Show NORMAL DEPARTMENT NORM R Rousseau and FROM THE FRENCH OF MADAME DE I r i LII- LII Hla Ul S JI 1 J J Pest 19 zi made use of geometry in teaching arithmetic to children this was also the method of the of-the the ancients Geometry Geometry Geom Geom- l etry appeals more to the imagination t l than does abstract mathematics It is f important to unite precision in instruct instruction t tion with vivid vivid imp impressions if one 1 r would become complete master of the i human mind for it is rather obscurity in presentation than the difficulty of the thet t f subject that prevents children from f grasping it Th They y comprehend m rehe all by f degrees The important thing is to rightly graduate str iI-str instruction to the del der development de de- r l of the child chil mind This slow but sure advance may maybe be continued J indefinitely s so long og as su undue due haste aste is isn isI n I carefully guarded against It is wonderful to note how under the influence of Ve Pest sta l lozzi the the round and delicate features of children acquire naturally a reflective expression x resson they attend of th themselves m and consider their studies as a man of mature J years occupies occupies occupies pies himself with his own o affairs rs A remarkable thing is is t that at neither nether reward nor punishment is necess necessary fy to incite them to wo work k It is perhaps the first time that a school of a hundred and fifty children has been cond conducted c ed without without with- with t jj j-jj out resorting to to emulation or 1 fear ar How evil sentiments are 9 d many are sp spared r man 10 f when jealousy and n humiliation are removed removed removed re re- moved from his bis he heart hearty when he he sees not in 1 his comrades rivals nor in his masters masters judges Rousseau wished to submit the child to the law of destiny created himself that desti destiny ny during the course of the childs child's education education tion and arid directed his decrees decree for its happ happiness ness and its perfection ti The child hild feels eels hims himself lf fr free e i is pf pleased ks' ks with the general order which surrounds him hirn and andin nr in which which v p perfect fec equality q r al ty is not not ot destroyed ev even even ri by bythe the existence of tal talents more or less distinguished than others It is not a question of success success but of progress towards a goal towards which h all are str striving with equal l fai faith h. h The scholars become masters wh when n they know more than than their comrades the masters become scholars again again w when en enthey they find some imperfection in th their ir method and begin again their own education education education edu edu- cation in order to better ju judge ge o of the difficulties ti s of teaching There is a general fear le lest t the method method of bf should stifle the imagination imagination imagination imag imag- and prevent originality o of thought It l is hardly possible that there h re should be an education on for genius a and d dit it is rarely that nature or government inspires or encourages it But to make early knowledge perfectly clear and certain certa certain n c cannot be be bean an obstacle to g genius l it its gives to the mind i id i'd d a as a kind of f f ferment rm t which makes progress ss i in the the highest studies easy easy It is is- necessary to to Jo look k kupon upon the sch school ol of as being confined for th the present to io children hildren The education which it gives is designed for the common people but it is i's for this very very reason that that it it is is' capable of f exercising a very very salutary influence upon upon the n national spirit Education for the should be divided into two two periods periods ds ih in the the fir first t children are are r guided by hy mas ma masters masters mas- mas f rs j in the second they instruct themselves themselves themselves them them- selves voluntarily and this education of choice should be received in the gre great t universities The Tl instruction n received from gives to each Ii man iri to whatever class he belongs a a foundation upon 4 p which he lie can can build according to his desire the the thatched co tage of of th the p poor po o o or the palace of the king We in France are wrong wrong if we believe that there is nothing good to be learned learne from the school of P st lozzi but b t his rapid method of learning to calculate calculate r i 1 11 math mathematician mathematician iri himself is not a f he knows languages but imper- imper h he e has has but tile the genius and t the e. e t of the internal internal development of the intelligence of children he sees the ther r road d which their thought takes to arrive at i its t end That loyalty of character which sheds so noble and calm a light upon the affections of the heart Pesta- Pesta lozzi judged necessary also for the operations of the mind He thinks that there is a moral pleasure in completed studies And truly we see continually that superficial knowledge inspires a sort of disdainful arrogance which repulses as useless dangerous or ridiculous all which it does not comprehend We see also that this superficial knowledge obliges one to easily conceal ones one's ig ig- norance norance Candor suffers from all those faults of instruction of which one cannot cannot cannot can can- not prevent ones one's self from being j ashamed shamed To know perfectly w what at one knows gives a repose to the mind which resembles the satisfaction of c conscience The good faith of estal carried into the sphere of intelligence treating with ideas as scrupulously l as with men is the principal pal merit meri t of his school through it he assembled around him disinterested men who devoted themselves themselves themselves them them- them them- selves to the welfare of children When a a public i institution min ministers ste s to none of the self interests of its chiefs the motive tive of that in institution must must be looked 3 d for in the their r love of f virtue virtu The pleasures which it gives are alone sufficient to surpass the treasures of power The institute of has not been imitated nor his method of in instruction instruction instruction in- in adopted elsewhere It is isec necessary r ec to establish with it t the e perr perseverance perseverance perseverance per per- severance of the masters the sim simplicity of the scholars the regularity y in the manner of living and ab above ve all the religious sentiments which animate that school hool The observance of creed is not more more nor exact x t than elsewhere but everything everything every every- fhi thing g there ther pa passes ses in the name name of divinity y in iq th the name of that pure pur noble sublime s sublime blime spirit r i wh which which J ii I h i l' l i r is s 's L the l habitual religion of f the heart Truth goodness confidence affection surround the children child child- ren ren-it ren it is in the air they breathe breathe and and for some time at least they remain strangers to all hateful passions to all j the arrogant prejudices prejudices' of the world An eloquent philosopher Fichte said that he looked forward to the regeneration regeneration regeneration tion of the German nation through the institute of But it must be admitted that a revolution brought about by such means can be neither violent nor rapid for education however great the good it can do is nothing in comp comparison comparison com com- j p parison rison with public events instruction pierces the rock drop by drop but the I torrent carries carries it away I in a single day |