frequent and ofttimes irksome questions from parents such as, What good will come of studying Algebra ? the use of Latin? How will Geometry be any ber son? That Mathematics or Latin or Greek should by those who will in after life lay them partially or who regarded only as an entire waste of time and stren not even dreamed that the thorough pursuit of the produces effects, and induces habits of the utmost v will never be lost, though all which is learned in should be wholly forgotten. A stake is driven firmly the crooked shrub, fastened to it, is made to take shape. Year after year confirms the position, and tree stands erect, tall and strong, while the old suppor ing at its roots. Thus it is with many of the studies school. They help to give shape and direction and the mind; and when they have done this, there farther need for them. There are, it is true, certain which will in other ways be useful, and which it w necessary to remember. But there are some specific mental growth, which cannot be secured but by car of what, in nine cases out of ten, will never be used i life. Besides, it is not the amount acquired which dete result. It is not the quantity of food which is taken, the manner in which what is taken is digested, that healthy growth of the child. There is an intellectual a physical dyspepsia. The mind that is crammed with innutritious and inconvenient food, must of cours and weak. It is not the number of books read, studied, nor yet the multitude of facts acquired and re that produce intellectual superiority; but rather the is made of all this. In history, for example, the m edge of facts can be of no great advantage; unless facts we are able to generalize and deduce principles. istence of Napoleon or Cæsar, their lives, their genius, exploits, are matters of fact which history gives us. better are we for the mere knowledge of these facts, who never heard those names, unless we can derive f great moral and political lessons? And the same may respecting all other knowledge of the kind. It is oft cred enough if the pupil recites the words of the lesso ly; at least, so the pupil himself naturally regards it is put right again and again. A class in Intellectual was once called up to recite. The first question put was is abstraction ? ?? nunil unhesitatingly answered and pos Weat efit to be purse! olly asides gth. It Lese studies value, whic the school aparu um 1980, comic, vi capit, vervall of bodies apart from their other properties. Among of objects we thus fix upon qualities which are common tain number of them, and so arrange them into genera cies." This was recited fluently, and with every appe understanding the meaning on the part of the pupil. entirely correct according to the book, and with little from a mind of any considerable maturity is easily un But in the case now mentioned, a subsequent test ques the teacher showed that the pupil had not the remote the meaning of the words which had been recited. N have we seen scholars who had, as they said, been th Arithmetic, and yet were ignorant of the principles of tion, and could not tell why, in adding, we carry for t than fifteen or any other number. We heard once ludicrous story, which will very well illustrate what is true. A boy who had finished his arithmetic and wa cently making known his exploits, was asked to find t 12 pounds of pork at 73 cents per pound, provided fi of the meat were fat. After working and puzzling hi a long time, he gave it up, saying there was no such in the book, but that he still thought he could do it, not for the five pounds of fat. He made shipwreck meat. Thus it is easy to have knowledge of words without and of meaning, without any beneficial effect upon the And here lies one of the greatest responsibilities of the as well as one of the greatest difficulties of his task. hat causes the tual as well as med each dar purse be sick d, of subjects remembered the use which e mere know ess from these ples. The er mius, and ther us. But what cts, than those ive from them be asked may is often consid lesson correct ds it unless he tual Philosophy What pressing duties of a large school, he is in danger of be fied himself, and of leaving his pupil satisfied with me recitations; it being the truth, that comparatively few possess that inquisitive habit of mind which instincti the reason and meaning of what it meets. But while is natural to but few, it may be formed and cultivate by judicious management and correct training on th the teacher. And this, we repeat, is the most difficu as the most important part of his task. It is to teach to think, and to think for himself. He truly educates he does this; and whoso accomplishes this, by whatev and in whatever way, may rightfully claim to be an And the difficulty here will be likely to be appreciate one who has experienced it. It is only when he has t and again to put himself in the place of the pupil, and illustrations just such as seemed fitted to his pupil's and after all find that he has missed the mark that th VL I PHPa༠༡ ཨམས to their understanding and capacity. One grand knowledge being thus to induce reflection, mental tellectual growth, and so education, in its proper me manifest that much time may be spent and labor very little purpose, both by teacher and pupil, and able success may seem to have been the result. It will be readily inferred that we entertain no suc notions of education in its character or ends as wou wholly subservient to a man's worldly success. fear it might be said by many, education is supposed able only as a means of enabling one to be shrewd operations, and thus successful in gaining a livel that to educate a youth is only to fit him for busine a race-horse is fitted for the course. The remark is made by the father of his son, "He knows enough a have got along tolerably well in the world, and hel than I did at his age;" and so the boy is taken from as the intellect had commenced its growth, confined the farm or the shop, and doomed henceforth to kn of that high and rational pleasure which intellectual upon the condition of man. If education is acquired merely to enable its p "make money," then we may say that the time spent in that way are poorly spent ; for every one the ignorant man,-ignorant at least of books,—is qu ly to become rich-that is, to lay up money,-as is th man. It is true that education, by elevating the cha raising the man to a refined and intelligent atmosph own reward; and if it does not conduct to affluence repels the fear of want. But the true teacher and gent learner will look at education with a different them it will seem worthy to be obtained for its own because it is worth intrinsically far more than all the taining it. Nor will the thought of duty be kep proper connection here. It will be felt that educa manded on moral grounds of every human being. For purpose indeed has God given us the wonderful and ers we possess? Are they to lie hidden in the ru dust of this world, like the rough mountain gem, far the light that reveals its beauty? No! The Crea dowed us with a mind and a heart; and not one of through life and leave that heart and mind without c be guiltless. It is not of course the duty of the farm the plough. nor the mechanic his shon nor the me the most of himself in whatever sphere he is called to la thus to realize in himself, so far as he may, the true man. ch utilitarian uld make it By some, we s possessor to ent view. To leave SELF-REPORTING SYSTEM IN SCHOOL THIS subject was announced for discussion on the circulars of the last meeting of the Massachusetts Stat ers' Association. But the pressure of other business great as to prevent the discussion, which we regretted, subject is one of no little importance; but in respect there have been very various opinions. We take it for granted that in most schools of any siz the pupils study in the school-room, one of two methods adopted. Either the pupils must keep their own ac delinquencies, or others, teachers or monitors, must keep account. The question then seems to come to this,the better method of the two? It has always seeme that pupils should in all cases be encouraged, and in so required to report their failures in duty to their They should be encouraged always so to do, because tice will be highly beneficial to them in a moral point No one who has become delinquent in duty, of whatev will be likely to amend until the wrong is recalled tinctly reflected upon. And a pupil who has been co unfaithful, will be much less likely to repeat the offen freely and frankly acknowledging it to his teacher. T acknowledgment would be a sort of tacit promise of ment. And the practice helps to form that habit of r tion so entirely necessary to moral culture. Besides, the teacher the best of all opportunities to give counsel and warning, which is one of his chief duties. For he s in some sense the spiritual as well as intellectual guid pupils. To some extent also,-what, the circumstances and c of each school must determine,-the practice of keeping account of misdemeanors should, in our judgment, be of the pupils. Because, in the first place, some pupils dom if ever do it otherwise, and thus will miss one most method of improvement; and secondly, because it may when judiciously managed, an important aid in securi order, without which any school will possess little com bat there is thus danger that he will form a habit of Let us examine this objection a moment, and compare force in regard to both methods of keeping account meanwhile, be understood that there are pupils in every will, under any system, be likely to use more or le ment. Let it also be understood that we speak of se as it should be managed, and not as it may be abused if ever, would we make delinquencies reported by p selves the basis for inflicting penalties, other than the of the offender might supply. Nor in general woul any but the teachers know what each one records a self. And we would have every pupil feel that the c of the plan is to promote self-inspection, to secure s ment, and so to help him on in the most important kind ment. Managed thus, which of the two methods w likely to engender habits of deception, as well as othe ble traits? In the one case, the pupil watches over h is put upon his honor. In the other, he is watched b and no such responsibility rests upon him. Under o he is made to feel that the governing of himself is P own hands, and thus he is encouraged to practise s Under the other, he feels little of this, and comes to re self under the care of somebody else. The self-rep tem, rightly conducted, makes the pupil feel that th stands properly between himself and his conscience teacher is only an occasional spectator here; that how he may deceive the one, the other cannot be cheated deception, therefore, is of no avail. The monitorial the other hand, tends to induce the feeling, that the no responsibilities beyond the teacher; and he learns that all the misdemeanors he commits without the kno those who keep the accounts, pass for nothing; and to haps at length, that the wrong itself is not so much as in its detection. Here then it seems to us is tem wrong practice and wrong opinion, of a strength whic parallel in the other method. Besides, it puts the te pupil in an entirely false position with respect to ea Under this system it is impossible that there should antagonistic relation, more or less marked, between t many cases it will result in a sharp game of dissimulati one side, and attempts at detection on the other. Nov to us that every thing which would induce this state in a school is most destructive, and should be carefully The pupil and the teacher are seeking the same end ought not to be any antagonism between them |