840 REPORT— 1902. 



These are iiotewortliy words. ' As soon as children can read throw away all 

 lesson-books for a time. Let them read. Let them read aloud — really read, not 

 tumble through the pages. Give them to read poetry, the lives of good men, 

 narratives of noble deeds, historical stories and historical novels, books of travel, 

 and all the fascinating literature of discovery and adventure. The person who 

 has once learnt to read well is tempted to go on. And such books, selected by a 

 carefully graduated scheme, would supply endless knowledge whilst kindling the 

 mind, without any waste of time from drudgery and disgust. Geography, history, 

 and power of speech are all comprised in such books if properly used.' 



Thring here advocates what I would advocate — the incidental method of 

 teaching. Why should there be any set lesson in subjects such as history and 

 geography ? Nothing is worse, more stereotyped, more cramping to the intellect, 

 than the set lesson of so many lines or pages, of a sort of Liebig's Essence of 

 information, with the attendant obligation of committing the facts recorded in 

 them to memory. The child, like the restive, high-mettled young steed, wants to 

 be off and away — not to be held severely in hand. Why should not the method 

 by which we get up a subject in later life be followed in schools? At least it 

 should be properly tried. Let us give freedom to children and at least during 

 early years lead them to read hard and wisely : they will do so gladly ; and give 

 them pictures innumerable in illustration of their reading. And children must 

 not only be taught to read books : they must learn also to regard and use them as 

 sources of information; the habit of flying for information to books must be 

 cultivated. They must be constantly referred to dictionaries and works of 

 reference generally ; they must be set to hunt up all sorts of stories. Of course 

 the scholastic Beckmesser will object that such a system is impossible, that there 

 would be an end to all discipline ; but to say this is to show a want of under- 

 standing of children and of faith in them, and is proof of failure to recognise 

 their power of accepting responsibility when it is properly put upon them. The 

 secret of success lies in beginning sufficiently early ; once let them appreciate 

 what they are doing and the majority will work eagerly and spontaneously. 



But Avhen the full meaning is given to the first of the R's, it will be held to 

 cover not only the reading of printed or written character but also the reading 

 of some of Nature's signs, to the end that sermons may he discovered in stones 

 and good in everything. That is to say, at the same time that they are acquiring 

 the true art of reading, they must be learning the true art of experimenting — to 

 find out things by putting questions of their own and obtaining direct answers. 

 The teaching of the elements of experimental science must therefore accompany 

 the teaching of reading. And great care must be exercised that the palate tor 

 experimenting, for results, is not spoilt by reading. The use of text-books must 

 be most carel'ully avoided at this stage in order that that which should be elicited 

 bv experiment is not previously known and merely demonstrated^a most inferior 

 method from any true educational point of view and of little value as a means of 

 developing thought-power. I regard Huxley's physiography, for example, as a 

 type of the book to be avoided until method has been fully mastered. The great 

 difficulty in the way of teaching the art of reading arises from the comparative 

 paucity of readable books for young people. Text-books are not readable ; in fact, 

 they tend to spoil reading ; and the majority of books are written for grown-up 

 people having considerable experience of the world. The mistake is too commonly 

 made of expecting children to master ' classics.' On the other hand, we need not 

 fear allowing advanced books to fall into the hands of children ; they are the first 

 to despise the namby pamby stuff' that is too frequently offered to them. A new 

 literature must be created, if education is to be put on a sound basis ; something 

 beyond mere word painting is required. Books are wanted, written in a bright, 

 attractive and simple style, full of accurate information, which would carry us 

 over the world and give clear pictures of all that is to be seen as well as of the 

 character and customs of its inhabitants; and books are wanted which, in like 

 manner, would carry us back in time and sketch the history of the peoples of the 

 e^rth. The various branches of science all need their popular exponents; our 



