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<br /> THE HIGH SCHOOL. all been made with due reference to the work already done by
<br /> Principal,—Mr. WILLIAM H. KNIGIiT. Assistant,—Miss ELLEN W. the several older classes, and with the intention of not depriving
<br /> STETSON. any class of the study, during its four years' attendance, of any
<br /> branch in the prescribed course believed to be essential. The
<br /> It will be remembered that a new Principal was to be appoint- principal reason for most of these changes, was the fact that,for
<br /> ed before the opening of this school for the year. We conferred causes considered satisfactory when the course was established,
<br /> with many teachers, and after due advertisement, examined geology, botany, and some other similar branches, all preceded
<br /> several competitors with care. From these we selected Mr. chemistry, which was the last study in the course of natural
<br /> Knight, a graduate of Middlebury College and a teacher of science. We have thought that the text-books in the branches
<br /> experience. He was instructed, first of all, to dispose of the first above named, could not be well understood and remembered
<br /> insubordination which had the year before rendered the school without some previous knowledge of chemistry.
<br /> r unpopular and less than ordinarily prosperous. The desired On this point—of learning and remembering the facts of sci-
<br /> �1 improvement was effected. Without the use of force and by
<br /> ence, not as separate and independent items, but in their mutual
<br /> no harsher means than those to which the had been accus
<br /> pupils relations—we venture to suggest by way of a single illustration
<br /> tomed, that undivided authority which the people of Lexington that the composition of granite, as given in any text-book on
<br /> consider essential to the usefulness of the school, has been geology, is but dimly comprehended by it person who does not
<br /> steadily maintained. know what quartz, feldspar and mica are, chemically. Once
<br /> Miss Stetson, a graduate of the school, has assisted during / having learned these things, however, the pupil is not forced to
<br /> the whole year. She has been constant in her attention to tier the alternative of failing in his lesson, or committing to memory
<br /> duties, and the acquirements of her classes have borne testimony "'
<br /> the words of it without understanding them; he may have the
<br /> to her care and culture. ha
<br /> s as performed, out o school S p � f l happiness of recalling the substance of it to mind with clearness,
<br /> hours, a large amount of labor in averaging the marks given for and to some purpose.
<br /> the several exercises of the pupils, and in recording the result Merely committing to memory the words of the book, in any
<br /> upon the slips exhibited to the school,'and in the book long since of the branches of natural science, is nearly as useless as the
<br /> procured and used for the purpose. This labor has at times, in same kind of exercise in mathematics. For example, to refer
<br /> J previous years, been done in part by the pupils themselves. We again to geology, some of us have known a pupil's mental pow-
<br /> cannot recommend such a practice. The pupils have (or should ers lavished on a pretty good imitation of the language of the
<br /> have) enough to do without any such dull task to perform; and, book in reference to boulders, when it finally appeared that the
<br /> besides, a record made wholly by the teachers is rather more pupil giving it had no definite idea of what manner of thing a
<br /> satisfactory than any other, considered as evidence of scholarship boulder might be.
<br /> and merit. We think this systematic record of the perform- We make these statements so fully, because it has been
<br /> antes of each pupil, tends to impress upon the mind of each thought by some persons that a less amount of natural science
<br /> member of the school the great practical doctrine that unflag- was being taught to the members of this school, than in former
<br /> ging industry is an essential element of a complete character. years. On the contrary, it has been our aim that more natural
<br /> We have not discovered any of the evil effects sometimes thought science should be learned by them.
<br /> to result from the competition which such record may induce. The result of the year's work we understand to be a gain over
<br /> During the past two years the order of studies in the school the previous year, both in the amount of matter learned and in
<br /> has been considerably modified, but without any great change the manner of learning it. There is a greater proportion of
<br /> in respect to the branches to be taught. The modifications have recitations based upon an understanding of the subject in hand.
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