Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1877 — Discipline of the Mind. [ARTICLE]

Discipline of the Mind.

THEpupltViTdlcton. W the school room, acquire* more thus the facte wMeh are* to be the baels of ftttore inquirji. At least, jbe Otofttrt to MacWtteteaching, nor is the ettor furnishing, take itself, and Which ftwlU take if a rcpl teacher i* pqaaent; that i* the absorption and tnuufunlon of the knowledge into the living knowledge it already baa of the mind—« aonsewhat oM term, it(k» least toiee things. The pupil wilt; to 'other ward*, evince the discipline of ■mind by his ability to-make present and practieal use of the facta he ha* already acquired, and afto employ toem aa a means to accumulate hew idea*. If each new acquisition does not reader the platform of the pupil more firm and secure* and he limsclf more copseiousof strength and power; if, aa hfl learn* leaaen after lesson, he to not qualified by acquired I power to learn them’, then he is not properly disciplined. Suppose a mah attoeka a-mineof Iran with a stone he:pichA PR. and,, thus breaks some outlying fragments; suppose he now takes these- piece* abd melts them in aud thus makepjg crow-bar. with which to pry and dig; suppose,' 'tirith this bar as 1i be forcestoff. other detached masse* of| ore, and. with these he makes a sledge-and a a steel-drill; suppose that wiffi theefl and explosive powder he rends the very mountain asunder, and makes a regular rate of progress daily as though he were working in sand or clay—suppose these, we say, and we have a correct idea of what we mean by the acquired-poster part of discipline. Mr. Squeers’ method had some merits in spite of the painful pity fdlt fbr the poor boys. 4 ‘Spell window.’', The scholar spells, “ w-i-n-d-err.” Mr. Squeers thunder* but, ‘‘Now, gb and waah&e windows—that’s the way we' miahtoour education practical. ” Here is something to be learned as disagreeable as the lesson given is. Suppose the child has ball, kite. This isl using acquired -sects, it evinces discipline, It also confers it. Hundreds oi children are denied the privilege of discipline because tihe teacher does not know that it is the “better-half’* of education. They think'that “pobring ih” is the teacher’s sole duty, little knowing thflt it forms but a small part after all of his magnificent function. ’*‘ Take your book and study your lesson, ” was the old facte, but that is one thiag entirely remote from thq subject we we considering. With this discipline' has nothing' to do; that is the mechanical part (if there'is such a .thing) of the teacher’s art. Lastly, there is the desire' td continue accumulation and investigation. This i* th* wonderful part of thus influence qf one mind over another. A countfy trustee somo years ago in describing the qualifications of a teachqr, who had been employed in his district during the past winter, used a homely but emphatic expression, “His scholars will study .their toe-nails off.’* This was a remarkable man, ' He understood a secret no normal school ban impart. gold to a community. He is able to impress upon the young minds that ebnie to him a mark so distinct aqd clear UMU thinks of their minds as soft wax. No teacher* can iclaim to bb able to impart discipline of mind who ha» noV this p«?WPr?ower to use acquired fact; power of original investigation; desire to use the strengthened power* to continue in study —these are the elements of the teacher’s influence.—-J? 1 . F. School Journal. -."<>< i i d: —A mine of “ Muscovy mica” _iai reported discovered at Westfield, Mass. “ Muscovy mica” is to commop mica aa a girl’s bright orbs are to her grandmother’s spectacled ones, being f»r superior tor most purposes to the old isipgjass.