AN IDEAL SCHOOL

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6623, 12 September 1908, Page 15

AN IDEAL SCHOOL

DESCRIBED BY oOHNT LEO TOLSTOI'. Count Leo Tolstoy has been giving a deftoripUion of a morning at a.as lueui eciiooi. Xn endless to say. the picture ho preteut-ft w as far removtd from the reality we know as the poies arc apart, lie i«5 apparently convinced urnt tn-3 rcepui.eioiiiiy for the evils of the present fcyfticm rosib principally witu tne teueu61*. In the village, he says in describing thid ideal sciiool life, people uro gutting up and itximixng the fires. In tue bt-nooi-hou*e* the iigaiis have neea burning lor aeiiio time, and half *au nour alter the pcaiii.£ of the hells one axes long rov, b of Uivic figures niching toward the •chool. The ciiudren uo not to ue toid to go—wii-en it is lime to start for the soaoolKouee, they do so of tneir owii accord. it oeeme to m© that their individualities are over growing stronger, that tneir characters are rapidly being moulded. I nftvo hardly ever seen children phaying in the road with exception ox tne very smaiieot, or those wno have conic front otaej schools. None of them curry anything— neUnor booite nor wming maLeiia.s, for none of them are required to study at home. i>ut aot only do they carry nothing in their hands, they carry nothing in their heads ©itner. Not one,©* tnem is ever ashed to romcnioer what ho did yesterday. Tncy are hot tortured uy tuo thought of coming exaiuiiieaiuns. harm jiupii orinfs only himself, his imprebSiOr.abie mind, and trio ho will hare just as good a time as ho hid yesterday. Jlc does not think of the lesion until it has begun. A pupil is never ticorded for o«ing bxte, and, therefore, there is nevex one of them who id itue, except wno’i some of luo bigger ipupila have had to stay at homo to nejp with tno work

1 shall give just an idea of an incident which may bo seen any day in my school.

ttupposo that, according to the plan /or uie day, the first ctass is to practice cpalling, too second reading, and tne uiird mathematic©. Tno leacncr enters tke oi««a~room to find tno children pucd on top of each other on the noor, while one shouts, “Tk* pile is not big euougn yet/’ Another cries, “Don't squeeze mo so," and from the Douom of tne jjoup comes a voice, “Oh, Te ter ;uiclud<ovatch, tell them to stop/'' “iiow are you, Peter Atichailowitch r" others cry to the teacher, wniJ© tnoy continue to wrestle. The teacher takes tho books and hands them to those who follow him to rue closet, where they are kept, and those who are on top Of tho neap a&k lor books, while stid lying down. Gradually the on tne floor grows smaller. Ao soon as most or the cuiumiti have been driven books tne ocneis get up, rusk to tne clow.t and shout, ‘‘au*. too; me, too—give m©/the same as yesterday I" The excited once grow calm, qpen their book* and only their quick urcatniug tell* of their excitement oi a before. The warlike spirit disappears -and the mind of Uio teacner ruki tae room. imka i» studying his book with the tamo cathuiusm ue brut ai:p.-.yoJ iu boxing Vaa*ili'» ear. lie giilv u s teeth, hi* eyeo sparkle and he see* now nothing hut tho book in front of birn. To get him away from hifl book now require® much more effort than to stop his playing and fighting. Every pupil sits down, where he feels

Uko on tho bench, on tho table, on th* windowsill. The gills always sit toC \ml *thus the'day passes, young mind* ahooruins instruction eagerly and sorry to hear the signal to go homo lor th, xhio is rny ideal school.