■ Ill IWI ■■■! Ill llllil I y^-- -<|>f-'^'^'<^ SN^V > ^; ij\Yf^^_|lJ^ ,^^ \>*X , rV « Av '^ « * li RYEY CARPENTER. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. @|ap. ©npJJfW lit*- Shelf -LB 1I.6>S -C^ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. i THE Mother's and Kindergartner's Friend. BY HARVEY CARPENTER. Beneath the Kindergartner's care, The human slip shall flourish fair. BOSTON CUPPLES, UPHAM AND COMR ©lU Corner Booftstore 1884 .03 Copyright^ By Harvey Carpenter. 1884. All Rights Reserved, ELECTROTYPED BY C. J. Peters and Son, Boston. PKEFAOB. At the suggestion of a friend, a Kindergart- ner, my attention was directed to tlie subject of compiling a little work on the system of Kin- dergarten. After proper deliberation, the arduous but in- teresting task of compilation — commenced and prosecuted under favorable auspices — has at last been accomplished ; and I now have the pleasure of presenting the result of my efforts in this, as I trust, attractive style. Although the work is not intended to be a treatise on the theory or practice of Kindergar- ten^ it, however, contains much that the author hopes will be regarded as important, not only to the Kindergartner, but also to parents and others who ought to be deeply interested in the welfare of the child. In the selection of quotations which appear so frequently in the work, the compiler has en- deavored to incorporate such as bear most di- 3 4 Preface. rectly upon the subjects with which they are connected, and to gather them from authors so well-known as to render the quotations worthy of the highest consideration. My thankful acknowledgments are due to Prof. Henry Gray, F.R.S., author of '' Descrip- tive and Surgical Anatomy," for valuable infor- mation respecting the brain and the organs of the senses ; to Henry Barnard, LL.D., author of "Kindergarten and Child-Culture," for ideas and facts which appear interwoven under the division entitled '-'- Facts in relation to Froebel ; " and also to any others whose words or ideas may be inadvertently expressed, but not designated as quotations. With the hope that this little work will be welcomed by those especially interested in a sys- tem of child-culture which is becoming so popu- lar in this country, and also hj all lovers of such reading as is calculated to inspire the mind with ennobling thoughts, it is most respectfully pre- sented to the public. The Author. May 1, 1884. conte:n^ts. CHAPTER PAGE I. The Human Mind 7 II. Properties of Mind 16 HI. The Intellect 17 IV. The Brain 20 V. Consciousness 26 YI. Sensation and Sense 31 VII. Perception 34 VIII. The Organs of the Senses 37 1. Of Smell 38 2. Of Taste 40 3. Of Hearing 43 4. Of Touch 45 5. Of Sight 48 IX. Association 55 X. Memory 58 XI. Imagination . . * . 61 XII. Conception 66 XIH. Abstraction 68 XIV. Reflection 70 XV. Reason 73 5 6 Contents. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. Judgment 77 Sensibility 79 Emotions 81 Esthetics . 86 Conscience 89 The Will 92 The Child 93 1. Infancy .93 2. Childhood 104 Kindergarten 108 Advice to Kindergaktneks .... 138 Noble Aspirations 141 Facts in Relation to Fkoebel . . . 146 Poetry 152 THE MOTHER'S A^D KINDER- GARTNER'S FRIEND. CHAPTER L THE HUMAN MIND. A S man possesses an intricately constructed intellectual mechanism, some knowledge of the operations of which we would endeavor to acquire by an appropriate and systematic course of development, we will, without farther introductory remarks, proceed to the considera- tion of our subject by first answering the simple and yet profound question, — What is Mind? Mind is the iDvisible, immortal, and spiritual principle, or special endowment, by which the Creator has been pleased to exalt man above the other animals, and which so pre-eminently distinguishes him from the brute. 7 8 The Mother's and Kindergartner' s Friend. In the language of a distinguished critic, we inquire, — What is spirit ? What are our minds, the portion of spirit with which we are best acquainted ? The same writer remarks, — '' We observe certain phenomena. We cannot exphiin them into material causes. We therefore infer that there exists something which is not mate- rial, but of this something we have no idea. We can reason about it only by symbols. We use the word but we have no image of the thing." We can neither fully comprehend this mys- terious principle, nor even arrive at conclusions respecting its operations with so much satis- faction as we derive from the investigation of things that are tangible, or with wliose his- tory we have been somewliat familiar. Our powers of investigation are so limited, that we are unable to fathom the profound depths of Mental Science, or to approximate, in our researches, so far towards such a result as we would wish that our examination of this important subject could extend. The consciousness seems confused, as we try to get a realizing sense of the nature of The Human Mind. 9 this living yet incomprehensible principle, which we have from childhood regarded as the Mind. Delsarte says, — as translated by Shaw, — *'Mind supposes soul and life. Soul is at the same time mind and life. In fine, life is in- herent in mind and soul." Though we know so little concerning the conditions and operations of the Human Mind, we have no reason to doubt the existence of this principle in connection with the body, or the omnipotence of Him who created all things, *' and without him was not any thing made that was made." For " God created man in his own image, and formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; and man became a living soul," — a physical body organized not only with vitality and animal instincts, but also with rational faculties, which characterize him as a human being. This self-active and indivisible principle is therefore the " living soul," which animates this mysterious organism called man. Channing says, — " He who possesses the 10 The Mother's and Kindergartner' s Friends divine powers of the soul is a great being, be his place what it may." Creation's noblest work is man! Who blest with powers so much divine. Is ne'er to die, but ever can God's greater works in Heaven scan — Where beams of glory brighter shine. From what we have discovered, we are irre- sistibly led to the conclusion that Mind is in- finitely superior to matter ; for it is a principle emanating from the Divinity, w^hose influence constantly penetrates, pervades, and controls the operations of Mind and the physical machinery of the universe. Delsarte, in Shaw's translation, says, — ''The human body contains three organisms to trans- late the triple form of the soul. Man, the im- age of God, presents himself to us in three phases: the sensitive, intellectual, and moral. Man feels, thinks, and loves. In the sensitive state, the soul lives outside itself; it has rela- tions with the exterior world. In the intellect- ual state, the soul turns back upon itself, and the organism obeys this movement. In the moral or mystic state, the soul, enraptured with The Human Mind. 11 God, enjoys perfect tranquillity and blessed- ness." Man thus endowed with physical, intel- lectual, and moral faculties, is capable, as the Creator intended that he should be, of great achievements, and of exerting a beneficial in- fluence in the world. He can, by the development of his physical and intellectual faculties, form his own plans, express his own thoughts, discharge many duties as a parent and a citizen, and command obe- dience of his fellowmen whenever and wherever there shall be a necessity for the exercise of his prerogatives. Again, man has the capacity for the develop- ment of his moral faculties, and through a right development of these powers, he will be im- pelled to self-activity by heavenly aspirations and a reverence for the character and attributes of God, and while he looks up, in a devout state of mind, to the celestial canopy, he will be led to exclaim, — ''The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork;" or expressing his thoughts in the words of another, he will saj^, — "In yon gilded canopy of heaven we see the broad aspect of 12 The Mother^ s and Kindergartner^ s Friend, the universe, where each shining point presents us with a sun, and each sun with a system of worlds, where the Divinity reigns in all the grandeur of his attributes, where he peoples immensity with his wonders, and travels in the greatness of his strength through the dominions of one vast and unlimited monarchy." This life-giving principle, the Mind or Soul, is immortal, and has an identity or individuality of its own ; and it is not therefore subject to decay, destruction, and death, like things in the natural world, including even the body so wisely arranged as the fit tabernacle for the Soul; for the Scriptures declare, — '' Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was ; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." The operations of the Soul are not to cease at the dissolution of the body, but when released from these earthly impediments, it will rise and exist forever the same identical principle "clothed" with a spiritual body, but subject, however, to the condition of Him who, in the beginning, "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul," — a being en- dowed with the principle of immortality ; as ex- The Human Mind. 13 pressed by the Apostle Paul, ^ here he says, — ^*For we know that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a build- ing of God, a house not made with hands, eter- nal in the heavens." A free translation from a very ancient Latin book lying before me, thus reads: — "It is cer- tain that this mortal body must return to dust, but that sleep will not be eternal." The Mind thus self-active and immortal, and comprising a variety of faculties, some of which we are about to consider, does indeed exalt man infinitely above • the other animals, and constitutes him a rational and accountable being. As man possesses a complex nature, animal, in- tellectual, and spiritual, his mental faculties are therefore more or less affected by his natural propensities, which incline him to seek gratifi- cation in worldly pleasures and self-indulgence, while the cultivation of his higher powers is so neglected that he falls into a state of indiffer- ence respecting those lofty aspirations which lead to ennobling and God-like activities. The mental faculties so harmoniously and 14 The Mother s and Kindergartner^ s Friend, wonderfully arranged, were organized for some exalted j)urpose ; consequently, it is the dut}^ of man to attend to the cultivation of these facul- ties- — faculties which are capable by a progres- sive and systematic course of development, of receiving and understanding all that God makes it necessary for man to know while an inhabitant of earth. Such knowledge can be acquired, agreeably with the laws of mental phenomena, through an inward sense, and by sensations resulting from impressions made by external things through appropriate channels, the organs of the senses. We should therefore take the child at a very early age, even at or before the dawn of con- sciousness, and place it in the midst of such surroundings as shall lead it to take the initia- tory step in that progressive course of develop- ment which is to conduct the little one from simplicity to complexity, from the i^erceivable to the undiscovered, from the finite to the in- finite, from earth to Heaven. How rich and enduring Avill be the reward which not only invites but urges every one to The Human Mind. 15 an immediate engagement in such a course of harmonious development of all the faculties as shall arouse and bring into successful operation the germs of power which God has implanted within the Human Mind. 16 The Mother's and Kindergartner s Friend. CHAPTER IL PROPERTIES OF MIND. "T"N contemplating the various states of the Human Mind, authors of Mental Philosophy usually regard them under three aspects, the Intellectual, the Emotional, and the Willing, or the Intellect, the Sensibility, and the Will, although there is in reality but one intellectual structure, indivisible and indestructible. But it is not our purpose to go into the minute details of this profound subject, therefore we will give only a synopsis or general view of some of the more important properties and functions of the Mind, hoping thereby to aid those engaged in training the child; and we will, in conformity with our plan, arrange our subjects in the order consistent with the nature, growth, and development of the child's facul- ties. The Intellect. 17 CHAPTER III. THE INTELLECT. n~^HE Intellect includes all that is adapted to the reception of knowledge, and knowledge is that which may be apprehended by the free operation of the perceptive faculty. The function of the Intellect is to perceive with certainty and clearly understand, or to know, — '' which," as President Porter says, ''is to be certain of something." There are two sources of knowledge, one external, the other internal ; the former in- volves all that may be acquired through the influence of external objects, the latter embraces ideas formed by the operation of the mind upon itself, or the "mind's impression of its own acts." Locke supposes knowledge to originate in sensation, and that all the mind contains is sen- 18 The Mothei^'^s and Kindergartner s Friend, sations ; he says, however, that in addition to knowledge derived from an external source, there is a knowledge by " the perception of the operations of our own minds within us, as it is employed about the ideas it has got ; which op- erations, when the soul comes to reflect on and consider, do furnish the understanding with an- other set of ideas, which could not be had from things without." A definition of Intellect, very pertinent in this connection, is given by Prof. L. P. Hickok, who says : '' All mental exercises, subservient to any form of knowing, and Avhich come clearly within the consciousness, are facts belonging to the intellect." " Thought," says Pittenger, "springs from the intellect, and acts upon the facts received from every source, retaining, arranging, and modify- ing them at will. Thought is the workman of the mind, and requires material upon which to labor." " Great minds with energetic thought, Wear out their shell of clay ; Yet at each crevice light is caught Till all is mental day." Tlie Intellect. 19 The period when a child begins to exercise the power of thinking is very indefinite, for some are more precocious than others ; there- fore it is better, as a general thing, to watch the cliild, and arouse him to the exercise of think- ing at the most appropriate time. He must be trained gradually, and led along until he becomes accustomed to the exercise. AVhat is there in which we are all so deficient as the habit of earnest, patient, and systematic methods of reflection ? We ought to say in this connection that we regard the Kindergarten method as one of the very best for preparing the unfolding powers of the cliild to engage in the exercise of thinking, and especially of such thinking as will be called into operation by the more abstruse and philosophical subjects em- ployed for mental development in the schools. 20 The Mother H and Kinder gartner's Friend. CHAPTER IV THE BRAIN. A LTHOUGH what we are to say respecting the Brain, may seem more appropriate to the preceding division of our subject, we will, however, under this head briefly consider some of the characteristics of this organism, so important as the seat of intellect and sensation. The Brain is located in the cranium or skull and it appears to be placed in that department of the human frame best adapted to its func- tions. It is composed in part of a graj^ and white substance, supplied with nerves, ganglia, and fibrous and cellular tissues, all of which are en- closed within the arachnoid membrane — a mem- brane connected with the dura mater, which dura mater is a membrane lining the cavity of the skull, serving as a protector to certain portions The Brain. 21 of the brain, and united with all the cranial nerves arising from the brain and passing through the foramen at the base of the skull. The brain is divided into four principal parts: 1. The cerebrum ; 2. the cerebellum ; 3. the pons Varolii ; 4. the medulla oblongata. 1. The cerebrum includes the largest part of the brain, occupying quite a large portion of the cavity of the anterior and middle portions of the cranium. 2. The cerebellum, or little brain, is located in the inferior occipital fossae, below the poste- rior lobes of the cerebrum ; and it is connected with the other three divisions of the brain by six bands, two connecting it to the cerebrum, two to the medulla oblongata, while the other two unite in forming the pons Varolii. 3. The pons Varolii is the connection between the various sections of the brain, uniting with the cerebrum above, with the medulla oblongata be- low, and with the cerebellum behind. 4. The medulla oblongata includes that part of the brain situated below the pons Varolii, and expanding into a prolonged continuance of the spinal cord. 22 The Mother s and Klndergartner^ Friend. Tlie brain is composed of aqueous, albumi- nous, fatty, lactic, and phosphoric substances, about three-fourths of the composition being aqueous; and it increases very fast till about the seventh year of life, a little slower till the fifteenth or twentieth, less rapidly till the thir- tieth or fortieth, when it reaches its maximum, becoming heavier than that of any of the lower animals excepting the elephant and the whale. The average weight of a well-developed hu- man brain is in the male from fortj-three to fifty- six ounces, in extreme cases reaching even sixty-five ounces, and in the female from forty- one to forty-seven ounces, increasing in some cases to fifty-six ounces. We form an opinion in relation to the intel- lectual capacity by the size of the brain, in con- firmation of wliich we liave in Sliaw's transla- tion of Delsarte the following: ''Men of small brain habitually carr}" their heads high. The head is lowered in proportion to the quantity of intelligence." The Nervous tissue is composed chiefly of two different structures, the gray or vesicular^ and the white or fibrous. The Brain. 23 It is in the former, as is generally supposed, tliat nervous impressions and impulses originate, and by the latter that they are conducted. The Xervous substance is also divided into two different systems. The first is connected directly with the great central mass enclosed in the skull and spine. This is called the cerehro- spinal system^ and is divided into the brain, the spinal cord, the cranial nerves, the spinal nerves, and the ganglia connected with both these classes of nerves. The second, called the sympathetic system^ is not directly connected with the brain or spinal cord, though it is so indirectly hj means of its numerous communications with the cranial and spinal nerves, all the cranial nerves being con- nected to some part of the surface of the brain. The brain thus constituted is connected, as w^e intimated in describing the position of the medulla oblongata, vrith the spinal cord; and the nervous substance, both in the brain and the spiual cord, is pervaded and preserved by a mesh-work of nervous fibres connecting the s[)inal cord w^itli the cerebrum through the medium of the medulla oblongata. 24 The Mother^ s and Kindergartne/ s Friend. With regard to the central terminations of the nerves which are so arranged as to become the mysterious agents in mental phenomena, we will quote the opinions of several distinguished men. Schultze says, "In the present state of our knowledge, we are not in a position to assign its central origin, the sensorium, to any single primi- tive fibril of the nervous system, however cer- tainly may have descended the peripheral ter- minations of a great part of them." Dr. L. Clark says, " Most of the convolutions of folds of the brain consist of seven distinct layers or plaits of nervous substance, light at the outer edge, and growing darker as they approach the centre, all being interspersed v/ith nerve cells and nerve fibres, establishing an infinite number of communications between different parts of each convolution, between different convolu- tions, and between these and the central white substance." Dr. Sharpey also says that he has seen the ultimate fibres of the minute plexus of the sen- sory nerves come into close contact with the connective tissue-corpuscles, but has not been The Brain. 25 able to trace any distinct connection between them. Prof. Henry Gray says that Frey has lately described and figured a large number of micro- scopic ganglia on the ' sub-mucous nervous plexus. Dr. Beale declares that even in those gan- glion-cells which appear either altogether desti- tute of processes, or unipola, numerous fibres can be seen proceeding out of them, if the proper re-agents be used and very high pow- ers employed. \ 26 The Mothered and Kindergartner's Friend. CHAPTER V. THE CONSCIOUS]^ESS. A S there are cardinal virtues, so, we suppose, there are cardinal properties of mind; therefore, we will next consider Consciousness as an extremely important, if not the most important, of all human endowments. Although the operations of Consciousness immediately precede perception, it is not a faculty of the mind, but it is a light, as it were, whose rays are concentrated with such magnify- ing power that it easily recognizes what is tak- ing place in the mind ; and it is also able to lay hold of .a sensation, to determine its meaning, and to become familiar with its intrinsic im- portance. Some one has said that '' Consciousness is the light of all our seeing;" and President Porter also says, " Consciousness is briefly defined as the power by which the soul knows its own acts The Consciousness. 27 and states." Again, Prof. Hickok says, " Con- sciousness reveals all that can be brought within it; and without it, nothing can appear — it is thus primitively conditional for all perception — but Avhile in it the mind sees all other things, there is no light higher than it, by which the mind can see Consciousness itself." Consciousness is not, like conscience, a faculty of the mind, subject to the control of tiie Will ; but it has the power of acting in- voluntarily, and can examine, discriminate, and pass judgment in relation to the qualities of sensations arising from an inward sense or from impressions made upon the mind by external objects. Kev. Dr. Mark Hopkins says, ''We would define Consciousness to be the knowledge by the mind of itself as the permanent and indivis- ible subject of its own operations. ''This implies a knowledge of the operations, but leaves that knowledge to be given by its own specific faculty while Consciousness holds the whole in unity by a constant reference of the different acts and states ot mind to the individual self." 28 The Mother^ s and Kindergartner^ s Frieyid. Consciousness is but the reflection of the mind's knowledge of itself or of its own opera- tions ; and it waits, if we may thus express it, for impressions to be made upon the mind by each faculty in its own appropriate way, and at the same time it is able to foresee, and, by an acute analysis of the various effects w^hich impressions are to make upon the mind, to arrive at correct decisions respecting such results. It is, therefore, the function of Consciousness to immediately comprehend all that may come within its scope, and, as it is from the nature of its office a pervasive principle, to exercise its own inherent and vitalizing influence in pervad- ing, and, as it were, sympathizing with all the mental faculties, so as to unite them in legiti- mate and harmonious action ; and this pervasive influence in connection with mental operations, is like the influence in nature, when in spring- time the sap ascends from the roots of the tree to the extremities of the most distant branches, causing them to bud and blossom, and thus to cheer the husbandman with the hope that in due time he will be rewarded with an nbnndant liar- vest of luscious fruit ; or, like the arterialized The Consciousness. 29 blood coursing through the various channels of the human system, thereby giving beauty and activity to the physical structure of man. A vigorous Consciousness helps man to judge quickly respecting right and wrong, and aids him in the adoption of such principles of action as will operate in conformity with the law of God. We will illustrate our idea of Consciousness as follows : — We all admit that God is good, but how shall we become conscious of this fact, or what shall we do to get a realizing sense of what we admit ? Upon reflection we think of the way in which God has conducted us to the present time, — how we have had our birth in this land of civil and religious freedom, — how many advantages we have enjoyed for securing secular and relig- ious education, — what parental influences have moulded our characters and prepared us for usefulness. Such reflections make appropriate impressions upon our minds through an inward sense, and we become conscious of what God has done for us, and are led with Montgomery to exclaim, — 30 The Mjtliers and K'.tidergartners Friend. **0 bless the Lord, my soul! His mercies bear in mind; Forget not :dl his benefits : The Lord to thee is kind." Consciousness may also be illustrated by an exercise familiar to the Kindergartner. We will give a ball and a cube to the pupil, requesting him to examine and compare them ; thus doing, he finds that the ball is rounds hav- ing but 07ie surface, and that this surface is curved^ and that the cube has twelve edges, eight corners, and six flat surfaces. By comparison and observation he discovers the difference between the ball and the cube, and this discovery makes an appropriate impres- sion upon his mind, and the sensation is trans- formed into a perception in the Consciousness, and he realizes that the cube has only such properties as are consistent with the struc- ture of the cube, and none compatible with the form of the ball. "Consciousness," as one says, "analyzes the various sensations, so that each separate part will be understood, and then links them together and makes each serve as a stepping-stone to what follows," in arriving at satisfactory results. Sensation and Sense. 31 CHAPTER VI. SENSATION AND SENSE. "DROF. HICKOK defines Sensation as the identification of the reciprocal modifications of both the recipient organ and that which is received. According to his idea, the Sense, while it may be regarded under one condition as only a capac- ity for holding the elements of perceptions, — the sensations, — may, so far as it regards the intellectual process of bringing out the sensation to a clear perception, and the peculiarity of object so attained, embrace both the sensation and perception. " Sensation," says one, " is the connecting link between mind and matter, and can exist only where there is animal life ; hence, it must be found in man, in the dog, cat, horse, and ox, and not in wood, iron, stone, or clay." 32 The Mother's and Kinder gartner' s Friend. Sensations may be the result of impressions made by external objects or by operations of the mind upon itself. If I am dazzled by the lightning or terrified by the thunder, I have only a sensation. Prof. Hickok says, '' The sensation will re- main in its primitive state until the spiritual intelligence brood over it, and construct it into a definite effect in the consciousness ; and this feeling that comes after the sensation, and by occasion of it through perception, is wholly in consciousness, and influences the mind as an intelligent motive." If an impression made by an external object result in no recognition by the mind of the object, the sensation will be known as an appro- priate sensation ; but if, by another operation of the mind, we get a knowledge of the object which causes the sensation, we have an appro- priate perception. Sir William Hamilton says, '' Sensation proper and perception proper invariably accompany each other." For example : " If," says Flem- ing, "I simply smell a rose, I have sensations; if I refer that smell to the external object Sensation and Sense. 33 which occasioned it, I have a perception. Thus the former is merely feeling, without the idea of an object ; the latter is the mind's apprehen- sion of some external object as occasioning the feeling." 34 The Mother^ 8 and Kindergartner' s Friend. CHAPTER VII. PERCEPTION. np^R. GEORGE MOORE says, ''Perception is a power of the soul which, while con- nected with the body, requires a certain ar- rangement of matter in organized forms fitted to the objects that through them become the cause of sensation, called organs of sense." Such organized forms as Dr. Moore has in mind the Creator has been pleased to confer upon man, and these forms are known as the organs of the senses, which have their central terminations in the brain, and which, having their peripheral terminations, through various ramifications of nervous fibres, so constituted that they become as keys upon which impres- sions by external objects are to be made, are the direct channels of communication between the soul and the outer world. Perception. 35 There are two important principles involved in the science of Phrenology. 1. It admits that the brain is the organ of the mind; 2. That various operations are performed by different parts of the brain. This "organ of the mind," the brain, is con- stantly and mysteriously pervaded by a percep- tive principle of activity, and influences from without, as well as from within, are continually passing through some one of the organs of the senses to the brain, and through these opera- tions, influences or impressions are constantly resulting in sensations or elements of knowl- edge, or incentives to activity ; and at the same time '' the mind," as Dr. Guilmette says, "is the engineer, which presides, and directs, and controls at will the operations of the phys- ical machinery." The operation of the mind, in bringing the object or thing which causes the sensation un- derstandingly into the consciousness, is known as a mental phenomenon, which, being pro- duced by an impression made upon some one of the organs of the senses, receives, agreeably with its intrinsic merits, the name T)erceDtion • 36 The Mothe/s and Ki7idergartner s Friend. and when this perception results from an im- pression made by an external object upon an organ of sense, the phenomenon which pre- cedes the perception '' is ascribed," as Professor Hickok saj^ ^'to outer nature as some quality of an external world, and perceived through an external sense ; and thus may all the facts of external perception be gathered, as inclusive of all the phenomena of human experience by sensible organs." Such a faculty for perception is not only able to recognize the sensation, but to perceive the cause which produced it, seizing, as it were, the sensation, analyzing it, and resolving it into a perception in the consciousness; and such power of perception, or rational endowment, becomes the dividing line between reason and instinct. The Organs of the Senses. 37 CHAPTER VIIL THE OUGAXS OF THE SENSES. A LTHOUGH, as Professor T. C. Upham says, we cannot trace any physical con- nection between the image on the retina and the corresponding state of mind, we know that the mind is affected, and we are led to infer that the same may be said of the connection between impressions through any of the other organs of the senses and their corresponding states of mind. However mysterious may be the operations which result in mental states, we are to admit the fact that the organs of the senses are the medium through which man arrives at the per- ception or knowledge of external things. This is beautifully described by one where he says, *^ Wonderful are the things that surround us; greater are those within us. The external 38 The Mother s and Kindergartner s Friend. is the outgrowth from the internal, the tan- gible universe a counterpart of the intan- gible, all to be comprehended through the five senses." The Organs of the Senses, — five in number, — arranged differently from the anatomical order, we give as follows : that of smell, of taste, of hearing, of touch, and of sight. No, L — The Organ of Smell. The organ, so appropriate both in structure and location for the perception of Smell, is the Nose. This is the simplest, and we consider it first ' in order, of the organs of the senses ; and yet it sustains an important relation to the organ of taste, for it aids the latter in detecting any foreign or hurtful substances, and in forming correct ideas in relation to the quality of our daily food, and other articles which the appetite may crave. This organ has also its especial mucous mem- brane, called the pituitar}^ or secretory agent, which lines both the anterior and the posterior cavity of the Nose. The Organs of the Senses. 39 This branch of the mucous membrane at the upper parts of the nasal cavities is supplied with epithelium^ — a cellular substance adapted to render the external surface of this membrane soft and pliable, and being highly sensitive, is very efficient in determining the quality of odors, as well as of food and other things as previously mentioned. The lower parts of these cavities are ciliated, or protected by hairs, wdiich not only prevent, as much as possible, dust and other hurtful substances from entering through these aper- tures, but also serve as channels through which the cold air may pass in breathing, and thereby be diverted from the passage leading directly to the lungs. The epithelium^ of which we have spoken, is free in its operations, and adequate to the rami- fications of the nerve fibres of the olfactory nerve, which nerve is the essential nerve be- longing to the organ of smell, and is connected with the upper portion of the septum or parti- tion between the nasal cavities. The olfactory nerve is a very important nerve, both in its structure and its position iu 40 The Mother's and Kindergartner's Friend. the sensorium ; and hence it is very sensitive, as we will show by a few examples. *' Sweet odors in tlie sea-air strange Shall tell the homesick man of the shore." In Ovington's Voyage to Surat it is said, " We were pleased with the prospect of this island, because we had long been strangers to such a sight ; and it gratified us with the fra- grant smells which were wafted from the shore, from whence, at three leagues distance, we scented the odors of flowers and fresh herbs ; and, what is ver}^ observable, where, after a tedious stretch at sea, Ave had deemed ourselves to be near land by our observation and course, our smell in dark and mist)^ weather has out- done the acuteness of our sio-ht, and we have discovered land by the fresh smells before we discovered it with our eye." No, IL — The Organ of Taste. The organ which operates as the agent in producing the sense of Taste, is the Tongue. The Tongue is supplied with glands, mucous follicles, nervous fibres, arteries, veins, papillae, and other substances appropriate to its func- The Organs of the Senses. 41 tion, all of which are inclosed within a branch of the mucous membrane — a membrane exten- sive in its connections with many parts of the human organism, and so sensitive in its nature that a slight irritation of one part is often felt in a remote part of the body. Papillae differing from those connected with the skin, of which we are liereafter to speak, and more prominent and variable in size, cover, as we will readily see by looking into the mouth, the greater part of the external surface of the tongue. This organ is not only constituted with pa- pillae, or little points, many of which are more than the ordinary size, but is supplied also with taste-corpuscles, which are cellular in structure and intimately connected with the extremities of nerve fibres which proceed from nerves ap- propriately belonging to the tongue, and known as nerves of sensation. With such an intricate mechanism as the organ of Taste, the sensations produced by tasting, eating, and drinking are immediately derived through the contact of this organ with external thinocs. 42 The Mother^ s and Kindergartner s Friend. There is a lively sympathy between this organ and the organ of smell in their operations, for they are sensibly associated in the process of mastication. The important agents in sensation appropri- ate to the Tongue are two : the gustatory nerve, which is connected with the papillae at the fore- part and sides of the Tongue, and the liiigual branch of the glosso-pharyngeaU which is distrib- uted to the mucous membrane at the base and sides of the Tongue. Prof. Upham says, " The application of any sapid body to this organ (the Tongue) immedi- ately causes in it a change of affection ; and that is at once followed by a mental affection or a new state of the mind. " In this way we have the sensations and per- ceptions to which we give the names sweet, bit- ter, sour. '^ Whenever, therefore, we say of any bodies that they are sweet, bitter, sour, we mean to be understood to say that such bodies are fitted, in the constitution of things, to cause in the mind the sensations of sweetness, bitterness, and sour- ness ; or in other words, that they are the estab- The Organs of the Senses. 43 lislied antecedents of such mental states, as there is, further than this, no necessary connection between them." No. III. — The Organ of Hearing, The organ which comprises the faculty for ob- taining perception of sounds, or, in familiar words, the organ of Hearing, is the Ear. The Ear is regarded by some as the most deli- cate of all the organs of the senses ; for while "the eye," as one says, "is more tolerant in overlooking faults than the Ear is in detecting discordant and jarring notes," " from the proper disposition of single sounds results the harmony that adds force to reason, and gives grace to sublimity ; that shackles attention and governs passion." The Ear consists of three parts ; the external, the middle, and the internal. Sound, or the vibrations of air, is concentrated within the auricle or external Ear, and thence it passes through the auditory channel to the mid- dle Ear or tympanum, or, in more familiar words, the drum, which Dr. Guilmette says is in the in- strument for conveying sound to the brain, what sheepskin is to a drum. 44 The Mother's and Kinder gartner' 8 Friend. This tympanum or drum is so formed tliat the vibrations of air received from the auricle are swept over it to the internal Ear or labyrinth. This labyrinth is the most important of the three divisions of the Ear, for upon its mem- branous lining the ramifications of the auditory nerve are distributed ; and according to the esti- mation of a distinguished writer, about three thousand arches and one thousand little fibres or prolongations of the auditory nerve, or rods, as some call them, are located within this por- tion of the Ear, — Waldeyer reckons six thousand as the number of these inner rods and forty-five hundred of the outer in the human cochlea, or anterior part of the labyrinth, while Claudius says that there are tliree of the inner for every two of the outer rods. The auditory nerve is the special nerve in the organ of Hearing, being distributed exclusively to the internal Ear, and having its central termi- nations in the anterior part of the fourth ven- tricle or space surrounded by the cerebellum, the pons Varolii, and the medulla oblongata; while the other nerves of importance connected with the Ear are associated with the (jlosso- The Organs of the Senses. 45 pharyngeal and fifth nerves, of which they are parts. How wonderful the mechanism constructed by the great Architect for the transmission of sound to the human brain ! "Ring out, ye crystal spheres, Once bless our human ears (If ye have power to touch our senses so) And let your silver chime Move in melodious time, And let the bass of Heaven's deep organ blow, And with your nine-fold harmony Make up full consort to the angelic symphony." '* Hark! through the calm and silence of the scene, Slow, solemn, sweet, with many a pause between, Celestial music swells along the air." The strain of feathered songster's notes, Like melodies of oriole. On thy soft zephyrs sweetly floats, And soothes the anguish of the soul. No. IV. — The Organ of Touch. The organs thus far considered "are more simple and uniform in their results than that of Touch," therefore we place the organ of Touch as the fourth in the order of our division. "The principal organ of this sense," says 46 TJie 3Iothe/s and Kindergartner s Friend, Prof. Upliam, " is the hand, although it is not limited to that part of our frame, but is diffused over the whole body." The idea of Prof. Upham is that the hand principally acts as the organ of this sense, '^ be- cause, being furnished with various articula- tions, it is easily movable by the muscles, and can readily adapt itself to the various changes of form in the objects to which it is applied." From the anatomist we learn that the sense of Touch is derived chiefly from the skin. This agrees with Prof. Upham's idea, that the sense of Touch is really " diffused over the whole body." With this idea in view, we say that the cover- ing which serves as the protector to the impor- tant tissues beneath it is the epidermis or cuti- cle, which signifies something placed over or upon the real skin as a defence — this defence being usually recognized as the skin. The real skin* consists of two layers of tissue, the fibrous and the papillary^ and from this papillary tissue certain conical-shaped projec- tions called papillce arise, which are only about one-hundredth of an inch in length and one The Organs of the Senses, 47 two hundred and fiftieth of an inch in diameter, and which contain one and sometimes several nerve fibres, whose peripheral terminations ren- der tliese papillae very sensitive to contact with any external object. These papillae are more numerous in those parts of the body which require the greatest degree of sensibilit)^, and they are so accurately united with the structure of the epidermis that the infiuence of a slight touch as well as that of a blow, or of the external application of any- thing hot or cold, is immediately conveyed, as it were, like the communications in telegraphy, to the sensorium. Among the miracles of Christ recorded in the New Testament we find three cases worthy of notice in this connection: one, where the leper came to Christ, saying, '' Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, sajdng, ''I will; be thou clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Another, where Jesus ^ame into the ruler's house, and when the peo- ple were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose ; and still another, 48 The Mothers and Kindergartner* s Friend. where two blind men came to Jesus, and then touched he their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it unto you." And tlieir eyes were opened. ]Sfo, V. — The Organ of Sight. We come now to the organ of Sight, which, if not the most important of the organs of the senses, deserves a high phice in our estimation of its value, and which we could better appre- ciate were we suddenly deprived of the organ of vision. " The medium on which this organ acts," says Prof. Upham, "are rays of light, everywhere diffused, and always advancing, if they meet with no opposition, in direct lines. " The eye, like all the other senses, not only receives externally the medium on which it acts, but carries the rays of light into itself; and on principles purely scientific refracts and combines them anew." How appropriate, then, that the Eye should be placed in the orbital cavity, situated at the upper and anterior part of the face, or what is more familiarly known as the forehead, which The Organs of the Senses. 49 cavity is surrounded by seven different bones, which constitute a defence, and thus enable the Eye to perform its operations with facility and in safety; while the soul, like the pilot in the roundhouse, or the sentinel upon the rampart of some fortress by the sea, has, through the Eye, with its "artificial framework " which the Cre- ator has connected with it, an extensive range of vision. This mechanism is wonderfully arranged, not only as an instrument for sight, but also to give emphasis and expression to the different states of mind. The eyeball is spherical and well supplied with arteries, veins, fibrous and cellular mem- branes, muscles, aqueous and crystalline humors, and nerves of motion and of sensation. Three membranes surround the vitreous or glass-like substance of the central part of the ej^eball : the Sclerotic, the Choroid, and the Retina. The first of these membranes is fibrous, and imparts strength and protection ; the second is a vascular substance abounding Avith dark col- ored pigment — a word defined as a color for 50 The Mother^s and Kindergartners Friend, painting — which serves as the quicksilver to the back of a mirror ; the third, a membrane which lies upon this pigment, and is thus ren- dered impervious to light. The Cornea is the transparent part of the eye- ball, and just internally to tliis a partition, or variegated circle, divides the aqueous humor ; and this variegated circle, known as the Iris, is pierced by a dark spot at a little towards the nasal side of the centre. The Pupil, or dark spot just mentioned, is dilated or contracted by certain muscles and ra- diating fibres, and becomes the direct channel through which liglit enters by rays which are so extremely small and delicate in their texture as not to give pain to this very sensitive organ, and which meet with no opposition until they come in contact with the Lens, which consists of a jelly-like substance so constructed that it presents a double convex arrangement, whose greater convexity is on the posterior side, which faces the retina, and from which the rays of light are refracted, and, having passed through the vitreous portion of the eyeball, are distributed upon the retina. The Organs of the Senses, 51 The Lens, placed within a capsule, rests upon the hyaloid membrane — a higlily elastic sub- stance which surrounds the vitreous humor. The gradual weakness in the acuteness of our visual perception is owing to the depressing of the posterior and anterior convex surfaces of the lens. Having explained the operation by which the rays of light are refracted upon the retina, we will now consider the relation betw^een the braiji and the retina. The Optic nerve, the most important nerve connected with the organ of Sight, arises by two branches from the brain, and passing as optic tracts to the commissure, they there undergo a slight decussation, and then emerg- ing from this commissure in front, diverge, be- coming rounded and firm, and enclosed in a sheath connected with the arachnoid mem- brane which, as previously stated, envelops the brain. As each branch of this nerve passes through the optic aperture or foramen, it receives a sheath from the dura mater, before mentioned as lining the skull, and as it enters the 62 The Mother s and Kinder g artner % Friend. orbit, this sheath subdivides, one part follow- ing the periosteum of the orbit, the other part forming a sheath for and surrounding the nerve. This nerve then passes through the cavity of the orbit, pierces the sclerotic and choroid coats at the back part of the eyeball, and a little to the nasal side of its centre, and then expands uj)on the retina, and becomes the mysterious and inexplicable channel of communication be- tween the images thrown upon the retina by the lens and the sensorium. The aqueous humor fills the spaces between the cornea and iris in front, and between the iris and capsule of the lens behind, while the vitreous humor is located in the concavity of the retina. Thus w^e have given a brief description of some of the more important substances con- nected with the organ of Sight, and in closing this division of our subject, we would explain a little farther by saying that rays of light falling in a direct line from an external object, are thrown or refracted through the crystalline sub- stance of the eyeball to the retina, which lies, The Organs of the Senses. 53 like tlie face of a mirror, upon the dark pigment of the choroid membrane, and reflects the exact image of the object from which the rays of light proceed — which reflection is the element of the perception which produces what we call sight, and, as Prof. Upham says, "The image which is thus pictured on the retina is the last step which we are able to designate in the material jDart of the process in visual percep- tion ; the mental state follows ; but it is not in our power to trace, even in the smallest degree, any physical connection between the optical image and the corresponding state of the mind. All that we can say in this case is, that we sup- pose them to hold to each other the relation of antecedent and consequent by an ultimate law of our constitution." The Eye is an important organ as we learn in Cicero de Oratore, where it describes Cains Gracchus while expressing his lamentations over the death of his brother, as so affected that his eyes, his voice, and his gesture excited the tears of the whole Roman people. " Give me a larger eye, and I will reveal to you another rank of worlds marshalled be- 54 The Mother s and Kindergartner^ s Friend. hind those whose shniing hosts you now be- hold." '' Let not him who, through his own indiscre- tion has weakened his eyes, curse God's glorious sunlight because it is the occasion to him of visual pain ! " Association. 55 CHAPTER IX. ASSOCIATION. 'TV /TEMORY is the agent by wliicli various subjects of thought are brought up, one after another, as the original ideas were trans- formed from sensations to perceptions in con- sciousness. It is this power of the mind in recalling the thoughts consecutively, in speaking or writing, that we define as Association : and through such operations the mind is able to bring to remem- brance what had well nigh or wholly slipped from tlie memory. Although memory is regarded as more im- portant than Association, we consider it proper to place the latter before the former in our arrangement of this subject ; for the child will look about the nursery as if it were his little world, and begin to examine and compare ob- 56 The Mother'' s and Kindergartner s Friend. jects, even though memory may not have been developed to any great extent in his awakening mind, and led along by the principle of curios- ity, the power of Association will begin to be developed in the child's mind in this way rather than in the philosophic way appropriate to a more advanced state of mental development. Prof. Upham says: "As association is pre- supposed and involved in memory as well as in reasoning, we naturally begin with that prin- ciple first." Our thoughts, agreeably with the principle of Association, often come to our minds quite rap- idly, one thought awakening another, and that still another, and so on almost indefinitely. An allusion to the late Civil War leads us to think of suffering, devastation, bloodshed, the pains of the wounded, the groans of the dying, and the grief of the bereaved ; of the assassi- nation of President Lincoln; of the establish- ment of peace upon the basis of freedom to the slave. When we read of temperance reforms, we very naturally contrast by the power of Asso- ciation and comparison, drunkenness, idleness, Association. 57 licentiousness, poverty, and misery with their opposites — sobriety, industry, morality, wealth, and happiness. When Ave think of the comparative merits of distinguished orators, our associated thoughts include Demosthenes, Cicero, Augustine, Chat- ham, Burke, Whitfield, Webster, and Clay, and a host of others ; and thus this principle of Asso- ciation will continue to bring up one name after another, and one subject of thought after an- other in regular succession, and to almost an indefinite extent. In Thompson's ''Winter" we have a good illus- tration of thislawof association,wliere we read, — ** Along the woods, along the moorish fens Sighs the sad genius of the coming storm, Resounding long in fancy's listening ear." This power of the mind is of great advantage to the child in the Kindergarten, as he engages in the games and occupations, and it is also an especial benefit to one who would become a ready writer, a fluent speaker, or a successful debater ; and happy will he be who can in real- ity say with the poet, — "Thoughts on thoughts, a countless throng, Rush, chasing countless thoughts along." 68 The Mother s and Kinder gartner^s Friend. CHAPTER X. MEMORY. O OME have regarded Memory as the most important of the mental faculties, however we place it in this connection, for it is said to be intimately connected with association in its operations. Figuratively speaking, the Memory is the treasure-house of past experiences; and Pro- fessor Hickok says, '^ Memory is neither knowl- edge, nor perception, nor thinking in judgment. It is the retention of so much of former things known, tliat they may again be called up and made materials for thought. Without nien,< ry, the mind could not attain its element for logi- cal or philosophical thinking. The thoughts and the order of thinking would both be wanting." '^ Memory," says Professor Upham, '4s that Memory. 59 power or susceptibility of the mind by which those conceptions are originated which are modified by a perception of tlie relation of past time. Accordingly, it is not a simple, but complex action of the intellectual principle, implying a conception of the object, and a per- ception of the relation of priority in its ex- istence." We well remember the feelings of sorrow which thrilled the minds of the people as the news of the assassination of President Lincoln was wafted on every breeze to the remotest parts of the Union. Thus Memory is that faculty by which we are able to retain ideas of conceptions involving objects or things of which the mind had per- ception at some past time. The Memory is capable of development by exercise, and will become a most beneficial agent in aiding the pupil to prosecute his stud- ies successfully ; and this result is to be effected by close attention in listening to the instruction of the teacher, and by the habit of patient thought and reflection in reading and study. When ideas are once treasured in the mem- 60 The Mother s and Kindergartner" s Friend. ory, they become as the basis of a superstruct- ure which is gradually to rise in beautiful and symmetrical proportions through all the various degrees of mental development. Ideas may slumber in the recesses of the soul, but at length, by some unexpected or powerful impression upon the mind, the quiet in which they have reposed is broken, and we are led, with the poet, to exclaim, — "" Lulled in the countless chambers of the brain, Our thoughts are linked by many a hidden chain; Awake but one, and lo! what myriads rise! Each stamps its image as the other flies." Imagination. 61 CHAPTER XI. IMAGINATION. n^HIS is a mental endowment by which man is able to create ideas, which, while they are very instructive, are, however, inconsistent with reality. Some of the effects of the imagination are similar to those of reason. ''They both," says Professor Upham, "put in requisition and in precisely the same way, the power of associa- tion and relative suggestion, or judgment. '' But they are characterized by the two cir- cumstances, that their objects are different, and that they operate, in part, on different mate- rials. Accordingly, the one (reasoning) ascer- tains what is true, the other what is possible ; the office of the one is to inquire, of the other to create ; reasbning is exercised within the limits of what is known and actual, while the 62 The Mother^ s and Kindergartner* s Friend. appropriate empire of the imagination is the region of the conjectural and conceivable." In its most comprehensive sense, Imagination involves the power of deep thought, and it has been said that the literal meaning of the word imagination is to form a picture. Hazlit says of Milton, that his imagination has the force of nature ; that he makes words tell as pictures, and that there is great depth of impression in his description of the objects of all the different senses. Dugald Stewart, in speaking of Milton's im- ages, Avhere he describes tlie beauties of Eden, says, " The association of ideas suggested them, and the power of conception placed each of them before him." The orator is said to paint, and what shall we say of the poet, inspired with sublime emo- tions, who, in tlie flight of his imagination, penetrates fathomless abysses, sweeps the cir- cumference of the earth at a glance, glides over the peaks of the loftiest mountains, and, as on angels' wings, soars to the throne of God ? "Imagination, in its legitimate sphere, is as necessary as the power of reason or the senti- Imagination. 63 ment of devotion, and it forms complete images from the detached materials furnished by the senses." The influence of the imagination must nei- ther be restricted nor undervalued, except in its violation of the rules of chastity or propri- ety ; and, Avhile it is a peculiar and necessary power, its operations, in a well-organized mind, will be appropriate as regards all mental phe- nomena. What imagery is more beautiful and instruct- ive than that employed by the Saviour, while on earth, when he said, " Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin ; yet I say unto you, that Solomon, in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Rev. Robert Hall, of England, in his sermon on the death of the Princess Charlotte, thus speaks: ^'The Deity himself adorned the vic- tim with his own hands, accumulating upon her all the decorations and ornaments adapted to render her the object of universal admiration. He permitted her to touch whatever this sub- lunary scene presents that is most alluring, 6-1 The Mother's and Kindergartner s Friend. but to grasp notliing, and after conducting her to an eminence where she could surve)^ all the glories of empire as her destined possession, closed her ej^es in death." Wraxall saj^s of Edmund Burke, ''Nature has bestowed on him a boundless imagination. His fancy was so vivid that it seemed to light up b}" its own power, and to burn without con- suming the aliment on which it fed." Sometimes, in consequence of disease or some other abnormal influence, the operations of the imagination become so affected as to result in what is called hallucination. Imagination can give beauty in all its forms as some of its grandest productions. The writings of the most gifted poets, essay- ists, and novelists are characterized as the pro- ductions of a versatile imagination. Children often display the influence of a lively imagination, in arranging their play- things, — dolls, soldiers, and other toys, — call- ing them by imaginary names, and exercising them as if they possessed life and intelligence. Looking across the street, we behold some beautiful flowers displayed in the light of the Imagination. 65 sun, and we are led to compose the following lines as appropriate in this connection : We love to see, in winter time, Within where sunbeams brightly shine. Those flow'ring plants, whose sweet perfume. Exhaling as from vernal bloom, Will soon pervade the spacious room In which, 'mid light and genial air, They daily flourish, sweet and fair. 66 The Mother^ s and Kindergartner^ s Friend. CHAPTER XIT. CONCEPTION. /CONCEPTION consists in the mental re- ^ vivification of former sensations which had ended in perceptions of certain objects or things, and in the awakening of ideas associated with those perceptions even in the absence of the cause which produced the sensations. Prof. Upham says : " Whenever we have conceptions our sensations and perceptions are replaced, as Shakespeare expresses it, in the mind's eye, without our at all considering at what time and place they first originated." We were present at the great fire in Boston, Mass., some twelve years since, and witnessed the destruction of many valuable edifices and magnificent structures, and now, after the lapse of so manj^ years, we have a vivid conception of the area burned and of the vast amount of Conception. 67 property destroyed, and sensations such as we then had are aroused, so that we can see as with the mind's eye all that we then saw. It will be remembered, that perceptions result from an inward sense as well as from impres- sions made by external objects, and that con- ceptions are legitimately derived from this source, for example: — David, " the Shepherd Boy," went forth to meet Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, and he slew Gbliath with a smooth pebble which he hurled from his simple little sling. The history of this incident arouses the men- tal faculties, and we get a vivid conception of the bravery of the lad as he fought, trusting in the Lord for deliverance and victory. In the Introduction to " Paradise Lost," we read: "Poetical imagination is the power not only of conceiving, but of creating embodied illustrations of abstract truths, which are sub- lime, or pathetic or beautiful ; " hence this power of Conception, joined with a versatile imagination and comprehensive association, will prepare an individual to become distinguished as a writer. 68 The Mother s and Kiiidergartner s Friend. CHAPTER XIII. ABSTRACTION. ^T^HIS mental faculty enables an individual to select from his stock of ideas a particular one, and to subject it to a rigid mental analysis. When we visit a beautiful flower-garden, we get a general idea of it ; but at some future time, if we wish to get a more comprehensive and satisfactory idea of it, we must recall each kind of flowers, and the style of adornment of which we have some conception, and analyze mentally their properties, and thus get in the abstract broader views of all that in their combination rendered the garden so attractive and lovely as a place of resort. This faculty is a very important one to be developed in the Kindergarten, for the pupils are there frequently called to practice with such things in the concrete as will, when re- Abstraction. 69 solved into their component parts, give them more comprehensive ideas of size, form, color, texture, density, weight, length, breadth, thick- ness — ideas which involve the operation of the principle of Abstraction. 70 The Mother's and Kindergartner' s Friend. CHAPTER XIV. REFLECTION. nnHE word Reflection is composed of two .Latin words, which, when united, signify the directing of the thoughts back upon them- selves, for the purpose of an examination of their intrinsic merit. In the operation of this faculty the mind takes a retrospective view of its memories, con- temphiting their nature and the causes which produced them, an exercise incompatible with the rush of thoughts as they usually pass through the mind in the midst of the noise and confusion of active life. Rev. Dr. Francis Wayland says : " Cultivate the habit of reflecting upon your actions and upon the iritention with which they have been performed, and of thus deciding their moral character. Reflection. 71 " It is one of the most important duties in the life of a moral, and especially of a proba- tionary being." This advice of Dr. Wayland is equally appli- cable to the student and other seeker after knowledge, and it will prove to have been a most excellent and profitable exercise, if, upon leaving the school or lecture-room, the indi- vidual retire to his own room, and there review the subject of the day's lesson, and reflect upon the suggestions of the teacher or the ideas advanced by the lecturer, in order that right conclusions may be indelibly impressed upon the mind and kept for future use. We cannot easily do this without having acquired the habit of earnest and patient thought ; and we would do well to remember that one hour of meditation will be more val- uable than many hours devoted to reading and study without proper reflection. As food must be taken into the stomach and remain there for a certain time, in order that it may be assimilated by the digestive organs, and thus rendered suitable for nutrition, so instruc- tion should be received into the mind and 72 The Mother's and Kindergartner s Friend. " assimilated by its own digestion," or reflec- tion, and thereby be prepared to remain as knowledge or facts in the memory. ** 'Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours, And ask them what report they bore to heaven, Or how they might have been more welcome guests." Reason. 73 CHAPTER XV. REASON. "OEASON is that faculty of the mind which enables us to discriminate between truth and falsehood, and to decide judiciously in re- gard to good and evil, and it also aids the mind in arriving at just conclusions from real or assumed propositions. Although the brute may have quick percep- tions, and act more sagaciously than many human beings we have known, it is not en- dowed with faculties capable of perceiving truth or of rationally apprehending the relation between perceptions and the exte;^nal object which produced them. It is this rational faculty, as we have before stated, that distinguishes man from the lower animals, and elevates him from the darkness and ignorance of the brute to the brightness and benefits of intellectual light. 74 The Mother^ s and Kindergartne/ s Friend. " The operations of reason," says Prof. Hickok, "affect the mind and induce inward sensa- tions, and the insight of reason penetrates the very act of perception, and determines what it is, and what is conditional that it could have been, and thus comprehends both the perception and the phenomena given in it." With Prof. Hickok's idea of Reason in view, it seems as if this faculty were similar to con- sciousness, which we have already considered, if by its insight it can discover the quality of a perception, and understand the nature of the process, or transformation, by which a sensation becomes a perception. We are here reminded that the influence of perceptions caused by this mental faculty, or from within, will be as legitimate in its results as is the effect of those perceptions resulting from sensations produced from without, or by external objects. '^ The reasoning power," says Prof. Upham, " sustains the higher office of bringing to light the great principles and hidden truths of na- ture ; it reveals to the inquisitive and delighted mind a multitude of fruitful and comprehensive Reason. 75 views, which could not otherwise be obtained ; and invests men, and nature, and events with a new character." We sometimes hear Reason spoken of as hav- ing been dethroned^ as in the case of the lunatic; and we are somewhat acquainted with the con- dition of those in whom Reason had never been enthroned^ as in the case of idiots. We also hear of the benefit of a reasonable doubt in the mind of a juryman, and this sug- gests a metaphor in which we will represent Reason as a grave judge, clothed with judicial vestments and surrounded with the insignia of authority, patiently listening to the evidence in order to discriminate and compare facts and statements, and explain the points of law, and instruct the jury to bring in a verdict which shall give the defendant the benefit of any doubt connected with a rational view of the evidence, and thus arrive at an impartial verdict. " Reason," says Thyer, ''too often is but little better than a slave, ready, at the beck of the will, to dress up in plausible colors any opinions that our interest or resentment have made asrree- able to us." 76 The Mother* s and Kindergartner* s Friend. Reason, like an impartial judge, should bear sway, and aid us in analyzing, discriminating, and deciding in regard to the effects produced upon the mind through the medium of the senses. Judgment. 77 CHAPTER XVL JUDGMENT. ^T^HE Judgment is another mental faculty which gives man the ability to compare ideas and statements one with another, and, if possible, to get a correct knowledge of facts, so that he may form right opinions in reference to what may be presented for his consideration. Prof. Upham says, " We behold the flowers of the field, and one is fairer than another ; we hear many voices, and one is louder or softer than another ; we taste the fruits of the earth, and one flavor is more pleasant than another. But the difference of sound and brightness and taste could never be known to us without the power of perceiving relations ; " hence we are able by the organs of the senses, aided by judg- ment and perception, to get a knowledge of the qualities of objects, and through comparison 78 The Mother's and Kinder gartner's Friend. and contrast to arrive at just conclusions in our investigations. When ideas have been formed in the mind and subjected to the process of reflection, we get more satisfactory ideas, and a more compre- hensive knowledge of their real nature than in any other way. There are various processes in the operation of this mental faculty by which we arrive at right conclusions, but we will forbear to advance farther in this direction than to sa}^ that in the Kindergarten the most important results in judgments will be derived from analj^sis and synthesis, as seen in the various exercises con- nected with the development of the Gifts. Sensibility. 79 CHAPTER XVIL SENSIBILITY. O ENSIBILITY should not be confounded with sensation, for the latter involves perception through the medium of the senses, as we have previously seen, while the former denotes the '^ susceptibility of impressions, or the acuteness of perception." Rev. Dr. Hopkins says, " The In- tellect and the Sensibility are indispensable con- ditions for the being and actions of the rational Will ; for without Intellect there is no light, and without the Sensibility, there is no motive, and without a rational Will, there will be no ra- tional choice ; hence he represents man as possess- ing Intellect, Sensibility, and Will, and these he says are important constituents of his being. " The Intellect thinks, the Sensibility fdels, and while these are united the Intellect feels or ap- prehends the whole ; the Sensibility is affected, 80 The Mother'^ s and Kindergartner' s Friend. and then the Will in unison with the operation of the Intellect and Will." Just at this point, where the Sensibility affects the Will, all things consistent with the nature and duty of man should so affect his Will that it will be turned from its worldly and selfish bias to the approval of everything conducive to elevate his condition and ennoble his character. ** Sensibility how charming, Thou, my friend, canst truly tell ; But distress with honor bearing. Thou hast also known too well." Emotions. 81 CHAPTER XVIIL EMOTIONS. Tn MOTIONS are excitements of the mind, or mental states, and they must succeed the operations of the intellectual faculties, in order that the cause of the emotion may be known and precede the excitement of the natu- ral desires or moral feelings. In the former case, or the excitement of the natural desires, they become natural emotions; in the latter, or the effect upon the moral feel- ings, they produce moral emotions. It is through consciousness that we discover the quality of the object or thing which creates the moral emotion. As there can be no emotions without the ex- ercise of the rational faculties, we cannot con- sider this subject under three divisions — ani- mal, intellectual, and spiritual — as we do in re- 82 The Mothey^^s and Khidergartner^ s Frieiid. gard to the human organism ; therefore we are to consider the excitements of the animal nature in man as feelings instead of emotions, for in this respect, man is in the same condition as tlie brute. This excitement of the animal propensities in man is, according to the idea of Prof. Hickok, ^'the lowest form in which the human susceptibility develops itself in specific feeling, and these animal feelings can never transcend the limits of the natural world," but must be exercised in connection with the appetites, pas- sions, and natural affections of man, just as they appear in their operations in the brute. The real emotions, then, must be either ra- tional or spiritual ; and these maj^ be jjroduced in numberless ways through rational or spirit- ual discernment. Prof. Hickok says, '' Our reason looks upon nature as if she had a living soul, which is looking out through all her features, and expressing before us all her deep emotions ; and so soon as the piercing insight catches the living sentiment, our own souls respond in sympathy, and we feel at once the sjoirit within Emotions, 83 us to be kindred to that which is glowing without us," and this we call aesthetic emotion, or love of the beautiful in nature. Emotions rising in my heart, I will, O Nature, now express Peculiar praise, so dear thou art, That I would not my thoughts suppress. The causes of emotions exist throughout the realm of nature, of science, of art, and of sa- cred and profane history. Again, "The same organ," says Prof. Hickok, "•that reads the sentiment in nature detects also the inner laws of nature ; in one is seen beauty, and in the other, truth ; and all emo- tions of each are in the one rational suscep- tibility, differing only as the direction of the insight varies." This discernment of the rational faculties arouses appropriate and peculiar feelings ; and with them no animal influences are to mingle and disturb their harmonious operations. When we investigate or behold things which in their origin are heavenly and divine, spiritual emotions are aroused, and conscience, in the exercise of its power, invests the emotions with 84 The Mother'' s and Kindergai^tner s Friend, an influence which results in ideas of truth and righteousness. Under the influence of right spiritual emo- tions, the devout man sees God in everj^thing above and around him, and he can express his emotions after the idea of Pale}^ and sa}", the world is but a temple, and life itself one con- tinued scene of adoration. Such a mind accepts all the pleasures and pains incident to its condition here, as coming from a loving Father, who would not willingly afflict or grieve his creatures, but rather teach them to look beyond the beauties of nature, and desire to become dwellers in that spiritual temple, to the vestibule of which, nature, in all her variety of forms, may, through the blessing of God, serve as stepping-stones. Emotions indicate the state of the mind, and their effects upon the physical organism are frequently seen in the facial expression ; hence a child, guilty of some misdemeanor, maj' often be detected by his looks, as we familiarly say. How surprisingly numerous are the causes for the production of emotions ! Dr. Guilmette says, ''It is well-known that Emotions. 85 an actor of merit will often, by a certain facial expression, convey a meaning which the finest flow of language cannot express. He will read, also, in such an effective tone, with such pe- culiar expression, pathos, and grace, as to pro- duce sympathy, delight, and surprise in an audience who have for years, perhaps, listened unmoved to the same passages, when recited b}" his competitors." Coquelin says, '' The true actor can take up his part, no matter when, and instantly excite the desired effect. He commands us to laugh, to weep, to shiver with fear. He needs not to wait until he experiences these emotions him- self." As the ocean receives the congregated waters of the continent through majestic rivers, whose sources are far up among the hills and moun- tains, so our emotional nature receives its im- pulses not only from nature and art, in their great variety of forms, but also from the opera- tions of the mind itself, producing emotions as really true as those which spring from behold- ing the objects of nature and art. 86 The Mother's and Kindergartner' s Friend. CHAPTER XIX. ESTHETICS. /[ j^STHETICS is the science wliich involves or comprehends all that is elegant in form, or tastily arrayed, or expressive of that which is ennobling and God-like. In Shaw's translation of Delsarte we read that Plato says, '-' The beantiful is the splendor of the true ; " that St. Augustine says, " The beautiful is the lustre of the good ; " that Ga- len, Avhen he had finished his work on the structure of the human bod}^, exclaimed, ^' Be- hold the beautiful hymn to the glory of the Creator!" and that Delsarte exclaims, "What, tlien, is the true, the beautiful, the good? We might answer, it is God." Man possesses certain faculties by which he can relish, if we may be allowed the expression, ^Esthetics. 87 that which is beautiful in symmetrical propor- tion, or. in style of adornment. That which is to be elegant in form, or taste- fully arrayed, must be done in accordance with aesthetic rules. Some interesting literary work^ on the beauti- ful statue, or the landscape of the painter, with all its colors so beautifully blended that it seems a reality, is grasped by the consciousness, its quality appreciated by the reason, and re- sults in aesthetic emotions, or the satisfaction and pleasure derived from the gratification of a propensity to enjoy the reading of some Avell- written literary production, or to behold that which is beautiful in form or elegantly ar- ranged. Thus the sesthetic intellectual principle, if we may so call it, is well adapted to compre- hend and appreciate the beautiful in every vari- ety of style, both in nature and art. The true poet, whose strahis thrill the soul with ecstatic feeling, does indeed, like the painter aud sculptor, portray the objects of nature and art in such vivid colors that even inanimate objects seem to be endowed with life, and his 88 The Mother's and Kindergartner' s Frie7id. rhythm, like the ebbing and flowing of the tide, inspires the sensitive mind with exalted ideas of the majesty of the Creator, who manifests himself in and through all that is beautiful and good and true. Conscience. 89 CHAPTER XX. CONSCIENCE. /CONSCIENCE is called the monitor within us, for it is able to " warn of faults and inform of duty ; " hence, it will enable man to form a correct opinion in relation to his con- duct, — whether it will be in accordance with the law of God, — and through this faculty he will derive internal or self-knowledge. Rev. Dr. Francis Wayland says, " Its use is to teach us to discern our moral obligations, and to impel us toward the corresponding ac- tion ; and conscience or the moral sense, also denotes that faculty by which we discern the moral qualities of actions, and by which we are capable of certain affection in respect to this quality." Rousseau, in a quotation by Dr. John Brown, says, " The paganism of the ancient world pro- 90 The Mother^ s and Kinder gartner's Friend. duced, indeed, abominable gods, who, on earth, would have been shunned or punished as mon- sters, and who offered, as a picture of supreme hap]3iness, only crimes to commit or passions to satiate. But Vice, armed with this sacred au- thority, descended in vain from the eternal abodes. She found in the heart of man a moral instinct to repel her." "Conscience," says Rev. Dr. Hopkins, "is our moral consciousness, in connection with our own choice ; not our outward acts, but our choices." Its precise nature and office are given by the Apostle Paul when he says, "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves ; wliich show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another." This monitor is a true friend, to whose admo- nitions we will do well to take heed ; but human nature is weak in itself, and oftentimes the things that we would not, those we do, and when we would do good, evil is present with us. Conscience. 91 Conscience can direct aright, but the Will is such a powerful free agent, as we shall hereafter see, that in the struggle between right and wrong it often gains the victory, and man, therefore, frequently does what he subsequently wishes he had not done, and this wrong-doing results in his unhappiness while the pangs of conscience continue to disturb his mind. Like a faithful watchman, Conscience attends us in all our ways, reproving when we are about to do wrong, congratulating us when we have gained the victory over evil, and thus conquered our enemy, and forewarning us of the evil result of some apparently good project. Conscience and Will are connected with the brain, and their influence in the spinal system of nerves in the human body is greatly affected by the substance of the brain matter being pro- longed in the spinal cord and mixed with it. 92 The Mother's and Kindergartner' s Friend. CHAPTER XXI. THE WILL. n^HE Will is a mental faculty of wonderful power — a faculty through which man is influenced to do or not to do ; to choose or re- ject ; to relax or restrain ; to encourage or de- press; to please or provoke; to love or hate; and to yield to the influence of the Author of All Good or discard His loving kindness and tender mercy at pleasure. '' The Will," says Rev. Dr. Hopkins, '' is that constituent of man's being by whicli he is capa- ble of free actions, knowing himself to be thus capable." We have seen that the Will is a faculty of great power, and that while it is acted upon by the intellect and sensibility, that these two in- fluences should be regulated by and harmonize with Reason and Judgment, aided by the dic- tates of Conscience. The Child. 93 CHAPTER XXII. THE CHILD. TTTE come now to that division of our sub- ject which relates to the child and its preparation for, and entrance into the Kinder- garten ; and in considering this important and interesting division we will regard the child as existing under two conditions of life, namely, Infancy and Childhood. I, — Infancy, We regard this condition of the child as com- mencing with everything necessary for the right development of his faculties, assuming that he has a sound mind and a well-constituted physi- cal organism, and that all his faculties can there- fore be developed, in a greater or less degree, as he shall advance from a state enlightened only by the dawn of consciousness toward the re- 94 The Mother s and Kindergartner' s Friend. splendent light of a comprehensive knowledge of moral and intellectual truths. Tliere are various opinions with regard to the limits which embrace the period of Infancy, but in law it does not cease until the age of twenty- one years ; however, it will be sufficient for us, in the elucidation of our subject, to sa}^ that we consider this period as closing, agreeably with the child's progress or development, at the age of about two years. It is as soon as possible during this period of Infancy that the training of the child's senses should begin ; for these senses are not only the instruments, or channels of communication, through which the mind of the child is to be affected and knowledge acquired, but also the basis upon which our hope of success in the effort to develop his faculties must indeed rest. Sensations are the constituent parts of knowl- edge ; therefore the child's mind must first be affected through sensations, resulting from im- pressions made upon the organs of the senses by contact with or the beholding of external things ; and thus the development of his mental faculties is to begin, and to be gradually carried The CUld. 95 forward, agreeably with the frequency,, man- ner, and nature of the operations of the organs of the senses. As the child is incompetent at this period to transform sensations into conscious perceptions, he is subject, just like the brute, merely to in- stinctive impulses, and he will thus continue to exist, until able through the discerning and dis- criminating operations of the percipient faculty, to comprehend the nature of a sensation and the relation which it sustains to the external object or thing by which the impression prece- dent to the sensation is produced. The operation of the instinctive principle is interesting and perhaps worthy of notice in this connection. Bayard Taylor gives us an incident relative to the sagacity of the hippopotamus by saying, " I said in Arabic to him, ' I know you, come here to me ! ' He came to the corner where I was standing, pressed his huge, ungainly head against the bars of the cage, and looked in my face with a touch of delight." The Creator has given to the inferior animals two methods by which they can indicate their 96 The Mother'' s and Kinder gartner' 8 Friend. sufferings and wants, one of sound, the other of expression ; and through these instinctive operations we are able to get some idea of their necessities, for how significant are the bleatings of the little lamb after having strayed from its mother, and the instinctive tones in which she answers its cry; and how impressive is the silent language conveyed by the wagging of the tail and the up-turned eye of a poor and half- starved dog. We have said that the child's conduct while in this instinctive state, is similar to that of the brute ; hence, the craving of hunger, the sensa- tion of thirst, the thrills of pain, and weariness from whatever cause, are made known to the mother or nurse by signs or sounds, and she immediately runs to his relief; and having attended to his necessities, or attracted and pleased him by the presentation of some pretty plaything, she is rewarded for all this attention by manifestations similar to those shown by the inferior animals toward which a like service has been rendered; but the helpless infant some- times suffering in various ways and yet unable to express his wants rationally, is, however, The Child. 9T endowed with the undeveloped principles of mind, and, therefore, with immortality. '' Heaven," says Wordsworth, " Lies about us in our infancy." The child is yet too young to comprehend his relation to external things, but still these are the things by which his faculties, whose importance is so soon to become more apparent, are to be developed. Therefore, the tiny unfolding bud of promise may, through the objects of nature and what God shall especially do for it, become an incal- culable blessing to mankind. The parent should understand, or have at least some idea of the nature of the endow- ments which God has conferred upon the little one, and be especially interested in the use of such means as ^Yill properly develop the faculties of his body, mind, and soul. Prof. Hickok says, '^ The child holds within himself a combination of elements from the material, the animal, and the spiritual worlds ; and while he is to be studied as existing in his own unity, it must be in the full appre- 98 The Mother s and Kindergartner s Friend, hension of all this complexity of being — a rational spirit dwelling in a tabernacle of flesh and blood." " Tiie babe," as Milton says, *' Yet lies in smiling infancy," and his surroundings must be regarded with a lively interest, and as he increases in phj^sical strength from day to day, notliiiig should take place to mar the incipient operations of those higher powers, — the intellectual process AAdiich is soon to disclose itself by the transformation of sensations into perceptions, and thus open the way for the development of his faculties by communications from the outer world through appropriate channels, the organs of the senses. As the germ of the mighty oak must first lie, for a certain time, beneath the earth's surface, so the germs of intellectual power must lie dor- mant for awhile, as it were, within the child; and as the glimmering of the morning imper- ceptibly disappears at the approach of the cheerful light of day, so the precise time of the transition from the infantile gloom to the dawn of consciousness is not perceivable ; but a time The Child. 99 comes when the mother's heart is filled with un- speakable joy as she beholds that first look of pleasure and angelic sweetness, — her darling's peculiar smile, — which betokens the rational recognition by the child of what a tender and affectionate mother is doing for her dear little one. As the icy shroud of winter disappears from the earth beneath the influence of the genial rays and gentle showers of spring-time, so the mysterious gloom which has so long enveloped the infant-mind begins to withdraw, and the sight of interesting objects never before ration- ally observed, thrills his mind with sensations of delight. The dawn of consciousness leads the child to "look upon the nursery as the world; and his first ideas will probably be his conceptions of his mother and nurse ; and the origin and his- tory of all his notions may be traced to his animal wants, to the light that breaks in from his windows, and to the few objects in the im- mediate neighborhood of the cradle and the hearth." In the natural world we see the husbandman 100 The Mothei's and Kindergartner' 8 Friend. prepare the rich soil for the reception of his choicest seed; so the child's mind is now pre- pared to receive the influences of external things Avhich are to become as germs or ele- ments of knowledge within the mental soil, and which in due time will, agreeabl}^ with the proc- esses of mental growth, spring into life and bloom. It is a truth in the moral and intellectual as in the natural world, that good seed rightly de- posited in good soil, will, with the blessing of God, take root and bring forth good fruit ; therefore, we must be sure that while we attend to the physical condition of the child with all necessary care, the means emploj^ed for the development of his higher faculties shall be appropriate and adequate to their increasing necessities. '' The human organism is a marvellous instru- ment, — a harmonious lyre which God has given us for our use ; " and we must see that it is well preserved and kept in tune, and made to serve the exalted purpose for which it was con- structed. The child now begins to extend his vision The Child. 101 beyond the confines of the nurserj^, and to take in some of the beauties of the external world, and this change adds a new impulse to his awakening mental powers. As he begins to feel and recognize the gentle pressure of the mother's lips upon his little cheek, he learns to love, — '' while he feels, only cries satisfy him ; but when he loves, he makes motions," and soon expresses his emotions in a significant way. As he increases in physical growth and mental development, he discovers new objects of at- traction and other fountains for the furnishing of thought, but tliese are external and materiah Prof. Upham says, " No one can observe the operations of the mind in infants and children, without being led to believe that the Creator has instituted a connection between the mind and the material world ; and that the greater portion of our early knowledge is from an outward source." The child has manifested his feelings by cries, his sympathy by significant motions, and now the principle of curiosity begins to manifest itself through his spirit of inquisitiveness ; 102 The Mother's and Kindergartnei-'s Friend. hence, when anything is placed before him, he scrutinizes it, and wlien taken into his own little hands, he looks at it, turns it over and over and upside down, and then attempts to open or break it in pieces. This is a peculiar characteristic of childhood, and this '^ first in- dependent working of the infant mind," ""^s a natural propensity and to be regarded as one of the implanted, original characteristics of our mental constitution; it will lead us instinctively to objects tliemselves; but as a voluntary prin- ciple, to the contemplation of objects which are presented as worthy of one's interest or duty." The power of consciousness increases, and impressions more and more affect the child. **In the pleased infant see its power expand. When first the coral fills his little hand ; Throned in his mother's lap, it dries each tear. As her sweet legend falls upon his ear. Next it assails him in his top's strange hum. Breathes in his whistle, echoes in his drum; Each