The Great Didactic of John Amos Comenius/The Great Didactic

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Introduction II.—Historical

The Great Didactic of John Amos Comenius (1896)
by Johan Amos Comenius, translated by Maurice Walter Keatinge

The Great Didactic

Greeting to the reader

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related portals: Children's education

Johan Amos Comenius4325339The Great Didactic of John Amos Comenius — The Great Didactic1896Maurice Walter Keatinge

The Great Didactic

of

John Amos Comenius

The Great Didactic

Setting forth

The whole Art of Teaching
all Things to all Men

or

A certain Inducement to found such Schools in all
the Parishes, Towns, and Villages of every
Christian Kingdom, that the entire
Youth of both Sexes, none
being excepted, shall

Quickly, Pleasantly, & Thoroughly

Become learned in the Sciences, pure in Morals,
trained to Piety, and in this manner
instructed in all things necessary
for the present and for
the future life,

in which, with respect to everything that is suggested,

Its Fundamental Principles are set forth from the essential
nature of the matter,

Its Truth is proved by examples from the several
mechanical arts,

Its Order is clearly set forth in years, months, days, and
hours, and, finally,

An Easy And Sure Method is shown, by which it can
be pleasantly brought into existence.

Let the main object of this, our Didactic, be as follows: To seek and to find a method of instruction, by which teachers may teach less, but learners may learn more; by which schools may be the scene of less noise, aversion, and useless labour, but of more leisure, enjoyment, and solid progress; and through which the Christian community may have less darkness, perplexity, and dissension, but on the other hand more light, orderliness, peace, and rest.

God be merciful unto us and bless us, and cause his face tos shine upon us;

That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.—Psalm lxvii. 1, 2.

SUBJECTS OF THE CHAPTERS

page
	Greeting to the reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	157
	Dedicatory letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	163
	The use of the art of teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	171
I.	Man is the highest, the most absolute, and the most excellent of things created . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	177
II.	The ultimate end of man is beyond this life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	179
III.	This life is but a preparation for eternity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	184
IV.	There are three stages in the preparation for eternity: to know oneself (and with oneself all things); to rule oneself; and to direct oneself to God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	188
V.	The seeds of these three (learning, virtue, religion) are naturally implanted in us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	192
VI.	If a man is to be produced, it is necessary that he be formed by education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	204
VII.	A man can most easily be formed in early youth, and cannot be formed properly except at this age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	209
VIII.	The young must be educated in common, and for this schools are necessary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	213
IX.	All the young of both sexes should be sent to school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	218
X.	The instruction given in schools should be universal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	222
XI.	Hitherto there have been no perfect schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	228
XII.	It is possible to reform schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	233
XIII.	The basis of school reform must be exact order in all things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	245
XIV.	The exact order of instruction must be borrowed from nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	250
XV.	The basis of the prolongation of life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	256
XVI.	The universal requirements of teaching and of learning; that is to say, a method of teaching and of learning with such certainty that the desired result must of necessity follow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	263
XVII.	The principles of facility in teaching and in learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	279
XVIII.	The principles of thoroughness in teaching and in learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	294
XIX.	The principles of conciseness and rapidity in teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	312
XX.	The method of the sciences, specifically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	335
XXI.	The method of the arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	346
XXII.	The method of languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	355
XXIII.	The method of morals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	363
XXIV.	The method of instilling piety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	370
XXV.	If we wish to reform schools in accordance with the laws of true Christianity, we must remove from them books written by pagans, or, at any rate, must use them with more caution than hitherto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	383
XXVI.	Of school discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	401
XXVII.	Of the four-fold division of schools, based on age and acquirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	407
XXVIII.	Sketch of the Mother-School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	411
XXIX.	Sketch of the Vernacular-School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	418
XXX.	Sketch of the Latin-School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	426
XXXI.	Of the University, of travelling students, of the College of Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	433
XXXII.	Of the universal and perfect order of instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	439
XXXIII.	Of the things requisite before this universal method can be put into practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	447

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Original:

This work was published before January 1, 1930, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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Translation:

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The longest-living author of this work died in 1935, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 89 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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