It would never make an arithmetician of a boy at school if
he merely copied the solution of arithmetic problems from
his neighbor’s slate or paper, even tho the solutions thus
copied should be the correct ones. To become an arithmetician
the boy must himself learn to solve problems; and this means
that he must understand thoroughly every step in the process
of solution. The process must go through him, or through his
intelligence, as well as that he must go through the process.
He must know what he is aiming at, and why it is that he adds,
subtracts, multiplies, and divides, every time that he does any
of these. Merely to put down figures on his paper, even should
they be the right figures by chance, unless he understands
the why and the when, would do him no good whatsoever. And it
would not make the matter one whit better if he imagined the
schoolmaster would be pleased with seeing him put down right
figures without understanding what he was doing, or why he was
doing it. The whole would only show that he was far back in
intelligence, and would hardly ever become an arithmetician. We
can not become truly religious either by being mere copiers of
the religion of others, or by fetish worship.--ALEXANDER
MILLER, “Heaven and Hell Here.”
(587)
=Cordiality=--See HOSPITALITY IN CHURCH.