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STUART

1839

STUDY

passage home, and began painting at Newport, R. I. He returned to London in 1775, where he suffered from poverty until befriended by Benjamin West. He gained a high rank as a portrait-painter, rivaling Reynolds and other English artists. In 1792 he returned to America, and painted the well-known portrait of Washington and those of Jefferson, Madison and John Adams. He died at Boston, July 27, 1828. See Life by Mason.

Stuart, James Ewell Brown, a noted Confederate cavalry-general, was born in Patrick County, Va.,Feb. 6, 1833, and died from mortal wounds at Richmond, Va., May i 2, i 864. His early career was spent as a mounted rifleman in Texas and Kansas, engaged in India.n warfare. When the Civil War broke out, he held a captaincy in the regular army, but resigned this to enter the Confederate service, in which he became the most distinguished of cavalry officers in the army of northern Virginia. He took part in the battles of Bull Run, Antietam and Fredericksburg, and conducted raids through the Shenandoah valley and into Pennsylvania. Being promoted to the rank of major-general, he was assigned to the command of the cavalry in Lee's army and did good service for the Confederacy in the battles of the Wilderness. He covered the retreat after the battle of Gettysburg, and was mortally wounded at the battle of Yellow Tavern against the forces under Gen. Philip II. Sheridan. See McClellan's Life of Major-General J. E. B. Stuart.

Stubbs, William, an English historian, was born at Knaresborough, June 21, 1825. He studied at Oxford, and became a clergyman, settling at Navestock, Essex, in 1850. In 1866 he was appointed professor of modern history at Oxford. He was made bishop of Chester in 1884, and changed to the see of Oxford in 1889. His writings are historical, and are marked by great learning and rare impartiality, and hold the highest rank in English history. He edited a large number of medieval histories and chronicles as Chronicles of Edward I and Edward II. His historical works include Constitutional History of England, The Early Plantagenets, in the Epochs of Modern History Series, and Seventeen Lectures on the Study of History. He died on April 22, 1901.

Study, How to. The importance of this problem is indicated in tke fact that one's

attitude toward study and toward school in general is greatly dependent on his method of study. If there be friction in the process, one dislikes study and school and drops out of the latter early. But if little friction is present, so that the work is agreeable, one is likely to be a student and become well-educated.

The problem is seen to be more serious still, when it is recalled that very young people study in such a way that they gradually lose their native energy to think and act independently. One can easily spend so much time collecting ideas of other people, that he finally has no ideas of his own. Indeed, this tendency is common. Thus in the very process of being educated the native self is undermined and weakened. The real object of study, on the other hand, is not merely to collect; a new mass of facts can only submerge and destroy individuality. But the object is to use facts and ideas merely as means of nourishment. They are the food by means of which mental and spiritual ability is developed, as meat and bread are the means by which the physical body is developed. A power of consumption of ideas, therefore, that insures good assimilation is of the highest importance to every young person.

What, then, are the precautions that should be taken to bring this about?

In the first place, something should be done to overcome the comparative helplessness characteristic of a large percentage of school-children, when they meet intellectual difficulties in their studies. The remedy for the evil is much greater initiative on the part of children during the recitation. So long as the recitation continues to be what it has usually been, i.e., a period, where the teacher entirely assumes the initiative and children are wholly followers, helplessness on the part of pupils must be expected. On the other hand, if children are to become independent in mental work, they must be left alone more of the time, or at least must lead, rather than follow, in the recitation of lessons. This means that many of the recitation periods — possibly the greater part of those in the elementary school — should be spent by pupils, not merely in reciting, but in mastering lessons in the teacher's presence and under the influence of her suggestion. In other words, many of these recitation-periods should rather be study-periods, in which pupils study aloud before their teacher, thus taking the lead in such work and revealing their method of procedure for correction. This presupposes the teacher's willingness and ability to keep still much of the time, not altogether an easy task, and also a change of aim for much of the school-work. Ordinarily that object is knowledge of the various studies; in such work as this suggested, however, it would be knowledge of now to study, a very difficult thing.

GEN. J. E. B. STUART