32

Public Instruction in Vocal Music.

some few instances twenty or thirty-starveling districts. And we do not know, for ourselves, whether we could even subscribe to the plan, in all its features. We have no doubt, that for a time, all would go better, on that plan, than on the present. But we would fain hope that the time will come — thanks to such spirits as are found, to some extent, even in old Plymouth - when it will be seen, by the most stupid apology maker, that it is not only for the intellectual and moral, but even for the pecuniary interest of the community to sustain schools within the present district limits. But perhaps our hopes are too high. If so, let the districts be enlarged. The health of our children will not suffer under the new system; it will be improved. Let them walk three or four miles; it will invigorate body and mind; and both they and their parents will reap the benefit. Any thing any measures not absolutely badto rouse into life, on this important subject, a community which has a name to live, but is dead; and which cannot be moved by the love of any thing but the love of money or - what money will buy and pleasure.

ease

MUSIC IN SCHOOLS.

[We have alluded, in a former number, to the introduction of vocal music into the public schools of Boston, and to the opposition it has met with from various quarters, especially from one or two editors of the public papers. The following article, from the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, of November 22, and coming, as it evidently does, from one whose opinion is entitled to respect, is worth more than the prating of a thousand of those editors of newspapers, who, though they set themselves up as judges on all subjects, sometimes know as little in regard to the matters of which they speak as they do of Latin, or Greek, or mathematics.]

'As a Bostonian, I have been much interested in the proposed experiment of introducing musical instruction into the public. schools, as a liberal measure, promising good results in several ways. But as a member of the profession, I regard it with interest in its hygienic relations to a numerous class of the community, and eventually to all.

'The circumstances under which children attending school are, by the necessary regulations, unavoidably placed during school hours, are very remarkable; and although they have often oc

Its Bearing on Health.

33

cupied the attention of the physiologist, are still too much neglected. Here we have children kept, for a fourth or fifth part of the twentyfour hours, as nearly motionless, so far as their bodies are concerned, as the efforts of the instructers, striving against the impatience of nature and of their inclinations, can make them. There are intermissions of this constraint, indeed, which are arranged as judiciously, without doubt, as the present system will admit. But these occasional outlets for the accumulated energies of the body, though invaluable, are not what we should desire. They are altogether too short to answer the desired end; and, again, the impetuous and unnatural activity with which the interval is filled up, is as inconsistent with the perfection of the vital processes, as the opposite extreme.

The grand desideratum, therefore, if it be necessary to continue the time of confinement at school the same as now, must be something to relieve the dulness and oppressive inactivity of school hours on the one hand, and thereby moderate on the other hand the violence of excitement and exertion during play hours. This desideratum the introduction of singing promises, at least in some small measure, to supply. And the advantages of even a small acquisition in this way, if it become general (and for this I have no fear), will be incalculable. Nor will the gain of healthy exercise and relaxation be so small as we should at first view suppose.

Under the circumstances of the schoolroom, the mere change of situation and object of attention is something; but that the absolute exercise the consumption of nervous and muscular energy in even half an hour of disciplinary practice in singing — is very considerable, no one will deny who is acquainted with the modern thorough mode of teaching. Few kinds of exertion call into action so much muscle at once as singing; which brings into moderate action (these muscles being designed never to be exhausted, cannot be urged to violent effort) all the principal and auxiliary muscles of respiration. At the same time the viscera, both of the thorax and abdomen, are all subjected to a vigorous action in the highest degree salutary and natural. This must be a great relief and aid to the vital functions when embarrassed by the constrained positions of the schoolroom.

'Again, there seems nothing irrational in the position assumed by the advocates of singing, that it fortifies the lungs, when not already morbidly disposed, against disease; on the contrary, is highly probable that the noted increase in their capacity, and the temporary vigor conferred by it, may be connected with a permanently improved development, by which fatal diseases shall be resisted.

34 Mr Palmer's Notions of Teaching Reading.

'We must add to these advantages of singing in schools, the peculiar manner in which it exercises and awakens the attention, and the pleasant, yet harmless exhilaration which it must afford, thus acting like a safety valve upon the animal spirits, otherwise waiting to explode in uproar and mischief. The moral effects. which must follow in the execution of the proposed plan, from the union of voices in harmony as opposed to discord, well deserves attention; but they cannot probably be fully appreciated till seen and felt. The subject at present might seem to be one of local interest only, but I conceive it to be far otherwise. I confidently look upon the experiment here as a starting point, from which will proceed results that will rapidly become as universal as they will be important in their bearings. And I ear nestly hope that the attention of the profession generally will be directed to it as the germ of a more complete system of general education, in the future development of which they will be peculiarly called upon to give their aid.'

ONE READING BOOK IN A CLASS.

6

IN giving our meagre sketch of the late Lectures before the American Institute of Instruction at Worcester, in No. 11, of the last volume, among other views of Mr Palmer, from Vermont, we noticed his suggestions on reading and writing. One book to a class,' he says, is quite sufficient. Let one read and let the rest hear.' There is an advantage even in requiring the whole school, at times, to listen to a single reader. When one pupil has read a sentence, or verse, or paragraph, the book may be passed to another, and so on.'

These views of Mr Palmer have attracted the attention of not a few individuals engaged in teaching, among whom is a teacher in Athens, in the state of New York; from whose letter, received some time since, we make the following extract.

'If, by "let the rest hear," (v. No. 11, p. 486,) Mr Palmer only meant to prevent a "habit of inattention and mental wandering," I think he divests the exercise of half of its utility. I have

seen

one book to a class," used, not only to induce fixedness of thought, but also, to elicit the corrections of the hearers.

For instance, if one of the readers in a New Testament class should read the fifth verse of the first chapter of second Thessalonians in the following manner, "Which is a manifest token of the righteousness judgment of God," &c.- one of the

Mistakes in School Keeping.'

35

hearers would immediately correct the reader by saying righteous judgment, &c. Again; should another read. "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and they obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" one of the hearers whould immediately set him right, by saying, and that obey not, &c.

Let no one say it is impossible to correct mistakes without a book; for I know that by a careful attention to the meaning of words, and to grammatical construction, it is quite possible.'

We are pleased with this little criticism, by our correspondent, of what he supposed to have been an error or rather an omission of Mr Palmer; but it gives us pleasure to be able to assure him that the omission was not Mr P.'s, but our own. Mr P. not only spoke of that particular advantage of the exercise to which our friend refers, but of many others. We were more willing to insert too few of his remarks, than to make wrong statements. The truth is, that the volume of the Lectures referred to will be published shortly, when the whole of Mr P.'s remarks, as well as those of the other lecturers, will appear in their own proper dress, and the public will then judge of their character for themselves. We greatly mistake if the single lecture to which we adverted, delivered by a plain, common sense man, with no pretensions to scholarship, or to much else except a head with a pair of eyes in it, will not be found richly worth, of itself, the price of the whole volume.

CONFESSIONS OF A SCHOOLMASTER. NO. VI.

[The following is in continuation of the series referred to in our last number. No. 5, which precedes this, will be found at page 538, of vol. vi.]

ONE serious mistake was made, this winter, which produced many unpleasant feelings among the inhabitants of the district; and which, had I not been in other respects generally acceptable, at least to the parents and masters of the pupils, might have destroyed much of my influence.

The hours for school were from nine to twelve in the forenoon, and from one to four in the afternoon. It was not uncommon, in those days, for people to complain of teachers that they did not keep their hours,' that is, did not teach their pupils the full six hours prescribed. Indeed I believe nothing was more common, with many of our teachers, than to cut short the time a little.

36

Results of these Mistakes.

This I despised. But in my zeal to oppose the practice, I went quite too far. There was indeed a temptation to this, arising from the fact that, at this time, I was strongly impressed with a belief that somehow or other my services were valuable to the school, in proportion to the length of the lessons I gave the scholars in reading, spelling, &c.; so that when I detained the pupils, as I was apt to do, after the hour of four o'clock, in the afternoon, or shortened the recess at noon, I considered it a real gain to the pupils, and a gratuity from me to the parents.

In winter, when in our climate the days are at the shortest, it is almost sunset at four o'clock; and, for little children, who have from one to two miles to go to reach their homes, is quite late enough to dismiss them. And yet, when the weather was not too cold, I sometimes detained them till quite sunset. I remember that in one instance they were kept till after sunset, when a fog suddenly came on, and one family of children did not reach home till dark. No wonder the parents were disaffected, and complained. They ought to have been disaffected.

They did wrong, however, in not coming directly to me, and telling me their grievances. This going and complaining to somebody else so common throughout society is all wrong. It is even unchristian. If thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone.' The observance of this rule would save much trouble in the world, and especially in schools.

But their complaints reached my ear, and I reformed my practice. In doing so, however, I fell into another error, which though it did not displease the parents directly, was very mortifying to their children. I encroached more and more upon the intermission, sometimes continuing the school till nearly half past twelve instead of leaving off precisely at twelve; but always beginning again precisely at one.

The first evil which arose from this practice was that some of the pupils who went home to dinner, were not able to return seasonably for the afternoon; at least they thought so. They had not time, they said, to eat their dinner. My reply to this was, that they usually had as much time for that purpose as I had; for I boarded among the families, and usually walked home to dinner. I had not then learned that we ought to eat slowly. I supposed, up to this period, that the sooner we eat our meals the better. I forgot too, that I could eat much more rapidly than my pupils.

Another evil was, that the pupils who remained said they had not time enough for play. If the intermission was contracted to thirty minutes, and it took them fifteen minutes to eat, this