TEXT BOOKS ON EDUCATION.

New Zealand Tablet, 18 May 1911, Page 899

TEXT BOOKS ON EDUCATION.

In addition to the subjoined letter, we have also received a communication from a leading religious educational institution very strongly recommending as a suitable test-book for our inquiring student a volume entitled Christian Pedagogy, by Rev. P. A. Ilalpin, Professor of Mental Philosophy, St. Angela’s College, New Rochelle, N.Y., published by Joseph F. Wagner, 9 Barclay street, New York. The price is 6s; and we note that the book has been very favorably reviewed by English and American Catholic papers. As there may be a number of Catholic students throughout the Dominion who are interested in the question we propose to give publicity in our columns to all information received on the subject. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In one of the issues of your paper you were writing about different works on the • history of education. What about Essays on Education, or rather Essays Educational, by Brother Azarias, of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (William H. Young and Co., 63 Barclay street, New York). I have not .read the book, but the headings of the chapters are — ! Cloistral Schools,’ ‘The Palatine School,’ ‘Mediaeval University Life,’ ‘ University Colleges: their Origin and their Methods,’ ‘The Primary School in the Midddle Ages,’ ‘ The Simultaneous Method in Teaching,’ ‘Beginnings of the Normal School,’ ‘ M. Gabriel Compayre as an Historian of Pedagogy.’ There is also a book by Dr. Walsh, The XIII. Century the Greatest of All Centuries. It also touches a good deal on the education question.—l am, etc., H. FITZGERALD. P.S.—Brother Azarias, in Essays Educational , p. 281., gives a list of works (written in English, or translated into English) on Pedagogy—(l) Christian Schools and Scholars, by a Dominican Nun, Theodosia Drane. Published in two volumes by Longmans, Green, and Co., London. It is charmingly

written, and is well calculated to give an exalted idea of the work of the Church in the education of Europe. But it is mainly literary rather than pedagogical. (2) The Life of Bernard Overberg, translated from the German of Krabbe by the humble Passionist, the Hon. and Rev. George Spencer (Derby, Richardson and Son, 1844). There is a Protestant version, prepared by Schubert, who simply re-wrote Krabbe’s book, omitting the Catholic portions. This also has been translated.' Overberg (1754-1826) was a devoted priest, rector of the Seminary of Munster and head of the Normal School. He was one of the greatest educators of the day. : Father Spencer’s life is an ennobling volume, calculated to fire every' teacher with love and zeal for the education of youth. It is out of print! (3) The Spirit and Scope of Education. It is a translation from the German of Dr. Stapf. It is written in the spirit and according to the noble ideal that Overberg held of the teacher’s mission. It is highly philosophical in . its treatment of the relations of teacher and pupil. Its psychological analysis is natural and simple, and above all it is imbued with a truly Catholic tone. But the book- is also out of print. (4) Rosmini left in a fragmentary state the first part of a great work on education. This volume has been faithfully translated; for this we may thank a Protestant lady and a Protestant publishing house (Itosmini’s Method in Education, by Mrs. Wm. Grey, Boston, D. C. Heath and Co., 1887). U (5) Wo have also an English version of the first part of Dupanloup’s work on education. It is called The Child, and though lacking the depth of Rosmini’s work on the same subject, is none the less suggestive reading (Catholic Publication Society, New York). Ir (6) For history of methods Translation of Stockl’s Lehrbuch dev Geschichte der Pedagogik. Now that Dr. Stockl is becoming better known to English readers through the elegant translation that Father Finlay, of Dublin, is giving them of his History of Philosophy, this ~supplementary work should be all the more welcome. H.F.