His school consists at present of about ninety boys, German, Prussian, French, Swiss, Italian, Spanish, and English. It is divided into four principal classes, according to the attainments of the pupils. These classes are subdivided into others. There are seven school rooms in the castle, and twelve teachers or professors. His head professor, Joseph Schmidt, has been brought up in the institution, and is a very efficient and worthy man. He is a native of one of the German Cantons and speaks and writes perfectly the German and French. He is a man of modest demeanor and entirely devoted to the institution. He has written treatises on several of the subjects taught in the school and adapted to its methods.

We spent most of the day in the different school-rooms, witnessing the exercises of the scholars. Very few books are used, as it is expected the children can read well before they come there. But to describe the modes of teaching, so as to render them clearly intelligible, would require much more time and space than I can possibly allot to it, were I ever so competent to make it known. We saw the exercises of arithmetic, writing, drawing, mathematics, lessons in music and gymnastics, something of geography, French, Latin, and German. Το teach a school, in the way practised here, without book, and almost entirely by verbal instruction, is extremely laborious. The teacher

must be constantly with the child, always talking, questioning, explaining, and repeating. The pupils, however, by this process, are brought into very close intimacy with the instructor. Their capacities, all their faculties and propensities, become laid open to his observation. This gives him an advantage, which cannot possibly be gained, in the ordinary way in which schools are generally taught. The children look well, appear very contented, and apparently live in great harmony one with another; which, considering the diversity of national character and temper here collected, can be attributed only to the spirit of love and affection. which sways the breast of the principal of the institution, and extends its benign influence throughout all the departments. In the afternoon we went, with Pestalozzi, Greaves, and Bucholz, a German clergyman, (who is here on a visit to the institution), and one or two others, to visit a free school of twelve or fourteen children, which Pestalozzi has established in the village of Clendy, at a short distance from the castle. These are the children taken from the families of poor people, selected on account of their character and talents, in order to be educated as teachers, with a view to extend and perpetuate the principles and operation of the system. One-half of them are boys and the other half girls. Their principal instructor is a sister of Schmidt, the chief master,

an exceeding clever and interesting young woman. She has another sister also with her, younger than herself, who will soon become qualified to act as instructor. These pupils were exercised before us, in arithmetic, in drawing, and in music. The girls, seated round a table, and busy with their needles, had questions in arithmetic given them by the mistress, which they were to solve by their heads. They are thus led on, from the most simple beginnings, to comprehend the principles of arithmetic, and to work questions with great expertness, solely by a mental process. A male teacher is provided for the boys though the mistress often assists in their instruction. This little school promises to be well cared for, and of service to the Pestalozzian cause. We were much pleased with its appearance, and with the assurance it affords, that whatever there is of value and importance in this system, it will not be lost.

The success of this mode of instruction, greatly depends upon the personal qualifications of those who undertake to conduct it. There is nothing of mechanism in it, as in the Lancasterian plan; no laying down of precise rules for managing classes, etc. It is all mind and feeling. Its arrangements must always depend on the ages, talents, and tempers of the scholars, and require, on the part of the teachers, the most diligent and faithful attention. Above all, it requires that the

He

teacher should consider himself as the father and bosom friend of his pupils, and to be animated with the most affectionate desires for their good. Pestalozzi himself is all this. His heart glows with such a spirit, that the good old man can hardly refrain from bestowing kisses on all with whom he is concerned. holds out his hands to his pupils on every occasion, and they love him as a child loves its mother. His plan of teaching is just fit for the domestic fireside, with a father or mother in the centre, and a circle of happy children around them. He is aware of this, and wishes to extend the knowledge of his plan to every parent. Pestalozzi is seventy-two years of age. It has been quite unfortunate for the progress of his system on the continent, that he pays so little attention to exteriors, regarding dress, furniture, etc., as of no moment whatever, provided the mind and heart be right.

The weather continuing wet, we resolved to wait till the morrow, and take the diligence to Lausanne and Geneva. Much of the day was spent at the castle, in the school-rooms, and in conversation with Greaves. I omitted to mention, that we attended last evening, to the religious exercise which terminates the business of the day. The scholars assembled in a room called the chapel, but very simply furnished, with benches, and a table. When all were collected, Pestalozzi, directing his face chiefly to the boys,

began to speak in German, moving about, from side to side, directing his attention, for some time, to the boys on his right, and then advancing toward those on his left. This motion backward and forward, continued about twenty minutes; he was constantly speaking, and sometimes with considerable earnestness. It was altogether unintelligible to me, but I afterwards learned, that it consisted of a recapitulation of the occurrences of the day, noticing particularly everything of moment, and intermingling the whole with short prayers, adapted to the circumstances mentioned in the discourse. If, for example, any of the boys had quarrelled, or behaved unseemly to each other, or to their teacher, he would speak to the case, and accompany his remarks with a pious ejaculation. It is probable,

that he sometimes engages more formally in this exercise. As it was it appeared to gain the whole attention of his audience. It was concluded by reading, from a small book, what appeared to be a hymn. or psalm.

The

A company of English visitors attended at the castle to-day, consisting of men and women. boys performed some of their gymnastic exercises before them, con

sisting chiefly of simple, but simultaneous movements of the arms, legs, feet, head, etc., stepping, marching, turning and jumping, all intended to exercise the various muscles which give motion to the limbs and head, and to make the boys acquainted with the elements. of all those movements. This exercise took place in one of the large bed-rooms. We attended, by invitation, last evening a lecture given by Schmidt, the head teacher, to a number of young men, among whom were four Russians, sent by the Emperor to gain information, in England, and other countries, relative to the best modes of teaching. They had been in England, and spoke our language tolerably well. The lectures are to illustrate more fully, the principles and processes adopted in the Pestalozzian institution.

We had the company, this evening, at our lodgings, of Frederick Bucholz, who was lately a chaplain to the king's German legion in England. He had been some time with Pestalozzi, and was able to give us more information with respect to some parts of the system, than we could obtain by a short visit to the school itself.

THE

OHIO EDUCATIONAL MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED AT

COLUMBUS, OHIO.

O. T. CORSON, EDITOR. MARGARET W. SUTHERLAND, ASSOCIATE EDITOR.

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THE MONTHLY is mailed the first week of each month. Any subscriber failing to receive a copy by the tenth should give notice promptly, and another will be sent. Any person wishing his address changed must send notice not later than the twenty-fifth of the month, and must give both the old and the new address. Notice will be given to each subscriber of the time his subscription expires.

1898

Happy New Year.

Make good resolutions, and keep them.

There is a growing and perhaps unfortunate tendency in conservative educational circles to poke fun at the new cult, "Child Study." This tendency is not lessened by the silly stuff that is being published as the result of "investigation" in the new field. Here is a sample: "Fear was first manifested in the fifth week. The child was laid nude on the bed, whereupon he started and threw up his arms as though afraid of falling. His fears were

removed by throwing a light covering over him or by putting on a garment."

The absurdity of this performance as a means of reaching valuable psychological conclusions deserves the castigating pen of a Dickens. Think of trying to get "scientific" data by watching the antics of an unclad baby when placed upon a cold counterpane! Suppose the child had been similarly treated the week before: it would very likely have "thrown up its arms", or screamed or done some other thing, and then the experimenters could have solemnly recorded the momentous fact that it "manifested fear" during the fourth week. At this rate we shall soon need a society to rescue babies from being "child studied" into croup and tonsilitis, also a censorship to protect educational literature from the infliction of unmitigated slop. - Learning to do by Doing.

After the article by Mr. Simkins on "Up Stream" was in print, the following characteristic note, which we take the liberty of publishing, was received from him:

"Some time since, I wrote a description or narration of one of our journeys "Up Stream" and sent the same to Brother Burns. He sent the same to you. What I wish to say is this: If you ever publish the same, I wish the following added somewhere in the article.

"Do not take pupils on such an excursion oftener than once a year.

Put your hard licks on the old Common Branches and do not be afraid of the good old way. Many enthusiastic admirers of nature studies and elementary science will swing far to the extreme before the good sense of the common people will bring them back with a reaction."

ON TO WASHINGTON.

The announcement that the next meeting of the N. E. A. will be held. at Washington, D. C., is very satisfactory to the teachers of Ohio. We ought to carry off the banner for the largest attendance again as we did in 1894 when the meeting was held at Asbury Park. To the majority of the teachers in the State. this will furnish the one opportunity of a lifetime to visit our beautiful Capital City and at the same time. attend the meetings of the Great Association. Ordinarily speaking, no teacher can afford to miss it. Begin to get ready as soon as you read this, and tell your friends about it. For the benefit of our readers we quote the following from a letter sent by Secretary Irwin Shepard to the editor December 11, 1897:

Let me repeat the essentials of the announcement. The Washington meeting will be from the evening of July 7 to the evening of July 12, inclusive. No sessions will be held on the afternoon and evening of Saturday, July 9. The churches of Washington will be invited to arrange for sermons and addresses on Sunday, July 10. It is believed that this rest in the midst of the