A New Discovery of the Old Art of Teaching School, Chapter 9
CHAP. VIII.
Of Scholars writing their exerciſes fair, and of keeping their books handſome. And of erecting a Schoole-Library for the Masters Recreation therein, at vacant houres.
THough the teaching of children to write a fair hand, doth properly belong to writing-Maſters, as profeſsors of that Art; yet the care of ſeeing that all they write in Paper-books, and looſe papers, by way of Exerciſes be neatly done, doth pertain to every Schoole-Maſters and therefore we ſhall here touch a little concerning that, and alſo ſhew what heed is to be taken about keeping their Books.
The uſual way for Scholars learning to write at the Country Grammar-Schooles, is to entertain an honeſt and skilful Pen-man, that he may conſtantly come and continue with them about a monethmonth or ſix weeks together every year, in which time commonly every one may learn to write legibly. The beſt ſeaſon for ſuch a mans coming is about May-day, partly becauſe the dayes are then pretty long, and partly becauſe it will be requiſite for ſuch as are then getting their Grammar Rudiments, to learne to write before they come to Tranſlations. The Parents of all other children would be adviſed to let them take that opportunity to improve their hands, foraſmuch as the benefit thereof will far exceed the charge, & it will be a means of better order to have all employed together about a thing ſo neceſſary. The Maſter of the Schoole ſhould often have an eye upon them, to ſee what they do, and how they profit, and that they may not ſlack in their other learning, he may hear them a part at morn, and a leſſon at noon before their Copies be ſet, or their books can be provided for them; and proportion their weekly exerciſes accordingly, And that the ſtock which they then get, may be better increaſed againſt the next year, the Pen-man ſhould cauſe them to write a piece, a day or two before he leave them, as fair as they can, with the date above it, and their names ſubſcribed underneath, which the Schoole-Maſter may ſafely keep by him as a Teſtimony of what they can perform, & take care to ſee that their writing for the future be not much worſe, This Pattern or Copy I formerly received from that induſtrious pen-man Mr. Roger Evans, who had ſometimes taught me to write; being a Scholar at Wakefield, and afterwards yearly taught my Scholars, whileſt I was School-Maſter at Rotherham.
June 1. 1635.
A man cannot any way enter into the canonized rule, to come to Gods holy will and kingdome, except he reform, and become acquainted with vertuous manners, in most prudent ſort that may be, &c.
Roger Evans.
But in London, (which of all places I know in England, is beſt for the full improvement of children in their education, becauſe of the variety of objects which daily preſent themſelves to them, or may eaſily be ſeen once a year, by walking to Mr. John Tradeſcants, or the like houſes or gardens, where rarities are kept, a Book of all which might deſerve to be printed, as that ingenuous Gentleman hath lately done his by the name of Muſaeum Tradeſcantianum, a Collection of Rarities; could Parents at home but halfe ſo well look to their behaviour, as the Maſters do to their learning at Schoole) it is ordinary for Scholars at eleven and five a clock to go to the Writing-Schooles, and there to benefit themſelves in writing. In that City therefore, having the opportunity of the neighbourhood of my ſingular loving friend Mr. James Hodder, (whoſe Coppy bookes of late printed, do ſufficiently teſtify his ability for the profeſſion he hath undertaken, and of whoſe care and pains I have had abundant triall by his profiting of my Scholars for (at leaſt) twelve years together; who had moſt of them learned of him to write a very fair hand; not to ſpeak of Arithmetick, or Merchants Accounts, which they gained alſo by his teaching at ſpare times) In the Token-houſe garden in Lothbury, ſomewhat near the Old-Exchange; I ſo ordered the buſineſs with him, that all my lower Scholars had their little Paper-books ruled, wherein they writ their leſſons fair, and then their Tranſlations, and other Exerciſes in looſe papers in his ſight, untill they were able to do every thing of themſelves in a handſome manner. And afterwards it is not to be expreſsed, what pleaſure they took in writing and flouriſhing their Exerciſes, all the while they continued with me at the Schoole. This or a better courſe (perhaps) may be taken at other Schooles, where they have a Writing-Maſter conſtant and ready to attend them every day throughout the year, as I have heard Mr. Farnaby made uſe of Mr. Taylor a famous Pen-man, for the teaching his Scholars to write. If at any time a Scholar doth not write his Exerciſes in the faireſt manner that he is able, his puniſhment may be to write them over again, whileſt others play. I have been told of a Porter, that could neither write nor read, who if at any time he had ſeen his ſon write his Exerciſes at home, in a worſe hand then he thought he was able to do, would teare them to pieces, and thus at laſt enforced the young Scholar upon a very good hand of writing; which rude kinde of dealing with a childe, though I would have no Parents to imitate, yet I would adviſe them ſometimes to look upon their childrens writing at home, and to encourage them to do it in the neateſt faſhion. For as it will be an ornament to them in their learning, and an eſpeciall furtherance of their Studies, or future employments elſewhere, ſo it will be a great eaſe to the Maſter in the peruſal of what they have written; I, with ſome others, have bin ſorry to ſee ſome of that reverend and learned Mr. Hookers Sermons come in manuſcript to the preſſe, and not to have been poſſible to be printed, becauſe they were ſo ſcriblingly written, that no body could read three words together in them. It is commonly objected to the beſt Scholars in any of the three Profeſſions, that they write the worſt hands, and therefore I wiſh that care may be taken to prevent that objection at the Schoole, to a future generation.
Now to train up Scholars as well in Calligraphy as Orthography, whilſt they write their Tranſlations in a Paper-book, they ſhould often be admoniſhed,
1. To keep a large Margent on both …des, & to leave the ſpace of a long letters …ength betwixt every line, and of a ſmall …tters breadth, betwixt every word: …nd to regard the Proportion of every particular letter, and the difference betwixt j and i, and v and u, and above …l to beware of blotting or ſoyling their …ooks.
2. To make every Comma, Colon, Semicolon, Period, notes of Interrogation, Parentheſis, and notes of Admiration, &c. in their due places.
3. To write all their words in an even line with the tops, bellies, and bottomes of the letters of an even ſize, and when they have an occaſion to divide any word, to part it by its juſt ſyllables, making this mark Hyphen (-) at the end of the line. And
4. In Latine to give an Adverb, or other word its note of difference, & the like, as the Grammar will further direct them. But for directions in fair writing, I refer him to that ſheet which Mr. Hodder hath cauſed to be printed before his Copy-book, which will ſufficiently commend its Authour.
After they have once got an habit of theſe things, they wil more eaſily obſerve them in future Exerciſes, the neglect whereof will be harder to remedie afterwards, which I have ſeen too groſſe in ſome mens letters that have come from the Univerſities.
As for Books; a care would be firſt had to procure thoſe of a faire print in good paper, and ſtrongly bound; then the Maſter may more eaſily ſee that his Scholars keep them all fafe and cleanly, and free from ſcribling or rending, by cauſing them at a time unexepcted to bring all their books before him, and to ſhew their names, together with a note of the price, fairly writ in the middle of every one of them, as well as at the beginning or end. And that none may ſquander his own or pilfer away anothers book, or have it careleſly thrown about, or to ſeek, when he ſhould uſe it, the Maſter may do well to make every Scholar once a quarter to deliver him a Catalogue of his Books, with the day of the monethmonth and his name ſubſcribed, which he may lay by him, ſo as at any time to call him whom he ſuſpecteth to be negligent of his books, to a private and particular account of them. That the Schoole may be furniſhed with all kind of Subſidiary books for the general uſe of all the Scholars (to be laid up in Repoſitories or Preſſes, as ſo many little Libraries belonging to every Form, and to be ſafely kept under lock and key) whereof the headſt boy in each Form ſhould take the charge to deliver them out, and ſee they be brought in every night without being abuſed; it would not be amiſſe, that every Scholar which is admitted into the Schoole, ſhould give 12. pence (beſides what is accuſtomed to be paid to the Maſter) and every one at his removeal into a new Form ſhould give 12. pence likwiſe, towards the procuring of common books. The Maſter alſo may do well to ſtir up his friends that come to viſit the Schoole, or eſpecially ſuch as prevaile with him for a Play-day, to contribute ſomewhat towards the furtherance of childrens learning, as well as to be earneſtly importunate for that which may hinder it. But where a Schoole is liberally endowed, it would be good that a conſiderable ſtock of mony were appointed to be laid out yearly in all kinde of Schoole-books, whereby the poorer ſort of children may have whereon to learn, and they, & all other Scholars, wherewith to help themſelves in their Leſſons and Exerciſes.
And might I become a Petitioner to the forementioned Truſtees, for the maintenance of Students, or any that are both willing & able to promote the growth of good learning, I ſhould deſire, that towards the better compleating of a Grammar-Schoole, there might be a little Library well furniſhed with all ſorts of Grammars, Phraſe-books Lexicons, Dictionaries, Orators, Poets, Hiſtories, Herbals, Commentators, Scholiaſts, Antiquaries, Criticks, and ſome of the ſuccincieſt and choycest Authours for matters of Humanity, Divinity▪ Medicine and Law; beſides thoſe which treat of every Art and Science, whether Liberal, or Mechanical, that he that is employed as a profeſſed School-Maſter may throughly ſtock himſelf with all kinde of learning, and be able to inform his Scholars in any thing that ſhall be neceſſary for them to know. For every new Maſter cannot at the firſt be provided of a good study of books, for his own private uſe, and his Scholars benefit, neither indeed at any time can he procure them, without great trouble and charge, eſpecially, if he live at a place far diſtant from London. I have obſerved it therefore as a great point of diſcretion, as well as a matter of charity, in Mr. Calfe, that in founding his Grammar-Schoole at Lewinham, he provided a Library for the Maſters uſe, as well as a houſe for him to dwell in. And I took notice of that charitably diſpoſed Gentleman, and Citizen Deputy Adams; that when he went about to erect a School in his native country of Shropſhire (if I miſtake not) he conſulted with Mr. Langley, and brought him along with him to Sion Colledge, to ſee what books he judged moſt convenient to furniſh a Library withall for the Schoole-Maſters uſe, and I heard ſince he beſtowed (at le…) 100. l. in choice books for that purpoſe. I onelyonly mention theſe two worthy perſons (the former whereof is dead, and the latter living in Lawrence Lane London) to let others ſee, that in this preſent age of ours, we want not patterns of well doing, if any be deſirous to imitate them in their pious actions; and I hope God hath already inclined the hearts of many, as he hath given them ſtore of riches, to endeavour to diſtribute and do good in this kind, even now whileſt they live, in their generation.
I will conclude this Chapter with that which I heard lately related, of a cheap, eaſy, profiting, and pious work of charity, which one did, in beſtowing 40. 8. per annum, towards buying Engliſh Bibles, which were to be given to thoſe children in the Pariſh, that were beſt able to read in them; and I do verily believe, that were an annuall ſumme laid out in procuring a certain number of books, for ſuch as ſhould beſt deſerve them in every Form at a Free Schoole, it would be a greater incitement to provoke children to learn, then any perſwaſions or enforcements which are commonly yet uſed.