A Practical Enquiry into the Philosophy of EducationGall, James
Philosophy
A Practical Enquiry into the Philosophy of Education
Gall, James
Education
'Come then, O house of Jacob, come,
And worship at his shrine!
And walking in the light of God,
With holy beauties shine.'
"Mr Gall then said, Let us change the announcement: 'Joseph and Mary
went regularly every year to the feast of the passover?'--What does that
teach you?--That teaches us, that we ought to attend the house of God
regularly.--It teaches that we ought to attend church both times of the
day.--It teaches us that we ought to worship God regularly; for God
loveth order, and not confusion.
"Let us change the announcement again. 'Jesus attended the passover when
he was twelve years of age.' What does this teach you?--It teaches us,
that parents should train up their children in the way they should
go.--It teaches us, that learning young is learning fair.--It teaches
us, that children should never be thought too young to be brought up in
the fear of the Lord.--It teaches us, that children should obey their
parents.--What are we to learn from their 'fulfilling the days?'--It
teaches us, that we should not leave the church until the sermon is
over.--It teaches us, that we ought not to disturb others by leaving the
church."
Remarkable as this exhibition was of the attainment of extraordinary
mental power by mere children, yet it is but justice to say, that the
above is merely a specimen of the elasticity and grasp of mind which
these children had acquired. Some idea of the extent of this may be
formed when it is considered, that all these passages and, subjects were
chosen for them at the moment, and by strangers. And it is worthy of
remark, that if such an amount of mental power, and such an accumulation
of knowledge, of the best and most practical kind, were easily and
pleasantly acquired by children in the lowest ranks of life, of their
own voluntary choice, under every disadvantage, and with no more than
two hours teaching in the week; what may we not expect, when the
principles here developed, are wielded and applied by those who
thoroughly understand them, not for two hours, with an interval of six
busy days, but every day of the week?--The prospect is cheering.
FOOTNOTES:
[22] At this part, the Report of the Experiment contains the following
Note:--"The reader will perceive that some of the lessons diverge at
times from the announcement; but it is of great importance, in an
experiment of this kind, neither to omit nor amend what is wrong, but to
give exactly the words that were spoken. Not the least remarkable
circumstance elicited by this experiment is the fact, that these
children, who know nothing of the rules of grammar, have obviously, by
the mental exercise induced by the system, become pretty correct
practical grammarians. The variations made in many of the passages of
Scripture quoted by them show this."
CHAP. IX.
_On the Imitation of Nature in Teaching the Practical Use of Knowledge
by means of the Moral Sense, or Conscience._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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