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' .>. ■!. * IV - ■'. •I ■ 1 , >- ■: " OW 1-. . >■ •' iiomuion J^clwjol Education; / ^ ^'.i•;^v;V■■,v v' .-.■':lr;-:V;; .r-vv'^-ifv;-''" ■■■:?7t''; ;il.. ••■■'. ,'■*■" ■ * . li --r-< , miss: jVIA-RaAR^ilT ROBERTSON.. . •»..'.T-' • ; -■^v ■;■■■.-/-. • -1 . ^.^.«^- FUBLJSHED UNDER THE SANCTION OF TJSE SAINT FRANCIS ^ V i DISTRICT TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION,. \ •-^.i';",N:;; •■,..'••,.';■;! •>>.,.•■, J^''^ ■,''■•■';■• •■■•■•■'' )'*''^~^''-<-, "»•■/',■.''"*■• J '^'j V !.. ..... -,/H^. •,»'.; -.v. ;<;*•,'»:••■ -.v. '^ ■•'.■■• * •■■ *■ 7- ..■,;■••:*■;.■..■.... .-v-u:.; ;...•■' ■ ••»' ■ '•'•,;;'• v''.,';'^:.;v.; ;••.,, ;.;;-',;.;•<;^:'•.; v' •' v";:.'r..:. ■■♦..^^. •;,■•■■;:.; • ■;•'. ' sbkhsrooku : " . PEINTED BY J. S; ,W ALTON, , AT THE GAZETTE .OFFICE. " ' • « . ■ ^.■•,; , :->^t'-^:->. ^-•:'.--'- ■•^;:;/- .••.^^v.^/. ;.-,-., v^., >,,,..- ■ \:: -r^',* ..'.;'.:■'•■'■:.•■ {■; •'■■''-■i''.-,--"''>:^'-.J.v*', .■•.«'.vv^i>i-^- '" '■ : ..■•>.•:»■ ::■:/../ At -'^-. ;>■; ..•,>;..' ..;t-n-:.';V-.'>v,-:^;''\-' ..^••v. . , •. .-•.■^ .i> ■V:■':^'^; ' ■>■• •• ■•;.;-.'r/V. v,:,.-..v.v. ,...--,•;'. -.v^'V^-'-v- :..!.;: ■■;■.:.:•. ■.:J^ ; • ■ • « «. i AN ESSAY on €mmix M00I iduatkn; BY MISS MAHaAHEr ROBERTSON, SHERBROOWE, C. E. PVULIiiHED UNDER THE SANCTION OF THE S^iINT FRANCIS DISTRICT TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION. SHERBROOKE: PRINTED BY J. S. WALTON. AT THE GAZETTE OFFICE. , INTRODUCTORY NOTE. lT.e following Ensay -^^^1^;.^^^ CS^^S T^S^ Kiven by Rev. Dr. Nicolls President of St. i;ianci ^^^.^^^.^^ ^ i'Jsociation, ^nnouncinR that tvvo prizes J^^^^ ^u . folUnvine snb- HoN. A. T. CxALT M. V. P., f"f**'%Xol system to aim at? and how ject,-"What ought our Cominon School system ^.^^^petition was can that object be most efiectually attained : ^^'^^^j^VTiies within io be open to all Teachers of t^'^'^XVlwProt' Miles, Principal Gra- he District, the P^/^es to be awarded by Prot.MU -^^^^^^^^^^ ^.i^i^h ham, and Inspector H"''^arJ-,J^,'^„™rthe judges, witliout any were carefully and separately exammeaDyui J b ^^^ ^j^^ ^^_ Swledgeo/thewriters or of each other sc^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^. ,.^^„^ ,„ ^^;!;^::irtfesr:ft;j'S^^ -We the undersigned, J'ldges '^t the cs^^^^^^^ "Gait Prizes," hav ing carefuHy and separately e ^^,^,a,H\ iot submitted to us, do hereby «f /ifj^that the hrst pr ^ ^ ^^^ thing,''- the Essay headed by the "^o";>' ^^.^^fcmr^d as here stated and that we are perlectly unanimous in ^ j^m.ES, (Signed) D«cember 29th, 1864. JOHN H. GRAHAM. H. HUBBARD, ■, f E H « A Y *' n%»dom iB theprincipat thing.*' le ys or " What ought our Common School System to aim at f and how c an the object aimed at be most effectually attained ?" The design of our Common School System is to provide the means of education for the children of the people. A few may avail themselves of the superior advantages afforded by our Gram- mar Schools and Academies, but the mass of the people must de- pend for the early education of their children, upon the Schools for whose establishment the law, in every settled District, makes provision. In them, many of those who are to enter the learned professions, must commence their course of study, while tc the great number of those, who, twenty years hence, are to be the farmers, mechanics, and merchants of our country, they must af- ford the sole means of acquiring the knowledge, absolutely neces- sary to even a moderate degret; of intelligence. The aim of the system, therefore, ought to be, to provide such means of instruc- tion, as shall prepare the one chvss for benefiting to the utmost, from the opportunities wiiich higher institutions of learning may afford them, and which shall best fit the other class for the intelli- gent use of (he means of improvement which contact with the world may supply. In the case of either class, the amount of knowledge to be im- parted is not the only thing, nor, indeed, the first thing to be con- sidered. To develop and strengthen the mental powers, to teach a child to observe, to think, to reason, must ever be the first con- sideration in any system of education, and the studies to be pur- sued in our Common Schools, as well as the method by which they are to be pursued, must be decided upon with reference to this end. The amount of knowledge acquired must, even in the most fa- vorable circumstances, be comparatively small, hut were the amount great, it would be valuable to the child, less for its own sake, than for the sake of the mental discipline resulting from its ac- quisition. The difference between the boy who has enjoyed five years of faithful instruction and discipline in one of our Common Schools, and the boy who has never entered a school of any kind, lies not alone in the knowledge of reading, writing, arithmetic, and geog- raphy, that the one possesses over the other. Compared with the thoroughly educated youth, both may be considered ignorant. But in the clearness of mental vision, which rewards the patient search after truth, in the mental Htreni^th, which is tlic resuh of ditlicul- ties fairly met ami overcome, (tne is far in adv ice of the other. Tills clitf'erence is not always apparent in the boys. The superi- ority (»f the one over the othc lies loss in what he is as a hoy, than in what ho may become as a man. Tlirou;;li his books, and his skilful use of them, he has got a {rlimpse of a world of fact and fancy, which the eyes of the other have never been opened to see. With averaj^e ability, his course must be onward. He eau never settle down into the mere nrtizan, or tiller of the soil, with no thought beyond the daily labor to be performed, the daily pit- tance to be earned. Whatever occupation he may choose, it will be jjursued intelligently. The habits of patient attention, the abil- ity to (ix the mind on one subject, till it has been viewed in all its aspects, which must ever be the result of thorough mental training, will avail him in his workshop, or among his fields. lie may for- get the facts which formed the subject matter of his school lessons, rules may pass from his remembrance, he mrj lose his skill iit solving problems, and in answering difRcult questions, but the mental power acquired in dealing with these things in his youth, will not be lost to his manhood. In this mental power, and in its skillful and honorable application in the management of a man's own business, and in tiie performanee of the duties which he owes to the community, lies the difference between the intelligent and useful citizen of a country, and the man whose only claim to cit- izenship is, that he earns and eats his daily bread within the coun- try's limits. A matter of greater importance than the imparting of knowl- edge, or even than the ensuring of thorough mental discipline to the young, is their moral training. Knowledge is power, but knowledge unguided and unrestrained by high moral principle, is a power for evil, and not for good. Among the schoolboys of to- day, are the Judges, Magistrates, Legislators, of the future. If, twenty years hence, the affairs of this rapidly advancing country are to be subject to the guidance of good men and true, it must be through the influence exerted on the youthful portion of the community during the next ten years. In proportion as they aro successfully taught, that even with regard to the affairs of this world "goodness is wisdom, and wickedness folly," will they be w<»rlliy to take up the trust, which the future holds for them. Among \]n' various means to which we have a right to look for the attainment of this end, none can be placed as to importance, in atlvance of our Common School system of education. How can it be made a more efRcient instrument, fo the attainment of this end? In attempting to answer this question, it can be no part of the Essayist's duty, to point out those respects in which our school system — as a system, may be supposed, by some, to be deficient, or to suggest changes that might with seeming advantage be mtule in it. Neither could there In- iiny propriety, iu regarding the sub- ject from a point of view which shows it as a vexed question among our legislators, and a vexing question in its practical work- ings, in more than one municipality in the province. I suppose the question to be answered is this, — How can the Common Schools of our own district be made most effective as a means of mental culture and moral elevatiou to the children of the people? A fair and full answer to the question will, I think, go to show, that as all classes of the community are benefitted by the success- I'ul working of a well arranged system of Common Schools, so all classes are to a (lertain extent, though in different ways, responsi- ble for this successful working. But it is upon those whose duty it is to decide as to the qualificutious necessary for the teachers of these schools, and to pronounce judgment as to individual cases — and upon these teachers themselves — their fitness for the work, and their devotion to it, that the success of our educational system chiefly depends. Much has been said of late, with regard to the propriety of gradually raising the standard of requirements in those proposing to become teach.ers, and a litt).' has been done iu that direction. — But far more n'(|iiir«'s to be done. It mny be true, that there are few Common Sciiools, in which there are pupils so advanced, as to be beyond the teaching of one, who has passed a fair examina- tion as the standard of requirements now is. It may be true too, that it is neither desirable nor possible that the children of our Common Schools generally, should be carried beyond the simple rudiments of an English education. But it is also true, that eveu the rudiments of an art or science cannot be well taught by one who has not gone far beyond these rudiments. Any one may teach a r'hild his letters, or drill him in spelling words of a" indefinite inimber of syllables, but to teach a child to read well, one must be able to do far more than to tell the letters, or put the syllables together. A limited knowledge of Artithmetic may suffice for the teaching of the simple rules, the mere mechanical work of add- ing or multiplying, but only one who is skilled in the art, who un- derstands the science in its relation to other branches of mathe- matics, can reveal to his pupil the power of figures, or give him an idea of the wondrous secrets of time and space which they may be made to disclose. Any one with a quick eye, may teach a child to trace out on the map the outlines of the various countries, islands, ocean!*, painted upon it, or make him acquainted by name with the several zones and the parallels that bound them. But to put life and power into the teaching, to carry the child's imagina- *.ion awoy from the print* d and painted surface, the lines, figures, and mysterious symbols, to that which they represent — the grand real world in which he lives, with nil its wonders and changes, one must have u far greater knowledge of the subject, than a child 18 able to receive. To imagine that the actual necessities of the pupil, may with propriety limit the resources of the teacher, is to take a very nar- row view of the subject of education, to (orm an unworthy esti- mate of the importance of tlie teacher's otiice. A teacher, know- ing only the rudiments that he is expected to teach, and who is content to know no more, must fail in the right performance of a teacher's duty. He may announce facts, and explain processes, iu as far as he is himself aquainted with them, but he cannot make visible to his pupils — because he cannot see himself — the principles upon which the value of a knowledge of these facts and processes entirely depends. Besides — uuinfluenctil himself by the inducement to progress, which an enlarged knowledge supplies, he must fail tu give to his pupils the impulse toward self improvement, which is of more val- ue than any amount of imparted knowledge can be. In this power to influence the minds of his pupils, lies the se- cret of a teacher's best success. Many of the greatest ornaments of the world of science and letters, might have lived on in obscu- rity, unconscious of their powers, but for the onward and upward impulse given to their intellectual faculties by some scientific or classical scholar occupying the humble position of a parish school- master. An enlarged knowledge is not the sole source of such in- fluence, but it is as indispensable to its exercise, as are the moral and intellectual qualities which, in a teacher, command a pupil's respect. It will not avail for success where the gift of teaching is not, nor will it stand instead of moral fltness, or a true spirit of devotion to the work, but through it alone can natural gifts be made really available, as a means of intellectual and moral ad- vancement to the children of the people. Especially is it important that those entrusted with the educa- tion of the young, should be morally fit for the office. The rela- tion in which a teacher stands to his pupils, implies more than the mere expansion or cultivation of the intellectual faculties. Direct- ly or indirectly he must exert a powerful moral influence upon them. If not directly exerted for good, it must be indirectly ex- erted for evil. He can ueither divest himself of this power to in- fluence, nor of the responsibility which attaches to it. They whose duty it is to decide as to the motul qualities neces- sary in a teacher, need no hint as to what those qualities must be, and even to name them might seem impertinent. There can how- ever be no impertinence in asserting that a departure from the let- ter or spirit of the law having reference to these qualities, in de- c' Mng upon the fitness of individuals for the office, must have an injurious tendency, may be sufiiciently The standard of requirements in this respect, high : it must be uuiformly adhered to, if our Coininou Schoul:* are tu t.Xfii a healthful moral iufluence on the youth of our country. That the 13(i consciousness of fitness for his sphere have removed out of the teacher's way the obstacles which at first encumber his path, hia task is still a laborious one, requir- ing watchfulness, patience, flruiness, and great power of endur- ance mental and physical. To one who has no aptness for teach- ing, no love for it, no success iu it, teaching i.s a most painful drudgery. The office of teacher nmst not be assumed in a mercenary spirit — just so much time and teaching given for .so much money re- ceived. He who takes it in such a spirit will fail every way. He will disappoint, and he will be disappointed. If he is eonscieu- tious in the discharge of his duties, and at all successful in his work, he may go on with pleasure to himself and o*' era for a while. But when the day of reckoning comes — when t. e balance is struck, he will find that the hard cash justly coasidereri hia due, will by no means remunerate him for the labor bestowed. He will aay, ''With less wear and tear I might have earned more at some other work," and it will be the truth. The outlay of the teacher is not of a kind that can be estimated in dollars and cents, and dollars and cents, even were they more liberally awarded to the teacher than they are among us — could never make to him a full and satisfactory remuneration. Do not let me be misunderstood. We live in a world iu which to the greater number of us, our daily bread must, in one sense. I* f m 8 themselves lo ". «' ™ effectually »tl«raed. ,. ,e„„l,er tern in a f»'r »"? "' »' ,4 ,,„ iHken to make '"= °,,i„„ ,Vo,., Ite Again, measure* »1'M'* "„„,„, „„„ '" P^f ,%„„ must in our Common hd.ooU » P ^^ „,^j „, another, so ^ e„. of one ™«P»X«ion »"* '«*■";'""=• ta^"" unSwed, .lti» sofler, both as to '"X" ,,,„„essive teachers may "» ""•,,, Time »„d »tlainme,.ts ol '!« ™~^„ „uh the P™S'''"= f Sding. «>«» f^,„ent *Xto"le'st:t.er can a'-^J.^^ Xg " «-- ''-"' rls thl" roperiy. When^l- m* tluf Jthey J'- 'X"o>-.^i:'^-^^ - v-1 •TJiC'o.isrml.rs Wi^U regard to Jhe jea ^^^ ^^^^^^.^^ T ^^^a themselves thoroughly engaged in mei ^ ^^-^P^rei motive that term as '''^*"l°ito„ tathis respect w.U 1>« ^,»' X be marU, gre8% of a s''."""; . , ^ ^m that the progress i» g ogress can w 9 look ood, pro- r the .k to lit he ve iu esaful vilt of he so he is unera- their My l)e of onr lo have 53, who dev»)te the sys- teacher Vow the ulf» must the skill hted, this ». Time iiucr. Si. as fers from V tTfow ac- luilf. Pro- i ticqiiired ,n he well ivi h" form- !xpe«^icd to four moiiths themselves ;e any real m a skillful motive that i\\\ tt legiti- close of the 1 have little 1. The pro- D be marked, lest. In those progress cau scarcely he so evident, as to reflect honor on either teacher or pu- pils. Besides, even on the minds of conscientious teachers, the know- ledge of the transit jry nature of their connection with their pupils, must, in aiiotiier way, re-act imfavorahly. it will not he uulikely to tempt to all evading of ditficultics both in the government of their pupils, and in their instruction. Jt is often easier to endure pas- sively what is disagreeable, or even what is positively painful or wrong, than to take a firm stand against it, and the thought that a few weeks or months will put an end to the vexation as far as he is concerned, will often to a teacher prove a temptation to over- look what merits reproof' in liis pupils. The injurious effects of such a course mui«t be too apparent to require to be enlarged upon here. Notwithstanding the very evitlcnt disadvantages which attend these frequent changes, the cases in which teachers continue year after year in the same school, are the exceptions, not the rule. Indeed the cases are rare in which young persons are found pre- paring themselves for the oflice, with any idea of making it a per- manent one. No such Miing seems to be expected from them. It seems to be miderstood, that a young man, when his own school ilays are over, may very well spend a winter or two in teaching, until he sliall decide as to his future occupation, or in order that he may obtain means to pursue his professional studies. A young wonmn teaches three or four mouths in summer in rder that she may gain money with which to dress herself neatly during the rest of the year, and it is all as it should be with our Common Schools iu the opinion of people generally. But unless that is true with regard to the profession of teaching, which is true of no other profession, that the skill and experience which is the result of long practi|L:e cannot be made available in securing success iu it, all this should be (juite otherwise. Our Common Schools can never become the power for good, which they might be made iti the coimtry, until the teacher's otRce is made a permanent one. With this frequent change from school to school, no doubt the restlessness and incompetency of teachers may imve something to do. Young people becoming teachers, with no just sense of the responsibilities which they assume, or of the diiliculties which they nuist encouLler, grow impatient of the circumstances in which they have placed themselves, and choosing to believe, that what is unpleasant iu their position, arises from something peculiar to the school or neighborhood, rather than from their own incompetency, they seek new situations, only to find new troubles. Higher re- quirements on the part of »'u Board of Examiners, would tend to correct the evil .in as far as it is thus occasioned, by discouraging young persons who desire the office of teacher only that they may es<'ape from thi. perforumnce of distasteful duties at home, or that 10 they may «njoy what tieenis to them a more desirable social posi- tion than they could otherwiise occupy. But the other circumstance out of which these frequent chang- es seem to arise — the fact that few enter upon the work of teach- ing, with any thought of making it their life's work — cannot be so easily dealt with. The cause must be apparent to all. It is not surprising that few are found willing to devote their energies to a profession however suited to their abilities and tastes, which offers no reasonable prospect of affording a livelihood. This ought not to be true, of even the Common Schools, in the long settled dis- tricts of Canada, but true it is. The existence among us of prosperous academies and colleges, is evidence that the cause of education has advanced with the ma- terial prosperity of the country, but it is chiefly as regards these higher institutions of learning that the advance is apparent. Many of the drawbacks incident to the schools of a new country — the short summer or winter term — the giving place of one chance teacher to another — the ''boarding round" system as it is called, and many other defects in arrangement, still cling to our Common Schools generally, and unite to hinder their efficient working. It is time that these drawbacks were removed from the schools of the long settled districts. It would be a step in adviince if they could be kept open longer each season. A prospect of being em- ployed during the greater part of the year, would, even at the present rate of remuneration encourage suitable persons to qualify themselves for the work of teaching. But in schools generally, the rate of remuneration ought to be increused. Whil'3 it is important that teachers should guard against a mer- cenary spirit in seeking the office it is equally important that their employers should avoid that spirit of false economy which in- clines too often to cheapen a teacher's services. It is true of teach- ing as it is true of other things — that which is valuable must be paid for. And it is true also, that the cheapest teachers, like other cheap wares, often prove the dearest in the end. Let it be repeated here. Our Common Schools will become the power for good in the country which they ought to be, when the majority of them shall be under the direction of faithful and effi- cient teachers, and that happy day will not be \ery distant, when the office of teacher is made a permanent and remunerative one. What should be taught in our Common Schools, and what method of teaching should be pursued, in order that they may most effectually attain the object at which they aim ? While it must bo insisted upon, that an enlarged knowledge of many subjects is absolutely necessary to our idea of a well quali- fied teacher, it by no means follows, that many subjects should en- ter into the course of study to b*' pursued in our Common Schools. The youth of the greater iiuinl)er of the pupils, the early age at 3 11 what may whit'li tht-y geiitfrally leave school, and the course which lies be- fore them in life, unite to render this impossible and undesirable. Readiug, writing, spelling, the elements of arithmetic and geog- raphy should, with scripture history, and the history of our own and the mother country, t'onn the chief matter of instruction. With regard to grammar opinions may vary. No doubt the ex- perience and observation of the greater number of teachers go to })iOve, that beyond the mere Orthography, it cannot be taught to very youug children with pleasure and success. Definitions may be learned by Iieart, a certain facility in distinguishing the vari- ous parts of speech, and their relation to each other, may be ac- quired, but uny clear and appreciative comprehension of a full and elaborate system of analysis, is quite beyond the powers of chil- dren generally. Still a limited acquaintance with the principles of our language is better tlum none, and a knowledge of the text of some respectable grammarian may be of great use to *hose, who without intending to take a full classical course, yet have the opportunity of continuing in higher institutions of learning, studies of which the course pursued in our Common Schools, ought to be the foundation. It would therefore seem right that the elements of English grammar should be among the subjects taught in our Conunou Schools, It does not for various reasons seem wise to include in the course of study more than these branches. As has been before intimated the early age at which the greater number of pupils leave these schools, renders an extended course impossible. In most cases, the higher branches of study could only be pursued at the expense of those which in order and importance come first. No a<;quirements hiyond the staple elements of these branches, can make up for the neglect of them, or for a sMjjer^cj'a/ knowledge of them. A thorough acquaintance with them, is the only stable foundation for education, whether it is to be pursued in our higher institutions of learning, under the guidance of skillful teachers or amid the influences of a life of business or labor. Let it not be supposed, that the coui.:>e of study being confined to these elementary branches, the teachers will find no occasion to avail themselves of their superior attainments in their intercourse with their pupils. The more po.rfectly that a teacher is acquain- ted with a subject in all its bearings, the better qualified he must be to teach the simple elements. By drawing upon his own re- sources, now for an argument, now for an illustration, he may throw around lessons, in themselves dry and uninteresting, a charm which shall assist the memory aad quicken the other faculties of his pupils. With regard to many subjects that do not enter into the course of study, he may present them to his pupils in the only way in which they can be of real value to them. While nothing can be less interesting to children generally, than the elements of acieace, 12 encumbered, as even the simplest text book must be, with teclini- cal terms, a skillful teacher may so present many scientific facts, as alike to interest and instruct. The air of vaguensss and mys- tery which the necessary use of unfamiliar terms throws around the description of natural phenomena, a few clear, simple words can oftentimes dispel, and a child's eyes may be thus opened to see ever unfolding wonders in the world around him. In this way, not only may much valuable truth be imparted, but a taste for nat- ural science may be cultivated, a spirit of investigation encour- aged. The same is true with regard to other departments of knowledge. By clear, simple, judicious oral instruction, from time to time, a teacher may do more to excite in his young pupils, a love for the study of history than could possibly be done by giving a stated lesson of so many facts, and so many dates to be learned and re- peated daily. An interest in general literature — though these may seem large words to use in connection with the tastes of the child- ren of a Common School — a love for reading, and the right kind of reading, may be thus awakened, and a higher mental and moral tone encouraged. In another way the enlarged knowledge of the teacher may be made a means of advancement to his pupils. Tiiere is often an inclination on the part of young people, to consider their attain- ments satisfactory as a result, rather than as a means toward fur- ther attainments. This mistake a capable teacher may correct, by giving them, now and then, a glimpse into the vast domain of science, over whose boundaries, even the most learned have not advanced very far. This may be done in a manner, which, while it may rebuke undue self-satisfaction, shall not discourage the learner at the thought of advancing. While a teacher keeps in mind, that his duty is not merely to impart knowledge to his pupils, but so to impart it, that they may receive it with pleasure, and make it their very own ; while he re- alizes that in doing his uttermost for them, he is only laying the foundation of education, that is to be completed as the years pass on, that he is only — so to speak — putting them in the way of edu- cating themselves, he will not feel, that he need not avail himself of any acquirements beyond the lessons which may form the daily routine, but, on the contrary, that he must use every available means to enlarge his knowledge, to extend and deepen his experi- ence, to keep his sympathies and his conscience awake to the im- portance of the work in which he is engaged. With regard to text books — uniformity is desirable and will be- come possible, as soon as we shall have an entire series of Cana- dian school-books, as good and as cheap, as those which can now be procured from England and the United States. In a country where so many nationalities are represented, it is not surprising that a great variety of school books should exist. It is an evil 13 that must be patiently home with, because it cannot speedily be set right. Time is needed, as M'ell as wisdom and enterprise to correct it. Thoufrh a circumstance to be regretted, it is by no means so deplorable a matter, but that competent and faithful teaciiers may do much to obviate the evils which spring from it. But while teachers are not tf) discourage themselves, or excuse the slow progress of their pupils, by dwelling upon the variety and impertt'ction of the books which they find in their schools, they whose duty it is to consider the matter and act in it, must be aware, tliat the sooner that an improved series of school books can be arranged for our Common Schools, and generally introduced in- to (hem. the sooner shall these schools be made available in the highest degree for the at*uinnicnt of the object at which they aim. As to tlie method of teaching to be adopted in these schools, a thorough discussion of the subject might very well occupy many more pages than can be devoted to it here. Time and space will only permit a breif allusion to certain principles the recognition and prac- tice of which, are absolutely necessary to the successful working of any method of teaching. Order and regularity in the recnirrence of recitations, should be strictly adhered to. If a class are itj doubt as to the time they are to be called, or if frecjuent omissions leave room for a doubt whether they )nmj be called, the chances are very much against a thorough preparation of the lesson on the part of all the members. Regularity is more to bo desired than frequency. A lesson regu- larly recurring twice or thrice a week will be of more value to a <'lass in the com-se of a tenn, than a lesson intended to be given every day, but subject to change or omission. Perfect recitations should uniformly be insisted upon. When the lesson consists of principles enunciated, of rules or definitions, the exact words of the text book should be required. When pro- cesses are explained, or facts or illustratiousgiven, the pupil should be encouraged to give (he substance of the lesson, in his own lan- guage. No lesson should be passed over before it is understood, or until its relation to preceding lessons is made clear to the pupil. Frequent reviews should be insisted on, as greatly assisting the pupils, both in retaining and understanding the lessons. Distim'tness of utterance in recitations should he attended to. Too great rapidity of utterance is a fault, which no degree of cor- rectness in oth^r respects should be permitted to excuse. It is a fault into which young people very naturally fall, and it nuisl be guarded against and corrected a* whatever expense of time and trouble. Especially should this be the case, with regard to read- ing and spelling. Every word in a spelling lesson, clearly and distinctly pronounced by the teacher, should be as clearly and dis- tinctly repeated, at least twice by the pupil, once before, and once after spelling. The matter of a reading lesson ought to be so within the comprehension of the pupils, that the whole attention 14 ,!! I . } ! S may be given to the manner of reading. Distiuctuesa of utterance- in order and in importance, is the very first quality to be (jousider- ed. FauUs in utterance and pronunciation should be carefully guarded against in all school exercises, and it is in spelling and reading lessons, that the best opportunities occur, for forming good habits in this respect. In teaching arithmetic, mental operations should be encouraged. Valuable assistants as a teacher may make slates and blackboard, in teaching this branch of study, they must not be too exclusively used. Many pupils acquire great skill and quickness in perform- ing operations with abstract numbers, who fail utterly in applying the simplest principles of arithmetic in practice. If a choice were to be made between mental and written arithmetic, either as a means of discipline to the mind, or for use in business, there could be no hesitation in choosing the former method of teaching it. The methods must be united, in order that arithmetic may be well un- derstood. It must be acknowledged, that as a general thing very imperfect success attends the teaching of writing in our Common Schools. This arises in no part from the foolish idea that prevails in some quarters, that mere penmanship is a secondary matter in educa- tion. A fair, clear handwriting is admired and valued, as it ought to be by parents and children. It is justly felt, that nothing which a child is expected to leai*n at school, will be of more service in after life, than to write well. Several causes hinder success. The inconvenience of many of our school houses for purposes of writ- ing, and the frequent change of teachers have something to do with it. And teachers will do well to remember, that even with the aid of copperplate copies they cannot teach writing well, un- less they themselves write freely and legibly. Both teacher and pupils may be greatly assisted in this matter, by a judicious use of the blackboard and slates. Letters, wordsy or sentences carefully written on the board, may be copied by a class, on slates or on paper with great benefit. Children should also be required to copy regularly from the book their daily spell- ing or reading lesson. This will answer several ends. It will teach them to v rite and spell, and it will serve to preserve order, hy keeping them pleasantly employed, at times when the teacher's attention cannot be given to them. Children should also be made to write from dictation. This will not only help them as regards the free and pleasant use of the pen, but it will be of great service to them in other respects. It is one thing to write well under a copy, and it is qui^e another thing to encounter the combined difficulties of composition, spell- ing, punctuation, and a proper use of capitals, which the writing of a legible and intelligible letter must present to one not accus- tomed to write. These difficulties the daily copying of lessons, and frequent writing from dictation will do much to remove. 15 A well prepared lesson well recited can scarcely fail to be an in- teresting exercise, both to teacher and pupil, and it is in the power of a well informed and skillful teacher to extend its pleasing and profitable inflnence beyond the occasion. It is at such times, when the minds of the pupils are most awake and active, that his supe- rior attainments may best be made use of for their advantage. Permit me to illustrate. Suppose the lesson to be an historical one. It is likely tliat some of the members of the class may have had recourse to a variety of methods to assist the memory in re- taining it. Some of these may be of such a nature, as to be val- uable merely for the moment. The place on the page — some pe- culiarity of expression — some arbitrary association of names, dates, or incidents may iiave been seized upon and made available for the occasion. Beyond the occasion they cannot be made avail- able, and so far as a knowledge of the lesson depends on them, it is lost, unless it can be in some other way retained. It is for the teacher then to disassociate from the printed pages, the characters and events wliich formed the subject matter of the lesson. It is for him to give form to mere names, to place them as living characters in a real wc-'d, to make visible hidden motives of action, and to point out the relation existing between cause and effect, in such a way, that not merely the pupil's memory, but his imagination, his judgment, his rympathies may be interested. Then, and not till then, will the matter of the lesson be really his own. Suppose the lesson to be a geographical one. — A child learns with regard to Brazil, that it is a very large country in South America — that its mountains are high, its plains extensive, its riv- er the largest in the world, its forests so dense as to be impenetra- ble, &e. He may remember these things as they stand in the book, but much interest will be thrown around them by a few simple words, telling of the wonderful variety of animal and vegetable life, with whicli these mountains and valleys, these rivers and for- ests teem — the gigantic trees, the treelike vines and ferns, the wondrous flowers and fruits which astonish unaccustomed eyes — the birds of brilliant plumage — the fierce wild beasts — the terrible reptiles which find a home among them. Let him get a glimpse, through his teacher's eyes, of these vast plains, where spring seems to urge on a gigantic vegetation, only for the summer to de- stroy, let him peep into one of these lovely valleys where it is al- ways spring, or gaze awestruck on the mountain tops where winter ever reigns, how changed will his ideas be ! The name of Brazil will no longer suggest to him merely the memory of a dull printed page with a poor little picture illustrating it. He by his teacher's aid has caught a glimpse of a new world, a new manifestation of life which must be his own forever. To accomplish all this will not require much time, or many words, or great talent on the teacher's part. The tact, patience. 16 and skill necessary for the ri;»ht perlonnaiico of liis otlier diilios, will, with a knowU-djje of ilio subject under disiMLssion, lie sutli- cient for lliis, Tiie merits of the method of teaching very youn;f children hy means of object lessons, can oidy be fairly presented bj tiiose who have had experience in this nninner of teachinjr, or an ojtportnni- ty of oltserving its resnlts. I am not one of these, and therefore I can say nothing as to the desirableness of pieparing onr teachers for the formal introduction of the system into o\n' schools. But this may be said. A teaciier interested in the improvement of his pupils, will find nuiny opportunities to teach them in this way, without the formal announcement of a lesson. Ksp(!cially may children living in the country, who pass daily, to and from school, through tields and woods, in the midst of pleasant natural objects, be thus benefited. By means of the flowers and fruits which they gather, the trees whicli they climb, the rocks over which »hey "lamber, the pebbles of the brook, and the birds of the air. they may be taught many pleasant and nseful lessons. Their powers of observation nniy be more happily awakened in this way than in any other. Their eyes nu»y be thus opened to see the wonders of the world of nature around them. They will not only learn to ob- serve, biit to classify fads, am! reason from them, and the knowh^dge obtained in this way, will be far more their own, and far more valuable to them, than it could be, if obtained alone from bctoks. There is another brancii of educatittn whicli may not be over- looked in enumerating the subjects proper to enter into the course of study to be pursued in our Common Schools. What place, should be ifiven in these schools to moral and religlonx teaching f Tlip circimistances which in onr country make the siibject of Christian education, one to be approaciied with a certain delicacy and reserve, afford no snfticieiu reason for avoiding the subject al- together. For in the answer to this question, lies in some meas- ure — let me sav in a great measure — the secret of the future sm-- cess or failure of these schools, in attaining the object at which they aim. While there are few who do not acknowledge that an acquain- tance with the principles of morality, and the truths of revealed religion, is of infinite importance, there are many who profess to doubt the propriety of permitting direct religious teaching in the schools of a country, where so many religious se(;tM prevail. They acknowledge the importance of early and constantly instilling into the minds of the young, a knowledge of those principles, which shall influence them toward the love and practice of virtue, but they fail to see that this can only be very imperfectly accomplish- ed, if it is undertaken without reference to the one standard of right, by which these principles are to be tested. This standard is 17 Ood-given, and cannot with impunity be ignored of set aside. In a mixed community like curs, the Bible cannot be formally included, among the books of daily study in our ComiAon Schools. Apart from other reasons, there may be some force in the objection that the familiar use of God's word, as a school book, may have a tendency to lessen the reverence with which it ought to be regarded. Any force that there may be in this objection ought not to tell in a matter of such importance. Properly conducted, these daily readings may be made the means of deepening, rather than of less- ening, the reverence of children for the Bible. Viewed merely as & reading book — a series ot lessons by which childreb may be taught to read with pleasure and success — rat y of the historical portions of the Old Testameut with the Proverbs, and the Evangel- ists, are unequalled. But a judicious l>achci- will be careful not to allow the exercise to become u mer" reading lesson. The pupil must never be permitted to forget, that what in read comes to liim with authority — that this is the standard with which all opinions are to be compared — the rule of life — the guide to Heaven. It is very clear, that by means of the simple truths of the BibU — the histories recorded, the principles illustrated, the doctrines taught in it, a child can best have impressed upon his heart and mind, those truths which are rather vauguely spoken of, as the principles of morality and virtue. Separated from the Christian element, or perhaps I ought rather to say, from the truths t-evealed in the Bible, what is there left of these principles of morality and virtue, that can be made to commend itself to the heart and mind of a child ? No sense of the unchangeable nature of right and wi'ong, which is the foundation of all morality, can be awakened in him, apart from the knowledge of God as the lawgiver of the world. No just ideas of our mutual relations, duties, and respoti- sibilities can be conveyed to his mind, while he remains entirely ignorant of his relation to his Maker, or unimpi^essed with a sense of his responsibility to Him. Through a sense of this responsibil- ity a child can alone be taughf his highest relative duties— obedi- ence to parents, to teachers, to the laws of his country — a love of truth, and all that is lovely in character ; a hatred of deceit, of selfishness, of meanness in all its forms, can best be taught hind, by inculcating the precepts, and exhibiting the life, of the only Perfect Example. Th«y do not speak wisely, who, while they acknowledge that the principles of morality ought to be impressed on the minds of children, yet declare that direct religions teaching is not to be per- mitted in our Common Schools. In their minds it is impossible to disassociate the ideas of religious teaching and sectarian teaching. They fail to see that religious teaching, in its highest sense, is quite apart from — quite beyond the mere iteration of a creed — the sett- ing forth of a sectarian system of belief. Even if ihoral truth could be made available as a means of instruction, apart f¥om re- 5 18 V '\ I! gious truth, is there not a strange inconsistency in this attempt to ignore the truths of Christianity, in a system of education provided for the benefit of the youth of a professedly Christian community ? "Them that honor me, I will honor," is the declaration of Him who, however we may forget or disbelieve it, is in deed and in truth, the giver of success in all undertakings, having for their uim the benefit of the race. Success in the best and highest sense, will ho ensured to our schools, when the teaching sh.ill become Christian teaching. The cultivation of the heart, as well as of the intellect, is necessary to the right forming of character, and it is only through the truths of our holy religion, that the heart can be influenced to reject the evil and choose the good, strengthened to resist the temptations of the world, endowed with wisdom to cscujit its snares, and made happy in the practice of virtue. As to the manner in which religious truth is to be imparted, as to the time and place which religious and moral teaching should oc- cupy in our schools, it may not be desirable, even if it weio possible formally to decide. A perfect form of instruction, made obligatory, would by no means ensure the end desired, where an earnest spirit is wanting. It is not merely or chiefly by means of formal or pre- pared lessons, that a pure and happy moral influence is to he ex- erted in a school. In season and out of season, must the work be done — the guiding and restraining touch given. Here u little, and there a little, must the good seed be sown. It is now the plucking of a weed, new the training of a tendril, and again the shading or sunning of a sickly plant, that will make and keep the garden of the heart, fruitful and fair to see. And so we come back to the point that has already more than once been touched. The school will be what the teacher makes it. It is well that our School System should in theory, and in its opera- tions as a system, be made as nearly perfect as the circumstances of our country ond our age will permit. Hut after all, its success- ful working toward the best ends, must depend upon the fitness of individual teachers for their work. Morally, even more than intel- lectually, the school will take character from the teacher. If he be r.ne who needs no rules to bind him to the performance of his du- ties as a christian teacher, if he is enlightened to know, and earnest to impart, if his life shall teach, as well as his lips, then shall suc- cess in its highest sense, crown his efforts in his pupils behalf. Nearly connected with the moral and religious influence which a teacher exerts in his school, and in some measure depending up- on it, will be his success in governing his pupils. It may not be true, as has sometimes been asserted, that the most orderly school is the best in all respects, but it is true, that without order, no school can attain to a very high character in any respect. A teach- er may be "thoroughly furnished" and have the "gift of teaching" but without the power to command the attention and obedience of 19 'iiis pupils, lu! ciiniH)! oxpeet siicct'ss in tl(e work oC tuacliing. A [' education in any district, there can- not be two opini'in^. '•I'uiou is stren.iith." ••Two are belter tli.au one," ••A threefohl coiil is not easily bi'oken," "•In the multitude of cuiui.-fllors tlu'i'i- is siiftty,'' are proverbs ihat apply to this, as to oilier matters. .\s a means of mutual benetit, as a means of extending and inl-'n-ifying the power of teachers to do well their work in the comniuiilly. they must Ijc valuable. As a means of makiiig teacln-rs bettt;r known to each other, as a means ot culti- vating that "ospfit de corim," so vahiabie in all united labor, the worth ot' iiiese Associations can hardly be overestimated. By a judicious arrangeniiMit t»f the oriler of exercises, by a series of lectures. es.'Says, and conversational discussions of (piestions relat- ing to the cause of education, more highly endowed teachers may make them useful as a means of instruction to the younger aad more inexperii'uced. All teachers, when it is possible, ought to identify themselves with such an Association. All who are inter- ested in the progress of the cause of education, will do well to tise their intiuence for the encourageuient of those, upon whom the responsibility oi' sustaining these Associations chiefly depends. — Without the co-opcrati(Ui of teachers, and of educated people gen- erally, these A>M)ciali