physical and 
 mental. He would awaken new desires, but in exact 
 
TJie Old vs The New 2g^ 
 
 ratio with the teacher's power to satisfy them. The 
 plays must be carefully adjusted to the capacity of the 
 child, that they may not retard those children capable 
 of more rapid advancement, nor crowd in the least 
 degree those with less active minds. The child should 
 be instructed as though he were the only child in exist- 
 ence, and yQt he must be continually reminded of the 
 relations which he bears to all other children about 
 him. He is the only one; he is one of many. 
 
 In the true kindergarten the greatest attention was 
 to be paid to moral training, to personal habits of 
 order, cleanliness, and to the amenities of polite life. 
 In truth, the founders of the iiatiiral method insisted 
 upon training the child as a rational and immortal being. 
 
 I have thus endeavored to state, fairly and con- 
 cisely, some of the principles upon which the new 
 education was based. Let us now see how it differs 
 from the old. 
 
 We have seen that the new education assumes that 
 nature is always right, and therefore, always a safe 
 guide. The old school asserts that nature 
 must be assisted by art, that civilization is new e due a- 
 itself an artificial state of society, and that t^on eom- 
 the education which fits a child for it must 
 be largely artificial. The teacher, as a superior being 
 on a higher plane, must bring the child up to his level 
 by a series of dead lifts. It recognizes the fact that 
 education is a natural process, but it attempts by 
 unnatural means to force it into certain grooves. 
 
 In its modified form it admits that education is, and 
 should be, a natural growth, but it also claims that this 
 natural growth must be closely watched and carefully 
 trained; that certain habits of thought and action must 
 be thoroughly eradicated, and others induced to grow 
 
2g6 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 in their places; that nature is helpless, to the extent 
 that the child is born with certain inherited traits, the 
 fruits of wrong training upon preceding generations; 
 that he comes to the teacher's hands confirmed in 
 wrong habits by home training. 
 
 In short, the old school claims that all which is 
 artificially wrong can be corrected only by that which 
 is artificially right. In its radical form, the old educa- 
 tion makes much of memory, but little of the per- 
 ceptive powers. The child has certain knowledge of 
 anything, because he has the word of his teacher, or 
 the statement of his text-books. The teacher requires 
 attention on the part of the pupil, and tries to enforce 
 it. Failing in this, he resorts to continual corrections, 
 and reproves often and sharply. 
 
 The new education designs to secure attention 
 through the skillful presentation of choice material 
 suited to the child's mind. So far as art is an attempt 
 to realize, in a particular case, some idea, the old edu- 
 cation is an art. So far as science is developing an 
 idea in a general sense, applicable to all cases, the 
 new education approaches a science. 
 
 The two schools differ still more in aesthetical and 
 moral training. The old makes little of the beautiful. 
 It does not seek to train the eye to see, nor the hand 
 to form, nor the ear to hear; and where these powers 
 exist, a little germ planted by nature with some good 
 intent, it limits and hinders this development by the 
 substitution of meaningles words. 
 
 But in the new the pupil is taught to interpret the 
 trees, the waters, the flowers of sum.mer, and the crys- 
 tal forms of winter into a living though unwritten 
 language. "To love all virtue for itself, all nature for 
 its breathing evidence." 
 
TJie Old vs. The New 2gy 
 
 In moral training, under the old education, wrong is 
 always punished if detected; right seldom rewarded. 
 Unconditional obedience is required as a means of 
 escaping punishment. Love of self-approbation is 
 appealed to, but self-respect is neglected. Conscience, 
 love of truth, virtue, these are left to be developed by- 
 chance. 
 
 The pupil is constantly confronted by the stern 
 words: "He who has a bad character must absolutely 
 create for himself a better one." This is a terrible 
 sentence to be passed upon any man. He must lift 
 himself out of the mire; he must pull himself out of the 
 "Slough of Despond." 
 
 Under the new, the words of Pestalozzi are full of 
 hope to both teacher and pupil. "Faith must be culti- 
 vated by an act of believing, not by reasoning about 
 faith. Love by an act of loving, not by fine words about 
 love." "God is the nearest recourse of humanity." 
 
 We cannot adopt all which these men advocated. 
 We understand some things better than they did. We 
 know the surroundings of our schools, and are not 
 called to be imitators. An American system of schools 
 must be in accordance with American needs. But the 
 Pestalozzian spirit, through which education becomes 
 nurture, is universal and of universal application. Not 
 only is it necessary to care for the child's body, but to 
 teach him to care for his own body; to teach him the 
 laws of healthful being. 
 
 The teacher is not alone to correct bad habits, but to 
 correct them by inducing the formation of 'better ones. 
 Comparatively few children need to be stimulated by 
 artificial means; all need to be encouraged in every 
 right effort. Few need positive punishment; all need 
 restraint. 
 
2g8 Co junto 71 Sc7ise Didactics 
 
 I do not say that we have pushed too far our require- 
 ments for book knowledge in teachers. It does not 
 harm the teacher to know a little something 
 
 The ideal ^f books. A little knowledge is not so 
 way. ^ 
 
 very dangerous as some of us seem to 
 
 think. But we have pushed our requirements too far 
 in one direction. The land is full of one-sided teach- 
 ers. A one-sided teacher never grows. 
 
 We demand that they shall know what and how to 
 teach. The next and more important step, is that they 
 shall know why they do thus. It is not the art of the 
 old school, it is not the science of the new. It is art 
 joined with science, it is culture derived from books; 
 the skill of a trained mind knit to the gentle yet irre- 
 sistible power of nature, which characterizes the best 
 teaching. Some one says that Jefferson, the great 
 actor, has entered so entirely into Rip Van Winkle, 
 that as he walks the streets he is not quite sure that 
 "mine dog Schneider" is not at his heels. 
 
 A change is coming over the whole aspect of the 
 teacher's life. It is like the change which comes over 
 the sky just before the dawn. Thringsays: "Teaching 
 is not possible if an inspector is coming to count the 
 bricks made to order." But teaching is not possible if 
 the teacher has no higher ambition than to make bricks 
 to order. Children must be treated as children. It is 
 nothing ^against a boy that he hates books, and loves 
 fun. If he is wideawake and honest, his fun is perhaps 
 the best part of him. Get hold of him on that side, 
 and you will have control of him; confine your efforts 
 to the book side, and you drive him out of school, or 
 render his school useless. 
 
 I have great respect for the boy part of the boy. It 
 is not always against him that he is attracted by remu- 
 
The Old vs. The Neiv 2gg 
 
 nerative work. The schoolmaster complains because 
 the boy leaves school to drive a delivery wagon. Yet 
 some one must drive the wagon, or the schoolmaster 
 will have no dinner. 
 
 The point for the skillful teacher to reach is the 
 personal consciousness, the Inner sense of the child, 
 not holding up to him a lofty ideal of some 
 one, a something outside of himself, but f^T^'f/i/. 
 endeavoring to make him that ideal to him- 
 self; to form within him that type of a perfect man 
 which is the strength of manhood, the comfort of age, 
 the surety of life everlasting. 
 
 There are two ideals in the boy's mind: A manly 
 man and a womanly woman. 
 
 A pupil who dislikes his teacher may yet make good 
 progress; but when he feels that his teacher is partial 
 to others, or unjust in his treatment of him, the iron 
 enters his soul and he works without heart or hope. 
 Even the dullest pupil, when he finds that his work is 
 appreciated, is encouraged to greater effort, and takes 
 fresh heart from^ the approval of his teacher. A boy 
 once said in my hearing, "I like the teacher well 
 enough. He treats me all right, but he is not fair to 
 some of the others. It makes me hot the way he 
 makes fun of Jack Small. If I was in Jack's place I 
 would kick." Jack Small was a poor boy with no one 
 to stand up for him. The teacher was a coward. (See 
 
 page 1 80.) 
 
 The school is a democratic institution. The princi- 
 ple of equality before the law should be exemplified 
 here as nowhere else. The following extract, by 
 Henry Ward Beecher, expresses fully the idea I wish 
 to inculcate: 
 
 "The real democratic American idea is, not that a 
 
joo Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 man should be on the level with every other man, but 
 that every man shall be what God made him without 
 let or hindrance; that there shall be no prejudice 
 against him if he is high and that no disgrace shall 
 attach to him if he is low; that he shall have supreme 
 possession of what he has and what he is; that he 
 should have liberty to use his powers in any proper 
 direction." 
 
 We must first know the end which we hope to reach, 
 the aim which we may rightfully have in mind, and 
 then fix upon the method to be adopted. 
 ■IOCS. g^^ when we exalt the method above the 
 end, failure is inevitable. Education consists of two 
 things: obtaining knowledge and using knowledge. 
 We must, in our schools, have less to do with percent- 
 age and so-called results, and more with capacity, power 
 to acquire, ability to retain, and skill to use. 
 
 A system which makes the promotion of children 
 from grade to grade, any part of school life, dependent 
 upon a certain per cent as determined by written 
 examinations, is faulty in its construction and injurious 
 in its results. It is not only that the flushed cheeks, 
 the excited eye, the trembling nerves, tell that the 
 brain is being forced to do unwonted work, but the 
 wrong aim held up before the child is a far greater evil. 
 
 An honest effort on the part of the child is always to 
 be commended, even though it appear to result in fail- 
 ure. Dr. Edward Everett Hale says this of himself: 
 "I came home at the end of the first month with a 
 report which showed that I was ninth in a class of 
 fifteen. That is about the average rank which I gener- 
 ally had. I showed it to my mother because I had it. 
 I thought she would not like it. To my great sur- 
 prise and relief she said it was a good report. I said I 
 
The Old vs. The New 301 
 
 thought she would be displeased because I was so low 
 in the class. She said, That is no matter. Probably 
 the other boys are brighter than you. God made them 
 so, and you cannot help that.' " She was evidently a 
 good mother and a wise woman. 
 
 Parents and teachers make a mistake when they com- 
 pare one child with another. The mother who said to 
 her daughter, "Your teacher says that Jane has 
 a higher rank in the class than you have; you must 
 study harder," did not mean to be cruel, but she was.. 
 She incited the daughter to unwonted effort through 
 unworthy motives. This saying by Ruskin should be 
 kept in mind: "It is the effort that deserves praise, not 
 the success; nor is it a question for any student whether 
 he is cleverer than others or duller, but whether he has 
 done the best he coidd zvith the gifts he had.'' 
 
 A lady applicant for a position once sent me two 
 specimens of scholar's work, as an evidence of her abil- 
 ity as a teacher. They were good specimens of their 
 kind, but what did they show? It is difficult to say. Of 
 her ability to control, of her judgment, of her power to 
 awaken thought, 'of her good influence over her pupils, 
 of that teaching which sets the seal of the teacher's 
 personal character upon the scholar, literally nothing. 
 
 What did they show regarding her pupils? That they 
 were able to produce a neat, orderly paper, which I 
 grant is an attainment worth having; but they told 
 little of their everyday habits of study, of their moral 
 culture, of their physical training, of their reverence 
 for sacred things, — nothing of the growth of those 
 powers which make the child sensitive to truth, the 
 youth sensitive to honor, and the whole man sensitive 
 alike to truth, honor, and duty. 
 
 We must fix upon the product, and then adjust the 
 
J02 Common Sense Didactic s 
 
 machinery to the desired end. To introduce a tem- 
 porary motive which does not endure beyond the pres- 
 ent is a terrible mistake. It is sowing the wind and 
 forgetting the whirlwind which is sure to follow. The 
 chain which binds together yesterday, to-day, and for- 
 ever has never been broken. "Whatsoever ye sow, 
 that shall ye also reap," is nature's law. When 
 through any process the child comes to understand 
 that eighty per cent is success, and seventy-nine per 
 cent is failure, it would be better for him that he had 
 never seen the inside of the schoolroom. 
 
 It is sometimes asserted that the spirit of the latest 
 phase of education is hostile to the use of text-books, 
 especially in the hands of the teacher. We 
 Use of text- ^eg^] to be careful that we are not misled 
 by mere catch-words and popular phrases. 
 It is a very excellent thing when a teacher knows how 
 to use the text-book. It is as necessary for him to 
 study it, to know what is in it, as for the pupil, in 
 order to produce a perfect recitation. 
 
 I have seen teachers who were really very little in 
 advance of the text-book fill themselves so full of it, 
 enter so thoroughly into the spirit of the author and of 
 his illustrations, as to make the lesson fairly luminous; 
 when it was finished it was bristling all over with 
 points, every one of which impressed itself upon the 
 mind of the child. And I have seen other teachers, 
 who discarded the text-book as too old-fashioned for 
 them, proceed in their own way to amplify and illus- 
 trate and simplify and mix things up until every point 
 was almost as clear when the recitation ended as when 
 it commenced. (See page 193.) 
 
 There is actually some danger that the teacher will 
 know too much. Better draw water from one clear 
 
The Old vs. The New 303 
 
 living spring, than from a hundred shallow ponds. 
 The old-fashioned schoolmaster, who knew his arith- 
 metic and grammar from one end to the other, had in 
 his favor some strong points which are wanting in the 
 more modern teacher, who knows — or thinks he knows 
 — something of everything. 
 
 I say, without hesitation, to every teacher who reads 
 this, be sure you know just what is in the book your 
 pupils are studying, and after that learn as much more 
 as possible. Let us not be hasty; text-books have their 
 uses. The need is, that we know them to use them and 
 yet not be in bondage to them. The power of person- 
 ality will not be increased by discarding them, nor 
 decreased by employing them. 
 
 Freedom in teaching sometimes means something 
 very different from personality in teaching. The 
 teacher must rise superior to the text-book; not in 
 knowledge, but in spirit; not in the abundance of that 
 which he knows, but in his ability so to present knowl- 
 edge that whatever the child has acquired by diligent 
 study may become the germ of inward growth, induc- 
 ing thought and self-activity, awakening him to "the 
 inner consciousness of his powers, which is the object 
 of the education of nature." 
 
 If you have read this closely, you have clearly seen 
 
 that the difference between the old and the new is 
 
 more in spirit than in matter or method. 
 
 The education most prevalent in this coun- difference 
 
 try for many years had chief reference to betzueen old 
 
 . (X7td neiv 
 brain training. There is a strong feeling 
 
 that now the great question is: "How can we best fit 
 the child for the duties of social life and of citizen- 
 ship?" If we could reach him in the family, the ques- 
 tion could be more easily solved. 
 
^04- Commo7L Se?ise Didactias 
 
 We do not realize, in its full extent, that the end 
 of education is outside and beyond the school. We 
 must study the life which is about us, and into which 
 the child will enter at his maturity, if we look forward 
 to leading him up to a high ideal of noble living. 
 
 If you would be convinced of the magnitude of this 
 question, just at dark, after the hour of labor, go into 
 the lanes and alleys of any city and see the crowds of 
 children swarming from out their dirty, squalid homes, 
 wallowing in the dirt, growing up in filth, ignorance, 
 and sin. 
 
 The great hope of the patriot, the philanthropist, the 
 Christian is that many of these children are in our free 
 schools. The spirit of the new education would incite 
 us to teach these children not only the laws of personal 
 health, but so much of sanitary science as pertains to 
 cleanliness in all the surroundings of their homes; so 
 much of political science as pertains to the mutual de- 
 pendence existing between labor and capital; so much 
 of patriotism as pertains to the blessings of a free, firm, 
 enlightened government; so much of morals as pertains 
 to questions of right and wrong; and so much of re- 
 ligion as pertains to their immortality. (See page 128.) 
 
 In dealing with children, conscience is the surest 
 ally we can have. It is hers to unbar the window, take 
 down the shutters, throw wide open the door, that the 
 light of God's truth may have free access to the soul 
 within. (See page 134.) 
 
 The environments which surrounded the child 
 
 seventy-five years ago were so different from those 
 
 amid which he lives to-day, that it is diffi- 
 
 Cha7igeden- ^^||. ^^ institute a comparison. One of the 
 
 vironments. , ■ , , , 1 ^1 ^ r 
 
 first lessons which he learned was that or 
 
 responsibility. He had his chores to do, his task to 
 
The Old vs. The New J05 
 
 perform independently of his school. As a member 
 of the family he was under obligations to do some- 
 thing for the comfort of others. Habits of order and 
 industry, of self-denial and serviceableness, became 
 second nature. 
 
 I once knew a family in which there were three 
 daughters. The two younger remained at home, and 
 braided palm-leaf hats that the oldest sister might go 
 to the academy for a year. Then the youngest and 
 the eldest earned the money to send the second 
 daughter; and then the two older did the same for the 
 youngest. I have often questioned with myself 
 whether the year's study at the academy was not 
 intensified and strengthened by the fixedness of pur- 
 pose and the self-denial which characterized the life of 
 these New Hampshire girls while braiding straw in 
 their father's house. 
 
 There is an educational value in work, as well as in 
 books and teachers. We need to remember that, 
 when we load the child with so many studies that he 
 has no time for any labor about the farm or in the 
 house or the ofifice', we deprive him of a very essential 
 part of his education. The school will yet see the 
 necessity of strengthening rather than severing the 
 ties which bind the life of the child to the real life of 
 the community about him. 
 
 I have not advocated the adoption of the new educa- 
 tion in all its details. I believe the most we can do 
 is to catch its spirit, study its principles, and build 
 them, as elements of strength, into our American sys- 
 tem. I commend them with the more earnestness to 
 every teacher because there is not a social, moral, 
 religious, or political question of the day, the solution 
 of which will not be affected by the instruction given 
 
jo6 Cominon Sense Didactics 
 
 in our public schools; so great are the interests com- 
 mitted to our charge. Only let us study with care and 
 thought all phases of our work. 
 
 Let There Be Light. 
 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 foundations. 
 
 The prevention of crime is the duty of society. But society has 
 no right to punish crime at one end if it does nothing to prevent it 
 at the other end. Society's chief concern should be to remove 
 causes from which crime springs. It is as much a duty to pre- 
 vent crime as it is to punish crime. 
 
 — Sarah B. Cooper. 
 
 The child's restless observation instead of being ignored or 
 checked should be diligently ministered to and made as accurate 
 as possible. 
 
 — Nathan C. Schaeffer. 
 
 We teach him to read without implanting in his soul such love 
 of the good in literature that he will choose the good and no other, 
 and we have opened for him doors into evil paths as well as good, 
 without power to withstand the temptations of the one and to 
 steadily pursue the other. 
 
 —Sarah L, Arnold. 
 THREE REFORMERS. 
 
 Comenius, Rousseau and Pestalozzi, to whom much that is 
 excellent in our American schools to-day can be traced, were 
 men who wrote and taught because they saw a great need, 
 because their intense emotional natures were stirred to the depths 
 at the sight of children growing up in ignorance or wasting the 
 precious time of youth in empty verbalism. 
 
 — Charles De Garmo. 
 
 The most important part of education consists in making 
 children feel their helplessness and weakness and their depend- 
 ency, and in accustoming them to the severe yoke of necessity 
 which nature imposes upon men ; and this in order that they may 
 better understand how much is done for them, and that they may 
 early learn in what position Providence has placed them, and 
 may avoid endeavoring to escape from it ; and that they may feel 
 all the varieties of human weakness. 
 
 A child should no more obtain any favor by noisy begging than 
 by tears or coaxing. 
 
 — Rousseau. 
 
 We do not divert men from error merely by contradicting their 
 foolish words, but by dissolving out of them the spirit of their 
 errors. 
 
The Old vs. The New jo/ 
 
 It does not help one to see to describe to him the night and its 
 dark colors and shadows. We can show what the night is only by 
 lighting up, and what blindness is by covering the eyes. 
 
 Just as little will one learn the right path to a place by being 
 lead about through all the side streets where he might go astray. 
 
 —Pestalozzi. 
 
 The essence of education consists in this, that each department 
 of human activity is developed in the individual; none of them 
 isolately, but each in a harmonious relation to the others. 
 
 Therefore the school and life should each be treated as a unity, 
 so that in education the attention may be fixed on the future man, 
 the father of a family, the citizen, the patriot. 
 
 — Froebel. 
 
 THE OLD AND THE NEW COMPARED. 
 
 In the management of the school the teacher must count with 
 the forces in the homes as well as those in the school ; he is in the 
 community and must be of it ; he must be an organizer as well as 
 an instructor; and last though not least, must abound in what is 
 next to the most effective possession of all — good sense. Good 
 character and good sense are the Alpha and Omega of the 
 teacher's equipment. Other qualifications can be secured through 
 proper effort or study, but these must be in the very nature. 
 
 —Selected. 
 
 John Stuart Mill said: "I rejoice in the decline of the old 
 brutal and tyrannical system of teaching, which, however, did 
 succeed in forming habits of application, but the new, as it seems 
 to me, is training up a race of men who will be incapable of doing 
 anything which is disagreeable to them." 
 
 It scarcely ever entered the heads of our teachers to question 
 us about the ideas hfdden in the great, long words and spacious 
 sentences. It is possible that they did not always discover it 
 themselves. "Speak up there and not read like a mouse in a 
 cheese, and mind your stops" — such were the principal directions 
 respecting the important art of elocution. 
 
 — The District School as It Was. 
 
 The common view of education restricts it too much to storing 
 the memory with knowledge. The paramount duty of the student 
 is to "get his lessons," and that of the teacher to see to it that he 
 does get them. When the child first enters school a text-book is 
 put into his hands; he is set to mastering words, learning defini- 
 tions, committing rules and memorizing formulas. Recitations 
 consist largely in reproducing the statements of the book in the 
 language of the author. 
 
 —Thomas J. Morgan. 
 METHODS. 
 
 In mathematics, therefore, as in grammar, instruction centers 
 
 in the principles to be understood and applied. All variations in 
 
jo8 Co 711 in 71 Sense Didactic s 
 
 method, whether inductive or deductive, are different modes of 
 presenting these generaHzations. 
 
 —Charles H. and Frank M. McMurry. 
 TEXT-BOOKS. 
 
 But nobody has ever proposed to throw aside books as instru- 
 ments of teaching and discipline. Such a proposition would 
 involve cutting the child off in great degree from the past. It 
 would involve the renunciation of the major part of civilization 
 and would be a long step toward barbarism. The book must be 
 retained — to this, all agree. 
 
 —B. A. Hinsdale. 
 
 Books have two advantages. Chiefly they are tools for the 
 mind. The foot's step is short, but the engine lengthens the 
 stride and hastens it. The smith's blow is weak, but the trip- 
 hammer multiplies the might of man's hand. Thus books are 
 mental machines, enabling the mind of man to reap in many 
 harvest fields and multiply the mental treasures. 
 
 — Newell D wig hi Hillis. 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 /. What distinction can you make between the old education 
 
 and the new? 
 
 2. What were some of Rousseau's ideas? 
 
 J. What were some of Pestalozzi's ideas? 
 
 4. What can you say of Froebel? 
 
 J-. How do the two schools differ in moral training? 
 
 6. In what respect is the country school the better? 
 
 7. The relation of the teacher to the text-book. 
 
 8. What is the great question in educating the child? 
 
 9. What do you understand by the expression "A Hobby 
 
 Rider"? 
 10. What' is said of the system which makes the promotion of 
 pupils depend upon a certain per cent obtained by 
 written examinations? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 7. What is the true kindergarten idea? 
 
 2. In what respect should the teacher become a child? 
 
 J. Is the maxim "From the known to the unknown" always 
 
 correct? 
 4. State some of the advantages and some of the disadvantages 
 
 of the teacher's vocation. 
 J-. Why is it incorrect to say, "First form the mind, then 
 furnish it"? 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 BOOKS AND THEIR USES 
 
 The Grubbing-Hoe and the Axe 
 
 How can this flood of pernicious reading be stayed? It must be 
 done, if done at all, in the expressive language of Dr. Chalmers — 
 "by the expulsive power of a new affection." A purer current of 
 thought at the fountain can alone wash the channels clean. For 
 this purpose I know of no plan as yet conceived by philanthropy, 
 which promises to be so comprehensive and efficacious as the 
 establishment of good libraries in all our school districts, open 
 respectively to all the children in the state, and within half an 
 hour's walk of any spot upon its surface. 
 
 —Horace Matin. 
 
 Yet are we so made that each man will think of some authors 
 as if they had served him better than others, the truth being that 
 these are the authors with whom he is most in sympathy ; they 
 are the chosen friends of his soul. 
 
 — William T. Harris. 
 
 No matter how poor I am, no matter though the prosperous of 
 my own time will not enter my obscure dwelling — if the sacred 
 virtues will enter and take up their abode under my roof; if 
 Milton will sing of Paradise, and Shakespeare open to me the 
 worlds of imaginatien and the workings of the human heart ; if 
 Franklin will enrich me with his practical wisdom — I shall not 
 pine for want of intellectual companionship, and I may become a 
 cultivated man, though excluded from what is called the best 
 society in the place where I live. 
 
 — William Ellery Channing. 
 
 THERE is after all much rough land to be cleared. 
 Trees are to be felled, stumps to be uprooted, 
 rocks to be displaced, before the mowing machine or 
 the reaper can be called upon to gather the y,, 
 harvest. The axe and the grubbing-hoe teacher's 
 must be wielded by strong arms, not for one tools. 
 season, but for many, before all traces of the primitive 
 wilderness disappear. 
 
 309 
 
jio Common Sense Didactics 
 
 It is dig and burn and plow and work, day in and 
 day out, which is the portion of the pioneer — and pio- 
 neers, in one sense, we all are. Life is very new to us. 
 "We never traveled this road before; we never shall 
 come this way again." If we stop to consider our 
 past lives, to look over the ground along which we 
 have come to our present work, we are astonished to 
 find how often we have had occasion to use the rough 
 tools of field life in order to clear our pathway and 
 make a safe place for our footsteps. 
 
 But no one can work without tools, nor can he work 
 to any advantage with them until he becomes skillful 
 in their use. The tools at your disposal wherewith to 
 do your work are books, and the art of using them to 
 the best advantage comes, as skill always comes, 
 through thought and practice. 
 
 Emerson says that books are only to inspire. Knowl- 
 edge is of secondary importance. "That alone minis- 
 B k • th ' ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ growth of the race which, com- 
 use and ing from the heart of one, finds lodgment 
 abuse. ^^^ j-£g j^^ ^j^^ heart of another. Without 
 
 books not only would schools, colleges, and universi- 
 ties disintegrate and disappear, but everything which 
 we call culture would vanish, and society would lapse 
 at once into barbarism." 
 
 Emerson is right. The inspiration which makes life 
 worth living is drawn from the printed page. To place 
 a book in the hands of a child, after he has been taught 
 to read it, is an act of the greatest moment. We give 
 him the key and teach him to unlock the door which 
 opens into all the activities of life. We recognize that, 
 in the fullness cf his creation, he ranks but little lower 
 than the angels of God. The child who in his youth 
 is led to open his heart to the inspiration of books. 
 
Books a7id Their Uses jir 
 
 anchors his life to the teachings of the great and good 
 of all ages. (See page 70.) 
 
 We have fallen upon an age of books, dealing with 
 every conceivable subject, and with every possible 
 motive. Good, evil, and indifferent, like Jeremiah's 
 figs, the good very good, and the poor exceeding poor, 
 they are scattered broadcast as the sower scatters the 
 wheat. 
 
 It is true that evil is embalmed in books; that the 
 meanest vices of men speak from the printed page. 
 It is equally true, however, that books are the open 
 doors through which the poorest and the humblest 
 enter into the inheritance provided for us by the impe- 
 rial intellects of the world. An old writer says: 
 "Without books God is silent, justice dormant, natural 
 science at a stand, philosophy lame, letters dumb, and 
 all things involved in Cimmerian darkness." 
 
 Likewise we have fallen upon an age of investiga- 
 tion. Men are unearthing the buried trophies of old 
 
 nations, and are striving to read the records ^, , 
 
 ' *=• The age of 
 
 of the ages before the flood. The explorer mvestiga- 
 is visiting the utmost corners of the earth. ^^^^• 
 Every decade sees new avenues of trade opened with 
 opulent cities. The schoolboy of to-day, who becomes 
 acquainted with the world's great channels of com- 
 merce, knows the geography of vast continents which, 
 on the atlas that his father studied, were marked as 
 "unknown regions." 
 
 The last half century has been especially prolific in 
 great names, and history can no longer be taught apart 
 from biography. In making history the nations of the 
 earth change not only boundaries of empires, but the 
 habits and customs of whole peoples. 
 
 Once science delighted in a few chosen worshipers. 
 
^12 Co?n?no7i Sense Didactics 
 
 Cuvier and Humboldt, Agassiz and Morse, were high 
 priests in the secret places of her sanctuary. Now she 
 throws wide open the gates of her temples, and the 
 great refrain of her praise is full of the voices of the 
 common people. The mechanic or the laborer has 
 more avenues of scientific investigation opened to him 
 through books and journals than were known to the 
 professed scientists fifty years ago. 
 
 To impart useful knowledge and to inform the child 
 of the sources of knowledge, are two ends to be kept 
 in mind by the teacher. In both respects the text- 
 book alone is insufficient. In order to bring the text- 
 book within reach of the parent's means most authors 
 have reduced it to a mere epitome; a compendium, 
 embracing only certain facts, or general truths. 
 
 Intelligent teaching is not content with this. Geog- 
 raphy and biography both must be studied in connec- 
 tion with history. Travels, the lives of eminent 
 explorers, the commercial value of a country must be 
 connected with geography. With physical geography 
 the child studies the contour of the continent, the sup- 
 plies of fuel, of building material, the mineral resources, 
 and the products which constitute the wealth of agri- 
 cultural states. I have indicated but a few of the many 
 lines which can be successfully followed out by the 
 pupil, aided and directed by the teacher. It is impos- 
 sible for either to do this without books of reference. 
 (See page 72.) 
 
 We may with profit devote a little space to consider- 
 ing the best methods of making the school library 
 . useful, and also to the character of the 
 
 ^^•^' books which should be found upon the 
 shelves. Then we will talk of the reading best adapted 
 to improve the teacher. 
 
Books a?id TJi eir Uses jij 
 
 We cannot overestimate the influence of books upon 
 the child's mind. Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield g^^^Q 
 tone to the intellectual development of Goethe. 
 Irving, when a boy, read with eagerness Robi?isofi 
 Crusoe, and afterward Chaucer and Spenser. William 
 Wirt read in the library of a Presbyterian minister with 
 whom he studied, and Whittier read Shakespeare by 
 stealth, when at work in the fields of his father's farm. 
 Dr. Livingstone, as a boy of ten, worked in a cotton 
 factory; yet he read and studied, not, only at night, 
 but during the hours of labor. Dr. Adam Clarke, a 
 celebrated divine and scholar, was a dunce at school; 
 but in after life he was wont to attribute his literary 
 taste to reading Jack the Giaiit- Killer y Arabian Nights, 
 Sir Fra?icis Drake, The Pilgrim! s Progress, and similar 
 works. 
 
 It is one aim of the school to develop right-minded- 
 ness in the pupils. That it fails to do so is a most seri- 
 ous charge. The enemies of the public p- jf ■ ^ 
 school system regard this as the vulnerable edtiess to be 
 point, and are massing their forces against ^^"'^^^ <^i' 
 it. It does not avail anything that these charges are 
 in a measure untrue. The main charge, that we fail to 
 make our teachings reach out into the homes of the 
 pupils, is true. The mental growth of the child at 
 school should not be separated from his mental growth 
 at home. When they are in the same line the greatest 
 progress is made; when they are in opposing, or 
 diverging lines, one or the other must eventually pre- 
 dominate and become the character of the man. 
 
 The school library promises to furnish the missing 
 link between the school and the home. The book, in 
 the hands of the child, carries on the work of the 
 school in a more attractive form, or silently repeats 
 
JI4 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 the lessons of virtue and morality which he hears from 
 
 the lips of the living teacher. 
 
 It is well to dwell for a moment upon this point, for 
 
 the idea is gaining ground very rapidly that the library 
 
 is a necessary adjunct to the school. In 
 
 The library ^he hands of an intelligent, cultivated 
 in the ho7ne. , , , ., , » ' 
 
 teacher the library becomes a most useiul 
 
 auxiliary in reachmg the people in their homes. 
 Without it, school extension is wellnigh impossible. 
 The boy who is interested in his reading, and talks 
 about it at home and in school, is not generally a diffi- 
 cult boy to manage. Those young people in the com- 
 munity who come back occasionally to the schoolhouse 
 for a book from the library form a bond of sympathy 
 between the school and the public, which goes far 
 toward establishing and maintaining mutual confi- 
 dence and respect. Encourage this custom. 
 
 Probably not thirty per cent of the children in our 
 schools advance beyond the elementary branches, yet 
 they are to vote, to hold office, and to enjoy the rights 
 and privileges of citizenship. Their toil will be light- 
 ened, their lives made brighter, the home atmosphere 
 rendered purer and more wholesome by teaching them 
 as a part of their school education, to consult the 
 printed page along lines of which literature, science, 
 history, or art are the chief. 
 
 This matter of libraries, the choice of books, how to 
 read them, how to induce pupils and people to read 
 them, deserves much more attention than it receives 
 from teachers. 
 
 In our normal schools, and in our institutes and asso- 
 ciations, we dwell too exclusively upon the technical 
 side of the subject as presented by the text-book, or as 
 elucidated in some favorite method. "How shall I 
 
Books a?id Their Uses j/5 
 
 best teach reading, writing, arithmetic?" are important 
 questions; but far greater is the question: "How shall 
 I reach the pupil in his innermost consciousness, so 
 that he will continually grow, not alone in knowledge 
 but in wisdom?" 
 
 That he should be able to earn an honest living and 
 support those dependent upon him, is a worthy aim. 
 To this end honesty, prudence, economy, thrift, all 
 should be inculcated in his daily lessons. Yet it is 
 much more important so to shape and mould his educa- 
 tion at school and at home that it may influence his 
 entire conduct toward his neighbor and the world, 
 and that, when dying, he may feel that his life has 
 added a unit to the sum total of human happiness. 
 
 The books in a library should tend to promote moral 
 and intellectual growth. Books cannot be read with- 
 out exerting some influence. They elevate j.^^ ^^n_ 
 or degrade; they strengthen or weaken; they ence of 
 add to, or subtract from, mental force. books. 
 One man reaps tares, and another gathers golden 
 grain, in the sarnie field, because of the seed sown 
 somewhere in his early life. Books are but tools in 
 the artist's hands. 
 
 At times I think that we are sculptors more skillful 
 than any in the studios of Florence or Rome; that we 
 are painters in a higher sense than any of the masters 
 of the old world. If sometimes our clumsy touch 
 seems to mar the beautiful figure we would make, if 
 now and then the faces we would paint seem to grow 
 dim and fade from the canvas, it is only because our 
 mortal senses are too dull and gross to fashion the 
 form, or to divine the colors, which only the clearer 
 light of eternity can bring into full relief. 
 
 Sancho Panza said: "Blessings on him that first 
 
j/^ Connnon Se?ise Didactics 
 
 invented sleep"; rather, blessed be he who first invented 
 books; through them "the broken sounds of life be- 
 come a song and life itself a long sweet melody." 
 
 There are two classes of pupils in your school who 
 
 will need special attention — those who are no: fond of 
 
 reading anything, and those who r^ id every- 
 
 ^^^ks thing. The first class must' be ahured into 
 
 paths of reading, while the second class 
 
 needs cultivation and direction, and sometimes restraint. 
 
 When a pupil does not care to take books from the 
 library, or stops drawing them, do not urge the matter. 
 Such a pupil may be given some entertaining volume, 
 to read during school hours, selected from the books 
 on your table. Do not tell him that yow expect to 
 examine him on its contents; that will kill your pur- 
 pose. The object is to induce, if possible, a taste for 
 reading. This is often the first step toward leading a 
 child to read at home. 
 
 Do not be too particular about the real worth of the 
 book, provided it is not low, and teaches no bad lessons. 
 It should he entertaining, plentifully illustrated, and 
 with an attractive binding. If he desires to carry it 
 home, that is a good omen; allow him to take it, even 
 though you run the risk of its being soiled. Keep 
 such books well covered and protected, but books are 
 for use, not show. I would not insist upon his taking 
 another book at once, but let him look over several and 
 read a little in each until he is interested in one of them. 
 
 In the case in which the pupil reads too much, 
 
 restrict him to one book a week and require a carefully 
 
 prepared account, either verbal or written, 
 
 V^lf^l^^^^^ of its contents. Set apart a certain time 
 
 each week to talk zvith the children, not 
 
 at them, about books and authors, and let the pupils 
 
Books and Their Uses jiy 
 
 have one-half the time to express themselves; con- 
 nect the reading of such children with their school 
 work, in part at least. It is not wise to do so entirely, 
 lest, when lessons stop, the reading stops also. 
 
 During this half hour the teacher has frequent oppor- 
 tunity to recommend this or that book to his pupils; 
 to tell them that a certain author has written another 
 book which is as good as the one they have been talk- 
 ing about; or to direct them where to look for an inci- 
 dent, a story, or a poem. This system gives these 
 advantages: (a) It enables the teacher to direct and con- 
 trol the pupil's home reading, without seeming to inter- 
 fere with his right of choice; (b) it cultivates language 
 and expression in the most practical way; (c) it famil- 
 iarizes pupils with authors; and- (d) it induces pupils 
 to form habits of reading with care and attention. 
 
 Perhaps you have no library at your disposal. That 
 is unfortunate, but where there is a will there is a 
 way. Question pupils as to their reading. 
 Encourage them to bring their reading to 
 school, and do not be too much horrified if you find 
 that the dime novel has its attractions. A prominent 
 school man says that when eight years old he read 
 Sixtee?i String Jack, and kindred books, and even now 
 is not ashamed of it. He would not approve of that 
 kind of reading for his own son, but would provide 
 something more suitable. 
 
 What he really meant was, that he w^as at just that 
 age when he must have something to satisfy an unusu- 
 ally active mind, and he took such books because he had 
 nothing else at hand. The active boy must have some 
 adventures in the book he loves to read. The wide- 
 awake teacher will furnish, from history and biogra- 
 phy, exactly such material as is best calculated to 
 
^i8 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 charm the boy the more because he knows it is real. 
 The stories which our grandmothers told us of pioneer 
 life attracted us because we knew they were true. The 
 little girl expressed it in childish language when she 
 crawled up into her father's lap and said, "Tell me a 
 really story, papa." 
 
 In a certain room the teacher burned three dime 
 novels in one half day. The pest disappeared as by 
 magic, and we congratulated ourselves upon 
 The dime our easy victory over sin, until we discov- 
 ered that the boys still brought their dime 
 novels to school — and hid them under the sidewalk. 
 On their way home at night they exchanged with each 
 other, and laughed at their teacher. They had estab- 
 lished a kind of a clearing house for dime novels. 
 
 Under similar circumstances, to-day, I would act 
 differently. I would encourage the boys to bring their 
 reading to school, as a friend talk with them about it, 
 offer them a substitute, and endeavor to lift them into 
 a desire for something higher and better. You must 
 get the boy's confidence, which you do not get when 
 you destroy the book in which he has the right of 
 ownership. I have seen revenge, anger, and malice 
 flash out of the boy's eyes at the destruction of his 
 rubber gun or of his dime novel by the teacher. Before 
 he reached home he had another gun, or a worse book. 
 The poor birds paid the penalty, or he himself suffered 
 from the book. The right of ownership is just as 
 sacred to the boy as to the man. 
 
 Possibly you teach in a school in which your entire 
 time is taken up in hearing lessons, and the entire time 
 of the pupil at home and in school is taken up in study- 
 ing or reciting lessons. All I have to say in such a 
 case is: "Reform Is necessary." In his early boy- 
 
Books and Their Uses jig 
 
 hood, Horace Greeley was a reader of newspapers, and 
 was so thoroughly posted in current events that he was 
 cited as authority in political discussions. Frequently a 
 disputed question in history or politics was settled by 
 reference to him. "We'll leave it to Horace," and his 
 word decided it. If we ever get over this age of cram, 
 of measuring off learning by the page, as the merchant 
 measures off calico by the yard, more time will be 
 given the pupils to read and to digest what they read. 
 
 In selecting books for library use, the book which 
 contains low slang phrases should be dis- ^^/^^^^-^^^ 
 carded; so should one which teaches by books/or the 
 expression, or inference, any degree of ^^^^^^y- 
 irreverence for sacred things. 
 
 Do not place on the library shelf a book which 
 teaches that it is smart to thwart the wishes of parents 
 or teachers. Peck's Bad Boy, outrageously disgusting 
 in its incidents, and bad in its tendency, differs from 
 some others only in that its teachings are stripped of 
 all disguises, and the stories are told in plain, bold 
 English. 
 
 We ought, also,'to throw out all books that tend to 
 familiarize the child with the haunts of vice, or the 
 ways of villains, in our large cities. Vice will force 
 itself into the presence of the child soon enough, with- 
 out any help from books. Pope's second thought was 
 best when he wrote: 
 
 Vice is a monster of so frightful mien 
 As, to be hated, needs but to be seen ; 
 Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, 
 We first endure, then pity, then embrace. 
 
 Some one writes that we should avoid rubbish in a 
 school library. It is very true; but children's reading 
 should be such as not to cultivate a taste for rubbish. 
 
J20 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 There has been a great change in the character of 
 books designed for children, since Maria Edgeworth 
 wrote Harry and Lucy and Popular Tales, 
 ^ooif'''' ^"^ ^^^^ Russell Mitford wrote Our Village. 
 The wells which the servants of our fathers 
 dug in their days, the Philistines have stopped up and 
 filled with earth. 
 
 While the shelves of the bookstores fairly groan with 
 the weight of books prepared expressly for children, it 
 is possible that children are receiving an injury from the 
 character of some of the books which they read. The 
 book which conveys information, increases the power 
 of expression, induces thought, and makes a lasting 
 impression, is a good book for the child. He grows 
 strong, manly, and independent through reading it. 
 
 On the other hand, a book from which all life and 
 vitality has been extracted; which, with a view of 
 bringing it down to the level of the child's mind, has 
 been diluted until it has lost the vigor of thought and 
 clearness of expression which characterize the author, 
 is not a good book for children. The intent is to make 
 it even more interesting and attractive than it was as it 
 came from the author's hands, but it has been robbed 
 of its power of inducing thought, and is no longer to 
 be classed among books suitable for the district library. 
 Robi?iso?i Crusoe in words of one syllable is not the same 
 Robinson Crusoe which De Foe wrote; and Little Nell 
 of Dickens' creation is best portrayed in Dickens' own 
 words. 
 
 Julian Hawthorne says that books for children should 
 be such as you like to read because they interest you. 
 The little girl came to her teacher with the request to 
 let her keep her library book another week. "First 
 father read it, then mother, and now sister is reading 
 
Books and TJi cir Us e s J2i 
 
 it. I guess I can have it next week." The child 
 
 enjoyed the book all the more because others of the 
 
 family liked to read it. 
 
 The school library must be picked out with certain 
 
 ends in view. It must contain on its shelves, not alone 
 
 history, poetry, fiction, but also books __ 
 
 I'll ^u • J i. • • ^u -J 4. IV hat ike 
 
 which bear upon the mdustnes in the midst school Hbra- 
 
 of which the school is located. A library ry should 
 
 . , , r r .1 1 • 1 • ^ contai7i. 
 
 suitable for farmer s boys and girls is not 
 
 the best for children whose parents work in mines or 
 
 factories. 
 
 If nature study is to be permanently installed in its 
 appropriate place, it must not be allowed to degener- 
 ate into meaningless talk, lest the same fate overtake 
 it which has fallen upon the object teaching of twenty 
 years ago. There is scarcely a trace of object teaching 
 left to-day, and, unless we are careful, in twenty years 
 nature study will be classed with the lost fads. 
 
 Do not misunderstand me as opposing nature study. 
 Only, nature study must call for the exercise of 
 research and application on the part of the pupils as 
 well as the teacher.' The library must furnish books to 
 be read by the teacher and pupils in connection with 
 these subjects which I have mentioned as of impor- 
 tance to the school and to the community about it. 
 (See page 70.) 
 
 Without preparation and training in methods, 
 teachers can no more instruct intelligently in nature 
 study than they can in language or numbers. The 
 object of the lesson is not alone to inform, but to stim- 
 ulate and to create a desire to know more. This de- 
 sire, awakened by an enthusiastic teacher, dies out 
 unless the library supplies something to nourish and 
 strengthen it. 
 
J22 Co7nmo?i Sense Didactic s 
 
 I gravely fear that the books usually selected for the 
 library are not of the character here indicated. They 
 do not furnish the sustenance needed for a healthy 
 growth of mindo 
 
 I desire not to criticize too severely. The suggestion 
 that much greater care should be taken in selecting 
 books, that many should be rejected because the only 
 claim they have is their ability to amuse, and their 
 places supplied with those of a higher grade, is perhaps 
 all that there is time to offer in this chapter. The 
 library should be selected with a definite purpose in 
 view. The old order of things must soon pass away, 
 and in the new curriculum there will be use for books 
 bearing upon every subject connected with social life 
 in the country or city. 
 
 The strength of the country school should be in the 
 library. Not in the heterogeneous mass of books, 
 bearing upon everything in general and 
 the couZry nothing in particular, but in a collection 
 school carefully made up and chosen, having in 
 
 ^ ^^^y- ^jg^ ^j^g highest possible usefulness to 
 
 pupils and people. 
 
 Let me briefly recapitulate. The library, in order to 
 Se of the greatest service to the community tributary 
 to it, should contain: 
 
 First, books which treat of agriculture, or of the 
 industry most prominent in that region because it fur- 
 nishes the means of living to the inhabitants. They 
 should pertain especially to whatever is the center of 
 interest to that people. 
 
 Second, those which treat of animal life: the birds 
 most pleasing as songsters, and those most useful in 
 destroying injurious insects and worms; the care of 
 bees; the habits of ants and wasps; the care of domes- 
 
Books and Their Uses J2j 
 
 ticated animals, and the profit in raising them. Above 
 all things children should read books which have a 
 humane side as regards the life which is about them. 
 
 Third, horticultural books, which treat of fruit 
 trees, of grafting and pruning, of vineyards, of small 
 fruits which every family can raise with slight expense, 
 but which add to the comfort of the table and swell the 
 purse from which the housewife purchases the many 
 little things needed in her family. 
 
 Fourth, books which treat of floriculture. The real 
 poetry of life is the beauty of the rose, the wild flowers 
 on the prairie or in the woods. Window gardening 
 and the care of lawns and shrubbery, with a view of 
 beautifying the laborer's home should be included. 
 The aesthetic side of the child's nature will always 
 respond to the influence of chaste, pure, beautiful sur- 
 roundings. 
 
 Fifth, on the shelves should be books treating of 
 arbor culture. The child should be interested in trees; 
 how to plant and transplant them. Which trees are 
 most useful for timber, for fruit, for shade, for beauty, 
 and which are of the most rapid growth, may be bene- 
 ficial subjects for research and discussion. 
 
 Sixth, on another shelf should be found books that 
 are to be read in connection with geography, a subject 
 which cannot be rationally taught without reference to 
 mineralogy, meteorology, and geology. There should 
 also be an abundance of historical works and books of 
 travel. These latter should be plentifully illustrated. 
 We do not appreciate how much a child can get out of 
 a picture in the books he reads. Elementary books 
 along these lines, and at the disposal of the pupil and 
 the teacher, add to the interest of the school and the 
 success of the teacher's work. 
 
J24 Common Se?ise Didactics 
 
 Seventh, there also should be a miscellaneous col- 
 lection suitable for reading at the fireside, or in the 
 family circle. Not every new book that is published 
 should find lodgment in the school library. Only 
 those should be given a place which are pure in style 
 and elevating in sentiment. Dickens and Hawthorne, 
 Cooper and Prescott, Tennyson and Longfellow ever 
 must hold the first place as choice English classics. 
 The dictionary and a variety of reference books should 
 never be omitted. We make a mistake when we limit 
 the usefulness of the library to the pupils in attendance 
 at the school. There must be available on its shelves 
 books for home reading for the family. History and 
 biography, travels and science, art, poetry, and fiction 
 all are needed to enlarge the horizon of the citizen's 
 knowledge and to make him "a citizen of the world." 
 The farmer's institute, the lyceum, the debating club, 
 the mother's club should be stronger and more effective 
 because of the inspiration drawn from the books in the 
 school library. The questions which arise in parlia- 
 mentary law, in civil government, in the state and 
 national constitutions, should be answered by reference 
 to the best authorities. (See page 67.) 
 
 The library should be open to the young people who 
 have left school, but reside in the neighborhood. The 
 power and usefulness and happiness of the 
 ofuseto^^'^ teacher will be increased, if from the regis- 
 all yoimg ter he will learn their names, and then take 
 P^^P ^' pains to make their acquaintance and enlist 
 
 their sympathy in the support of the library and the 
 school. "Any one who is a pupil of this school can 
 use these books," is too narrow a regulation. "Any 
 one is welcome to this library who is a resident of 
 the district and will give assurance that the books will 
 
Books and Their Uses J2^ 
 
 be carefully read and promptly returned," would be 
 far better. 
 
 In a certain kindergarten room in Ohio, the follow- 
 ing sentence is posted up where no one who enters the 
 front door can fail to see it: "The object of this house 
 is to provide a center for the social, mental, and moral 
 life of the people; to educate the children, to encour- 
 age the parents, and to assist the workers, that life may 
 be brighter and happier for all." Change the word 
 house to library, and you have exactly my idea of the 
 purpose of a school library. 
 
 There is space for a short discussion of our third 
 topic — the reading most beneficial to the teacher. 
 
 As a general rule the American people read every- 
 thing. There are books, papers, magazines, in nearly 
 every home. The doors of countless libra- j., 
 ries are open to children and adults, so that teacher's 
 no one can say, 'T can get nothing to reading. 
 read." Most people read without much discrimina- 
 tion. An old poet remarked: 
 
 Most readers, like good-natured cows. 
 Keep browsing and forever browse ; — 
 If a fair flower comes in their way, 
 They take it, too, nor ask, "What, pray?" 
 Like other fodder it is food, 
 And for the stomach quite as good. 
 
 R. H. Quick says: "Reading some books is like 
 going down hill — you can hardly stop. Reading others 
 is like going up hill, and the ascent sometimes becomes 
 so very steep that further progress becomes impossible. 
 I don't often read the down-hill books, which consist 
 mostly of good fiction. It would, perhaps, be better 
 for me if I did, for, in consequence of always going up 
 hill, I get accustomed to very slow action. A run down 
 
J2^ Co mm 71 Sense Didactic s 
 
 hill would raise my spirits, and I dare say prove no 
 loss of time in the end." 
 
 In this Quick recommends two kinds of reading: 
 that which requires thought and study, which is like 
 going up hill, and that which consists mostly of good 
 fiction, which is easily read and which is like going 
 down hill. The first is mainly professional reading. 
 It is a pity that we include in the term professional 
 only those books which treat of pedagogy, psychology, 
 and methods. There are other lines pertaining to 
 literature, history, science, and general information, 
 which are professional in the highest sense. In fact, 
 any reading which gives the teacher additional power 
 as an instructor, widens his range of information, and 
 gives a clearer insight into the pupils' needs and 
 mental powers, is to be encouraged. 
 
 This uphill reading, as Quick terms it, requires con- 
 stant, persistent thought. With pencil in hand, the 
 reader scans the page, stops here and there to mark and 
 re-read a striking passage; perhaps he fails to gather 
 just the author's ideas or thoughts until he has time to 
 weigh the words and study the construction, but he does 
 not consider the reading finished until he has made the 
 author's thought his own. It is slow work, at times, 
 but it makes a student of the reader. (See page 98.) 
 
 A book read in this way will bear re-reading again 
 and yet again, and every reading will bring new 
 thoughts to the surface. Such a book becomes in time 
 an old friend, staunch and true, to hold converse with 
 whom is a perpetual delight. Have a quiet room; fix, 
 as far as possible, upon a certain allotted time each 
 day; give your entire attention to your book, and you 
 will be surprised at the results, even though you allot 
 to it but thirty minutes at a sitting. 
 
Books aiid Their Uses J2y 
 
 The question is sometimes raised, whether it is not a 
 waste of time to read novels. When I was a boy my 
 brother made me a bow of hickory, and y^^^^,)^^^^. 
 showed me how to use it. After a time he tion by the 
 left it in my hands, with this injunction: i'^'-^'^^^'''- 
 "Be sure and loosen the string when the bow is not in 
 use. You will ruin it if you keep it strung all the 
 time." The teacher who leads a strenuous life at home 
 and at school, with little or no relaxation, loses his 
 elasticity of mind and soon ceases to do good work. 
 It is the dull, dead monotony, the ceaseless grind, that 
 brings on prostration and eventually drives the teacher 
 out of the schoolroom. (See page 201.) 
 
 A teacher who leaves his schoolroom Friday, wearied 
 with the week's work, and, unrested, returns to it Mon- 
 day, may find relief if he has on hand some reading 
 which he enjoys. Some story of the day, some tale 
 by an old author, anything to take his mind off his 
 school and school duties, will help him rest. 
 
 My advice is that you have two lines of reading, the 
 one of which you follow carefully and thoughtfully 
 the other you may read for relaxation and amusement. 
 They are equally necessary to your success. 
 
 You should own some of the books which give you 
 the most delight. One or two good books purchased 
 every year will strengthen your love of jj^^ teacher 
 reading. There is a pride of ownership in should own 
 a book, which makes it a part of your ^^^^•'• 
 family, so to speak— a part in which you never lose 
 interest. There are a few suggestions to which I wish 
 to call your attention. In every case choose books 
 that are a well of pure, undefiled English. Of the last 
 century, Dickens, Hawthorne, Thring, Scott, Cooper, 
 Tennyson, Thackeray are among the best examples. 
 
J28 Co mm 71 Sense Didactics 
 
 Of living authors there is a great multitude, which no 
 man can number. Few of them will survive through 
 the ages. For the present you must be guided by 
 your taste. 
 
 Again, do not read books which are too far above 
 your comprehension. I know we sometimes take pride 
 in saying we have read them, but they are not written 
 for us, and we get no benefit from our attempt to under- 
 stand them. And don't read everything that some 
 friend recommends to you as good. "What is one 
 man's meat is another man's poison." Some books 
 are to be read with the understanding; some with the 
 heart. 
 
 Every teacher should include the Bible among the 
 books with which she should be acquainted. I say 
 
 nothing of it here as a religious book, but 
 Reading simply as a book of whose literature no 
 
 teacher can afford to be ignorant. Neither 
 do I say anything of its use in the schoolroom. In 
 that you must be guided by the laws of the state, the 
 rules of the Board, and by your own judgment of what 
 is best. But its precepts are at the foundation of all 
 moral training in school, and of all right living in life. 
 The excavations of buried cities in the East are proving 
 that its history is in the main reliable. Its pages con- 
 tain the loftiest poetry, the purest code of morals, the 
 deepest philosophy of any book in existence. Without 
 the strength and influence which come from the Bible 
 our civilization could not endure for one generation. 
 My advice to teachers is not alone to read the Bible, 
 but to study it, that they may be ready to explain ref- 
 erence made to it in any branch; and above all to 
 emphasize its teaching in the everyday life of the 
 school. Its maxims, its precepts, its poetry may be 
 
Books a?id Their Uses J2p 
 
 taught and infringe upon no man's liberty of con- 
 science. They must be taught if our children are to 
 live in a Christian civilization. (See page 127.) 
 
 After all, books are to be read with a purpose. The 
 intelligent reader gets from them the same assistance 
 that the pioneer gets from the 
 
 Grubbing-Hoe and the Axe. 
 Quotations Worth Reading 
 
 BOOKS, THEIR USE AND ABUSE. 
 
 In science, where the highest intellectual qualities are brought 
 into play, most of the great discoverers have owed their entire 
 scientific knowledge to self-taught methods of investigation. 
 
 —Harold E. Gorst. 
 
 You may also confer an important benefit on the neighborhood 
 in which you are employed by promoting the formation of a 
 library of scientific and useful books. The attention of the 
 young is not sufficiently given to reading of the most useful kind. 
 
 —R. S. Hall. 
 
 Read a little of some good author every day. Not that you 
 may always make his thoughts your own, but rather that his 
 thoughts may stimulate yours and that the purity of his language 
 may be a model for your imitation. A little reading will oft make 
 an intellectual giant, while the gluttonous, all-devouring reader 
 remains a dwarf. It is true concerning readers that "Pigmies 
 are pigmies still though perched on Alps, and pyramids are pyra- 
 mids in vales." 
 
 — Talks to Youttg People. 
 
 Our own English literature is probably, taking all things into 
 consideration, the richest of all literatures, and for us it is without 
 question far the most valuable. I would, therefore, recommend 
 to each one of you to make it a point to become somewhat fully 
 acouainted with this noble literature. 
 
 — George B. Emerson. 
 
 How careful then should we be to make learning as agreeable 
 as possible, to beware of exciting disgust toward study, and to 
 nurture a literary taste, not only as good in itself but as an 
 important preservative from evil especially to boys in future life! 
 
 —Hints on Early Education. 
 
 THE LIBRARY. 
 
 The library has no right to set itself up as a censor of public 
 morals, forbidding men to read anything. But since it has 
 
jjo Common Sense Didactics 
 
 important functions to discharge toward the public it is bound to 
 choose those books best suited to its purpose, and must under- 
 stand that purpose clearly and adapt the means to the end. 
 
 — W. R. Eastman. 
 
 I cannot believe that the librarian is merely to register the 
 wishes of the boys who want Buffalo Bill or Peck's Bad Boy or 
 the books of this class with which the press is swarming. The 
 duty of the librarian is to elevate the standard of taste in a town. 
 His function is an educational function. He represents among 
 books what the director of music does in great opera houses, 
 He is to elevate as rapidly as possible the standard of taste of the 
 town. 
 
 — R. H. Jones. 
 THE LIBRARY HALF HOUR. 
 
 The teachers can suggest to pupils valuable books suitable for 
 their age, attainments, tastes, and necessities. Many a boy has 
 been ruined by the dime novel, who might have been saved by 
 reading books of real adventure and true heroism, suggested to 
 him by some thoughtful, faithful teacher. Seldom does a day 
 pass when the vigilant teacher has not an opportunity either in 
 class or in private conversation to drop into the prepared soil of 
 some pupil's mind a hint of some valuable book to read. 
 
 — Thomas J. Morgan. 
 
 There are some people, old and young, who will never read; 
 there are many who can easily be made to read too much. It is 
 possible to read too many books, even good books. The Sunday 
 School library, and even the public library, sometimes bring to 
 the young people too many books to their mental development. 
 We need to emphasize the use of books rather than the reading of 
 books. 
 
 —A.E. Winship. 
 
 One point I urge; I know it to be essential. We'don't take 
 pains enough to show our pupils the beauty of English style. I 
 tried it with a grammar school. During a recess I picked up a 
 volume of De Quincey and read it quietly to myself. The pupils 
 were still in five minutes and came about my desk to listen. If 
 you show children the beauty of perfect English speech you have 
 done more than anything else to free them from the baneful style 
 of these objectionable authors. Children appreciate the things 
 that are lovely and of good report if you put them before them. 
 
 — C. C. Rounds. 
 FICTION. 
 
 One must not be altogether dissatisfied if it is found that the 
 novel is the chief book in demand, especially in the first five years 
 of the home reading circle. In our day the novel discusses every 
 question of history, politics, sociology and natural science. The 
 old-fashioned novel which describes manners has its great use, 
 
Books and The if Uses jji 
 
 too, in the fact that it gives to the people of whom we are 
 speaking, the people of the rural districts, a ready knowledge of 
 manners and customs of polite society. In this respect it is some- 
 times more useful than books of science and history. 
 
 — William T. Harris. 
 
 The story itself of Sir Launfal's quest of the Holy Grail is one 
 easily appealing to the childish mind, and its life lesson, 
 "The Holy Supper is kept, indeed, 
 In whatso we share with another's need; 
 Not what we give, but what we share. 
 For the gift without the giver is bare," 
 
 can be taken into life forever. 
 
 — The World Beautiful in Books. 
 
 He who can think, and loves to think, will become, if he has 
 a few good books, a wise man. He who knows not how to think, 
 or who hates the toil of doing it will remain imbecile though his 
 mind be crowded with the contents of a library. 
 
 — The School and the Schoolmaster. 
 
 THE BIBLE. 
 
 I contend that we are not only on the point of impoverishing 
 life and literature by the neglect of the English Bible, but that we 
 have already impoverished life and literature. I am not dealing 
 with a problem that lies in the future, I am speaking of a condi- 
 tion which is at hand. We are impoverishing life and literature 
 by striking out of our life and our reading one great monument of 
 our literature, the source from which much of what is best in later 
 centuries is drawn, -the inspiration upon which the best English 
 style has been built. 
 
 —Nicholas Murray Butler. 
 
 It is apparent that familiarity with the English Bible, as a 
 masterpiece of literature, is rapidly decreasing among the pupils 
 in our schools. This is the direct result of a conception which 
 regards the Bible as a theological book merely, and thereby leads 
 to its exclusion from the schools of some states as a subject of 
 reading and study. We hope for such a change of public senti- 
 ment in this regard as will permit and encourage the reading and 
 study of the English Bible as a literary work of the highest and 
 purest type side by side with the poetry and prose which it has 
 inspired and in large part formed. 
 
 We do not urge this in the interest of sectarian instruction of 
 any kind, but that this great book may ever be the teacher's aid 
 in the interpretation of history and literature, law and life — an 
 unrivaled agency in the development of true citizenship as well as 
 in the formation of pure literary style. 
 
 — Resolution of National Educational Association, IQ02. 
 
Jj2 Commo?t Sense Didactic s 
 
 Questions for Examination 
 
 1. Rewrite the extract from William EUery Channing. 
 
 2. What does Emerson say of books? 
 
 J. How would you meet the evil of dime novels in your school? 
 
 4. Write of the influence of books upon the child's mind. 
 
 5. How may you possibly lead a pupil to form the reading 
 
 habit? 
 
 6. What can you do if you have no library at your disposal? 
 
 7. What suggestions are given for the selections of library 
 
 books? 
 
 8. How should a book be read in order to be of the greatest 
 
 use to the reader? 
 
 9. Mention a small list of the best English authors. 
 
 10. How may a library period be conducted to the best advan- 
 tage? 
 
 Suggestions Worth Thinking About 
 
 /. Who was Hawthorne? 
 
 2. Who is my one favorite author? 
 
 J. Can I afford to begin the formation of a private library? 
 
 4. Am I making myself acquainted with good literature? 
 
 J-, "Current Events" — what attention should be called to them? 
 
INDEX 
 
 OF TITLES AND SUBDIVISIONS TREATED OF IN EACH 
 CHAPTER 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 The Nature and Character of Teaching — T//^ Open Door 
 
 Use of Discipline. 
 
 Instruction and Education, 
 
 Life, the Educator. 
 
 The Child's Future. 
 
 Importance of Study. 
 
 Study Defined. 
 
 Rosenkranz's Idea. 
 
 Immaturity Not a Crime. 
 
 Training. 
 
 Habits. 
 
 Skill, How Best Acquired. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 Fhe Teacher — r>^^ Master Builder 
 
 Integrity and Honesty. 
 Some Things in Confidence. 
 Scholarship : Cramming. 
 
 PA( 
 
 5E 
 
 PAG! 
 
 9- 
 
 Teaching. 
 
 16. 
 
 lO. 
 
 Distinction of Terms. 
 
 17- 
 
 lO. 
 
 Teaching vs. Learning. 
 
 17- 
 
 II. 
 
 Freedom. 
 
 18. 
 
 II. 
 
 Mechanical Teaching. 
 
 18. 
 
 12. 
 
 Baldwin's Definition. 
 
 19. 
 
 IS- 
 
 Importance of Ideals. 
 
 19. 
 
 IS- 
 
 Quotation from Dr. James. 
 
 20. 
 
 14. 
 
 Growth of the Teacher. 
 
 20. 
 
 IS- 
 
 Huxley's Idea. 
 
 20. 
 
 IS- 
 
 Knowledge and Discipline. 
 
 21. 
 
 16. 
 
 Knowledge Not Power. 
 
 
 Personal Appearance. 31- 
 
 Uniformity and Sincerity. 32. 
 
 Horace Mann. 33- 
 
 The Gift of Silence. 33- 
 
 Criticising Other Teachers. 34- 
 
 Worry. 34- 
 Maintain a Good Opinion of 
 
 Yourself. 3S- 
 Personality. 
 
 Reading of Good Books. 
 Growth. 
 
 How the Teacher Should Pre- 
 pare the Lesson. 
 Sympathy and Patience. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Preparation for "^^KQ^mG — Putting on the Armor 
 
 Thought. 
 
 Teaching Has Lasting Results. 
 
 Knowledge. 
 
 Application of Knowledge. 
 
 Practical Value of Knowledge. 
 
 Danger of Ignorance. 
 
 Character and Reputation. 
 
 Character vs. Reputation. 
 
 Sympathy with Pupils. 
 
 Independence the Purpose of 
 
 Education. 
 Make Allowances. 
 Adaptability. 
 Ideal Standard Cannot Always 
 
 be Attained. 
 Health. 
 Pernicious Habits. 
 
 333 
 
334- 
 
 Common Se?isc Didactics 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Things Essential to the Teacher — Driving the Stakes 
 
 PAGE vt 
 
 57. Plan and System, td. 
 
 58. Child Nature. 67, 
 
 59. The Teacher of To-day. 67 
 
 60. The Art of Imparting Knowl- 68, 
 
 edge. 68, 
 
 Steps in Imparting. 70 
 
 Versed in Child Nature. 70 
 
 Loyalty. 71, 
 Relations to the Public, 
 
 Ways of Avoiding Friction. 72. 
 The Study of Environment. 
 
 Self-Knowledge and Self-Trust. 
 
 Intuition. 
 
 Knowledge of the World. 
 
 The Avenues of Success. 
 
 Duties and Rights. 
 
 Wise Discrimination. 
 
 General Knowledge. 
 
 The Teacher to be Versed Kt 
 
 Sources of Knowledge. 
 Daily Preparation, 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 The Child — A Little Child Shall Lead Them 
 
 77. Dealing with the Material. 
 
 78. The Worth of the Child. 
 
 79. Studying the Children. 
 
 81. "What of the Children." 
 
 82. Physical Needs of the Child. 
 
 83. Knowing the Child. 
 
 84. Study of the Inner Life. 
 
 85. Experience and Observation. 
 
 90. 
 
 92. 
 
 Senses of the Teacher. 
 Psychological Terms. 
 Sensations, Perceptions,Concep- 
 
 tions. 
 Apperception. 
 Induction ; Deduction. 
 The Two in Conjunction. 
 The World in Its Infancy. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 Knowledge Most Useful to the Children — The Making of a 
 
 Man 
 
 Arithmetic. 
 
 For Primary Teachers. 
 
 Geography. 
 
 Dr. Harris's Suggestions. 
 
 The Desire to Know. 
 
 Eye and Hand. 
 
 Manual Training. 
 
 For Rural Teachers. 
 
 Quotation from Francis W. 
 
 Parker. 
 Laws of Health. 
 Miscellaneous. 
 
 97- 
 
 Relative Value of Studies. 
 
 108 
 
 98. 
 
 Reading. 
 
 no 
 
 100. 
 
 Reading for the Pupil. 
 
 
 lOI. 
 
 The Spiritual Side. 
 
 
 102. 
 
 The English Language. 
 
 
 102. 
 
 Suggestions. 
 
 
 103. 
 
 Grammar. 
 
 
 104. 
 
 Spelling. 
 
 
 105. 
 
 Penmanship. 
 
 
 105. 
 
 History. 
 
 
 107. 
 
 Elementary Civics. 
 
 118 
 
 108. 
 
 Possibilities of Life. 
 
 119 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 Morals — Otit of the Abicndance of the Heart 
 
 124. The Cultivation of Morality. 
 
 125. The Province of the School in 
 
 Moral Training. 
 
 126, 
 127, 
 128. 
 
 Special Virtues. 
 Religion in the Schools. 
 What May be Taught, 
 
Index of Titles and Siibdi 
 
 visions 
 
 335 
 
 Morals ■ 
 
 PAGE 
 
 130. Extract from Cyrus Peirce. 
 
 130. 
 
 133- 
 134- 
 134- 
 135- 
 
 Motives. 
 
 Motives Classified. 
 The Will. 
 
 A Strong but Depraved Will. 
 Conscience. 
 
 Strengthen Both Conscience 
 and Will. 
 
 Continued 
 PAGE 
 
 136. Children who Lack in Con- 
 science. 
 
 136. ConditionsFavorabletoGrowth 
 
 of Conscience. 
 
 137. Character Building Not the 
 
 Design of Education. 
 
 138. Force of Example. 
 
 139. Conclusion. 
 
 147. 
 148. 
 
 153- 
 154- 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 Habits — A Helpmg Hajid 
 
 145. Habits and Character. 
 
 Power of UnconsciousThought. 
 Moral and Intellectual Growth. 
 Personal Habits. 
 The Habit of Seeing Things. 
 Nature Study and Ethical 
 Training. 
 
 156. Patriotism. 
 
 156. The Habit of Temperance. 
 
 158. World's Work Done by Sober 
 
 Men. 
 
 159. The Spirit of Instruction. 
 
 159. The Tobacco Habit. 
 
 160. Summary. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 School Government — In the Kijigs Naitie 
 
 165. 
 
 Government, 
 
 173- 
 
 166. 
 
 Authority. 
 
 
 167. 
 
 Teacher and Parent. 
 
 174. 
 
 168. 
 
 The Aims of Authority. 
 
 175- 
 
 169. 
 
 Characteristics of Authority. 
 
 176. 
 
 170. 
 
 Justice. 
 
 176. 
 
 170. 
 
 Praise and Censure. 
 
 177. 
 
 171. 
 
 Reason, the Foundation. 
 
 178. 
 
 172. 
 
 Necessity of Law and Author- 
 
 179. 
 
 
 ity. 
 
 180. 
 
 Confidence Not Inconsistent 
 
 with Authority. 
 Prevention. 
 Arrangement. 
 Management. 
 Influence. 
 Suggestion. 
 
 Points Worth Considering. 
 Rewards and Punishments. 
 Wrong Methods. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Hygiene of the School — To Keep 
 
 ing Old 
 
 World from Grow- 
 
 185. 
 
 The Foundation of Human 
 
 194. 
 
 
 Happiness. 
 
 195- 
 
 186. 
 
 The Teacher's Part 
 
 197. 
 
 187. 
 
 Ventilation. 
 
 197. 
 
 188. 
 
 Methods of Ventilation. 
 
 198. 
 
 190. 
 
 An Illustration. 
 
 200. 
 
 191. 
 
 Regulation of Heating. 
 
 201. 
 
 191. 
 
 Care of the Eyes. 
 
 201. 
 
 192. 
 
 The Blackboards. 
 
 202. 
 
 193. 
 
 Print in the Text-book. 
 
 
 Physical Culture. 
 
 Gymnastics : Athletics. 
 
 Water Supply. 
 
 Contagious Diseases. 
 
 Janitors. 
 
 General Considerations. 
 
 Care of Outside Wraps. 
 
 Worry. 
 
 Home Study. 
 
336 
 
 Common Sense Didactics 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 The Cultivation of Taste — Beautiful Gates are for Beautiful 
 
 Things 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PAGE 
 
 208. Aims of the Country School. 
 
 214. Decorations. 
 
 210. The Ideal Location. 
 
 215. From Report of Committee of 
 
 211. The Rallying Place. 
 
 Twelve. 
 
 211. The Taste for the Beautiful. 
 
 216. Drawing, 
 
 213. Improvement of Grounds. 
 
 217. Singing. 
 
 213. In City Schools. 
 
 218. Conclusion. 
 
 224. 
 
 225. 
 
 226. 
 227. 
 
 228. 
 
 229. 
 229. 
 
 231. 
 
 CHAPTER XH. 
 The Recitation — The Life of the School 
 
 The Recitation. 
 
 The Lesson. 
 
 Reassignment of Lesson. 
 
 The Class. 
 
 Individual and Class Instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 Not Limited to Ungraded 
 Schools. 
 
 The Teacher. 
 
 Teach the Art of Study. 
 
 231. 
 
 Teacher a Good Listener. 
 
 233- 
 
 Preparation. 
 
 234- 
 
 Unity. 
 
 235- 
 
 Thoroughness. 
 
 236. 
 
 Spirit of Inquiry. 
 
 237- 
 
 The Mechanics of the Recita- 
 
 
 tion. 
 
 238. 
 
 The Art of Questioning. 
 
 240. 
 
 The Written Recitation. 
 
 CHAPTER XLLL 
 Oral Instruction — By Mans Voice the Heart is Stirred 
 
 245. 
 
 The Subject Stated. 
 
 250. 
 
 The Province of Oral Instruc- 
 
 246. 
 
 Growth of Oral Instruction. 
 
 
 tion. 
 
 247. 
 
 Nature of Oral Instruction. 
 
 251- 
 
 Freedom Essential. 
 
 247. 
 
 Interest Only One of the Fac- 
 
 253- 
 
 Importance of Diversifying 
 
 
 tors. 
 
 
 Methods. 
 
 248. 
 
 Purposes of Oral Instruction. 
 
 254- 
 
 Making Simple Apparatus. 
 
 249. 
 
 Language of Teachers. 
 
 25s. 
 
 The Pupils Must Make an Effort 
 
 249. 
 
 Avoid Technical Terms. 
 
 256. 
 
 Can You Teach? 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 Memory — Mans Best Servant 
 
 259. Right Use of Memory. 
 
 266. 
 
 260. What is Memory ? 
 
 266. 
 
 261. Steps in Memorizing. 
 
 268. 
 
 262. Cultivation of Memory. 
 
 
 264. Method of Cultivation. 
 
 268. 
 
 ^65. Attention, Order, Repetition. 
 
 269. 
 
 Recollection. 
 
 Kinds of Recollection. 
 
 Advantage of Memory and 
 
 Recollection. 
 Memory Involves Study. 
 Miscellaneous. 
 
Index of Titles and Subdivisions jjy 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Imagination, Attention, Interest — ''The Times are Left 
 Forever in the Strm^s 
 
 274. Imagination. 
 
 275. Reproductive Iinagination. 
 
 276. Constructive Imagination. 
 
 277. Ics Value to the Child. 
 
 277. Direction and Cultivation. 
 
 278. A Pure Imagination, 
 
 279. The Child's Fantasies. 
 279. The Vision Faculty. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 280. Attention, 
 
 281. How to Hold the Attention. 
 
 282. Kinds of Attention. 
 
 283. Cultivation of Attention. 
 
 284. Indifference a Hindrance. 
 
 284, Interest. 
 
 285. Memory and Attention, 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 The Old vs. The New — Let There be Light 
 
 The Ideal Way. 
 
 Points to be Aimed at. 
 
 Methods. 
 
 Use of Text-books. 
 
 The Real Difference Between 
 
 Old and New. 
 Changed Environments. 
 
 289 
 
 There is no Superlative, 
 
 298. 
 
 291 
 
 Foundations. 
 
 299. 
 
 292 
 
 Three Reformers : Rousseau. 
 
 300. 
 
 293 
 
 Rousseau's Ideal Child. 
 
 302. 
 
 293 
 
 Pestalozzi and His Ideal. 
 
 303- 
 
 294 
 
 Froebel and His Ideal. 
 
 
 295 
 
 The Old and the New Educa- 
 tion Compared, 
 
 304- 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Books and Their Uses — The Grubbing-Hoe and the Axe 
 
 Children's Books. 
 
 What the School Library 
 
 Should Contain. 
 Books for the Country School 
 
 Library. 
 The Library of Use to all Young 
 
 People. 
 The Teacher's Reading. 
 Reading Fiction by the 
 
 Teacher. 
 The Teacher Should Own 
 
 Books, 
 Reading the Bible. 
 
 309- 
 
 The Teacher's Tools, 
 
 320 
 
 310. 
 
 Books ; Their Uses' and Abuse. 
 
 321 
 
 3"- 
 
 The Age of Investigation. 
 
 
 312. 
 
 The Library. 
 
 322. 
 
 313- 
 
 Rightmindedness to be Aimed 
 
 
 
 at. 
 
 324 
 
 314- 
 
 The Library in the Home. 
 
 
 315- 
 
 The Influence of Books. 
 
 325- 
 
 316. 
 
 Choice of Books. 
 
 327 
 
 316. 
 
 The Library Half Hour. 
 
 
 317- 
 
 Fiction. 
 
 327 
 
 318, 
 
 The Dime Novel. 
 
 
 319- 
 
 Selecting Books for the Library, 
 
 32S. 
 
 S2 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS QUOTED 
 
 ARNOLD, SARAH L., 222, 257, 306. 
 ARNOLD, THOMAS, 9. 
 
 BACON, FRANCIS, 257. 
 BALDWIN, JOSEPH, 21, 23, 94, 271. 
 BALLARD, ADDISON, 39. 
 BALLIETT, THOMAS M., 25, 224. 
 BARNES, EARL, 120. 
 BARNETT, P. A., 55, 74, 162, 182. 
 BEECHER, HENRY WARD, 274. 
 BERGEN, J. Y., 204. 
 BLAIKIE, WILLIAM, 121. 
 BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 
 
 Motto, 163. 
 BRIGHT, ORVILLE T., 75. 
 BROOKS, EDWARD, 21, 22. 
 BROOKS, PHILLIPS, 208. 
 BROWN, Dr. JOHN, 37. 
 BURKE, EDMUND, 143. 
 BUTLER, NICHOLAS MURRAY, 
 
 331- 
 
 CALDERWOOD, HENRY, 143, 165, 
 
 257, 272. 
 CALKINS, N. A., 77. 
 CHANNING, WILLIAM ELLERY, 
 
 309- 
 CHURCHILL, F. F., 222. 
 CICERO, 141. 
 
 CLARKE, EDWARD H., 37, 185. 
 CLOUGH, ARTHUR HUGH, 289. 
 COLTON, BUEL P., 162, 163. 
 COMENIUS, 94. 
 COMPAYRE, GABRIEL, 22. 
 COOPER, SARAH B., 124, 306. 
 
 DARLING, HENRY, 37. 
 
 De GARMO, CHARLES, 306. 
 
 DEXTER AND GARLICK, 74, 142, 
 
 221, 271, 272, 274. 
 DRAPER, ANDREW S., 162. 
 DUTTON, SAMUEL T., 124, 222, 274, 
 
 289. 
 
 FISKE, LEWIS RANSOM, 23, 205. 
 FITCH, J. G., 37, 183, 240, 242, 257. 
 FLEISCHER, RABBI CHARLES, 
 
 162. 
 FORBUSH, WILLIAM BYRON,i6i. 
 FOWLER, WILLIAM K., 222. 
 FROEBEL, FREDERICK, 307. 
 
 GILL, JOHN, 141, 161. 
 GORDY, J. P., 259, 272, 287. 
 GORST, HAROLD E., 329. 
 GREGORY, JOHN M., 162. 
 
 HALE, EDWARD EVERETT, 55. 
 HALLECK, REUBEN POST, 23. 
 HALL, G. STANLEY, 206. 
 HALL, R. S.,329. 
 HAM, CHARLES H., 121. 
 HARRIS, WILLIAM T., 121, 161, 165, 
 
 224, 242, 271, 286, 287, 309, 331. 
 HARRISON, ELIZABETH, 93. 
 HELVETIUS, 271. 
 HILLIS, NEWELL DWIGHT, 120, 
 
 121, 243, 308. 
 HINSDALE, BURK A., 94, 95, 120, 
 
 241, 242, 259, 287, 308. 
 HODGE, CLIFTON F., 206. 
 HOLMES, OLIVER WENDELL, 
 
 165. 
 HOOD, THOMAS, 39. 
 HOPKINS, MARK, 143, 271, 286. 
 HOWLAND, GEORGE, 36, 57, 74, 
 
 224, 257, 272, 273. 
 KUXLEY, 185. 
 
 JACKMAN, WILBUR S., 257. 
 JAMES, WILLIAM, 39, 57, 286, 287. 
 JOHONNOT, JAMES, 54, 271- 
 JONES, RICHARD H., 330. 
 
 KARR, GRANT, 23. 
 
 KEATS, JOHN, 220. 
 
 KERN, O. J., 221. 
 
 KOTELMANN, LUDWIG, 203, 204, 
 
 EASTMAN, W. R., 330. 
 ELIZABETH, CHARLOTTE, 
 EMERSON, GEORGE B., 329. 
 
 33S 
 
 LANDON, JOSEPH, 54, 73, 142, 181, 
 
 203. 
 LOWELL, JAMES RUSSELL, 220. 
 
Index of Authors Quoted jjp 
 
 MACLAREN, IAN, 124. 
 
 MANN, HORACE, 36, 97, 163, 185, 
 
 205, 219, 245, 309. 
 MAYHEW, IRA, 203, 205. 
 McMURRY, CHARLES A. and 
 
 FRANK M., 94, 308. 
 MITCHELL, DONALD GRANT, 
 
 75- 
 MORE, HANNAH, 97, 182. 
 MORGAN, THOMAS J., 93, 307, 330. 
 
 OGDEN, JOHN, 182. 
 
 PAGE, DAVID P., 21, 37, 93, 143, 163, 
 
 182, 183, 241. 
 PALMER, FRANCIS B., 95, 182, 259, 
 PARKER, FRANCIS W., 36, 77, 
 
 120, 121. 
 PATRICK, J. N., 224, 241. 
 PAYNE, W. H., 25, 37, 54, 120, 242, 
 
 257. 
 PESTALOZZI, JOHN HENRY, 75, 
 
 77i 307- 
 PIPER, JONATHAN, 145. 
 PLATO, 185. 
 PORTER, NOAH, 286. 
 PRICE (a pupil of Arnold's), 55. 
 PROCTER, ADELAIDE ANNE, 
 
 145. 
 PROVERBS, 57, 163. 
 
 QUICK, R. H., 54, 93, 122, 183, 242, 287. 
 
 REID, THOMAS, 161. . 
 
 RICHMOND, ENNIS, 182. 
 
 ROARK, RURIC N., 22, 94, 95, 120, 
 205, 240, 242, 243, 286. 
 
 ROGERS, NATHANIEL PEA- 
 BODY, 221. 
 
 ROOPER, T. G., 95. 
 ROSENKRANZ, KARL, 23, 245. 
 ROUNDS, CHARLES C, 330. 
 ROUSSEAU, 289, 306. 
 
 SCHAEFFER, NATHAN C, 25, 122, 
 
 241, 289, 306. 
 SEARCH, PRESTON W., 256, 257. 
 SEERLEY, HOMER H., 57, 121. 
 SHEPARD, HIRAM H., 162. 
 SMITH, A. T., 161, 271, 286. 
 SOCRATES, 9. 
 STETSON, W. W,, 204. 
 
 STEVENSON, ROBERT LOUIS, 
 
 144. 
 
 SULLY, JAMES, 23, 73, 143, 
 SWETT, JOHN, 93, 120, 205, 206, 222, 
 
 272. 
 
 SWING, DAVID, 54. 
 
 TABOR, FRANCIS H., 205. 
 TAYLOR, A. R., 77, 94, 95, 143, 205. 
 
 259, 271. 
 THOREAU, HENRY D., 57. 
 THRING, EDWARD, 37, 39, 57, 161 
 
 165, 241, 274. 
 
 VINCENT, JOHN A., 9. 
 
 WARNER, A. B., 75. 
 WARNER. FRANCIS, 120, 204. 
 WHITE, EMERSON E., 23, 55, 74, 77 
 
 94, 141, 242, 243, 272. 
 V/HITTIER, J. G., 219. 
 WICKERSHAM, J. P., 143, 184, 24-. 
 WILSON, JAMES, 220, 221. 
 WINSHIP, ALBERT E., 330. 
 WORDSWORTH, WILLIAM, 55. 
 
INDEX OF SUBJECTS 
 
 ACTION, every, has a moral side, 135. 
 
 Adaptability to Circumstances, 49. 
 
 Air, keep in open, 30. 
 
 American Citizen, typical, 129 ; vital 
 qualifications of, 129. 
 
 Apparatus, making simple, 254. 
 
 Apperception Defined, 89. 
 
 Architect, must know, 57. 
 
 Arithmetic, 108 ; J. P. Wickersham 
 on teaching, 108 ; other points, 108 ; 
 rules for primary teachers, no. 
 
 Arrangement, 175. 
 
 Attention, art of paying, 280; illus- 
 trations, 281 ; how to hold ; Hart's 
 "In the School Room," on, 281; 
 two kinds of, 282 ; Baldwin, on, 
 282 ; how to cultivate, 283 ; indiflfer- 
 ence a hindrance to, 284. 
 
 BEING, problem of complete physi- 
 cal, 53. 
 
 Bible, reading of, 328. 
 
 Blackboards, general directions con- 
 cerning, 192. 
 
 Books, use and abuse of, 310; with- 
 out, God is silent, 311; influence 
 of, 311; choice of, 316; fiction in, 
 317 ; dime novel, 318 ; for children, 
 320 ; for rural school libraries, 322, 
 324 ; teacher should own, 327. 
 
 Boy, the bai efoot, 84 ; the truant, 133. 
 
 Brooks, Phillips, Bishop, 1320 
 
 CHARACTER Commended, 44; 
 
 building of, 44 ; growth of, 44 ; part 
 of man's individuality, 45 ; not 
 reputation, 45 ; a growth, not a 
 creation, 137. 
 
 Child, the future of the, 18 ; heart of, 
 responds, 36 ; nervous, 59 ; worth 
 of, 78; physical condition, 82; 
 knowing the, 83 ; loves the beauti- 
 ful, 211. 
 
 Children, duties and rights of, 68; 
 studying the, 79 ; are living senti- 
 ent, flesh and blood, 80 ; what of 
 the, 81 ; should be trained to quiet 
 ways, 82 ; diifer in perceptive 
 
 Children — Continued. 
 
 faculties, 87; how they differ, 140; 
 don't worry them. 201 ; must be 
 treated as children, 298. 
 
 Childhood, study of, 85. 
 
 Child Nature, teacher should be 
 versed in, 62. 
 
 Civics, elementary, 107. 
 
 Civility, 152. 
 
 Class, the, 227. 
 
 Committee of Twelve, extracts from 
 report, 215, 228. 
 
 Concept Defined, 89. 
 
 Conscience, connected with char- 
 acter, 134; absence or death of, 
 134; how nurtured, 135 ; a tender, 
 135 ; and will, 135 ; child who lacks, 
 136; conditions favorable to 
 growth, 136. 
 
 Contract, binding, 31 ; investigate 
 before signing, 50. 
 
 Cramming, 255,270. 
 
 DAILY Preparation, 72. 
 Decorations, 214. 
 Deduction Defined, 90. 
 Development, slow process, 20; 
 
 mental, not to be arrested, 88. 
 Discipline, use of, 16; through close 
 
 application, 42 ; under two heads, 
 
 75- 
 Discrimination, wise, 70. 
 Diseases, contagious, 197 ; beginning 
 
 of, 198. 
 Disobedience, not to be tolerated, 
 
 151- 
 Drawing, 216. 
 Duties, may be exacted, 69. 
 
 EDUCATION, province of, 17; 
 
 moves along parallel lines, 18 ; 
 
 purpose of, 47 ; end kept in view, 
 
 58; habits included under, 160; 
 
 new compared with old, 295, 303 ; 
 
 differs from old, 296 ; modifications 
 
 of old, 297. 
 English Language, 102 ; suggestions 
 
 how to teach, 102. 
 Enjoyment, keenest, 85. 
 
 340 
 
Index of Subjects 
 
 34-1 
 
 Environments, study of, 66 ; 
 
 changed, 304. 
 Example, force of, 138. 
 Exercise, 52 ; in open air, 196. 
 Experience, 85. 
 Eyes, care of, 191, 194. 
 
 FARMER, modern, 58. 
 
 Fiction, teachers should read, 327. 
 
 Flag, to be saluted, 156. 
 
 Foundations, 291. 
 
 Freedom, 11. 
 
 Friction, how to avoid, 65. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY, no ; for older pupils, 
 III ; Harris on teaching, m, 
 
 God, existence of may be taught, 127. 
 
 Government, 165 ; endsof,i67 ; funda- 
 mental principles of, 173; defined, 
 176; points to be considered, 178; 
 wrong methods, 180. 
 
 Grammar, 103. 
 
 Greatness, measure of, 290. 
 
 Growth, 34; moral and intellectual, 
 148. 
 
 HABITS, 20, 82, 145; pernicious, 52 j 
 change of, 146 ; defined, 146 ; result 
 of unconscious thought, 147 ; per- 
 sonal, 148 ; of seeing things, 153 ; 
 tobacco, 159. 
 
 Health, 51, 82, 186 ; laws of, 118 ; foun- 
 dation of human happiness, 185 ; 
 too little attention paid to in 
 school, 186. 
 
 History, 105 ; clothing skeleton in 
 words, 105 ; three points in teach- 
 ing, 106. 
 
 Home Study, 202. 
 
 IDEALS, importance of, 13. 
 
 Idleness, 168. 
 
 Ignorance, danger of, 43. 
 
 Imagination Defined, 274; two kinds 
 of, 275 ; reproductive, 275 ; differs 
 from memory, how, 275 ; con- 
 structive, 276 ; value of to child, 
 277 ; direction, cultivation, 277 ; 
 pure, 278 ; helps the child to think, 
 278 ; fantasies of child's, 279 ; vision 
 faculty, 279 ; quotation from Hil- 
 lis on, 279 ; quotation from "School 
 and Schoolmaster " on, 280. 
 
 Immaturity Not a Crime, 20, 
 
 Individuality, two sides, 146. 
 
 Induction Defined, 90 ; employed in 
 some recitations with deduction, 
 91. 
 
 Instruction and Education, 17 ; prov- 
 ince of, 17 ; habits included under, 
 160; individual and class, 228; 
 growth of oral, 246. 
 
 Integrity, 31. 
 
 Interest, 284. 
 
 Intuitions, 67. 
 
 JANITORS, choice of, 198 ; duties of, 
 
 199. 
 Justice, 170; based upon reason, 171 ; 
 
 children have keen sense of, 172. 
 
 KNOWLEDGE, 41; not discipline, 
 15; not power, 16; application of, 
 41 ; practical value of, 43; art of 
 imparting, 60; steps in imparting, 
 61 ; general, 70 ; sources of, 71 ; 
 desire for, 113; of right and 
 wrong, 119. 
 
 LESSONS, prepared beforehand, 34 ; 
 method of preparation, 34 ; assign- 
 ment of, 225; when reassigned, 226. 
 
 Library, school, 312 ; in the home, 
 314; half hour in, 316; selecting 
 books for, 319 ; should contain 
 what, 321; of general use, 324. 
 
 Life in a Republic, possibilities of, 
 108. 
 
 Life, the educator, 17. 
 
 Loyalty, 63. 
 
 MANAGEMENT, characteristics of, 
 176. 
 
 Material, dealing with, 77. 
 
 Memorizing, steps in, 261. 
 
 Memory, right use, 259 ; defined, 260; 
 special training, effect of, 261 ; 
 cultivation of, 262, 264; must be 
 adapted to wants of child, 263 ; 
 verbal, 263 ; cultivation of, not to 
 be left to chance, 264 ; points to be 
 observed, 264, 265 ; to express 
 thoughts of other, 265 ; voluntary, 
 266; involuntary, 267; involves 
 study, 268 ; and attention, 283. 
 
34-2 
 
 Coinvtojt Sense Didactics 
 
 Methods, 300. 
 
 Morality, cultivation of, 124. 
 
 Moral Instruction, 128; how far car- 
 ried, 127. 
 
 Moral Training, province of in 
 school, 125. 
 
 Motives, moral instruction, 130; 
 lassified, 131, 132. 
 
 NATION, this a Christian, 128. 
 
 Nature of Child, 58. 
 
 Nature Study, 154. 
 
 Neatness, 149. 
 
 Noise Not Music, 218. 
 
 OBEDIENCE, 151. 
 
 Observation, 86. 
 
 Oral Instruction, growth of, 246; 
 essentials of, 246 ; nature of, 247 ; 
 interest, factor in, 247 ; prepara- 
 tion for, 249 ; technical terms to 
 be avoided, 249; province of, 250; 
 three-fold province of, 251 ; free- 
 dom is essential, 251; when 
 adapted for use, 252; not to be 
 separated from text-book en- 
 tirely, 253. 
 
 Order, 149. 
 
 Outbuildings, janitor should care 
 for, 199. 
 
 PATIENCE, see iywi/aM;/. 
 
 Patriotism, 155. 
 
 Penmanship, 105. 
 
 Percept Defined, 89. 
 
 Perception Defined, 89. 
 
 Personality, 31. 
 
 Physical Culture, 194. 
 
 Plan and System, 57. 
 
 Praise, undue, works evil, 171 ; how 
 bestowed, 181. 
 
 Prevention, 174. 
 
 Principles, society based upon cer- 
 tain, 126. 
 
 Program, making the, 175. 
 
 Public, relation of teacher to, 64. 
 
 Punctuality, 149. 
 
 Punishments, Ennis Richmond on, 
 174. See also Rewards. 
 
 Pupils, teacher should be interested 
 in, 32 ; to gain knowledge, 43 ; 
 
 V\x^\\^—^ Continued. 
 
 heart contact with, 47 ; individual 
 cups for, 197 ; trained to leave the 
 room without asking, 200. 
 
 QUESTIONING, art of, 238 ; three 
 kinds of, 239 ; directions, 239. 
 
 READING, at head of list, 98; how 
 to teach, 99, 100; on intellectual 
 side, 100 ; for pupils, 100. 
 
 Recess, not to be abolished, 196. 
 
 Recitation, three factors of, 224; the 
 class in, 227 ; what it is, 227 ; pupils 
 to question each other during, 
 227 ; should do four things for the 
 pupil, 228 ; teacher in, 229 ; meth- 
 ods in, 230; things essential to, 
 230 ; teacher a good listener, 231 ; 
 purpose of, 233 ; preparation for, 
 233 ; point of failure, 233 ; unity 
 of, 234 ; object of, 236 ; mechanics 
 of, 237 ; written, 240 ; memoriter 
 not of necessity an evil, 267. 
 
 Recollection Defined, 266; kinds of, 
 266. 
 
 Regularity, 149. 
 
 Religion in Schools, 127. 
 
 Reputation, should be guarded, 45. 
 See also Character. 
 
 Responsibility, basis of moral ac- 
 tions, 125 ; doctrine of, 127. 
 
 Results, how to obtain best, 78. 
 
 Rewards, 179. 
 
 Right Actions Spring from Right- 
 mindedness, 138. 
 
 Rules, not many, 169. 
 
 Rumors, idle, not be noticed, 65. 
 
 Ruts, falling into, 35. 
 
 SCHOLARSHIP of Teacher, 33. 
 
 School, aim of, 44; individuality of, 
 49; duties are enervating, 52 
 have changed, 59 ; country, aims 
 of, 208; subjects taught in, 209; 
 location of, 210; grounds about, 
 210; rallying place, 211; grounds 
 to be improved, 213, 214; city 
 grounds, 213 ; grounds should be 
 attractive, 214. 
 
Index of Subjects 
 
 34^3 
 
 Schoolmaster, English, story of, 69. 
 
 Schoolroom, ventilation of, 187, 190; 
 heating of, 191 ; lighting of, 191 ; 
 improper seats, 194, 195 ; decora- 
 tion of, 214, 215. 
 
 School-teaching Like Other Voca- 
 tions, 80. 
 
 Self-knowledge, 66. 
 
 Sensations Defined, 88. 
 
 Sense, common, value of, 50. 
 
 Senses, five windows of the soul, 85 ; 
 exercises to train, 86; develop- 
 ment, order of, 87. 
 
 Sermon on the Mount, 126. 
 
 Sewing, hand, 115. 
 
 Sincerity, prime element in charac- 
 ter, 26. 
 
 Singing, 217. 
 
 Skill, how acquired, 21. 
 
 Spelling, 104; oral not to be dis- 
 carded, 104. 
 
 Spirit of Inquiry, 236. 
 
 Standard, ideal not always attain- 
 able, 50. 
 
 Studies, relative value of, 97. 
 
 Study, importance of, 18 ; defined, 
 19 ; how to, 19 ; intelligent, 229 ; 
 art of, to be taught, 231. 
 
 Success, avenues of, 68. 
 
 Suggestion, doctrine of, 177. 
 
 Superintendent, county, teachers 
 should be loyal to, 64. 
 
 Sympathy, 35 ; with piipils, 46. 
 
 System, see Plaii. 
 
 Teacher— Continued. 
 
 knowledge of the world, 67 ; should 
 be wise adviser, 68 ; not expected 
 to know everything, 71 ; ideal, 81 ; 
 senses of, to be trained, 86 ; sug- 
 gestions for rural, 115 ; responsible 
 for health, 186; in recitation, 229; 
 a leader, 230 ; language of, 249 ; 
 reading of, 325 ; should read fic- 
 tion, 327; should own books, 327. 
 
 Teaching vs. Learning, 10; mechan- 
 ical, II ; nature of, 13 ; culmination 
 of, 13 , results lasting, 40 ; free- 
 dom in, 303. 
 
 Temperance, habits of, 156; instruc- 
 tion, spirit of, 159. 
 
 Terms, distinction of, 10; psycho- 
 logical, 88. 
 
 Text-books, how to use, 72, 302 ; fine 
 print not to be studied, 193 ; not to 
 be discarded, 303. 
 
 Thoroughness, 235. 
 
 Thought, 39 ; power of unconscious, 
 147. 
 
 Tobacco Habit, 159. 
 
 Training, necessary, 19 ; defined, 20; 
 eye and hand, 114; manual, 114; 
 habits, included under, 160. 
 
 VENTILATION, necessity of, 187; 
 methods of, 188 ; problem intensi- 
 fied, 189; illustration, 190; W. W. 
 Stetson on, 190. 
 
 Virtues, special, 126. 
 
 TEACHER, growth of, 14; personal 
 appearance of, 25, 26 ; same at all 
 times, 26 ; should exercise discre- 
 tion, 27 ; should refrain from some 
 things, 27 ; should have gift of 
 silence, 27 ; should not talk, 29 ; 
 self-respect of, 30 ; bound by con- 
 tract, 31 ; should pay debts, 32 ; 
 must be a scholar, 33 ; reader of 
 good books, 33 ; not to undervalue 
 knowledge, 40; to make allow- 
 ances, 48 ; of to-day, 59 ; who de- 
 sires to be respected, 60; should 
 manifest an interest in having 
 child understand, 61 ; cannot cre- 
 ate intellect, 63 ; should have 
 
 WELL, schoolhouse, to be cared 
 
 for, 196. 
 What May be Taught, 128. 
 Will, in moral instruction, 133; 
 
 strong but depraved, 134. 
 W^isconsin Normal Teachers' Instu 
 
 tute, extract from, 237. 
 Work, distinguished from play, 19; 
 
 best done by best thinkers, 39 ; 
 
 not to be done at home, 52 ; most 
 
 important, 79. 
 World in its Infancy, 92, 
 World's Work Done by Sober Men, 
 
 158. 
 Worry, 29, 201. 
 Wraps, care of, 201. 
 
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