Summary
Feb. 8. Ther. 39°. Preservation of School-Books.—I visited a private school for Greek, Latin, arithmetic, geography, drawing, &c. taught by Mr James in Market Street. The arrangements and modes of teaching seemed remarkably good, but the circumstance which struck me most, as being new, was Mr James's method of preserving the school-books from destruction: the use of which is included in the school-fees. He covers the books with cotton cloth, and enjoins care of them on the boys. To give efficacy to this injunction, he withdraws every book immediately on perceiving the slightest tear or stain on it; sacrificing it altogether, and substituting one clean, new, and perfect, in its place. This practice stimulates the boys to preserve their books; those among them who are naturally careless becoming ashamed of the frequent renewals which they render necessary. He mentioned that he had found that when the books continued to be used after being soiled or torn, however little, they all made a rapid progress to decay; but that, by requiring them to be kept constantly in a high condition, the waste is surprisingly small. The principle involved in this practice is capable of being extensively applied. Erect a high, but still an attainable standard, in manners, cleanliness, and moral deportment in schools, and the children will work up to it with greater earnestness and success than many teachers believe.
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- Notes on the United States of North America during a Phrenological Visit in 1838–39–40 , pp. 58 - 115Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010