[Footnote A: I have since written a volume for juvenile
schools; where
the principles are carried out. This can be had of the publisher.]
Having in this manner told the children as simply as possible, a
little about each country, the teacher should then tell the principal
rivers; thus: The principal rivers of England are, the Thames, the
Severn, the Trent, the Mersey. London, the capital of England, is is
built on the banks of the River Thames; and ships from all parts of
the world sail up this river, to bring us various things which we
could not get without sending to other countries for them; such as tea
and coffee and sugar. The principal rivers of France are, the Seine
and the Rhone; the Seine is the river on which the capital of France,
Paris, is built. The principal rivers of Russia are, the Wolga, the
Don, the Nieper, the Dwina, and the Vistula. The Wolga is a very great
river, being three thousand miles long. The Rhine, which is one of the
largest rivers in Europe, rises in Switzerland. The principal rivers
of Italy are, the Po, the Arno, and the Tiber; the chief town of
Italy, Rome, is built on the banks of the Tiber. Rome was once the
greatest city in the world. The principal rivers of Germany are, the
Danube, the Rhine, and the Elbe; of Scotland, the Clyde and Tweed; of
Ireland, the Shannon, Barrow, Boyne, Suire, and Nore. The capital of
Ireland, Dublin, is built on a small river called the Liffey. The
principal rivers of Turkey are, the Danube and the Don; of Spain, the
Guidalquiver; of Portugal, the Tagus, on which the chief town, Lisbon,
is built; and of Saxony, the Iser. In the same manner the children may
receive instruction fitted for their tender understanding, concerning
the other parts of the globe, always keeping in mind that, unless they
are made to comprehend thoroughly what is given to them, it is quite
useless to attempt to give them the lessons at all. When giving
the lessons on African costumes, the teacher should explain in the
simplest manner, that the Egyptian Bey is the chief governor of a
country in Africa called Egypt; that Africa is one of the four great
parts into which our earth is divided; that the Nile is a great river
flowing through Egypt, which, at certain times of the year, overflows
its banks, and that this fertilizes the ground, and causes the corn
to
grow, which, but for this, would be withered with the sun, because
but very little rain ever falls in Egypt; that the cause of the Nile
overflowing its banks is, the great rains which fall in the countries
from whence the Nile flows: that the Ashantee is an inhabitant of
another country of Africa, where the people are very ignorant, and do
not know as much as the little children of an infant school: that the
Algerine lives in a part of Africa called Algiers: the people there
are very wicked and cruel, and used at one time to take the ships of
every other country that they met on the seas, and make slaves of the
people they found in them; but they cannot do so now, because the
French have conquered them, and taken all their ships from them: that
the Bedouin Arabs are people who rove about from place to place,
amongst the great sandy deserts of Africa, and rob travellers who are
passing over those deserts: the teacher should explain that these
deserts are very large places, covered with sand, and the sun is so
hot that no tree or shrub, or grass, will grow there, and there is no
water to be had, so that travellers carry water in leathern bottles
on
the backs of camels; that camels are large animals, much larger than
a
horse, which are very useful in those warm countries, because they can
carry very heavy loads on their backs, and go a great time without
water. The Copts woman should be pointed out to the children, and
notice should be taken of the large veil before her face. The Mameluke
should be pointed out as belonging to a fierce tribe of soldiers. When
speaking of the natives of Morocco, it should be mentioned that the
Moors at one time had possession of Spain; that the Maltese is a
native of an island called Malta; that Cairo (a picture of a native
of which is in the lesson) is the chief city of Egypt. That the
Bosjesman, native of Coronna, native of Namacqua, Caffree, native of
Tamaka and of Ebo, belong to the savage nations of Africa, of which
but little is known, who are of a black colour, and go with very
little clothes on them, because the country is so warm.
From the lesson supposed to be at No. 12 lesson-post, a good deal of
information may be given. The teacher may be thus supposed to address
the children, pointing to each picture, as he describes it.
Little children, this is a picture of negroes: they live in Africa,
but are often stolen from their own country to be made slaves of.
Africa is a very hot part of the world, and the poor negroes are
black, and have short black woolly hair, something like the hair on
a
black sheep; but we must not laugh at them for this; it was God who
made them as well as he made you; and those poor negroes are very mild
and quiet people, and like to amuse themselves by singing and dancing.
You see the negroes in this picture; they are carrying a black lady
in a kind of basket, called a palanquin: a pole goes through this, and
they hold it on their shoulders. The next picture represents some of
the people who live in a country called Otaheite; they are strong,
stout people, and very mild and friendly. They are not black like the
negroes; their complexion is of a pale brown, with black eyes and very
handsome white teeth. The next picture represents Scotch Highlanders:
they live in the cold parts of Scotland; they are very strong and
healthy, and able to bear cold and hanger very well. They are fond of
playing on the bagpipes. This is a picture of American Indians: they
live in America, and are of a reddish colour; they build their huts
in
the thickest forests, as far from the white men as they can. The next
is a picture of East Indians: their country is in the warmest part of
Asia, and from it comes a great many beautiful things, such as ladies
wear for shawls and dresses; there are a great many people in the East
Indies, and twenty-five millions are subject to the Queen of England.
The Laplanders live in a very cold country, called Lapland, in which
the ground is covered with snow all the year round; they are very
happy notwithstanding, for God gives every people means to be happy,
if they are good and love him; they have nice little huts to live in,
and sledges to travel with, which are drawn by rein-deer--we will read
about the rein-deer by and by. The Laplanders are kind to strangers,
and are very brave, although they are the smallest people in the
world.
This is a picture of Greeks: they were once a very great and powerful
people, but afterwards the Turks conquered them; they have now,
however, a king of their own.
The Persians, of whom this is a picture, live in a country of Asia
called Persia, from whence the most beautiful silks, carpets, leather,
gold and silver lace, and pearls, are brought. The Persian women are
very handsome, and wear the most beautiful clothes of any women in the
world--we should not like them the better for this, for handsome faces
and fine clothes will not make people good or happy, unless they try
to be so themselves.
This is a picture of the natives of the Sandwich islands: they are
a very friendly people, and live together without fighting or
quarrelling; they make mats and canoes, and the women make cloth.
The Turks (this is a picture of some of them) are very fine handsome
people; they wear very long beards; and they shave their heads and
wear white turbans instead of hair; they are very fond of drinking
coffee and smoking from great long pipes.
The English are represented in this picture: you are English
children--England is a very great country, and the Queen of England
has many ships in every part of the world; and a great many places,
many thousand miles away, belong to England.
This picture represents the Swiss: they are a very brave, honest, good
people, and their country is very beautiful; a great many clocks and
watches are made in Switzerland.
This is a picture of the Chinese: they wear very curious dresses; and
the ladies in China squeeze their feet very much, in order to make
them small, which they think a great beauty. Tea comes from China, and
is the leaf of a small plant.
This picture represents the Dutch: they are a very clean and
industrious people, and the little children there are never idle.
The last picture represents the Tartars: they live in Asia, and wander
about without any fixed dwelling, not staying in one place longer than
while it gives them food for themselves and their horses, of which
they have a great many. Horses are wild in Tartary.
The reader will at once perceive what a feast is afforded to the young
mind in these object lessons; the objects are accurately copied from
nature, and the costumes from the best sources, so that the infant
mind is expanded by viewing a proper representation of the real thing
through the fit organ, the eye. It is astonishing what infants will
learn through the sense of seeing, and it is remarkable that our
systems of education for young and old, should not have been founded
on a knowledge of the high importance of this medium for communication
and information; the youngest child may learn to distinguish one object
from another to an endless variety, and I could produce children who
could point me out a thousand objects, if I called them by their proper
names, who perhaps could not themselves name twenty of the objects out
of the thousand; by this it will be seen we first give them the object,
and language itself follows in due course.
Whenever a clear idea or notion is given to the mind by a picture or
object, it is then easy to impart the information that is naturally
connected with it; and this will then be most strongly retained,
according to the law of association, which is one of the most
important principles to be kept in view in imparting instruction to
both young and old. Lead on FROM something known TO something
unknown , is a golden rule,--a most valuable axiom that all teachers
should ever bear constantly in mind. What important lessons may be
given in a field, wood, or forest! How much better is the thing itself
for a lesson, than the representation of it! And what a class of
teachers are wanted for this work? Yet sure I am that in due time the
Great God will raise such up from amongst his people, to the glory of
His name, and the benefit of succeeding generations. May greater minds
than the humble writer of this, be called to work in this blessed
vineyard for the good of the species, and for the diminution of crime;
and, oh! may they be able to dive into the recesses of the wonderful
works of God, to grapple with the difficulties therein found, and
bring to light some of the hidden mysteries, for the instruction of
mankind!
When this book was first written, thirty-two years ago, some of the
ideas were universally scouted, yet I have lived to see the day that
the very men who sneered at the views first made known in this book,
adopt precisely the same principles, and even go much further that I
ever intended, or even thought suitable for infant minds, and quietly
puff this off as a new discovery in infant training; so much the
better, portions of the public will hear them, and they would not
listen to me; and if the end is answered, it is of little consequence
through what means that end is gained. It is satisfactory to know that
the principles first developed in the infant plan are found equally
applicable to older children, and I have had the pleasure of seeing
those principles carried out in many schools throughout the country,
too numerous to mention individually.
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