| CHAPTER I | |
| European Education in the Sixteenth Century | |
| PAGE | |
Humanism, realism, and naturalism characterized—Devotionof the sixteenth century to the humanistic ideal—Studyof Latin eloquence—Style the chief aim—Neglectof the mother-tongue—Views of John Sturmand the Jesuits—Devotion to Cicero—Decadence ofthe later humanists—Erasmus and Melanchthon onthe enrichment of the course of study—Satires ofRabelais directed against the humanists—Protestsof Montaigne—Attitude of Ascham and Mulcaster—Transitionfrom humanism to realism | [1] |
| CHAPTER II | |
| Forerunners of Comenius | |
Traces of the intellectual development of Comenius.Vives a realist—His early training in Spain andFrance—Educational activity in Belgium and England—Viewson the education of women—Theoryof education—Comparison of Comenius and Vives.Bacon the founder of modern realism—Views on theeducation of his day—Attacks mediævalism—Studyof nature and the inductive method—Individual differencesamong children. Ratke—Studies at Hamburgand Rostock—Visits England and becomesacquainted with the philosophy of Bacon—His planof education—Its reception by the universities atJena and Giessen—Organization of the schools atGotha—Call to Sweden—Summary of Ratke’s views—Harmonyof his teachings with those of Comenius.Campanella, Andreæ, and Bateus—Their influenceon the life and teachings of Comenius | [15] |
| CHAPTER III | |
| Boyhood and Early Life of Comenius: 1592–1628 | |
Ancestry of Comenius—Attends the village school atStrasnitz—Studies Latin in the gymnasium at Prerau—Characterof the Latin schools of his day—Entersthe college at Herborn—Studies theology and philosophy—Inspiredby the teachings of Alsted—Makesthe acquaintance of the writings of Ratke—Continueshis studies at Heidelberg—Begins his career as ateacher at Prerau—Ordained as a clergyman—Installedas pastor and school superintendent at Fulneck—Persecution | [38] |
| CHAPTER IV | |
| Career as an Educational Reformer: 1628–1656 | |
Flight to Poland—Appointed director of the gymnasiumat Lissa—Reforms introduced—Literary projects—Needof a patron—Call to England—Friendship withHartlib—Interest of the English Parliament—Discontentwith existing educational institutions—Lewisde Geer, his Dutch patron—Call to Sweden—Interviewwith Oxenstiern—Located at Elbing—Reformof the Swedish schools—Return to Poland—Consecrationas senior bishop—Consequences ofthe treaty of Westphalia—Ecclesiastical ministrations—Callto Hungary—Reform of the schools at Saros-Patak—Planof a pansophic school—Return to Lissa—Thecity burned—Flight of Comenius from Poland | [47] |
| CHAPTER V | |
| Closing Years: 1656–1670 | |
Flight to Amsterdam—Reception by Lawrence de Geer—Religiousfreedom in Holland—Publication of thecomplete edition of his writings—Other educationalactivities—The “one thing needful”—Death atAmsterdam and burial at Naärden—Family historyof Comenius—Alleged call to the presidency of HarvardCollege—Portraits—Personal characteristics | [71] |
| CHAPTER VI | |
| Philosophy of Education | |
The Great didactic—Conditions under which produced—Aimof the book—Purpose of education—Man’scraving for knowledge—Youth the time for training—Privateinstruction undesirable—Education forgirls as well as boys—Uniform methods. Educationaccording to nature—How nature teaches—Selectionand adaptation of materials—Organization of pupilsinto classes—Correlation of studies. Methods ofinstruction—Science—Arts—Language—Morals—Religion.Types of educational institutions—Themother’s school—School of the mother-tongue—Latinschool—University. School discipline—Characterand purpose of discipline—Corporal punishmentonly in cases of moral perversity | [83] |
| CHAPTER VII | |
| Earliest Education of the Child | |
School of infancy—Circumstances under which written—Viewof childhood—Conception of infant education.Physical training—Care of the body—Thechild’s natural nurse—Food—Sleep—Play and exercise.Mental training—Studies which furnish thesymbols of thought—Nature study—Geography—History—Householdeconomy—Stories and fables—Principleof activity—Drawing—Arithmetic—Geometry—Music—Language—Poetry.Moral and religious training—Examples—Instruction—Discipline—Somevirtues to be taught—Character offormal religious instruction | [109] |
| CHAPTER VIII | |
| Study of Language | |
Dominance of Latin in the seventeenth century—Methodsof study characterized by Comenius. The Janua—Purposeand plan—Its success. Atrium and Vestibulum—Theirrelation to the Janua. The Orbispictus—Its popularity—Use of pictures. Methodusnovissima—Principles of language teaching—Functionof examples—Place of oral and written languagein education | [123] |
| CHAPTER IX | |
| Influence of Comenius on Modern Educators | |
Francke—Early educational undertakings—The institutionat Halle—Character of the Pædagogium—Impulsegiven to modern education. Rousseau—Thechild the centre of educational schemes—Sensetraining fundamental—Order and method of natureto be followed. Basedow—Protests against traditionalmethods—Influenced by the Émile—Hiseducational writings—The Philanthropinum. Pestalozzi—Lovethe key-note of his system—Domesticeducation—Education of all classes and sexes—Thestudy of nature—Impulse given to the study ofgeography. Fröbel—His relations to Comenius andPestalozzi—Educational value of play and principleof self-activity—Women as factors in education.Herbart—Assimilation of sense-experience—Trainingin character—Doctrine of interest | [142] |
| CHAPTER X | |
| Permanent Influence of Comenius | |
General neglect of Comenius during the eighteenth century—Causes—Intrenchmentof humanism—Summaryof the permanent reforms of Comenius—Revivedinterest in his teachings—National Comenian pedagogicallibrary at Leipzig—The Comenius Society—Reviewspublished for the dissemination of the doctrinesof Comenius—Conquest of his ideas | [165] |
| APPENDICES | |
| I. Table of Dates | [173] |
| II. Select Bibliography | [175] |
| Index | [181] |
COMENIUS
CHAPTER I
EUROPEAN EDUCATION IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY
Humanism, realism, and naturalism characterized—Devotion of the sixteenth century to the humanistic ideal—Study of Latin eloquence—Style the chief aim—Neglect of the mother-tongue—Views of John Sturm and the Jesuits—Devotion to Cicero—Decadence of the later humanists—Erasmus and Melanchthon on the enrichment of the course of study—Satires of Rabelais directed against the humanists—Protests of Montaigne—Attitude of Ascham and Mulcaster—Transition from humanism to realism.
“Education in Europe,” says Oscar Browning,[1] “has passed through three phases, which may conveniently be called humanism, realism, and naturalism. The first is grounded upon the study of language, and especially of the two dead languages, Greek and Latin. The second is based upon the study of things instead of words, the education of the mind through the eye and the hand. Closely connected with this is the study of those things which may be of direct influence upon and direct importance to life. The third is not in the first instance study at all. It is an attempt to build up the whole nature of man,—to educate first his body, then his character, and lastly his mind.”
The sixteenth century was wedded to the humanistic ideal of education. Without regard for the diversity of avocations, classical culture was held to be the safest and best training for the manifold duties of life. Aristotle’s Politics was considered the wisest utterance on the direction of affairs of state; Cæsar’s Commentaries the safest guides to military eminence; the practical Stoicism of the Latin authors the most infallible basis for ethics and the regulation of conduct; and as for agriculture, had not Virgil written a treatise on that subject? It was clear in the minds of the sixteenth-century humanists that classical culture furnished the best preparation, alike for theologians and artisans.
To accomplish this purpose, as soon as the child was considered sufficiently matured for linguistic discipline, and this varied from the sixth to the ninth years, he was initiated into the mysteries of Latin eloquence. His preliminary training consisted in a verbal study of the Latin grammar for purposes of precision in speech and successful imitation; but, as the grammar was printed in Latin, with its hundreds of incomprehensible rules and exceptions, all of which had to be “learned by heart,” the way of the young learner was, indeed, a thorny one. True, the classical authors were later read, but chiefly for the purpose of gleaning from them choice phrases to be used in the construction of Latin sentences, or for purposes of disputations in dialectics. Logic and history were given most subordinate places in the course of study, the former merely that it might give greater precision in writing and speaking, and the latter that it might furnish illustrations in rhetorical exercises.