212 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



suggestion is made with timidity, but I confess that I sometimes fancy- 

 that something like it may explain the existence of the curious ruins 

 so widely scattered throughout Oceania. 



The Pacific islands can not be mentioned without calling to mind 

 the missionaries who labor among them. Their success has been very 

 great ; but, great as it is, I think its magnitude has been exaggerated. 

 The Christianity of the Western Polynesians is not much to boast of ; 

 and their present state of civilization is much more owing to frequent 

 intercourse with white men who are not missionaries than is generally 

 admitted. Without missions they would not have advanced so far 

 as they have done ; nor with them would the advance have been what 

 it is had no other white men ever gone among them. The same thing 

 is true of Feejee. Some of the " pioneer " missionaries are men of whom 

 every country might feel proud. The influence for good of such men 

 as Mr. Moulton, of Tonga, or Mr. Robertson, of Erromanga, is enor- 

 mous ; but they are men of enlarged views and of even statesman- 

 like capacity, who would be powerful over their fellows anywhere. 

 The same may be said of Messrs. Lawes and Chalmers in New 

 Guinea, and will explain to a great extent their astonishing success. 

 Mr. Chalmers is a born leader of men, and his ascendency over those 

 with whom he is brought in contact is due to a never-failing tact and 

 a nobility of mind which have been rarely equaled. 



It is hazardous to forecast the future, but it does not seem that 

 the Pacific islands are likely, for generations yet to come, to be of use 

 to mankind at large. Fertile as they may be, they can only be made 

 productive with labor, of which no man can say where it is to be 

 obtained. 



SOME OUTLINES FROM THE HISTORY OF EDUCA- 

 TION. 



By W. R. BENEDICT, 



PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AND LOGIC IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI. 



[Concluded.] 



THE institution at Dessau made distinct approaches to object-teach- 

 ing. It remained for Pestalozzi, however, to give this method 

 philosophical expression and justification. We know how the Pesta- 

 lozzian idea has been enlarged and improved by Froebel and his fol- 

 lowers. Our present purpose is to trace this idea in its beginning and 

 development under Pestalozzi. 



The reformer was born January 12, 1746, at Zurich. His first at- 

 tempts to serve the people were of a literary character, and this as 

 member of the staff of a political newspaper published for the im- 

 provement of the masses. He then entered tin ministry and made an 



