Mothers’ Educational Course
(Three Years).
First Year.
I—DIVINITY.
To help Mothers to give such teaching as should confirm their children in the Christian Religion.
1. The Old Testament considered as a progressive Revelation of God.
a, Clews to Holy Writ, by M. Petrie (Hodder & Stoughton, 1/6) and The Bible Commentary, see 3 (c).
b, Dwellers on the Nile (R.T.S., 1/-).
2. The New Testament, as a Revelation of Jesus Christ. The Saviour of the World, Vol. I. (Kegan Paul, 2/6) with The Gospel History (University Press, 2/8).
3. The histories of the Pentateuch.
a, Clews to Holy Writ.
b, Life and Times of Joseph (R.T.S., 1/-).
c, Bible Commentary, by J. R. Dummelow (Macmillan, 7/6).
4. The Gospel of S. Luke.
a, The Study of the Gospels, by Dean J. A. Robinson (Longmans, 2/6).
b, Stanley’s Sinai and Palestine (Murray, 1/-).
c, The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, by F. D. Maurice (Macmillan, 2/8) with The Bible Commentary.
d, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, by A. Edersheim (Longmans, 6/-); first half.
5. The Bible and Modern Research.
a, Prof. Sayce’s Fresh Light from Ancient Monuments (R.T.S., 1/-).
b, How we got our Bible, by W. Paterson Smyth (R.T.S., 1/-).
c, Stanley’s Sinai and Palestine.
6. Practical Teaching of Religion.
a, Chapters on religious teaching in Parents and Children, by C. M. Mason (Kegan Paul & Co., 3/6).
b, How to use the Prayer Book (optional) by Mrs. Romanes (Longmans, 2/-).
7. The Will, the Conscience, the Divine Life in the Child.
a, Home Education (Kegan Paul & Co., 3/6).
8. The Spirit of Discipline, by Francis Paget, D.D. (Longmans, 4/-).
For reference: a, Helps to the Study of the Bible (Oxford Press, from 1/-), and, as a short bibliography,
b, The Religious Instruction of Children at Home, by E. Barker (Gardner Darton, 1/-).
II—PHYSIOLOGY AND HEALTH.
To give the knowledge necessary for the care and development of children in sickness and health.
1. The Organs of the Body and their Functions.
a, Elementary Physiology for Schools, by A. T. Schofield, M.D. (Cassell, 1/4).
b, The Little Red Mannikin, by Owen Lankester (Allman & Sons, 2/-).
2. Laws of Health and Care of the Sick.
a, Blackie’s Elementary Hygiene (1/6).
b, Perfect Health for Women and Children, by E. S. Chesser (Methuen, 3/6).
III—MENTAL AND MORAL SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.
To show the principles of Education and Methods based on these principles.
1. Mental Physiology.
a, Primer of Psychology, by Ladd (Longmans, 4/2).
b, Halleck’s Education of the Central Nervous System (Macmillan, 4/6), chapters 1–5.
c, Chapters on Habit, etc., in Home Education.
2. Ethics.
a, Ourselves, Our Souls and Bodies. Part I.
b, Stray Thoughts for Mothers and Teachers, by L. M. Soulsby (Longmans, 2/6).
c, Home Education.
3. Education: Theory Of.
a, Home Education.
b, Parents and Children.
c, Levana, by Richter (translated by Miss S. Wood, Swan Sonnenschein, 2/3).
4. Education: Teaching.
a, School Education, by C. M. Mason (Kegan Paul, 3/6).
b, Chapters on Teaching in Home Education.
IV—NATURE-LORE AND THE ELEMENTS OF SCIENCE.
To enable Mothers to awaken their Children’s interest in Nature and to give them their first ideas.
1. Elements of Botany. Oliver’s Lessons in Elementary Botany (Macmillan, 3/5).
2. The Year’s Wild Flowers (of the neighbourhood), painted and described. John’s Flowers of the Field (Routledge, 7/6).
3. Star-Land, by Sir R. Ball (Cassell, 5/8). The Constellations (Gall & Inglis, 9d.).
4. This World of Ours, by H. Arnold-Forster 1/11).
5. First Year of Scientific Knowledge, by Paul Bert (Relfe Brothers, 2/3).
6. Ethics of the Dust, by John Ruskin (Dent, 1/-).
7. A Nature Study Guide, by Furneaux (Longmans, 3/6).
Second Year.
I—DIVINITY.
To help Mothers to give such teaching as should confirm their children in the Christian Religion.
1. The Apostles’ Creed. The Historic Faith, by Bishop Westcott (Macmillan, 4/6).
2. David. Solomon. The Prophets.
a, As arranged in Clews to Holy Writ (Hodder & Stoughton, 1/6). Read the passages in the Bible.
b, Prophets and Kings, by F. D. Maurice (Macmillan, 2/8).
c, The Dawn of Revelation, by Miss M. Bramston (Simpkin & Co., 5/-).
3. Illustrations of period.
a, The Times of Isaiah, by Prof. Sayce, 1/6.
b, Assyria, by Prof. Sayce, 1/6.
c, Babylonian Life and History, by E. A. Wallis Budge, 1/6. (All, R.T.S.)
4. Practical Teaching of Religion.
a, Chapters on religious teaching in Home Education, Parents and Children, Ourselves, our Souls and Bodies, by C. M. Mason (Kegan Paul, 3/6 each).
b, The Natural Religion, by the Rev. V. Staley (Mowbray & Co., 1/-).
c, How to use the Prayer Book[1] (optional), by Mrs. Romanes (Longmans, 2/-).
d, Pastor Pastorum, by Rev. H. Latham, (Bell, 4/11).
For reference: Helps to the Study of the Bible (Oxford Press, from 1/-).
II—PHYSIOLOGY AND HEALTH.
To give the knowledge necessary for the care and development of children in sickness and health.
1. The organs of the body and their functions.
a, Lessons in Elementary Physiology, by Professor Huxley (Macmillan, 3/5), chapters i.–vi.
b, The Little Red Mannikin, by Owen Lankester (Allman, 2/-).
2. Laws of health and care of the sick.
a, Lectures on Nursing, by E. C. Lückes (Kegan Paul & Co., 3/9).
b, The Preservation of Health, by Clement Dukes, M.D. (Longmans, 5/-).
III—MENTAL AND MORAL SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.
To show the principles of Education and Methods based on these principles.
1. Mental Physiology.
a, Parents and Children, by C. M. Mason (Kegan Paul & Co., 3/6).
b, Carpenter’s Mental Physiology, Book I. (Kegan Paul & Co., 9/-).
c, The Education of the Central Nervous System (Halleck), lectures vi.–xii. (Macmillan, 5/-).
2. Ethics.
a, Parents and Children and Ourselves, Our Souls and Bodies.
b, The Making of Character, by J. MacCunn (Cambridge University Press, 1/11).
c, A Survey of English Ethics (Lecky), edited by W. A. Hirst (Longmans, 2/8).
3. Education, Theory Of.
a, Parents and Children.
b, Emile, edited by Jules Steeg (Heath & Co., 1/6).
c, Quick’s Educational Reformers (Longmans, 2/8).
d, Four Socratic Dialogues (Oxford Press, 3/6).
4. Education. Teaching.
a, The Herbartian Psychology applied to Education, by J. Adams (Isbister, 2/8).
b, The Training of Teachers, by Professor Laurie (Cambridge Press, 4/6).
c, Essays in Practical Education, by C. M. Mason (Kegan Paul, 3/6).
IV—NATURE-LORE AND THE ELEMENTS OF SCIENCE.
To enable Mothers to awaken their Children’s interest in Nature and to give them their first ideas.
1. Elements of Botany. Flowers, Fruits, and Leaves, by Sir J. Lubbock (Macmillan, 3/5).
2. The Year’s Wild Flowers (of the neighbourhood), mounted and described. John’s Field Flowers (S.P.C.K., 5/8), or Ann Pratt’s Wild Flowers (S.P.C.K., 2 vols., 6/- each).
3. The Year’s Birds described. A Year with the Birds, by Ward Fowler (Macmillan, 2/6). John’s British Birds and their Haunts (S.P.C.K., 3/9).
4. A Text-book of Geology, by W. J. Harrison (Blackie, 2/-).
5. Elementary Lessons in Astronomy, by Lockyer (Macmillan, 4/2).
6. House, Field and Garden, by L. C. Miall (Arnold, 4/6).
Third Year.
I. DIVINITY.
To help Mothers to give such teaching as should confirm their children in the Christian Religion.
1. The Bible. The Gospel of the Resurrection, by Bishop Westcott (Macmillan, 4/6).
2. From Jeremiah to the time of Christ. The Psalms. This part of the Bible, to be read with Clews to Holy Writ, by M. Petrie (Hodder & Stoughton, 1/6).
3. Illustrations of the period. Egypt and Syria, by J. W. Dawson; Assyria, by Professor Sayce; Babylonian Life and History, by E. A. Wallis Budge. (All, R.T.S., 1/6 each), or, better than these three, Light from the East, or the Witness of the Monuments, by the Rev. C. N. Ball (Eyre & Spottiswoode, 9/-).
4. The Gospel of S. John, by Bishop Westcott (Murray, 7/11).
5. (a) The Sunrise of Revelation, by Miss M. Bramston (Murray, 5/-); (b) Religious Teaching in Secondary Schools, by G. C. Bell (Macmillan, 2/8); (c) An Elementary Introduction to the Book of Common Prayer, by Maclear and Procter (Macmillan, 1/11); (d) A First Class-Book of the Catechism (Macmillan, 6d.). (c and d optional.)
II. PHYSIOLOGY AND HEALTH.
To give the knowledge necessary for the care and development of children in sickness and health.
1. The Brain and Nervous System. Chapters on these subjects in Mental Physiology, by Dr. Carpenter; Lessons in Elementary Physiology, by Professor Huxley (Macmillan, 3/5), chapters vii.–xii.
2. The Laws of Health. Sanitary Work, by C. Slagg (Crosby & Lockwood, 2/6).
3. Health in Schools, by Clement Dukes, M.D. (6/9).
III. MENTAL AND MORAL SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.
To show the principles of Education and methods based on these principles.
1. Mental Physiology.
a, Chapters in the “Home Education” Series.
b, Mental Physiology, by Dr. Carpenter (Kegan Paul & Co., 9/-), Book II.
c, Thomson’s Laws of Thought (Longmans), (omitting chapters on Logic).
2. Ethics.
a, Chapters in the “Home Education” Series.
b, Moral Instruction of Children, by Felix Adler (Arnold, 4/6). (See Review in Parents and Children).
c, Pastor Agnorum, by Canon I. H. Skrine (Longmans, 3/9).
d, Plato’s Republic, edited by Lewis Campbell (Murray, 1/6).
e, Coleridge’s The Friend (Bell, 3/6).
f, Ourselves, our Souls and Bodies, Part II.
3. Education, Theory Of.
a, Chapters in the “Home Education” Series.
b, Education from a National Standpoint, by A. Fouillée, translated by Greenstreet (Arnold, 7/6).
c, Educational Theories, by O. Browning (Kegan Paul, 2/8).
4. Education. Teaching.
a, Chapters in the “Home Education” Series.
b, Physiography, by Professor Huxley (Macmillan, 4/6).
c, Laws of Everyday Life, by H. O. Arnold Forster (Cassell, 1/2).
d, Vittorino da Feltre, by W. H. Woodward (Cambridge Press, 4/6).
IV. NATURE-LORE AND THE ELEMENTS OF SCIENCE.
To enable Mothers to awaken their Children’s interest in Nature and to give them their first ideas.
1. Elements of Botany. Chapters on Modern Botany, by Professor P. Geddes (University Manual, 2/8).
2. Objects of the Seashore. The Seashore, by Furneaux (Longmans, 6/-).
3. The Study of Animal Life, by Professor J. A. Thomson (University Extension Manual, 3/9).
4. Geikie’s Outlines of Field Geology (Macmillan, 2/8).
5. The Story of the Heavens, by Sir R. Ball (Cassell & Co., 7/11).
N.B—The use of the test questions in the “Home Education” Series will show the student what portions of each volume it is necessary to re-read.
The work for the first year is elementary and not difficult.
The work of the second year is less elementary and more difficult than that of the first. It fairly covers the principles of, and suggests good methods for, the physical, moral, mental, and religious training of children; and includes the knowledge necessary to give children their first inspiring ideas about the natural world. Every word in each of the books set is not offered to students as the teaching of the P.N.E.U. Some degree of sifting and personal selection is required.
The work for the third year is in advance of that of the second. The final examination will touch the principles gathered throughout the course, but will cover the text books of only the final year’s study. The “Nature Lore” for the third year’s course is intended to put Mothers in touch with the thought of the day.
Much of the matter is familiar; but it is one thing to read a work carelessly, and quite another to study it definitely with a view to examination.
The year’s work may be done by reading at the rate of about 100 pages a week for ten months. The order of this reading is left to the student.
The examinations will fall twice a year—the first week in June and the first week in December; when examination papers will be sent to the students.
An examination can always be postponed by writing to the Secretary, House of Education Ambleside, at least a week before the months of June and December.
The final examination on Human Physiology and Hygiene will be for the diploma of the National Health Society.
Fee. Entrance Fee, a guinea.
The first half of each of the works set for study will be examined upon in the first examination, except in the case of the “Home Education” Series.
The volumes of the “Home Education” Series have been specially prepared to embody the distinctive teaching of the P.N.E.U.; therefore a large number of questions will be set upon those volumes in each examination of the course: the chapters bearing on each of the subjects indicated in each syllabus must be prepared.
P.N.E.U. READING COURSE.
“The attention of members is called to the New Course of Reading, which is free to all members of the Union. It is confined to the distinctive teaching of the Union, and therefore to the volumes of the ‘Home Education’ Series, the contents of which have been specially prepared from time to time for the use of the Parents’ National Educational Union. The method of these volumes is a progressive amplification of the principles of the Union. It is, therefore, desirable that the books should be studied in numerical order.[2] Each volume will be furnished with a full table of contents and with numerous questions which should aid the reader in self-examination. On application to the Office a form may be had which runs as follows—
‘I have read the following volumes . . . . . . of the Home Education Series, and am satisfied of my mastery of the principles advanced in them by my ability to answer fully and exactly the questions appended to each.’
(Signed)
This form should be returned to the Office, and the reader would then be entered on the list of ‘qualified members’ of the P.N.E.U.” (See P.N.E.U. Leaflet).
Members of the M.E.C. who satisfy the above conditions should write to the Secretary for the form for “qualified members.”
Many of the books mentioned in this Programme can be borrowed from the P.N.E.U. Library, 26, Victoria Street, London, S.W., but as books are chosen which should be a possession to mothers it is very much better to buy the books. The student is free to underline, make marginal notes, etc., in her own books as she could not do in borrowed volumes.
The books mentioned can all be obtained, at the prices quoted, from G. J. Glaisher, 58, High St., Notting Hill Gate, London, W.
Endnotes
[1] Good but not evangelical
[2] 1. Home Education 2. Parents and Children. 3. School Education 4. Essays in Practical Education 5. Ourselves, Our Souls and Bodies. Published by Kegan Paul & Co. price 3s. 6d. each
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