Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

CHAPTER IV.

ON INFANT SCHOOLS.

care be taken to direct the principle of curiosity into a proper channel, and to supply it with proper objects. Some children, in consequence of their physical organization, may have more vigor of intellect Nor many years ago, it would have been deemed than others; they may feel highly gratified with romantic, and even absurd in the extreme, to have some objects and pursuits, and indifferent towards attempted the establishment of seminaries for the others; but they have all, substantially, the same instruction of infants of the age of eighteen or faculties, and the same desire for the acquisi- twenty months, or even of two or three years. But tion of knowledge, in one shape or another, when such institutions have not only been attempted, but its objects are presented, in an interesting manner, actually established to a considerable extent in vato their view. Such exhibitions as I have now de- rious States both in Europe and America, and have scribed ought not to be viewed as mere amusements. been attended with the most delightful and benefiWhile they gratify the mind of a child, and in- cial effects. Children, at a very early period, as crease his enjoyments, they also embody a train of formerly noticed, before they have acquired the useful instructions, which lay the foundation of alphabet of any language, are capable of receiving mental activity, and of all those improvements he a very considerable portion of mental instruction. may afterwards make during the future scenes of They possess the five senses, in nearly as great perhis existence, whether in the present life, or in the fection as those of mature years; and it is through life to come. And, if this be admitted, it will evi- the medium of these senses that all our knowledge, dently appear to be a matter of considerable impor- whether historical, philosophical, or religious, is tance that nothing but useful and correct ideas be acquired. Children possess, in a high degree, the imparted to the infant mind, and that care be taken desire of novelty-and the principle of curiositythat every thing that is whimsical, fanciful, or in- faculties intended by the Creator to stimulate to the consistent with existing facts, be excluded from ju- prosecution of knowledge; and it is only requisite, venile instruction, so that a child may never after-that we direct the operation of these faculties in a wards have occasion to struggle with youthful pre- proper channel, and present interesting and approjudices, or to counteract any of the instructions or priate objects to stimulate their activity. impressions he had previously received. And in order to accomplish this end, it is requisite, that servants, nurses, and every other person connected with a family, be specifically instructed as to the manner in which they ought to conduct themselves towards children, both in their words and their actions, and strictly looked after, that nothing be said or done inconsistent with the rules of parental tuition. At the period of life to which I now refer, it would be almost preposterous, to pester the child with learning the characters of the alphabet, or the uninteresting sounds of b a, ba, bi, bí, b o, bo; unless it can be done purely in the way of amusement. For a child is generally disgusted with every thing given him as a task, and which is not accompanied with pleasing emotions. It is quite time enough, at the age of four years, in ordinary cases, to instruct a child in reading his native language; though, before this time, he may speak it with considerable correctness, and acquire an indefinite number of ideas. And when he has once seriously commenced his scholastic instructions, they should be associated with every thing that may have a tendency to render them interesting and delightful-a principle which ought to be kept in view throughout all the subsequent departments of education.

I have enlarged farther on the subject of infant education than I at first intended, from a strong conviction of its primary importance to the improvement of society in knowledge and virtue. If domestic training, during the three first years of human existence, be either trifled with, or not conducted on rational and moral principles, the arrangements in regard to their future education will be to a certain degree frustrated. The habits acquired, and the impressions made upon the mind of a child, during this period, may have an influence on his improvement and happiness, not only in the present world, but throughout the whole of that endless existence to which he is destined.*

It gives me pleasure to learn, that the subject of infant education is now beginning to excite more attention than it has hitherto received; particularly by the establishment of Maternal Associations. The first maternal institution appears to have originated with Mrs. Payson of Portland, State of Maine, North America, about 1815. A maternal association was first organized in Utica, in 1824. It commenced with eight members; but it appears from

The principal objects of infant schools ought therefore to be-to exhibit to the view of children as great a variety as possible of the scenes of nature and the operations of art, either by directing their views immediately to the objects themselves, or by means of pictorial representations-to teach them to distinguish one object from another, to mark its peculiar qualities, to compare one object with another, and to deduce certain useful truths or conclusions from them-to instruct them how to use their voices, their eyes and ears, their hands and feet-to teach them the properties of numbers, the magnitudes, distances, and relative positions of objects, the forms and habits of animals, the different classes and uses of vegetables and minerals, the various objects to be seen in the fields and gardens, and the general aspect and phenomena of the atmosphere and the heavens-to impress their minds with the existence of a Supreme Being, of their continual dependence upon him, of his Goodness, Power, and Omnipresence, and of the duties they owe him-to teach them the fundamental maxims and rules of the Christian system, and make them reduce them to practice-to train them to kindness and affection towards one another, to habits of cleanliness, neatness, and regularity in all their movements, and to conduct themselves with moral order and propriety, both in the school, the play-ground, and in their domestic associations-in short, to develope all the intellectual and the Report of 1833, that it now consists of above a hundred. Similar associations were formed, about the same time, in Boston, New England, and at Hartford, and they have lately been organized in Glasgow, Greenock, and several other towns in Great Britain. Their object is to diffuse information in relation to the best methods of training up children in knowledge and moral habits, and promoting their best interests, both in respect to the present life and the life to come. For accomplishing these objectsbesides regular meetings for prayer and conversation, at which the children sometimes attend-a periodical has been commenced in America, entitled, "The Mother's Magazine," which is reprinted in London, containing various useful facts, narratives, and observations, illustrative of this subject. Such associations, if judiciously conducted, cannot fail of producing a highly beneficial effect on the rising generation, and ultimately on the state of general society.

moral powers of the mind, at a much earlier period | the oldest and the most expert of the children at sethan has hitherto been deemed expedient, in order parate hours, instructing them particularly in the to prevent the growth of vicious habits and false work they have to perform, and making every one opinions, and to prepare them for all the subsequent of them answerable for the conduct of his class.instructions and scenes of action through which they These little masters frequently conduct themselves may afterwards pass, that they may become bless- with great shrewdness and ability, and sometimes ings, instead of curses, to the world, and rise up in with a degree of importance and pomposity which wisdom and knowledge, and in favor with God and it is found necessary to check. The children are with man. taught singing, by the master singing a psalm or hymn several times in their hearing, till they acquire a certain idea of the tune; after which they are required to join with the teacher, and, in a short time, the greater part are enabled to join in the music with considerable correctness; and nothing can be more interesting and exhilarating to a pious and benevolent mind, than to listen to a hundred young voices thus joining in unison, in a hymn of praise to their Creator. They are taught to repeat hymns generally in the following manner. One of the monitors is placed in the rostrum, with a book in his hand; he then reads one line, and pauses till all the children in unison have repeated it; he then reads or repeats another, and so on in succession till the hymn is finished. The same method is adopted in teaching them spelling, catechisms, moral maxims and precepts, and whatever else is to be committed to memory. It should, however, be attended to, that every thing they commit to memory from catechisms, hymns, or other books, should be previously explained; so that in every case, if possible, they may acquire the ideas contained in the passages they are to repeat, before they charge their memories with the vocables by which they are expressed.

In order to accomplish these purposes with the greatest effect, infant schools, as well as all others, should be erected, if possible, in an open and commanding situation, that a full view may be obtained of the heavens, the earth, and the ordinary phenomena of nature. The best dimensions for the schoolroom are found to be about 80 feet long, by 22 or 24 wide, with seats all round, and a rising platform or gallery at one end. Connected with this should be a room, from 14 to 18 feet square, for the purpose of teaching the children in classes, and for those children who have made greater progress than the rest, that they may be trained for monitors. The furniture necessary for such a school, consists of a desk for the master; a rostrum for the occasional use of the monitors; seats for the children, who should all sit round the school-room with their backs to the wall; a lesson-stand, of a considerable elevation, for exhibiting pictures and lessons pasted on mill-board; stools for the monitors; slates and pencils; pictures of natural history, of scriptural subjects, of landscapes, of rural and domestic life, &c.; alphabets and spelling-lessons; brass letters and figures, with boards for them; cubes, parallelograms, geometrical figures of various descriptions, illustrative of plain and solid geometry; the transposition-frame, or arithmeticon, for illustrating the properties of numbers. To these should be added various little books, with cuts, level to the comprehension of children; and sets of maps, on a large scale, with the states, kingdoms, provinces, counties, &c. accurately distinguished and neatly colored. It is indispensably requisite that a play-ground be attached to every infant school, containing swings and other contrivances for the purpose of amusement, and that the children may divert themselves without danger, in any innocent way their fancies may devise. This play-ground should be as spacious as possible. Even in towns, where property is most valuable, the space allotted for this purpose (including the school-room and teacher's house) should not, if possible, be less than about 180 feet long, and from 60 to 100 feet broad. In villages, where the ground is less valuable, it may be made of still larger dimensions.With such accommodations, infants, to the number of 150 or 200, may be trained by a master and an occasional assistant.

The alphabet is taught by means of twenty-six cards, corresponding to the number of letters, on each of which is engraved a letter, along with some object of nature or art, whose name begins with that letter. Thus, on the card of the letter A is engraved an apple. This card is held up to the children, who name the letter and the object depicted beside it. A variety of questions is then put respecting the nature, form, and properties of the apple, and of the root, trunk, branches, leaves, &c. of the tree on which it grows; by which the attention of the children is kept alive, certain portions of useful knowledge communicated, and the idea of the letter more deeply impressed upon their minds. On the card of letter C, a cow, a camel, or a cat, is depicted; which is exhibited in the same manner, and various questions put respecting the figure, parts, habits, and uses of either of these animals: and so on through the other letters of the alphabet. This exhibition is varied as much as possible, and practised only two or three times in a week, that the children may not be wearied by its too frequent repetition Another plan is sometimes adopted-an alphabet, printed in large letters, both Roman and Italic, is pasted on a board, and placed against the wall; the whole class then stands around it, and the master or mistress points to the letters, desiring the children in a body to pronounce the letter to which he points. In spell

One of the main principles on which infant schools should be conducted, is that of Love; and therefore, in commencing such an institution, every action and every circumstance should be attended to, which is calculated to convince them that their teacher sincerely loves them, and wishes to promote their hap-ing, each child is supplied with a card and tin, on piness, and that they ought to be kind and affection- which certain short words are printed. A monitor ate to one another. The first difficulty to be encoun- leads the rest in the following manner: "C-h-a-i-r;" tered, is to arrest and keep up their attention, to the other children immediately follow: and when make them act in concert, and to class them accord- they have spelled one word, he repeats another, till ing to their age and capacities, causing those who he has gone through all the words on the card.obey any commands with the greatest promptness to For the purpose of teaching the older children to be classed together. Such difficulties are generally write the alphabet, they are supplied with slates, on surmounted by making them all move their hands which the whole alphabet is engraved some in and feet at the same time, when repeating any sen- capital letters, and others in text; the children then tence; sometimes by causing them to march in a put the pencil into the engraving, and work it round regular body round the school; sometimes by mak-into the shape of the letter, which they can scarcely ing them put their hands one on the other when they are repeating a fact or a sentiment, and sometimes by exciting them to dance to the sound of the clarionet or the viol. Monitors are selected by drilling

avoid doing, as the pencil will keep in the engraved part. In this way they gradually learn both to form the letters correctly, and to read written characters and sentences.

The properties of numbers, and the fundamental | the first ball, and immediately after the two balls on rules of Arithmetic, are taught by various modes; the second wire placing them underneath the first, particularly by an instrument which has been term- saying, at the same time, 'Twice one are two,' which ed the Arithmeticon, or Transposition-frame. The following is a figure and description of the use of this instrument, taken from Mr. Wilderspin:-" The frame is sixteen inches square, and made of wood; twelve wires pass through it at equal distances; on which wires, seventy-eight moveable balls are to be placed, beginning with one on the first, two on the second, three on the third, &c. up to twelve." By this instrument may be taught "the first principles of grammar, arithmetic, and geometry. It is used as follows:-Move one of the balls to a part of the

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

the children will readily perceive. Next, remove the two balls on the second wire for a multiplier, and then remove two balls on the third wire, placing them exactly under the first two, which form a square, and then say, 'Twice two are four,' which every child will discern for himself, as he plainly perceives there are no more. We then move three on the third wire, and place three from the fourth wire underneath them, saying, 'Twice three are six. Remove four on the fourth wire, and four on the fifth; place them as before, and say, 'Twice four are eight:" and so on, through all the wires

and balls.

The first principles of arithmetic are also taught, by means of small cubes. The children are formed into a square, in the centre of which is placed a table, on which the cubes are placed-one, two, three, or four at a time. The master puts down three, for example, and inquires of the children how many there are; when they naturally call out, "Three." He puts down two more, and inquires as before, "How many are three and two?" they answer, "Five:" and thus goes on till he has put down to the number of fifty or sixty. In a similar manner Subtraction is illustrated, by placing, for example, 9 cubes on the table, and saying, "Take 5 from 9, how many will remain ?" and, removing 5 cubes, it will be seen that 4 remain, &c. The multiplication table, the pence tables, the tables of money, time, weights, and measures, are taught by a monitor repeating certain portions of them at a time, and being immediately followed by all the children in unison. Thus, when the monitor announces, "7 times 8 are 56," or "Forty pence are three and fourpence," the children in a body repeat the same; and in a short time the whole of these tables are impressed upon their memories.

frame distinct from the rest: the children will then repeat, There it is, there it is.' Apply your finger to the ball, and set it running round: the children will immediately change from saying, 'There it is,' to There it goes, there it goes.' When they have The leading facts of Sacred History are commurepeated There it goes,' long enough to impress it nicated by means of a series of historical pictures, on their memory, stop the ball: the children will and by a variety of minute descriptions and interroprobably say, 'Now it stops, now it stops.' When gatories. The more interesting facts of Natural that is the case, move another ball to it, and then History are exhibited by a number of large cards, explain to the children the difference between singu- on which are pasted engraved representations of lar and plural, desiring them to call out, 'There they quadrupeds, birds, fishes, insects, trees, flowers, and are, there they are;' and when they have done that similar objects; in the explanation of which an opas long as may be proper, set both balls moving, and portunity is taken of detailing their forms, qualities it is likely they will call out, There they go, there and uses, and any anecdotes that may occur respectthey go,' &c. &c. By the natural position of the ing them. Knowledge is also communicated in reballs they may be taught to begin at the first. The lation to many common and useful subjects, by premaster, raising it at the top of the frame, says, senting before them real objects, such as gold, silver, 'What am I doing? Children answer, Raising copper, brass, tinfoil; a piece of flax, thread, raw the ball up with your hand.' Q. Which hand? silk, twisted silk, cotton, linen, gauze, nankin, gingA. 'Left hand.' Then the master lets the ball drop, ham, silk velvet, &c., describing the different prosaying, 'One, one.' Raise the two balls, and processes connected with their manufacture, and teachpose questions of a similar tendency: then let them fall; the children will say, 'Twice one:' raise three, and let them fall as before; the children will say, 'Three times one.' Proceed to raise the balls on each remaining wire, so that they may say, as the balls are let fall, Four times one, five times one, six times one, seven times one, eight times one, nine times one, ten times one, eleven times one, twelve times one. We now proceed as follows: 1 and 2 are 3, and 3 are 6, and 4 are 10, and 5 are 15, and 6 are 21, and 7 are 28, and 8 are 36, and 9 are 45, 1. The establishment of infant schools in every and 10 are 55, and 11 are 66, and 12 are 78. Sub-region of the globe would increase, to an indefinite traction is taught by this instrument thus:-Take degree, the mass of useful information among man1 from 1, nothing remains, moving the first ball, kind. Three or four years of the most important at the same time, to the other end of the frame.Then remove one from the second wire, and say, "Take 1 from 2;' the children will instantly perceive that only one remains: then 1 from 3, and 2 remain; 1 from 4, 3 remain; 1 from 5, 4 remain, &c. Multiplication is taught as follows:-The teacher moves

ing the children how to recognise and distinguish such substances. But, as I have no intention of entering into the minute details connected with infant schools, I refer those who wish a more particular account of these institutions, to Mr. Wilderspin's excellent treatise on "Infant Education," and Mr. Stow's "Moral Training," and shall conclude this article by a few general remarks on the advantages which would result from the universal establishment of such seminaries.

* "Moral Training, Infant and Juvenile, as applicable to the condition of the Population of large Towns. By David Stow, a Director of the Model Schools, Glasgow. Second Edition, enlarged."With plates.

period of human life have hitherto been suffered to pass away without any material intellectual improvement. The young, indeed, during this period, acquired various fragments of useful knowledge, in spite of our remissness and inattention; for the principle of curiosity was always alive, and could never be altogether suppressed, wherever objects appeared by which it might be roused and gratified. But we never thought of directing their senses and mental powers, regularly and systematically, to the forms, qualities, uses, and characteristic features, of surrounding objects, as if such things had been beyond the range of their comprehension; while, at the same time, we tortured their memories with the retention of sounds and sentences with which they felt disgusted, and which they could not understand. But the experiment of infant schools has shown, (and if we had not acted like fools in the business of education, it might long ago have been demonstrated,) that children from the age of three to six years are capable of acquiring far more of what may properly be denominated knowledge, than what had been acquired by our usual insipid modes of instruction at the age of twelve or fourteen. And, what is worthy of particular attention, this knowledge has been acquired, not only without "stripes and imprisonment," but with the highest degree of satisfaction and enjoyment on the part of the young. If the world, therefore, is ever to be thoroughly enlightened, in every thing which relates to the present happiness and the eternal interests of mankind, and if the knowledge of Jehovah is "to cover the earth as the waters cover the seas," the foundation must be laid in the universal establishment of infant schools, on the most judicious and expansive plans, in every nation under heaven.

These intellectual habits being formed in early life, will naturally be brought into more vigorous and extensive exercise as they advance in years, and lay the foundation of all the treasures of knowledge they may accumulate, both in the present life and throughout the ages of eternity. Such habits being formed and continually exercised, a relish for knowledge, and activity of mind, are produced, which will facilitate all their subsequent acquisitions, and render them interesting and delightful; so that, in whatever stations in society they may afterwards be placed, they will be distinguished as men of wisdom and intelligence-provided their subsequent education be conducted on the same rational principles. 3. What is of still greater importance-in these schools the foundations are laid of moral and religious habits. It has been the practice hitherto, in infant schools—a practice which I trust will never be abolished-that the children have their minds impressed with the idea of an Omnipresent Being, who continually supports them, and to whom they are amenable for all their actions-that their exercises are uniformly commenced with prayer, and with a hymn of praise to the Creator and Redeemer of men-that the leading facts of Revelation are detailed in the most simple and interesting manner, and its moral precepts enforced in all their associa tions with each other-that the principles of fraud, dishonesty, deceit, hatred and malignity, wherever they appear, are strictly checked and counteracted, and the practice of love, kindness, honesty, justice and truth, enforced and exemplified. Now, such truths inculcated, and such practices enforced and exemplified, for several years, when the mind is susceptible of every impression, and of being moulded into any habit, must be of immense importance in a 2. It is not only the amount of knowledge actual- moral point of view-and if such seminaries were ly acquired, during the period alluded to, but the in- universally established, conducted on liberal and jutellectual habits formed during its acquisition, which dicious plans, and succeeded by seminaries of a render such instructions of immense importance.- higher order, conducted on similar moral princiFor want of these habits being formed in early life, ples-society would soon assume a new moral asthe great bulk of mankind may be said to have pect, wickedness and debauchery would be banished "eyes, but see not-ears, but hear not," and conse- from our streets, thefts and robberies would graquently "do not understand;" they know neither the dually be diminished, brawlings, contentions and exproper use of their sensitive organs, nor are quali-ecrations would cease, and harmony and good-will fied to deduce proper conclusions from the objects to be introduced into the schemes and associations of which they are occasionally directed; but pass mankind. through life without any rational application of the senses and faculties with which they are furnished. Is there one out of ten that has ascertained, from his own observations, that the starry heavens perform an apparent revolution round the earth every twenty-four hours, around a certain fixed point called the pole? Is there one out of twenty that can tell at what seasons of the year the new moon will appear at a high elevation above the horizon, and when the full moon will appear high or low? And yet these facts may be ascertained, without the least difficulty, by a simple application of the organs of vision to the respective objects, combined with a desire to know the results;-in the first case, the object may be determined in the course of a single day, and in the latter case, within the course of a year; and yet it is a fact, that sixty or seventy years have passed away, in the case of thousands and millions of those who are denominated rational beings, without their knowing either the one or the other. The same position might be illustrated in thousands of similar instances, where the grossest ignorance prevails in relation to multitudes of objects, which might have been prevented by a rational use of the sensitive organs with which the Creator has endowed us. Now, in infant schools, children are trained to a proper application of their sensitive powers-presented with suitable objects on which they may be exercised, and taught to deduce from them useful truths, with their practical applications.

It is an injunction inculcated by the highest authority, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." The last part of this sentence contains a most important truth, stated without the least exception or modification. The interpretation generally given of it by divines is, "He will not ordinarily depart from it." But what warrant have we thus to limit and modify the dictates of inspiration? Let the declaration be viewed as a universal and eternal truth, and the problem to be solved will be, "Has ever a child hitherto, in all points of view, intellectually and morally, been trained up in the way he should go?" If so, we ought to believe that the declaration in this passage was fully realized in such a case. Much has been said respecting the children of pious parents turning aside from the paths of rectitude in their riper years. But the fact to be determined is, Have such parents trained up their children in a rational, judicious, and benevolent manner? I have seen persons piously disposed, and even ministers of the gospel, train up their children as foolishly and injudiciously as those who made no profession of religion, and even with less wisdom and discretion. Not that they intended to train their offspring in any bad principles and practices, but that they were either ignorant of the true mode of training children, or had imbibed false maxims, or indulged a foolish fondness, or had neglected to bring their children under a judicious control, or had humored

their whims and pampered their appetites, or were placed in certain circumstances, and in the midst of difficulties over which they had little control. Even in attempting to teach their children the principles of Christianity, their plans have been calculated rather to excite disgust at religion, than to allure their hearts to the practice of its heavenly precepts. What else could be expected, when children, on the Sabbath, were confined to a corner, conning memorial tasks, committing to memory catechisms, psalms, and chapters from their tattered New Testaments, of which they understood not a single sentence-and at the same time deprived of their usual sensitive enjoyments, and, doubtless, exclaiming in their hearts, "O what a weariness is it; when will the Sabbath be over!"-just as if religion consisted in the acquisition of technical terms, sounds and sentences, and metaphysical dogmas. Is this the way to induce the young to love God, "to call his Sabbaths a delight, and the holy of the Lord, honorable ?" or is it to be wondered at, that those who have been brought up in this way have sometimes struck off at a tangent from the restraints of religion to the ways of sin and folly? If the whole train of education through which such children passed, from the first year of their existence to the period when they turned aside from the paths of righteousness, were laid open to our view, we should, doubtless, be enabled to account for all such moral aberrations, and to trace the intimate connection between cause and effect.

4. Infant schools are calculated to rescue thousands of children from the pernicious influence of ignorant and immoral parents, and to prevent most of those crimes which injure the peace and prosperity of society. The immoral principles and vicious habits in which multitudes of children are trained under the domestic roof, not only lay the foundation of their own unhappiness and ruin, but are productive of many pests and nuisances to general society. In cities and populous towns, this fact is too frequently realized. Many children are trained up, even by their parents, to habits of pilfering, which they sometimes I put the child off, telling him not to plague me, and he went home. I had forgotten the circumstance altogether, but it appears the child did not; for some time after, while I was lecturing the children upon the necessity of telling truth, and on the wickedness of stealing, the little fellow approached me, and said, Please, sir, you stole my whistle.' 'Stole your whistle,' said I, 'did I not give it you again?' 'No, teacher; I asked you for it, and you would not give it to me.' I stood self-convicted, being accused in the middle of my lecture, before all the children, and really at a loss to know what excuse to make, for I had mislaid the whistle, and could not return it to the child. I immediately gave the child a halfpenny, and said all I could to persuade the children that it was not my intention to keep it. This trifling mistake of mine did more harm than I was able to repair for some time; for if we wish to teach children to be honest, we should never take any thing from them without returning it again." This story shows how necessary it is to teach by example as well as precept-and that children have a clear perception of any discrepancy that may take place in this respect.

I have thrown out these remarks for the purpose of showing, that if public and domestic education be conducted with judgment and piety, if children be trained in infant schools and other seminaries in useful knowledge, and to the habits of piety and moral order, we have the surest grounds for concluding, that, when arrived at mature age, they will be- 2. The boy and the song. "One day while I was come intelligent and useful members both of Chris- walking in the play-ground, I saw at one end of it tian and of civil society, and that our arrangements about twenty children, apparently arguing a subject, and labors in these respects "shall not be in vain in pro and con. From the attitude of several of the the Lord." The dictates of Inspiration on this point orators, I judged it was about something which apare in perfect unison with the laws of the moral peared to them of considerable importance. I wished world, and are corroborated by universal experi- to know the subject of debate, but was satisfied that ence. Almost every person feels that early impres- if I approached the children it might put an end to sions are the most vivid and the most lasting; and the matter altogether. Some of the by-standers saw it is a fact, that, according to the bent which the ha- me looking very attentively at the principal actor; bits, dispositions, and conduct of the young receive, and, as I suppose, suggested to the party the propri during the first ten or twelve years of their exist-ety of retiring to some other spot; for immediately ence, such will it generally remain, with a few slight modifications, during the future periods of their lives. Hence the difficulties-in many cases insurmountable-which must be encountered, in order to counteract the habits and vicious propensities acquired during this early period; and hence the comparative ease with which children may be trained to intelligence and moral habits, when they are committed, at a very early age, to the care of a judicious and intelligent teacher of an infant school.

As an illustration of the moral and intellectual effects of infant teaching, I subjoin the following examples, taken from Mr. Wilderspin's "Infant Education," as what occurred in the course of his own experience:

[ocr errors]

they all retired behind a partition, which afforded me an opportunity of distinctly hearing all that passed, without being observed by them. I soon found that the subject of debate was a song. It seems that one of the children had brought a song to the school, which some of the monitors had read, and having decided that it was an improper thing for the child to have in his possession, one of them had taken it from the owner, and destroyed it; the aggrieved party had complained to some of the other children, who said that it was thieving for one child to take any thing from another child without his consent. The boy, nettled at being called a thief, defended himself by saying that he, as a monitor, had a right to take away from any of his class any thing that was calculated to do them harm; and was, it seems, backed in his opinion by many others. On the other hand, it was contended, that no such right existed; and it was doubtful to me, for a con

1. The Whistle. Many of the children were in the habit of bringing marbles, tops, whistles, and other toys, to the school, which often caused much disturbance: I found it necessary to forbid the child-siderable time on which side the strength of the ar ren from bringing any thing of the kind. After giving notice two or three times in the school, I told them, that if any of them brought such things, they would be taken from them. In consequence, several things fell into my hands, which I did not always think of returning; and among other things, a whistle from a little boy. The child asked me for it as he was going home, but having several visiters at the time,

gument lay. At last, one of the children observed to the following effect: 'You should have taken it to master, because he would know if it was bad better than you.' This was a convincing argument, and to my great delight the boy replied-'How much did the song cost? The reply was, A halfpenny.' 'Here, then, take it,' says the child, 'I had one given me to-day; so now remember I have paid

« ForrigeFortsæt »