There are few men who have exerted a greater influ- ence upon education than the celebrated author, Jean Jacques Rousseau. He has exerted this influence through a single work, half romance, half essay. It is, as he him- self says, "a collection of thought and observation with- out order and almost without connection." It is entitled,
'' Emile, or Concerning Education." The Rmile is not a practical manual of peda.gogy. but is a general system of education, a treatise on psychology and moral training, an analysis of human nature.
Before entering upon the discussion of the Emile, it is well to look at the life of the author and see how he had been prepared by his character and mode of life to be- come a teacher. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. in 1712. His mother died in his infancy and the education of Jean fell upon his father, who was a poor, dissipated man. He was careless of his responsibility and taught his son how to read but not what to read. As Jean was exceedingly found of reading he read many worthless novels to which he had easy access. This greatly in- fluenced the shaping of his character and also caused him to formulate his theory, later, that a child should not be taught to read. Besides these many novels, he read the books of Ovid and Plutarch.
The sentiment of nature early inspired him with a passion which was not to be quenched. The study of Plutarch bad inspired him 1vith an enthusiasm for liberty.
He was an insatiable reader, nourishing himself on the poets. historians, and philosophers of antiquity.
It is in this way that his literary genius was formed, and in due order, his genius for pedagogy. There is nothing in the life of Rousseau that directly prepared him for the composition of Emile. It is true, he was for a time preceptor in the family of Mably, but as he was not successful he resigned.
Later in life he married a woman from the com1non ranks of life. To them were born five children, all of whom he committed to foundling hospitals without means of identification. The reason for doing this was so that his own comfort or plans should not be disturbed by their presence. Rousseau had reason to regret this heartless
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and unnatural course when in later years he sought in vain to find some trace of his children.
In 1749 Rousseau successfully competed for a prize offered by the Academy of Dijon on the subject, "Has the restoration of the sciences contributed to purify or to corrupt manners? " This essay made hin1 famous, and its publication was the beginning of a literary career. He wrote many books the greatest of which was the Emile.
This book contains his educational theories. Emile is an imaginary being whom Rousseau puts in strange con- ditions. He is a character in a romance rather than a real person. The work is divided into books, and the different ages of Emile serve as a principle for such division. The first two books treat especially of the infant and of the earliest period of life up to the age of twelve. The third book discusses the period from the twelfth t,o the tifteenth year. The fourth book takes Emile from the fifteenth to the twentieth year. The fifth book is devoted to the education of woman.
Rousseau's first principle is: "Everything is good, as it comes from the hands of the Author of nature;
everything degenerates in the bands of man.'' This is a fundamental error, for by nature man is neither good nor evil, but morally indifferent. If man by nature is good, it is unexplainable how evil can originate within him. Ex- ternal things may furnish motives to evil, but they are not in themselves evil. Evil arises rather from the con- duct of the individual toward outside objects. It seems, then, that it is impossible that there is such a thing as evil, if evil does not come from without, and is not already in the heart.
Another error which Rousseau made is the distinction of the ages of a child. I-le divides the life of the child into periods in which is developed one nature at a time. Thus the first education 1s physical and begins at birth.
During the second period the training of the senses is the important work. The third period is devoted to in- tellectual training. During these three years Emile is to receive all needed intellectual instruction. The fourth period is devoted to the teaching of morals and religion to Emile. It is now that Emile learns that he has a soul.
He is taught to love those who love him, and to hate those who hate him. He is allowed to select that religious be-
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ATHENAEAN LYCEUM 2II
lief which most strongly appeals to his reason.
Having brought Emile to the period of life at which he is to marry, Roussea proceeds to create in "Sophie " the ideal wife. It is not the education of women as such, that Rousseau discusses, but their education with.refer- ence to man. He says, "The whole education of women should be relative to men; to please them, to be useful to them, to make themselves honored and loved by them, to educate the young, to care for the older, to advise them, to console them, to make life agreeable and sweet to them -these are the duties of women in every age."
Woman's own happiness or development does not enter into Rousseau's scheme.
Out of the many errors which Rousseau made we may see some great and grand truths which he presented.
In the first period of the child's life, he says. ·'Let nature have her own way." This means that the child should have liberty of movement and that nothing should inter- fere with bis natural activities. He should not be dressed so that he cannot be active. Then during the intellectual training, Rousseau says,-" Do not treat the child to dis- courses which he cannot understand. Be content to pre- sent to him appropriate objects. Let us transform our sensations into ideas. Let us always slowly proceed from one sensible notion to another. ln general, let us never substitute the sign for the thing except when it is im- possible for us to show the thing."
Rousseau's educational theories made a profound im- pression throughout Europe, and though often inconsist- ant, they set the world to thinking of the child and his psychological development. A new direction was thus given to educational theory and practice, and upon this basis modern educators have built. Rousseau must there- fore be considered as one of the great pedagogical ed uca-
tors of the modern day. -0. 0.
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ELOQUENTIA MUNDUM REGIT
W. T. DONALDSON, President C. J. PARKS, Vice=President
J. N. NORWOOD, Critic
A. E. CHAMPLIN, Recording Secretary W. F. BRODERICK, Corresponding Secretary
E. R. BROWN, Treasurer A. C. DAVIS, Assistant Treasurer
J. E. VINCENT, 1st Teller C. L. CLARKE, 2d Teller
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