A Guide to Methods and Observation in History Part 11

5. Is the civics instruction closely correlated with history?

6. Is it vitalized by visits to contemporary governmental inst.i.tutions?

7. Are current political events employed to ill.u.s.trate the course?

8. Is the cla.s.s encouraged to organize as a civic or political body?

9. Are governmental forms and practices brought into the school work?

10. Is emphasis placed too much on details or is effort made to get back of practices to discover the origin, development, and purpose of such practices?

11. Are there mock elections, court trials, debates?

XX. _Some Principles of History Dogmatically Stated._

1. "A people's life of thought and feeling obeys the law of continuity and of differentiation. The law of continuity means there are no breaks or leaps in the life of a people. Development may hasten or slacken and may cease for a time, but it is always continuous; the law of differentiation means that thoughts and feelings of a people take on new forms in the process of growth."--_Mace._

2. History is an evolution--a continuous movement, and causes always precede effects.

3. The historical att.i.tude is this: Ascertainment of facts, interpretation of actions, investigation of motives, but regarding all events as "portions of human life."

4. The notable characteristics of the 19th century are:

(_a_) Rise of nationality.

(_b_) Struggle for const.i.tutional government.

(_c_) Enthusiasm for natural science.

(_d_) Development of the doctrine of evolution.

(_e_) Industrial changes.

(_f_) Economic theory and reform.

Hence, the study of history demands that such items shall be discovered as explain and support these elements.

5. It is desirable to develop the historic sense by working outward from the industrial activities of the community.

6. It is necessary to reduce diversity to unity.

7. "What is logically first in a subject, i.e., the law or principle, comes last into the possession of the unfolding mind."

8. "The worst possible form of education is an abortive education--one that falls back on some mysterious disciplinary claim for its justification--as if there were any true discipline in failing to master a subject."

9. "History shows that men's actions are governed by some kind of calculable law." The problem is to discover these laws.

XXI. _Some Positive Guides and Suggestions._

1. Clearly set forth the problem to be investigated.

2. Discover the facts that bear upon this problem--but only the significant facts.

3. Relate the facts to each other.

4. Formulate a mental picture of the events or scenes.

5. Seek to discover the causes that lie back of the facts--the geographical, meteorological, geological, biological, physiographic, and human.

6. Seek to discover the motives, interests, and intentions of men and societies in producing the events.

7. Seek to discover the means employed to realize or attain the ideal, motive, or purpose.

8. Seek to trace the results--both immediate and remote, and both subjective and objective--of the actions thus made.

9. Seek for principles of unity and diversity in interpreting the events.

10. Make use of time-wholes, s.p.a.ce-wholes, and organic-wholes, but avoid making artificial divisions.

11. Guide the pupils, but do not dictate their reactions.

12. Make the study stimulate the intellect, the emotions, the will.

13. Force the pupils to think for themselves--to a.n.a.lyze, compare, reason, judge, and apply.

14. Show that all history,--battles, inst.i.tutions, const.i.tutions, etc.,--are the result of conflicts of ideas, emotions, ideals, and wills.

15. Correlate constantly.

16. Show that inst.i.tutions of to-day strike their roots deep in the past, and are but the complex development of simpler forms.

17. Put life into the dead facts; be interested and enthusiastic.

18. Be honest with the facts and with the pupils; confess ignorance rather than endeavor to "bluff."

19. Be free from the textbook.

20. Adapt the work to the pupils' capacities.

21. Arouse, stir, stimulate the pupils and fill with a burning zeal to study history.