PAGE 79 80, 81 81 whole life. Without the aid of books memory thus becomes the register of all that the child observes; and the art of the teacher consists both in presenting what his pupil ought to know, and in concealing from him what he should not know Emile shall learn nothing by heart, not even fables, for fables may instruct men, but not children; because they can not understand them. Even if they could be understood by children the case would be still worse, for they would incline them to vice rather than to virtue In the Ant and the Cricket you fancy that the poor cricket receives the child's sympathy, but his whole thought is centered on the miserly ant, and he learns to make niggardliness a virtue Reading is the scourge of infancy, and at the age of twelve Émile will hardly know what a book is. Until he learns how reading may be useful to him, books serve only to annoy him Children should learn nothing of which they can not see the actual and present advantage, and it is because children have been made to learn to read against their wills that books have become their torment. Various schemes have been invented to teach children how to read, but the surest has been forgotten. Give the child a desire to read, and you may lay aside all other devices; every method will then be a good one Present interest is the grand spring of action, the only one which with certainty leads to great results. Émile sometimes receives notes of invitation for a dinner, or a boatride, and as he feels a pressing interest in deciphering them, he soon learns how to read 82, 83 We usually obtain very surely and very quickly what we are in no haste to obtain; and I feel sure that Émile will know how to read and write perfectly before the age of ten, simply because I do not care to have him learn these things before he is fifteen. If you interest your pupil in things which immediately affect him, rather than in things which are remote, you will always find him capable of perception, memory, and even 82 82 83 PAGE of reasoning. This is the order of Nature. But this method will stultify him if you are always telling him what to do. If your head is always directing his arms, his The body and the mind should move in concert, and the second should direct the first. Your pupil should learn the art of self-conduct, but if you are forever prescribing this and that you leave him no opportunity to manage his own affairs. Assured of your foresight on his account, what need has he Émile is early trained to rely on himself as much as possible. He receives his lessons from Nature and not from men, and thus acquires a large experience at an early age. His body and his mind are called into exercise at the same time, and he thus comes into possession of two things which are thought to be incompatible-strength of body and strength I know I am preaching a difficult art-that of governing with- out precept, and of doing all while doing nothing. You will never succeed in making scholars if you do not first In the ordinary education the teacher commands and fancies that he governs; but, in fact, it is the child who governs. Your government is a system of treaties, which you propose in your way but which your pupil executes in his own, Try an opposite course with your pupil. While you really govern, let him always fancy that he is the master. There is no subjection so perfect as that which preserves the ap- pearance of liberty. Doubtless your pupil ought to do The so-called caprices of children do not come from Nature, PAGE 88 89 As man must measure himself with his environment, his first study is a sort of experimental physics for purposes of selfpreservation. Our first teachers of philosophy are our feet, our hands, and our eyes, and to substitute books for these is not to teach us to reason, but to use the reason of others, 90 As our limbs, our organs, and our senses are the instruments of our intelligence, they must be exercised and trained in order that we may learn to think. To make the processes of the mind facile and sure, the body must be kept strong and robust The child's dress should permit the full movement of his limbs and not so close-fitting as to produce stagnation of the bodily humors 90 90 91, 92 Children should wear little or no head-dress at any time of the We neither know how to touch, to see, nor to hear, save as we PAGE 97 98 98, 99 100 To accustom children to unforeseen encounters at night, teach 101 I once succeeded in interesting an indolent boy in athletic sports 106 Were I an Apelles, I would appear to be no more than a PAGE 107-109 As we were in need of ornaments for our chamber, I make this a motive for Émile to produce good pictures; and to encourage him still further I arrange his several copies of the same object in a series, in order to show him his progress. On his best pictures I put a very plain frame, and on his poorest a fine gilt frame, thus teaching him that what is intrinsically the best needs nothing else to commend it Geometry may be made a study suitable for children by treating it as a system of exact measurements. The properties of figures are not to be demonstrated a priori, but simply found by careful observation 109 110-112 Children should not be restricted to sports and exercises that are merely childish; but, in order to draw out their powers, we must presume somewhat on their strength and endur ance. To acquire skill they must incur some risk. 113, 114 The physical training we give children should be for them but play, the facile and voluntary direction of the movements which Nature demands of them without the least appearance of that constraint which turns them into labor A perfect music unites the articulated, the melodious, and the modulated or impassioned voice, but children are incapable of this music. There is but little accent in their conversation, and no modulation in their voice. Do not trust your pupil to declaim, for he can not express sentiments he has never felt. Teach him to speak simply and clearly, to articulate correctly, and to pronounce accurately, but without affectation. And in singing make his voice accurate, uniform, flexible, sonorous, and his ear sensible to measure and harmony, but nothing more 115 115, 116 A child may consistently learn his notes before learning his letters, because in speaking we render our own ideas, while in singing we do hardly more than render the ideas of others 116 Appetite is the surest guide to what we ought to eat, the food that is most agreeable being, in general, the most wholeChildren having free access to the pantry are not likely to become gluttons, and there is no reason why a good some. |