PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2240, 4 February 1897, Page 51

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

The] New IBducatlen. And what education is that ? in do doubt the question that' naturally comes to the lips. In Oka go we have heard a little about oramming, keeping in, excessive home lessons, and have a narrow idea generally of wbat education really is, and effort* have been made to make sohool life more oongeniai to all concerned — inspectors, teachers, and pupili — bat I cannot say with how much success. In many sohools more natnral methods are adopted, and in the lower classes and standards a modified kindergarten system is being introduced.

The new education may by some be called a fad, and as yet little is known of it, and perhaps it may never be widely known. It io certainly a unique system, and much m»y be said in its favour if it be taught by enthusiastic, resourceful tnaohers, with a plentiful supply of school furnishings ; and it also has, wbioh is very important:, an absence of "inspection which »ims at making out direct results, as, for instance, taming oat ohildren labelled so much per twelvemonth.

The system has been oarried out now for four years in the Normal .Training Sobool, 1 Detroit, and, broadly speaking, the theory' j. worked oat is that every child repeats in his or her development the history of the human race ; in other words, an actual though an elastic correspondence exists between the development of a obild's mind daring the school period and tbe succession of phases in the history of civilisation.

Let me try and make dear what I mean by giving an outline cf the programme gone rhrougb, though the process of condensation naturally will not give the complete idea as worked oat in the review I have taken a note or two from — I think it is the Arena, which is acknowledged to be one of the lending American periodicals.

Grade one takes the ohildren averaging five or six years, and they are made folly acquainted with the nomadio period of civilisation, mainly through Longfellow's " Hiawatha," 1 the little Indian boy being the type. The teachers tell the story, describing the house or rather wigwam he lived in, what he ate and wore, what he learnt with the forest as his school, how he made bis bow and arrows, what he shot, the scenes ho saw — in fact, everything conneoted with the Indian's wandering life. After the story is told with delightful minuteness and enthusiasm, the main facts are drawn from the little folk, and a few of the faatg are placed on a blackboard, each fact being represented by a sentence of one line. ' These are read, learnt by heart, put down in varying order, the sentence representing eaoh fact being recognised no matter in what order placed. Then from the lines, eaoh identified with a parfcioular faot, the reading lespon proceeds to the words in that line, these words being by practice recognisable in any order, and after th« words are known well the lesson proceeds to the identification of the letters. Then the story is driven borne, and a vivid and lasting conception of nomadio life got by drawing and modelling all objeots of Nature connected direotly or indirectly with the story enlarged upon; and to hand, oye, ear, and the mental faculties are developed to the utmost.

Grade two takes up tbe pastoral and agricultural periods. The story taken Is that of Kablu, a little, early, Aryan boy. Kindling fire; the roughl/-construoted log or stone house, with a cliff or steep hillside as v baok wall ; the Eheep and cattle ; the sun prayed to as a god and tbe giver of life, as seen in' Nature, are lined in ■ and detailed. Then there in a contrast made between Eabla as an ideal pastoralist and Little Lord Fauntlaioy as the typo of modern civilisation. Dolls hie made and dressed to represent each, and drawing and modelling are made use of as before. The children are made familiar with the early Aryan myths, ouch as " Jack und the Bei»n Stalk," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Jack the Giant Killer," "Cinderella," and "The Sleeping Beauty," the Jaat by nature work showing the development of seed life, the cocoon, «kc. At this stage pictures of the Holy Family are used to teach love, fai'-.b, and roligion.

Grade three shows the uext stage in humsn development as pictured in the life of Darius, tbe Persian boy. The children become soldiers, and through military pictures, dress, and exercises become imbued with tbe military spirit, and learn what it is to cultivate truth, courage, and obedience. At the same time, with pencil and blooks an idea is got of Persian architecture, and in j other ways that can easily be imagined, but j not so easily carried into effect, Persian manners and customs, Persian products, and the natural history of the country are all, j and more, brought vividly before the mind's eye. At this stage the ODntact of Hebrews and Persians bring in the Hebrew civilisation, whioh in turn gives a good opportunity to work in Old Testament stories, and these again lend themselves to almost indefinite expansion. Grade four introduces the Greek civilisation. About the room are representations of (keek art in the shape of photographs, bus relief*, statuettes — the last representing the Apollo Belvedere, Venus of Milo, Diana, Mercury, Hebe, the Sleeping Ariadne, Aurora, Olytie, Niobe, ico., and all are studied in connection with the motto stated or implied— the true, tbe good, the beautiful' As the writer of tho review article entered the roorji tbi* part of the syllabus waff being dealt

with, A little boy of eight yean old waci telling, with exqnisite precision and olearriefirf of phrase, the story of Bauds and Philemon ? and another boy related the story of Rhceoue, which was afterward! acted, a little girl being the dryad, a boy taking the>part of Rbcecus, another the bee, while some aoted the rflle of schoolmates to the hero. Ohlldreo took parts inanimate and notfientienfc, everything being represented as far as possible In the concrete. And the result I Splehdld elooution and everything done fall of intelligence and vitality. Ao before, doll* representing Greek people young and old are exhibited and fashioned ; Greek letters ara written; and drawn; houses drawn and built, animal and vegetable life described—anything and everything that intelligence and the senses could make dear and grasp were called into requisition. In this grade the proportions of the statues and buildings open np the way to give lessons In symmetry of shape, proportional parts, ico. '- v . Grade five shows the Roman peritfd and civilisation. Baste of Cicero, Cesar, and others, Roman temples, arohee, and .colonnades are exhibited, described, drawn, and modelled; Horatius is taken as a oharaoter type, and Maoaulay's poem and narratives describing old Roman heroes are read and studied. In this stage power through law is dearly illustrated, and the school atmosphere becomes fall of that stern integrity and selfcontrol for whioh the word Roman stands to us. The military and patriotic spirit' becomes strong, and stories of heroism, past and present, are told by the ohildren with a fervour that shows their spirit sympathy. As the life of a Persian, a Hebrew, and a Greek were pictured in former grades, so. in this Roman life is - drawn the home, the school, industrial life, the State, the Church, &o.

Grade six brings In the Arthurian legends, the archaic forms of expression being preferred to the modern and more prosaic. Chivalry is emphasised, and in Grade seven the high-preesnre period is entered and- represented by oharaoters and stories dealing with the Renaissance or New Birth, Oolumbus being one of the oentral figures. OopernlouJ, Raleigh, and Joan of Aro are dealt with, and literature is represented by Spenser's » "Faerie Qaeene," Shakespeare's plays, Dante's "Divine Comedy." The room is hung with photographs of the masterpieces of Miobelangelo (It Is spelt thus in thoartiole), Da Vinci, Oorregglo, Guido, Reni, and others. Tbfs it shown to be the colonising, the shipbuilding, the cathedral period, ' the renaissance of music and art, of speculation and experiment.

Grade eight comes down to Puritan times, and Oromwell, Hampden, Milton, Banyan, and William of Orange are a few of the heroes the ohildren are taadefamiliar with. And " The Pilgrim's Progress," "Paradise Lost," "The Rise and Fall of the Dutch Republic," and other classics are studied.' Here the motto "A conscience free and responsible" Is made the central idea, and it soon becomes recognised that it is a duty not only to obey the conscience but also to enlighten it. Grade nine takes up the history of America, and here you may. depend Washington oomes in for special notice ; while Grade ten takes np the world's history in epitome.

Grade eleven deals with civil government, justice, and the State as a whole — In short, with citizenship, whioh yon already know I wonld like to see dealt with in the upper standards of all our sohools.

Grade twelve takes up sooial life and love and the family as a state emit. Ehysiology is studied and sex explained. Fare love stories, sach as "Paul and Virginia" and " Evangeline," are read and dwelt upon. And with this grade ceases the primary instruction. " And what Is the end of this work 1 " atked the visiting scribe. " I hope there won't be any, but it it hardly began yet. . . We cover the same ground in technical reading, geography, and language, number writing and science study as in the old system, and much more, besides important work in literature, art, and ttthioa." " I don't know what to call this," c aid the. visitor — " the apotheosis of the story or a gigantic philosophy of co-operation." '< Either will do," said the teaoher ; " cooperation is the idea, and story is outmethod." What think yon of the new education 1

— The number of 'inhibited houses in London is estimated at about 548,300. — Chinese junks f,nd boat* huve ejres carved or painted on the bows, which are usually supposed to ba a mere fanciful form of ornamentation. 'But they have .<. real meaning,' ai a. recent traveller found. In going up a certain river from Ning Po he was startled one day by seeing a boatman seize bis broad hat and pat in over one of the " eyes " of the boat, while other boats on the stream were similarly blinded. Looking about for an explanation, he saw » dead body floating pait, and he was told by th«j boatman that if the boat had been allowed to "lee" it some disaster wonld surely have hap* pened either to passengers or crew before the voyage was ended.