Homeschool Fever

The article below was found in Outline History of Education By Felix Arnold, written in 1911.  You can download this entire free book here.

Virtue

1. Possess the proper religious ideas.
2. Preserve the mind from notions of spirits goblins fearful apprehensions in the dark, etc.
3. Form the habit of exactly speaking the truth.
4. Develop good nature Injustice generally springs from too great love of ourselves and too little of others.

Wisdom

Wisdom is a man’s managing his business ably and with foresight in the world, and is the product of a natural good temper, application of mind, and experience.  It is thefore above children.

Preparation for wisdom is possible by…

1. Prevention of cunning tricks and circumvention
2. Truth and sincerity
3. Submission to reason and reflection on one’s own actions

Breeding

The opposites to good breeding are roughness, contempt or want of respect, censoriousness or fault finding, raillery, contradiction, captiousness, excess of ceremony, interruption, and dispute. Good company influences breeding.

Learning

1. Reading. The alphabet is to be learned through play. Use an ivory ball with letters pasted on. Child should play with this as with dice.
2. Writing. First hold the pen properly. In black ink go over letters printed in red ink. The letters should be large at first and then smaller.
3. Drawing should emphasise perspective and skill.
4. Language. English should be taught first then French then Latin Latin should be taught like English, by speech and without grammar. Translate by writing the English version over the Latin. There should be no themes on abstract subjects, no construing, no versifying, and not much learning by heart.
5. Geography. Use the globe.
6. Other subjects to be taught: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, chronology, history, ethics, civil law, law, rhetoric, logic, style, natural philosophy, dancing, fencing, riding, and music. No Greek is to be given.
7. Travel. Education should end with travel.
8. Trade. Pupil should learn a trade. Gardening or husbandry, carpentry; also varnishing, graving, working in iron, brass, silver, polishing precious stones, etc; merchants’ accounts.

SOURCE: Outline History of Education By Felix Arnold