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Holbrook on Education.

number of our ideas, and if his is, in any sense, the longest life which contains the greatest number, how much longer-nay how many hundred times as long-does the cultivated and truly thinking mind live, than that which goes through the world without seeing any thing? But the question whether we shall see much or little, think much or little, and live much or little, depends in no small degree, on our early education, and the manner-wisely or unwisely-in which it is conducted.

We propose to give further illustrations of our views on this topic, in future numbers.

DEFECTS OF MODERN INSTRUCTION.

AN article from the pen of Mr Josiah Holbrook, lately appeared in the New York Journal of Commerce, which, with some little transposition of its paragraphs, appears below. We are of those who believe that the views of Mr Holbrook are entitled to more attention in this country, than they have hitherto received.

'The defects of education, both in the subjects and modes of teaching, are radical. The system is rotten at the core. The defect is, it has no soul, and until that is given it, the whole can be only a confused mass of dry bones, without muscles, veins, ligaments or joints.

Nearly every teacher has observed in children, who seldom make a mistake in a spelling lesson from a book, perhaps in one who was always at the head of his class in spelling, numerous and gross mistakes, when they attempted to use their spelling in writing sentences. It is also a well known fact, that in many schools-and in all the schools for deaf mutes, where the spelling book is seldom if ever used, and a spelling lesson never committed to memory-the pupils never make a mistake in orthography. It may be so with every child; and cannot fail of being so, if the same plan is adopted in spelling, as is pursued in every other business except school-keeping-learn tools by their use; learn watch-making, by making watches; shoe-making, by making shoes, not by reading about watches and shoes.

In numerous instances, I have known children, literally, to teach themselves to read. Their learning must of course have been a pleasure to them, and but little trouble to their parents or teachers. It may be so with every child. I have also known some instances of children going to school two years, before

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they learned the alphabet. In such instances, children most commonly possess superior talents. Their minds are too active and too sensible, to submit to the exercise of repeating over, like so many parrots, the names of certain characters, to them without meaning and without sense.

'I have also known numerous individuals who became good writers or penmen, without using a sheet of paper for the purpose of learning to write. So it may be in any case.* So it always is, with the pupils of schools for deaf mutes.

"The art of sentence making, embracing as it does, spelling, penmanship, grammar and rhetoric, in addition to a good supply, and a great variety of materials or ideas, is certainly more difficult, and must require more experience and skill, than the art of making shoes or watches. And yet the plan adopted, to a very great extent, for acquiring this art, and for procuring the materials too, is to read about constructing sentences, rather the construction or structure of sentences or to study grammar-to parse; which would seem to imply in the minds of many, a knowledge of all the arts and sciences. The best definition I have ever heard of parsing is the art of changing good sentences into bad sentences.

'I have seen many cases, very many, of children who have studied grammar for two or three years, making mistakes in determining the parts of speech, which they ought not, and need not have made, after one hour's instruction. The fact is, that the principal result of the study of grammar in a very large portion of the schools in our country, is to close the minds of children against knowing any thing on the subject. They are scarcely able to construct the most simple sentence correctly, they make as many and as bad mistakes in conversation, as children who never heard of a grammar, and the most that they retain on the subject is, that grammar is something which they hated very much at school.

'It is also well known, that some of the best writers in the English language never learnt a definition or a rule from a grammar. The only instances in which I have ever found any difficulty with children in comprehending the offices of words, or or the parts of speech, as they are called, or in constructing sentences correctly, was with those who had spent a long time, in several cases two or three years, in committing lessons from grammars, in parsing, and in correcting false syntax.

* How will this accord with the views of Mr B F. Foster, a former correspondent of ours? And yet Mr Holbrook is an experienced teacher.

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Improvement in Common Schools.

CONFESSIONS OF A SCHOOLMASTER-No. X.

NEW EFFORTS AT IMPROVEMENT.

WHEN I had completed the usual course of study, and had obtained all those honors which were necessary to enable me to pursue reputably my new profession in this or in any other country,' I began again to think of school keeping. Indeed, this was always nearest my heart. I had only resorted to another profession as a discipline to my mind, and that I might have, as the common saying is, 'two strings to my bow,'—that is, that I might have, as a last resort, and in case of necessity, a profession, which though respectable, I could never love.

It was spring, and the summer was approaching. Few schools would employ male teachers at this season. But I was unwilling to be out of employment. I was indeed out of funds, and involved in debt; but this was not a matter of great solicitude. I knew I did not owe so much but that I could, with economy, speedily pay it, in almost any occupation.

My health was not good, neither was it very bad. I was able to do something, and yet not strong enough-and consequently not morally courageous enough-to meet many difficulties, or encounter much opposition. How should I get a school, and where?

I was particularly unwilling to go among strangers. You may wonder at this. A man with a college parchment in his pocket, you will say, so exceedingly diffident as that! Strange, indeed!-And so it was strange. But stranger things have happened. You have heard, no doubt, of the diffidence of the poet Cowper. He seems to have been a greater fool, in this respect, than I was.

Mine, by the way, was something more than common diffidence; although I was not then aware of the fact. It was a diseased state of feeling; or rather it was that kind of timidity and irresolution which almost always accompanies a person whose vital organs and nervous system are in the state in which mine were at that time. In short I was nervous and consumptive-two states of existence either of which is enough to bring down and make half idiots of strong and wise men.

At last I began to entertain hopes of hitting upon a plan for reforming my native town, not only in regard to its schools, but every thing else. It was a small obscure place, but the people were negatively virtuous, and comparatively happy. They were a very simple people, and in this respect, quite interesting.

But they had little patriotism or public spirit, and still less benevolence. Every one lived almost independent of the rest; and it seemed to be an object with him to become so. Hence arose a degree of narrowness and selfishness which was rather unfavorable.

I thought if I could only elevate their schools to a respectable standing, an important point would be gained. 'This I hoped I might do. My plan was to set an example of devotion to the employment of teaching a common school; to elevate the character of my own school, and then aid in improving the character of others. At the same time I hoped to encourage the circulation of books, magazines, papers, &c., of which there was great need.

Had there been a real friend at hand, at this juncture, who knew human nature better than myself; who could have taken me by the hand, and pointed out, on the one side the probable assistance and co-operation I should be likely to receive, and on the other the difficulties which must inevitably be encountered, how invaluable would his services have been to me! But no such friend was at hand; indeed I had none. At that period I had never had a true friend-a real one-although I had many relatives. They loved me as a relative, but could not sympathize with me, in any benevolent plans or projects; because they were unaccustomed to such enterprizes. If any thing was proposed, they only discouraged me. They regarded me as visionary.

My plans for the improvement of my fellow townsmen were not a new thing. Nearly fifteen years before this period, while quite a lad, I had made very considerable, though unsuccessful efforts to start a library for the young, in the same view which I now entertained, viz., the hope of slowly and silently promoting the public good. It is true I had more hopes of improving the condition of mankind by mere knowledge than I now have; still the thing aimed at was neither more nor less than the general happiness.

I now thought seriously of commencing a school somewhere in the town; and as if from a radiating point to extend gradually my operations. I remember telling one person to whom I had ventured to unbosom my feelings, that I hoped, one day, to see my native hills and dales vie with those of Switzerland.

The question came up, where should I begin, and how should I get a school? As I cared little for the pecuniary avails, provided I received enough to support me, I offered my services to the central district of my native town; proposing to board in the families, and accept of six dollars a month, in addition; only a little more than they would be compelled to give a female.

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The Experiment continued.

The proposal excited some surprise; and why should it not? To see a man, after having taught school more or less ten years, -received the highest or nearly the highest wages-spent three years in professional studies-and received the honors of a distinguished professional institution;-to see such a man come and beg the favor of teaching a district school at six dollars a month and his board, surprised them! They were unaccustomed to such things; and could not understand it.

They had little or no conception of the object I proposed to accomplish. Benevolence and philanthropy, and even patriotism, were names of which they hardly knew the meaning; and they were nearly as great strangers to the feelings which belonged to them, as to the name.

They held a meeting, however; and it was not a little to my surprise, I confess, that they agreed to employ me. I was examined according to law, and received a license; and I then prepared to commence my labors.

The school was opened in May. The appearance of a male teacher, in a district school room, in summer, excited the attention, not only of my townsmen, but even of the passing stranger. Such a thing had been known occasionally, in some very large towns; but never before in a small district, like this.

No persons were more surprised--and I may add mortifiedthan my relatives. They looked at me as a deranged person. Instead of taking my stand by the side of liberally educated men, and holding a station of command or influence, to go and place myself in a district school room, at the head of twenty or twentyfive small pupils, and teach them the common elementary branches of an English education-and for the paltry price of six dollars a month, is it not inconceivable that they should have submitted to it? Why did they not put me into a strait jacket, or carry me at once to a mad house?

But the school went on; and the earth continued to revolve, and the sun to shine as usual; nor was there any thing in the physical condition of the universe, that indicated serious derangement, of any sort. People talked till they were tired, and there the matter rested.

The first thing I did that looked like innovation, was to get some paper curtains, for the windows. In this, I had two objects in view. One was to prevent the pupils from looking out; the other to furnish ornaments to the room. I had already begun to think much of the importance of rendering a school room pleasant and agreeable; and had been much aided in my speculations on the subject, by the Journal of Education,' edited at that time, by Mr Wm. Russell; a few numbers of which a