KnSHH
370
ECONKMY OK MKNTAI. STRENGTH.
Vol. vm,
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Hi
I
during (he course, and not during Uic first
three or four years of the latter. The
'simple rules" "compound numbers," and
"common fractions," are taught entirely
through blocks, the "arithmetic frame,'1
and diagrams upon the blackboard. The
facility and ahi'ity with which little girls
of eight would solve a complicated prob
lem In fractions in this manner, called
forth my admiration and astonishment.
The reading book if so it ma be
called answers as the text book in his
tory, geography, and grammar; thus: for
geography the reading lesson is a descrip
tion of some part of the country and is
committed, and as the teacher draws the
map upon the board, the whole subject is
thoroughly developed. So also the read,
ing lesson is made a "language lesson,"
and the pupil is drilled in the classified
lion of sentences and parts of speech,
the declension of nouns, articles and ad
jectives etc. And, if this can be done so
successfully with that most complicated
of languages, the German, how much
easier with our own uninllcctcd language.
For let no one suppose, that because it is
his mother tongue, a German child is not
obliged to learn the use of the article and
the case endings. I assure you he Units
it no trilling task as my observation am.
ply confirms. Euliottk.
KCinNhlMY OW U.?,V7M.
ST1W2WT11.
Many students make a mistake in at.
tempting to learn too much. They have
this or that study that they would "bring
up," or some other study that they would
take as an elective. They are ambitious,
and like a man in search of gold, they
are never satisfied. One can bo just as
avaricious in pursuit of lore, us in pur
suit of wealth. Greediness is no more
excusable hi the votaries of Pallas than in
those of Plutus. The student who over
tasks his brain and efi'eininates his body
by applying himself too zealously to his
books is to he pitied for his weakness, his
want of manly strength, rather than laud.
ed for the number of text-books which he
has gone through. One should have
enough mental work to do, and it .should
be of such a kind as to conic just within
the grasp of the intellect, and draw ilom
and lead it on to something higher. If
we attempt to do too much work, we i.ot
only do ourselves an injury physically,
but also arc rather apt to lose than tngain
mentally.
The mind may be rudely compared to
a measure which will hold so much, but
il we attempt to heap on more after it is
full, something must be lost oil'. Every
student knows what it is to have the brain
soweariedaud crammed that it would seem
for every drop of knowledge gained, two
must be lost. This toeliim of satiety comes
Irom overtaxing the intellectual powers,
and the disease when once contracted can
only bo cured by u change of some sort.
Anil these changes are not always eili.
cacious. When we have eaten too much
of any kind of food, it becomes repulsive
to our taste; if we then wait long enough
before partaking of the food again, on1
relish for it may be restored, but not al
ways; it sometimes happens that the taste
is completely destroyed. " Cramming,"
and overtasking the mind, ma) only im
pair the mental faculties for a time; a va
cation or change of work may restore our
vigor; but it does sometimes happen that
our full vigor and powers, intellectually
and physically, are not wholly restoied
by any such means. An excessive amount
ot brain work may destroy our taste lor
certain studies just as gluttony may de
stroy our relish for certain kinds of
food.
Then, again, forcing the mind beyond
what it is capable of sustaining, is not a
good way to economize either time or
strength. It is not economy for a student
to spend three or five bonis a day in reci.
union, and eight or ten hours in study.
Pour or five hours in study and three in
recitation is us much time as any student
of ordinary ability ought to spend in men-