PEDAGOGY

Our fathers on the pedagogue held sentiments irrational,
Curricula for training him 'twas never theirs to know,
And when he taught the way he ought, by genius educational,
They gave their thanks to Providence, who made him do it so.
But our developed intellect and keener perspicacity
Has all reduced to system now and _a priori_ rule:
We've altogether ceased to trust in natural capacity,
And pin alone our faith upon a Pedagogy School.

Don't talk to me of knowledge gained by base experience practical
(A thing that's wholly obsolete and laid upon the shelf):
Don't waste your time in aiming at exactitude syntactical,
Or hold that he who teaches Greek should know that Greek himself:
For if you wish to face the truth, and fact no more to see awry--
Who strives to wake the dormant mind of unreceptive imps
Need only read the works of Rein on Education's Theory
And study the immortal tomes of Ziegler and De Guimps!

Whene'er of old a boy was dull or quite adverse to knowledge, he
Was set an imposition or corrected with a switch:
Far different our practice is, who reign by Methodology
And guide the dunce by precepts learnt from Landon or from Fitch:
'Twas difficult by rule of thumb to check unseemly merriment,
To make your class their pastor treat with proper due regard--
'Tis easy quite for specialists in Juvenile Temperament,