My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
52 MY LIFEchildren ; but difficulties with the partners arose, theproperty was sold to a fresh set of partners, Owenbeing still the largest shareholder and manager, anda few years later again sold to Owen and a few of hispersonal friends, who agreed to allow him to managethe property, and to expend all profits above 5 percent, for the benefit of the workers. Among his coshareholderswere Jeremy Bentham, with JosephFoster and William Allen, well-known Quakers. Itmay be here stated that the property was purchasedof Mr. Dale for i^6o,ooo, and was sold to Owen andhis friends in 1814 for ;^i 14,100. This great increaseof value was due in part to the large profits made bycotton mills generally at this period, and partly toOwen's skilful management and judicious expenditure.He was now at last able to carry out his plans forthe education of the children, none of whom he wouldallow to enter the mills as workers till they were tenyears old. He built handsome and roomy schools,playrooms and lecture-rooms for infants from two tosix, and for the older children from six to ten yearsold ; and he obtained the best masters for the latter.The infant schools were superintended by himself,and managed by teachers he himself selected for theirmanifest love of children. His instructions to themwere " that they were on no account ever to beat anyone of the children, or to threaten them in any mannerin word or action, or to use abusive terms, but werealways to speak to them with a pleasant countenance,and in a kind manner and tone of voice ; that theyshould tell the infants and children that they must onall occasions do all they could to make their playfellowshappy ; and that the older ones, from five tosix years of age, should take especial care of theyounger ones, and should assist to teach them to
LONDON WORKERS, SECULARISTS, ETC. 53make each other happy." And these instructions, heassures us, were strictly followed by the man andwoman he chose as infant-schoolmaster and mistress.No books were to be used ;but the children " wereto be taught the uses and nature or qualities of thecommon things around them, by familiar conversationwhen the children's curiosity was excited so as toinduce them to ask questions respecting them." Theschoolrooms were furnished with paintings of naturalobjects, and the children were also taught dancing,singing, and military evolutions, which they greatlyenjoyed. The children were never kept at any oneoccupation or amusement till they were fatigued andwere taken much into the open air and into the surroundingcountry, where they were taught somethingabout every natural object. Here we see all the essentialfeatures of the educational systems of Pestalozziand Frcebel, worked out by his own observations ofchild-nature from his own childhood onward, and putinto practice on the first opportunity with a completenessand success that were most remarkable.The effect of his system on the adult workers washardly less remarkable. To stop the continued pilferingof bobbins and other small articles in the mills,he invented a system (unfortunately not explained)by which the many thousands of these articles whichpassed from hand to hand daily were so recordedautomatically that the loss of one by any particularworker could be always detected. In this way robberylarge or small, was always discovered, but no one wasever punishedfor it. The certainty of discovery, however,prevented its being attempted, and it very soonceased altogether.Equally novel and ingenious was his method ofavoiding the necessity for punishment, or even for 3,
- Page 25 and 26: MY RELATIVES AND ANCESTORS 7in 1837
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- Page 31: MARY ANNE WALLACE. AGED 1 8.{.4i ti
- Page 34 and 35: 12 MY LIFEwere told it was a histor
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- Page 40 and 41: 18 MY LIFEamid which I have lived a
- Page 42 and 43: 20 MY LIFEhair was of a very light
- Page 44 and 45: 22 MY LIFEwe often saw him standing
- Page 46 and 47: 24 MY LIFEwas an old-fashioned mill
- Page 48 and 49: CHAPTER IIIMY SCHOOL LIFE AT HERTFO
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- Page 62 and 63: 38 MY LIFEmy father's family, to be
- Page 64 and 65: 40 MY LIFEof Wakefield," and some o
- Page 66 and 67: 42 MY LIFEextempore prayers, the fr
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- Page 84 and 85: 6oMY LIFEchurch spires of Barton an
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- Page 96 and 97: 72^MY LIFEa development of glaciers
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- Page 102 and 103: 78 MY LIFEwhich he told us where to
- Page 104 and 105: 8oMY LIFEwas simple robbery, as the
- Page 106 and 107: 82 MY LIFEbe well for a moment to s
- Page 108 and 109: —;84 MY LIFEthe banks of every ri
- Page 110 and 111: 86 MY LIFEcertainly was, both unjus
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LONDON WORKERS, SECULARISTS, ETC. 53make each other happy." And these instructions, heassures us, were strictly followed by the man <strong>and</strong>woman he chose as infant-schoolmaster <strong>and</strong> mistress.No books were to be used ;but the children " wereto be taught the uses <strong>and</strong> nature or qualities <strong>of</strong> thecommon things around them, by familiar conversationwhen the children's curiosity was excited so as toinduce them to ask questions respecting them." Theschoolrooms were furnished with paintings <strong>of</strong> naturalobjects, <strong>and</strong> the children were also taught dancing,singing, <strong>and</strong> military evolutions, which they greatlyenjoyed. The children were never kept at any oneoccupation or amusement till they were fatigued <strong>and</strong>were taken much into the open air <strong>and</strong> into the surroundingcountry, where they were taught somethingabout every natural object. Here we see all the essentialfeatures <strong>of</strong> the educational systems <strong>of</strong> Pestalozzi<strong>and</strong> Frcebel, worked out by his own observations <strong>of</strong>child-nature from his own childhood onward, <strong>and</strong> putinto practice on the first opportunity with a completeness<strong>and</strong> success that were most remarkable.The effect <strong>of</strong> his system on the adult workers washardly less remarkable. To stop the continued pilfering<strong>of</strong> bobbins <strong>and</strong> other small articles in the mills,he invented a system (unfortunately not explained)by which the many thous<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> these articles whichpassed from h<strong>and</strong> to h<strong>and</strong> daily were so <strong>record</strong>edautomatically that the loss <strong>of</strong> one by any particularworker could be always detected. In this way robberylarge or small, was always discovered, but no one wasever punishedfor it. The certainty <strong>of</strong> discovery, however,prevented its being attempted, <strong>and</strong> it very soonceased altogether.Equally novel <strong>and</strong> ingenious was his method <strong>of</strong>avoiding the necessity for punishment, or even for 3,
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