The Reformed School, Part 20 – Part 21
Concerning the Things to be taught to each degree of Capacity.
Firſt, while a Child is capable of nothi… but what he receiveth by Senſe and upon t… ſimilitudes of ſenſuall Objects, by Imagination; nothing is to be offered unto his Memo… but what can enter in, by thoſe dores. Here t… he is to be taught.
1. To ſpeake his Mother-Tongue, di…tinctly.
2. To read his Mother-Tongue readily, …telligibly, and without any affectat Chil…iſh tone, with his owne naturall ſound of …peech.
3. To write his owne Mother-Tongue le…bly; or any other Tongue what ſoever, …s to the forming of any Letters after a Copye.
4. To draw all manner of Lines and Ma…hematicall Figures with a Ruler and com…aſſes; and other Lines and Figures, which …re the Rudiments of Painting to repreſent …he lineaments and features of things.
5. To know the ſignification of all Numericall Figures; and to obſerve by the eye, …are and hand, the differences of Things in re…ect of their number, their parts, their quan…ties, their meaſures, their proportions and …iſproportions, and the like.
6. To take notice of all Things offered to …is Senſes; to know their proper names, to …bſerve their ſhapes; and to make circum…antiall deſcriptions thereof by word of …outh, and painting in black and white.
7. To mind, and repeate the things which …re to be related unto him; which ſhould be …he Generall Heads of the Hiſtory of the …orld; whereof the ground work ſhould be the Hiſtoricall Cathechiſme of the Bibl… and the ſuperſtructure, a deſcription of t… Parts of the world; of the Things that … therin; and eſpecially of the Nations of … earth; and the Chiefeſt Revolutions a… Changes which are befallen to his owne N…tion ſince the beginning thereof.
Theſe things ought to be taught unto Ch…dren before they come to any of the Uſhe… belonging to the Aſſociation; for (none un… eight or nine) ought to be brought unto the… except they be ſufficiently qualified before th… age with theſe endowments: and that th… things may be taught ſufficiently, as a prepa…tive for their future education in Sciences; peculiar School ſhould be appointed as a N…ſery not farre from the place of the Soc…e… wherin Children of this Age ſhould be train… up according to the Directions which may … given to that effect: and although the Gove…nour ſhould not be charged with any peculi… inſpection over them; yet he might be oblig… to repaire thither at certain convenient ti… to helpe with Counſell, by conferring wi… thoſe that ſhould teach them theſe things, a… to overſee their way, and direct them chie… in point of Manners; how to prevent e… Habits, and the Cuſtomes of perverſe incl…nations, which then beginne to take head an… diſcover themſelves: and for want of d…prevention become ordinarily a great prejudice to their Education in after times.
Secondly, from eight or nine, till thirteen or fourteen, a Childs Imagination and Memory is throughly to be cultivated and exerciſed; ſuppoſing then, that a Child can ſpeake his Mother-Tongue diſtinctly and readily, can read and write, and hath gotten a generall view of all things, and is able to name that which is obvious to his Senſe by its proper name in his Mother-Tongue: yet theſe impreſſions and ſhapes of Things are like a Chaos or confuſed maſſe of notions in his head. Theſe now in the ſecond Period of his Education are to be Ordered, and his Memory ſo exerciſed about them, as to prepare him to entertaine the Traditionall and Rationall Learning which in the third and laſt period of his education is to be delivered concerning them. Heer then the Children ſhall be exerciſed.
1. In writing faire and readily; and in drawing the pictures of Things whereof the Impreſſions are to be fixed in their Memories.
2. In obſerving all Things Naturall and Artificiall extant in the world, wherunto their Imagination ſhall be ledd in a certain Method; to cauſe them reflect orderly upon them, and obſerve in them their ſeverall kindes, coherences, differences, parts, actions▪ properties, uſes, and references unto Man by Trades and Manufactures.
3. In Learning all the Names of the Things themſelves and of that which doth belong unto them in Latin, in Greek and in Hebrew; which Tongues they ſhall withal… Learne to Reade and write; and to Interpre… ſo farre, as their experience in the obſervation of Things doth go, and no further: For ſo farre their Janua's in each Tongue ſhall go and be offered to them pari paſſu, with that which they have been taught to obſerve in the Things themſelves.
4. In the Practicall Parts of the Mathematicks; wherin they ſhall be taught (togethe… with their Latin, Greek, and Hebrew names.)
1. The Geographicall Deſcriptions of the world, and of the Kingdoms thereof in Globes and in plain Tables.
2. The Aſtronomicall deſcriptions of the Heavens, in Models, Globes and plain Tables.
3. The Arithmeticall Rules of Addition, Subſtraction, Multiplication, Diviſion, the Reduction of Fractions, and the Rule of Proportions called the Golden Rule, and no further.
4. The Geometricall Doctrine of Lines, Surfaces, Bodyes, and the Rules of Meaſuring the ſame, and ſhewing their proportions, together with the experimentall way of Meaſu…ing Land, and the uſe of the Inſtruments be…onging to that part of Mathematicall ſtudies.
5. In the obſervation of Husbandry and Gardening; of Fiſhing and Fouling; and the generall Rules thereof.
6. In the Anatomy of Mans Body by a Model and Picture of all his parts, with their names in the Learned Tongues.
7. In the Summary knowledge of the Hiſtory of the four Monarchies of the world, …nd of their own Nation: together with a Brief of the Hiſtory of the Church ſince Chriſts dayes.
8. In the Rudiments and neceſſary Rules of Grammaticall conſtructions; ſo farre as may inable them to interpret their Janua's whereof they ſhall have Learned the Single words with the obſervation of the Things …hemſelves: and theſe Rules in all the three Languages are to be given, firſt in that wherin they agree; and afterward in that wherin they differ: and exerciſed in the reciprocal Tranſlations of their Janua's.
Thirdly from thirteen or fourteen, till ninteen or twentie; the things which are to be taught them, and wherin they ſhall be exerciſed, are all the Uſefull Arts and Sciences, which may fitt them for any employment in Church and Common wealth. Here then all the Meanes of Traditionall and Rationall Learning are to be ſet a foot; and to this effect they ſhall be taught their Gramma… Rules more exactly and fully then formerly▪ and brought to read Authors in all the Sciences whereof they have gained the foundations; with directions how to obſerve the Marrow, and Method of them; and out of them to gather to themſelves an Encyclopoedia. To this effect.
1. The Latine Authors of Agriculture Cato, Varro, Columella, may be put into their hands by parcels, to be an enlargement unto that which they have alreadie been taugh… concerning Husband…y
2. The Naturall Hiſtory of Pliny an… Others, by choice parcels are alſo to be peruſed by them; and brought home to wha… they have formerly ſeen; together which the Hiſtories of Meteors, Minerals, &c.
3. In like manner ſome Models and book… of Architecture, Enginry, Fortification, Fire-works, Weapons, Military Diſcipline▪ and Navigation are to be lookt upon.
4. The Greek Authors of Morall Philoſophie, Epictetus, …ebes, Arrianus, Plato, Xenophon, Plutarch; and ſome Latin Tract… in this kind ſhould be read by them; and a… account taken of their proficiencie therby.
5. The Doctrine of Oeconomicks, of Civill Government, and Naturall Juſtice and Equitie in the Laws of Nations ſhould be offered unto them; as the grounds of that Juriſprudentia whereof the ſumme is to be given out of the Inſtitutions of Juſtinian and Regulae Juris.
6. The Theorie of all the Mathematicks, with the full Practiſe of that which was deficient in their former Inſtitution; where the Opticks with the Inſtruments belonging therunto, and the Art of Dialing is to be entertained; and in Arithmetick the way of keeping Accounts.
7. The Principles of Naturall Philoſophie and the main Grounds of Medicin, with the Inſtruments of Diſtilling and other Chimicall Operations, and the Art of Apothecaries, are to be offered unto them partly in books, partly in the Operations themſelves by an ocular inſpection thereof, and of their drugges.
8. The Art of Chirurgery deſcribed in books, with an ocular inſpection of all their tooles, and Compoſitions of plaiſters and ointments, and the uſe thereof.
9. The Rules of Logick, Rhetorick and Poeſie; ſhewing them firſt how to Analyſe Authors, and obſerve their Art of Reaſon and Utterance to perſwade: and then how to order their owne thoughts and expreſſion, to ſearch out Truths and to declare the ſame; Hiſtorically, Philoſophically, Oratorically, Poetically.
10. Directions for the ſtudye of all Humane Hiſtories and what to obſerve in them, for the attainement of Wiſdome and Prudencie in the Government of a mans owne life; where with the Directions to obſerve the wayes of others; the Rules of Judgement, Diſcretion, Prudencie and Civill Converſation to order their owne wayes aright towards all, are to be given unto them which is to be concluded with a ſpeciall recognition and inſight into Salomons Proverbs, and Eccleſiaſtes. And ſo they are to be ſent into the world to apply themſelves to any employment, or more particular ſtudy wherunto God ſhall call them. For now they will be fitted therunto ſo farre as Humane Induſtry can advance them.
Amongſt all theſe, I have not mentioned Muſick▪ Vocall and Inſtrumentall, by it ſelf, becauſe it is a part of the Mathematicks and the Practiſe thereof is to be inſenſibly at ſpare times brought in uſe amongſt them as a part of their Recreations. Nor have I mentioned any Hebrew books which they ſhould read; becauſe their daily reading of the Scriptures ſhould be in Greek and in Hebrew: and their Analyticall exerciſes ſhould be employed for the moſt part in reſolving the Rationality of the Scripture about the moſt Materiall Doctrines of Divinity. Nor have I mentioned any particular Body of Divinity to be put into their hands; becauſe I ſpeak only of the Method of Humane Learning, how it ſhould be delivered; and no Divinity is to be taken up from the teaching of men: it is to be received from the Holy Scriptures alone: and the daily Catecheticall exerciſes and conferences which will be appointed for theſe of this third period; will ſufficiently by Gods bleſſing enable them in all the Truths of Divinity both Theoreticall and Practicall; ſo that there will be no need of any other Inſtitution in that kind.
Thus I have done with all the Matters which are to be taught to each degree of Capacity within the period of the years appointed for their education: now followeth the Laſt point of this Method; how all this is to be taught and expedited within the time appointed with eaſe and delight.
Concerning the Manner and way of Teaching all theſe things, to Each Capacity.
In the Manner of Teaching, experience will bring the way unto perfection, if it be proſecuted, according to the Maximes, and Rules heretofore mentioned, in a Conſtan… Courſe. And to be able to put the deſign in Practiſe; three main things muſt be ordered: firſt the taskes of both the leſſer and the greater parts of the work muſt be determined according to times and ſeaſons; what and when every thing is to be done.
Secondly, the way of propoſing to the Schollars that which they are to receive, and of entertaining them to dwell upon it, till it be fixed in their mindes, muſt be regulated.
Thirdly, the meanes and inſtruments wherby, all taskes are to be performed on all hands, both by thoſe that propoſe, and thoſe that receive and entertaine Learning, are to be had in a readineſs and ordered for Uſe.