was stated in the first number of these articles, there have been examined under the direction of the executive committee, about five hundred American and two hundred and fifty foreign school books. Among them one hundred and twenty different spelling books; three hundred different English grammars; nearly two hundred different arithmetics; and considerable numbers of other kinds of books. It is designed to continue this work until a complete collection is made of the valuable school books of our own country, of England, of France and of Germany. REPORTS. The results of these examinations have been embodied in written reports, which have been duly considered and adopted by the executive committee. Reports on the following subjects are on file. I. On the general principles to be applied in the adoption and recommendation of school books. II. On school books, in general, but with special reference to spelling books; a paper of thirty pages 8vo., which was printed for the use of the society. III. A particular and extended report on two spelling books, deemed by the committee worthy of a minute and critical examination; a paper of seventy closely written letter sheet pages. IV. On Porter's Rhetorical Reader. V. On Colburn's First Lessons in Intellectual Arithmetic. VI. On mo months of extended consultation, labor and care; books which, perhaps more than any others, (if we except the Bible,) exert a controlling influ ence over the thoughts and feelings, the manners and the morals, of a nation. They are the spelling book, the grammar and the dictionary. These are the great guides and censors of the language; and the language of a people is not only the vehicle of their thoughts, but is almost an unerring index and exponent of their hearts and lives. How important, then, to have these great fountains, from which a whole nation draws, kept as "wells of English, pure and undefiled." The standard of orthography, orthoepy and grammar, in our own country and in the father land, ought to be the same. The republic of letbe one and indivisible. When the two great naters, at least of the Anglo-Saxon race, should tions, speaking in the same language, are such near neighbors, and transatlantic intercourse is of literature and science is so rapidly extending, so greatly increased, and the intercommunication it is a matter of no small moment that good usage of our "mother tongue" should be, not only in both lands, but every where, the same. And this can only be secured by elementary books conformed to that usage in either country, which may be regarded as authority. A com. mon standard, in view of the high destiny of the ral science. VII. On writing books for schools. tee are disposed to take some pains to effect, English tongue, is an object which the commitVIII. On English grammars, which has also and there is some reason to believe that the ef been published in a pamphlet of 24 pages 8vo. fort will be appreciated and seconded by scholars, for the use of the society. Considerable pro-statesmen and patriots, throughout the realms, gress has been made in the preparation of reas Carlyle happily says of "Saxondom." ports on other subjects. A catalogue of nearly two hundred different arithmetics has been prepared, most of which have been or are now found in the schools of our country. BOOKS ADOPTED. The following books have been adopted after much careful deliberation, and announced as the commencement of the society's series of text. books for schools, viz: Porter's Rhetorical Reader; Colburn's First Lessons in Intellectual Arithmetic. BOOKS IN PROGRESS. CORRESPONDENCE, &c. The labors of the committee have given rise to very considerable correspondence with the friends of education in different parts of the country, and with some important boards of education. More than two hundred letters are on the files of the society. The committee has been represented at several public meetings and conventions, where the great interests of our na tional education have been discussed, and they are happy to say that not only a high estimate of the objects and labors of the institution generally prevails, but that an active and hearty cooperation in its efforts has been repeatedly prof fered. Institutions of education and important bodies are awaiting the decisions of the committee, before deciding on books to be recom. The subjects which have been attended with the most difficulty and embarrassment, are spell ing books and English grammars. No book in either of these classes was found, that fully met the views and wishes of the committee. Much delicate and perplexing service has been per-mended to the schools under their care. formed to secure the preparation of a book in each of these departments, which should embody the principles and carry out the views exhibited in the reports of the committee on these subjects, which are known to be in accordance with the opinions of many of the most intelligent active friends of popular education in various parts of the country. The arrangements already made, or contemplated by the committee, are, to some extent, made known to the public, and will from time to time be communicated in the published reports. The work undertaken is one of time and care, and can never be performed to the satisfaction of those who appreciate it but by a degree of labor commensurate with its importance. There are three books, which of themselves are, in the opinion of the committee, worthy of Conventions of superintendents and teachers in the interior of this and other states, have passed and published resolutions commending these labors; and not a few of the most influential and valuable presses of the country have spoken of the aims and labors of the committee in a manner affording gratification and encouragement. Numerous applications have also been made by authors and publishers to have their works adopted and recommended by the society. In conclusion, the committee would only add, that the prosecution of their labors has greatly strengthened their conviction of the importance of the work they have undertaken, and every successive month brings increasing evidence that the community will appreciate it, and that benefactors will be found to aid and support it. TEACHERS' DEPARTMENT. Under this title, we shall publish such suggestions in relation to methods of instruction, as will be useful to the teachers of our schools. The following judicious remarks are from the pen of Dr. Alcott, the author of "Confessions of a Schoolmaster," "Slate and Blackboard Exercises," and other valuable and interesting contributions to the cause of general education. The schools referred to are in Connecticut, but Albany County has schools in which the same evils existed, and the same remedies have been most successfully tried. New Testament, and then two or three pages in the National preceptor, the Village Reader or the Child's Guide; and all this amount of reading was deemed indespensable.-How easy á matter would it be to shorten these reading lessons one third or even one half! This would give time for a recess of reasonable length; and what is of nearly equal importance would give time for reading more thoroughly. It would be much nearer the truth to measure the real progress of the pupils of our schools by the shortness of their lessons than by their length; though, in point of fact, it has little to do with either. A class may learn more by reading a single paragraph of half a dozen lines, in a proper manner-perhaps by a single scholar-than by reading, in the common way, three, or four, or half a dozen paragraphs each. It is of some consequence, I grant, to read long lessons, in the usual manner; but of far more to read but little, and to read that little, well. And so, in fact, of spelling, geography, grammar, arithmetic aud In our own judgment no branch is more uniformly badly taught than reading, and in none is reform more essential.* READING-HOW TAUGHT-HOW IT SHOULD BE every thing else. TAUGHT. In Reading, the fundamental error among us consists in endeavoring to do too much at once. No sooner is a child set to reading the simplest sentences than he is required not only to pronounce each letter, word and syllable correctly, but he is also expected to attend to proper loudness of voice, distinctness, emphasis and cadence; and to observe the pauses and inflections. The consideration that children do not learn by much reading in the usual way, is not the sole objection to it. A great waste of time is involved. At least one sixth, often about one fourth of the time spent in our schools is devoted to reading. Now the pupils would not only learn faster by reading half as long, in a more thorough manner, but there would be saved half an hour daily for other purposes. Now this is about as unreasonable as that of This half hour daily is an item of importance. requiring the beginner in writing to attend, at To a child, who from four to twelve years of age the very outset, to position of the body, the pa-attends school eight months of the year, it is a per and the hand; to the cut, slope and size of saving of 3, 520 hours-equal to 26 months. letters, and to all those minutiae of art which To the 80, 000 children of the State, it would be belong to a more advanced progress. And the a saving of 2, 120, 000 months, or 176, 666 years. reason is the same in both cases-it is found in If these children, politically speaking, are State the violation of a well known and highly impor-property, and their time is worth on an average tant principle, especially in early instruction"Do one thing at a time." But although this is the fundamental error, in teaching reading, other errors are frequent. The lessons, almost every where, are too long.Teachers seem to think that if their pupils read over a certain number of pages daily, and make no glaring errors, they will at some time or other, and some how or other, become good readers; and that the greater the number of pages read over, as a general rule, the greater or more rap. id will be their progress. Like the carder of wool or cotton, who puts his raw material into one end of the machine, expecting that after a certain number of revolutions, a proportional quantity of rolls--he hardly knows how or why will make their appearance at the other. I was in a school of 30 pupils one day, when observing that the forenoon recess was very short, I enquired what was the usual length? to which I received for reply-"five minutes." On being shown that fifteen minutes would be better than five, the teacher observed that he could not get through his usual course of instruction if he had so long a recess. And yet these same pupils every day, read their one or two chapters of the NOTE. We hope that teachers will communicate the results of their own experience, and make this department of the Journal, widely useful. Ed. $25 a year, the public gain by saving and making a wise use of this time would be to a single generation of the youth of the State $4,444, 444. He therefore, I repeat it, who shall be the instrument of so far effecting a reform in the methods of teaching reading, as to save half the time now devoted to it, and make the remaining half worth more than the whole now is, will be a great public benefactor. He will save to the State, in less than half a century nearly four and a half millions of dollars-which, of itself especially, to a dollar and cent community, is a matter of much importance. The reading, in our schools is defective in many particulars. In general, the selections are in advance of the pupils' years; and when not so, are of such a character as seldom to interest their feelings. When we see a class of readers, during the exercise, standing at sixes and sevensholding their books awkwardly, looking around the room, or playing tricks on their next neighbors, and in their turns mumbling over the sen tences, verses, or paragraphs assigned them in a monotonous manner, and yet at a rate so rapid as to make scores of mistakes, most of which pass wholly uncorrected-professedly, too, for want of time to make corrections-are we not warranted in saying that the exercises are of very little service to them, and that for the purpose of improvement they might about as well read over an equal number of pages in Latin or Greek? Yet such is a picture-by no means exaggerated of the greater part of the reading in our schools. There is very little that deserves the name of reading, in nineteen in twenty of our schools. And as is the school, in this respect, so is the schoolmaster-aye and the parent, too. We have few good readers among us, even among our public instructors. Now it need not be so, even with our present defective reading books. Selections may be made, from all of them, which might be so managed, by the teacher, as to excite the interest, and arouse the feelings of the dullest school child in New-England. For example, let a verse, paragraph, or sentence, be selected; let the teacher either read it himself, or require some of his more intelligent pupils to read it, or draw forth -which is better-an explanation from the pupils. Let them see that it has meaning; and that they can by attention and thinking come to it. 'Let them be active in the exercise, and not pas-sive. There are a thousand ways of accomplishing this object. One is, by requiring them to express the sentence or paragraph in their own words. Another is, by analyzing it. Another is by conversing on some topic it may suggest. Another, still, is by familiar criticisms on each other's manner of reading it. In these or other ways which secure attention and require thought, the dullest sentence or paragraph is susceptible of being made deeply interesting to the youngest, I was going to say dullest pupils. to read; During the progress of the exercise, however, if not before commencing it, I would analyze it, in something like the following manner. First, I would read, or require a pupil to "On this, the second son advanced." Here I would thus question the class. Had this second son any brothers? How do you know? Had he a father living? How do you know this? What is the meaning of advanced? If I should ask one of you to step out two or three steps forward of the class, and another to go back two or three steps, which would advance? To advance, is to come forward, then, is it? M What did the young man-the second sonadvance, or come forward for? What did he say he came to, in his travels? What is a lake? Who can tell me what is the difference between a lake? and a pond? Did you ever see a pond? Did you ever see a lake? How large a lake did you ever read or hear of? Names of some of the lakes, &c. liverer? Was such a feeling right and proper? Was any other person present when the child was saved? Why do you suppose there was? Why, then, did not they save him? Did you ever see a drowning person? Did you ever see the body of one who had been drowned? What is the meaning of "to assert?" What is the meaning of "to attest?" Are lakes always deep? Do you think the lake spoken of, here, was deep? Why? Was this lake remote from inhabitants, do you think? Whynot? Was this second son a grown man, think you, or a mere boy? What makes you think so? What does the young man say he saw, in the lake? How came the child to be in the lake? Can you guess? In what way did the young man save him? Are there any other ways of saving drowning people? What are some of them? Is it probable the child could swim? Why not? Can we swim till we are taught? Do you supOnly a short time since I found a class of very pose the child's parents, or any body else, reyoung children, in one of our schools, reading warded the young man? Why not? What feelan article foom the National Preceptor (foundling did the child probably have towards his dealso in the old American Preceptor) entitled "The Test of Goodness." As I expected, it was read, or rather mumbled over in a very mo. notonous manner, according to the custom of the day-two thirds of the pupils having their eyes, and a larger portion still their thoughts else where. Yet this is by no means a worse selec. tion than many others of the same book, and of most other class books, in reading, which obtain favor among us. Here is one of the paragraphs. "On this the second son advanced. In the course of my travels, said he, I came to a lake in which I beheld a child struggling with death. I plunged into it and saved its life, in the presence of a number of the neighboring villagers, all of whom can attest the truth of what I assert." Now there is not the slightest necesity of having a whole class of pupils, eight or ten years old, merely passive in reading such sentences as these, or, what is still worse, having their minds occupied with something else, or devising or executing mischief. Had the teacher, in the instance above, read with and for her pupils, something would have been gained. But this is not enough. Does any one believe, for one moment, that a class of children could be either stupid or uninterested, while such exercises were going on?— Or that they would ever again read the sentence half asleep, or with symptoms of positive disgust? But their interest might be increased, or their attention arrested by the relation, on the part of the teacher, (or even by some pupil) of an anecdote. How many lives have been saved in a remarkable way, as by dogs, &c. I have dwelt the longer on this point, because I believe it to be one of immeasurable importance. It is an attempt to rescue, not the bodies, but the minds and souls of our children from a worse than any ordinary lake-from the lake of stupefaction and death. Need I repeat that half an hour, or even a quarter of an hour, spent in a manner like the foregoing, would be worth more, much more,-than a whole hour spent in running over four or five or half a dozen pages of that which they very little understand, and which they care for still less? It would be worth more as a mere reading exercise, saying nothing of the thought and feeling it would elicit. If "The Test of goodness" is about to be read by a young class, or indeed by any class, I would ask them, beforehand, to take their books and study it over carefully, assigning as a motive for this, that instead of having the whole class read it, I might, very possibly, call upon particular individuals to read it, while the rest would look over and perhaps make corrections. That I am astonsihed and more than astonished to in order to have every one prepared for the task, it was necessary all should study or read it over find teachers, every where-men and women of beforehand. Then, when the hour came for the reputed good sense, too-persisting in the use of exercise, I would do what I had before promised.mere hum-drum exercises, and calling them read 208 or ing; and what is worse still, School Committees, by the gross, suffering it to pass, and seeming to say like good and faithful watchmen on the wall, all's well. A better name, by far, for these wretched processes, now called reading, would be stultification. For if to drown youthful cu riosity, repress the growth of mind, and disgust the young with books and school, is to belittle stultify, I am sure we teach well one thing in our schools, the science or art of stultification. The best way, beyond a doubt, of teaching a child to read, is by accustoming him to form his own lessons in the first place, and reading them afterward before his class and teacher. Lessons which a pupil prepares himself, he will of course understand, and be able to read correctly and naturally. How to accomplish this, is briefly told in Slate and Black Board Exercises," page 110-123. DISTRICT SCHOOL JOURNAL. THE PROSPECT BEFORE US. and mechanical pedagogue; the rod is for all practical purposes in pickle, where we trustit will long be suffered to remain; even emulation, so long deemed absolutely indispensable to the success of an enlightened system of teaching, has been to a very great extent, superseded by the application of higher and nobler and more efficacious motives. Our But the most encouraging feature in the practical operation of the existing system is the general manifestation of a personal interest in the schools, on the part of the public. This is evinced by the spirit with which the numerous school celebrations in nearly every section of the State are appreciated and conducted. columns continue to be filled with animated accounts of these most gratifying and joyous festivals; and we speak from personal observation of their effects on the interests of education, when we say that no greater incentive to the adsys-vancement and efficiency of elementary instrue. tion, has yet been afforded, than is furnished by these exhibitions. The advantages and benefits of the school are brought prominently and distinctly before the public; teachers receive their appropriate rewards in the approbation of their patrons and employers; the children are stimu lated to renewed and successful exertion-not to surpass each other-but to surpass the hopes and highest expectations of their parents and teachers; and an impulse is given to their physical, intellectual and moral powers, which will carry them onward in the pursuit of knowledge and virtue with accelerated velocity and under the most encouraging auspices. THREE years have now elapsed since the tem of supervision of our common schools through the agency of county superintendents, was originated and put in operation-and a litthe more than one year, since the substitution of the office of town superintendent for that of commissioners and inspectors; and the friends of elementary education may look back with pleasure upon the substantial improvements which have been effected during this short period, and forward with well-grounded hope and sanguine anticipation for the future. Without at this time going into details, it is sufficient to state that in all those essential attributes which give value and efficiency to our common school system, our elementary institutions of learning These results are principally due to the assi throughout the State have advanced far beyond the most enthusiastic expectation of the strongest duous and judicious exertions of the county and advocates of the existing law. The healthful town superintendents throughout the State: and and invigorating elements of personal, thorough if the recent revision of the laws had accomand systematic visitation and inspection, on the plished nothing beyond this, it would have well part not only of the several officers officially deserved the approbation of every enlightened charged with the performance of this duty, but and right-judging citizen. Without claiming of parents and citizens generally, have secured for the system as now constituted, perfection, to our common schools an interest and an attrac. we hazard nothing in saying, that, so far as its tion which they have never before possessed. practical results thus far may legitimately be Teachers of a higher order of qualification, in- taken as a specimen of its powers, it is, as a tellectual and moral, have very generally sup. whole, and all things considered, the best system plied the places of the inefficient drones, under which has yet been devised, for securing, when As such, many whose soporific influences, the interests of edu. faithfully administered, the benefits and blescation have so long languished and drooped. sings of public instruction. Life and animation-interest and excitement of our sister States are building up their educa progress and advancement-have taken the tional systems, upon the basis of our own; and place of that listlessness and repugnance which the most, enlightened friends of education at once characterized all the operations of the home and abroad, concede its excellence and its school: the school-master is no longer regarded capability to accomplish the great object for as the stern and gloomy despot, or the stupid which it has been devised. COMMUNICATIONS. No. III. EXPERIMENTAL EDUCATION. ILLUSTRATED BY THE STORY OF OBERLIN. every thing belonging to it, because knowledge makes better farmers and gardeners, better mechanics and laborers, better preachers and teachers. The well educated, going forth into the world with the understanding and every faculty improved, can produce better effects of labor, and command higher rewards for it. The world is the better for them, and they are better fitted to serve and enjoy the world, when they are designedly prepared to do so. need of such than the countries in which they were tried, might profit by the knowledge of them. Of these, the most interesting, perhaps, are those of Oberlin and Felix Neff. Some ac count of the former may not be unacceptable to the readers of the Journal. ONE of the strongest incentives that can operate upon the legislator or the philanthropist to increase his exertions and encourage his hopes, Facts that show the changes that took place is the actual success of experimental education. in Scotland, and more lately in Prussia, conse It may be well to inquire-What it has ever done quent to the adoption of a general and rational for states or small communities? The traveller school system, would demonstrate the happy incan see at a glance, what knowledge, carried out fluences of knowledge upon national manners into practice, has effected in some countries; and and virtue, there are also on record some more what are contrary consequences of a wide-spread limited experiments, so convincing that any sinignorance in others. Any man who is no travel-gle district of our country, though much less in ler at all, who has the least information of the existing condition of mankind, under different social circumstances, knows that eertain countries, New-England for instance, and the miserable provinces of South America, possess in widely different measures the comforts of life, the security of property, the pleasures and priThe Ban de la Roche, in English, the valley vileges of human intercourse and individual en- of stone, is a desolate tract of about nine thoujoyment. Mr. Stephens's Travels in Central sand acres, among the Vosges, (a chain of the America, a book of great popular interest, de- Alps,) not far from the city of Strasbourg. Its monstrates the infinite worth of cultivated mind winter commences in September, and the snow to social man, by exhibiting the extreme degra- remains undissolved till the following May. In dation consequent to the want of all cultivation. the more elevated parts of this district, such was No such proof of the value of general education its sterility, it was said formerly, that the wife would need be brought up in its behalf, were might carry home in her apron all the hay that there not some people, everywhere, disposed to her husband had mown in a long morning. The underrate its importance. These apathetic per- people of the Ban de la Roche, however, in the sons would by no means exclude all instruction midst of this destitution possessed one inestima. of the young, but they would have the thing ble blessing, not every where enjoyed in that that hath been, the thing that shall be; they part of the world, it was religious toleration; would have common school education as little and among the few families that subsisted with costly as possible; they believe it requires no difficulty in this valley might be found both Propublic supervision, nor any improvement what- testants and Catholics, who worshipped God, ever. Of course they do nothing to advance it, each in their own way, without disturbing one and by forbearing to advance it, they discourage another. Still the most deplorable ignorance the friends of the cause. What is not for us is and poverty prevailed among them. These evils, against us. Indifference on the part of parents however, were gradually removed by the eduand the trustees of schools, and neglect in co-cation that was happily introduced among these operation with the suggestions of school super-poor people. intendents, have a direct tendency to prevent the good results of any enlightened school system. No system is good that is not made so, that is not well regarded and cheerfully promoted. Let all persons do all that they can, be it more or less, to secure the benefits of good schools to the community in which they live. The best friends of education are, generally, those who can personally derive no advantage from the extension of it. For the most part, they know the worth of it by the enjoyment of its benefits, or by the want of them. In either case, in ripe age, they have nothing or very little to gain by the improved wisdom and virtue of the rising race. They have done, or they can do for themselves, what they are urging up. on parents in general to do for their children; the only reward they expect for their counsels or their cares, is no other than the prevention of sin and misery, and the augmentation of virtue and happiness. He who seeks to do good, who teaches his fellow man how to secure to them. selves and their posterity the greatest good of the greatest number, is a benefactor not to be disregarded or despised. The result of know ledge to a community is the better quality of From 1750, to 1827, two excellegt clergymen carried on the work of instructing and improv. ing the inhabitants of this region. The former of these, Mr. Stouber, saw that he could no way enlighten his flock in religion, till he opened their minds to the reception of general truth. He commenced his pastoral office by reforming the village school, for a pretended school existed in the Ban de la Roche. The school-house was a slight building in wretched condition, where a number of children were crowded together, rude and noisy and without occupation. The master, a supera nuated old man, lay on a little bed in one corner of the room, when Mr. Stouber first entered this school. The following dialogue between him and the schoolmaster is amusing: What do you teach the children? Nothing! How is that? Because I know nothing myself. Why, sir, I had been taking care of the Walbach pigs for many years, and when I got too old and infirm for that employment, I was sent here to take care of the children." |