ILB 1115 C9 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. il^p. ©opiirisy ^n. du-^^ UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. PRACTICAL CHILD STUDY With Outlines, Definitions and Practical Suggestions FOR TEACHERS AND PARENTS By A. D. CROMWELL, Instructor of English and Psychology. ToBiN College, Ft. Dodge, Iowa. f tm 271896/ , .^.^^^,t^^!><3.,,^i. CHICAGO: W. M. Welch & Company, Publishers. Copyright 1895 BY W. M. Welch & Company. LB///5* Fl^EFACE. For some time I have felt that there was a gap between teachers and scientists in the subject of Child Study. While the study of children below school age is a grand, good work, and must be the foundation of scientific Child Study, yet the teachers cannot wait for its results though they will be of the highest value. Teachers must have something that will help now. They must have their attention directed to see their pupils as they now are. I am conscious of the difficulties in undertaking to furnish such a work, and realize that any work of mine will fall far short of what we might wish it to be, but I have been persuaded that even in its present shape it may be of use to some. I hope at least it will help to raise the tide of interest in Child Study that characterizes the educational movements of to-day. No claim of originality is made. It takes a Newton to dis- cover gravitation and other laws of nature, but we that have not genius may arrange and apply those principles. I am indebted to the authors from whom I quote, to Supt, Kratz of Sioux City for an example of where such a record is kept with the best of results, and to my friend and co-worker Professor J. F. Monk of this College for his help and his suggestions, also to Dr. Scripture of Yale for his kindness. A. D. Cromwell. Tobin College, Fort Dodge, Iowa. Sept. 1895. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/practicalchildstOOcrom QUOTATIONS ARE FROM; 1. Elements of Psychology.— Hewett. fO 70 2. Psychology, Descriptive and Explanatory. — Ladd 3 00 3, Outlines of Psychology,— Ladd 2 00 4, Mind Studies for Young Teachers. — Allen 40 6. Temperament in Education.— Allen 50 6. Practical Pedagogics. — Patrick 85 7. Lessons in Psychology. — Gordy 1 00 8. Teacher's Hand Book of Psychology. — Sully 1 25 9. Practical Lessons in Psychology. — Krohn 1 25 10. Art of Securing Attention — Fitch 60 IL Teacher's Psychology. — Welch 1 25 12. Talks on Pedagogics. — Parker 1 50 13. Elements of Psychology.— D. J. Hill 1 25 14. Psychology in Education. — Roark 1 00 15. Elements of Pedagogics. — White 1 00 16. Psychology (Brief Course). — James 1 75 17. Empirical and Rational Psychology. — Schuyler 1 25 18. Elementary Psychology and Education. — Baldwin 1 25 19. How to Study.— Welch 1 00 2). Psychology Applied to Education. — Compayre 90 21 . Lectures on Teaching. — Compayre 1 25 22. Applied Psychology.— McCle-lan 1 25 23. Thmking, Feeling, Doing.— Scripture. [This is the only work onExperimental Psychology, written in language which the average teacher can understand.] 1 50 24. Kirkpatrick's Inductive Psychology ^ 80 25. Our Bodies and How We Live — Blaisdell 75 26. Principles of Education.— Greenwood 1 00 A// books named in this work may be had by sending the price to W. M. Welch, &^ Co., Garden dfy Block, ^6 Fifth Avenue, Chicago. 4 • Practical Child Study." CONTENTS. IS IT AN EXPERIMENT? Col. Parker's Quotation 6 INTRODUCTION - - 7 BENEFITS of Child Study to Teachers - - - ib HOW TO USE THE RECORD ----- 12 40 BLANK OUTLINES, (One for each pupil.) - - \^ TEMPERAMENTS: Importance - - - - ,_58 Practical Directions - - - 59 HEALTH --------- 60 SIGHT : Importance and Practical Directions - - 61 HEARING : Definitions and Importance - - - 63 Practical Directions ----- 64 OBSERVATION : Definitions and Importance - \66^ Practical Directions - - - - 67 ATTENTION : Definitions and Importance - - 69 Practical Directions - - - - 70 MEMORY : Definitions and Importance - - . 72 Practical Directions - - - - - 73 IMAGINATION : Definitions and Importance - - 74 Practical Directions - - - - 75 REASONING : Definitions and Importance - - 'jj Practical Directions - - - - 78 Practical Child Study. 5 CONTENTS— Continued. SELF CONTROL : Definitions and Importance - 80 Muscular Control - - - - 81 Muscular Power _ _ _ 83 SENSE OF RIGHT : Definition and Importance - - 85 Stanley Hall's estimation of the various studies as aids to moral and intellectual culture - - - 86 Children's ideas of right and wrong 88 Dr. Krohn's remarks on Early Wo- manhood and Early Manhood - 89 Separation of Boys and Girls - 95 Physical Exercise and Manual Train- ing 96 Punishments - - - - gj; Value of Play _ _ - - LANGUAGE: -----..- 100 EXPERIMENTAL CHILD STUDY: Before Birth ----- 109 The Child at Birth - - - - no Touch and Taste - - - - 11 1 Smell - - - - - - 112 Temperature - - - . - 114 Hearing - - - - - -114 Sight - - - - - - 115 Muscular Feelings - - - - 116 Reaction and Measuring Thought and Movement Association Time - - 117 Reaction with Discrimination and Choice - 122 HABIT - - - - - - - - - - 129 AN EXPERIMENT. To those who ask, "Is it not dangerous to allow teachers to experiment on children?" I will answer in the words of Colonel Parker : "Not a tithe of the danger there is in allow- ing supervisors to prescribe methods, and rigidly enforce the literal following of a course of study. The most awful experi- ment is to put a girl fresh from the high school on a cram ex- amination, without a scintilla of the art of teaching, or a faint suspicion of it, in charge of fifty immortal souls ; and next to that, even more often, if possible, to put a college graduate, chock full of conceit and of nothing else, at the head of a school. Thousands of schools are now in charge of principals who have not the faintest idea how to direct and teach teach- ers. There must needs be experiments, but let us have those experiments which are promoted by an all-controlling desire to do good rather than the experiments of ignorance. The strongest influence of a teacher consists not in his teaching of itself, but in his attitude towards knowledge and its relation to education. If the teacher is everlastingly in love with know- ledge, if this love speaks in his eyes and charms in his manner, little else is needed to make his pupils lovers of knowledge. If the teacher is thoughtfully studying the needs of each of his pupils, and striving to apply the best conditions for the high- est self-effort, he is not an experimentor in the common ac- ceptance of the term ; the difference is world-wide between an investigation in the sense of studying a profession and an experiment which implies the destruction of material used."^^ INTRODUCTION. CHILD STUDY is the systematic observation of children.. If, as Stanley Hall says, but one teacher in ahundred is interested in child study, it is because they do not know how to go at it; how to look, or what to look for. To them the subject is a vague, abstract, theoretical conglomeration. The aim of this book is to bring the subject before teachers in a clear, practical form; to furnish a definite basis and practical aim for syste- matic observation of school children. All theoretical or un- practical matter is omitted, and only that is included which is of paramount importance to the teacher. Forty blanks are fur- nished, as that is enough for the average school, but extra blanks may be obtained from the publishers. To the teacher, tact and skill to read the minds and motives of pupils is a possession of no small importance. Suc- cessful teaching consists in carefully and skillfully applying the proper means of discipline and culture to each individual under instruction. If the teacher fails to find the proper means or the proper place of application, the end sought will not be attained. "The living, playing, learning child, whose soul heredity has freighted so richly from a past, we know not how remote, on whose right development all good causes in the world de- pend, embodies a truly elementary psychology. All the fun- damental activities are found, and the play of each psychic pro- cess is so open, simple, and interesting that it is strange that 7 8 Practical Child Study psychology should be the last of the sciences to fall into line in the great Baconian change of base to which we owe nearly all the reforms from Comenius down, which distinguish schools of to-day from those of the sixteenth century. It is a striking fact that nearly every great teacher in the history of education who has spoken words that have been heeded, has lived for years in the closest personal relations to children, and has had the sympathy and tact that gropes out, if it can not see clearly, the laws of juvenile development." — Stanley Hall. How many teachers would have failure turned to success, if they could only see and correct the little defects or faults? How many weary, anxious hours would be saved, if teachers could see pupils as they are? Such little things as: "Why is that child inattentive to day? She gave good attention yester- day," Perhaps she is deaf in the ear toward the class and teacher. If, as yesterday^ she were at the other side of the class, the good ear would be toward the speaker, the child would hear all, become interested and attentive. That boy on the back seat may be unable to get his lessons because the light pours into his weak eyes causing them to pain him. If the teacher knew that, she would give him a better lighted seat. Children can hardly be interested enough to study when ill or in pain. Their minds turn in, as it were, upon them- selves and not out upon the subject. If the teacher knew that that boy was of a sanguine temperament, she would ask a favor of him instead of scolding him, then he would be the maker and not the breaker of the school. That girl missed half her words in the read- ing lesson because she is a careless, inaccurate observer. Mary does not understand the reading lesson, or is poor in geography .and history, because she has a poor imagination. Such little Practical Child Study. 9 things make the difference between success and failure; be- tween school keeping and school teaching. A record has been kept so long of attendance and pages passed over, that the importance of them has been 'magnified till we have lost sight of growth or developing the child morally, intellectually, and physically. We ought to remember that it is the individual and not the class that is of importance. De- velop the individual and the class will take care of itself. But how are we to bring out t iC individual? In the public schools there must be class work, pupils must be treated collectively. While this is true, yet, if an outline of each pupil's capacities and tendencies is kept, attention is directed to him as an in- dividual, he is brought out, as it were, from behind the class, and many opportunities that would otherwise pass unimproved, will be used for the upbuilding of that individual. The plan is especially adapted to institute work, as the topics are treated so briefly that the instructor may enlarge upon them as he chooses. It is' recommended that children be brought before teachers and the outline filled in as far as possible, allowance being made for the embarrassment of the child under such circumstances. It may seem hard to understand how to keep the record, or it may appear to be an extra burden on the teacher, but teachers should remember that we are the sum of our endeavors and that the fruit will be in direct proportion to the labor or the effort put forth. And so the child, when we try to lead him to correct his faults, or make up his deficiencies, is helped in proportion to the effort we can induce him to put forth. BENEFITS. 1. It gives teachers a better understanding of general tendencies and apparent inconsistencies of human nature. 2. It aids in developing that which should be the highest aim in education, — character. 3. It gives tact, and understanding of the best stimulus for each child, through which to gain physical, intellectual, and moral growth; and through which to govern. 4. It leads the teacher to a careful and systematic obser- vation of each child, and thus makes possible a more sym- metrical development of each individual. 5. It tends to bringteacher and pupil into closer relations of co-operation and sympathy. - The rod is used for all offences, not because any teacher supposes it a cure-all, but be- cause it is easier to pound the flesh than to think, and study the best means of controlling each child. 6. It makes something besides attendance and pages passed over, the aim of school work. By keeping a record of attendance and pages passed over, we have come to look upon these as the aim of our school work; whereas, growth, physi- cal, intellectual, and moral, is the true end of education. If no record is kept, the little peculiarities of the child will pass unnoticed; but, by keeping an individual record, attention is called, and the teacher by her assignment of lessons, her questions, her conversation, and her seating, etc., may be able to suppress the bad and to stimulate the good. Remember, a dormant impulse dies; but we are the sum of our endeavors. 10 Practical Child Study ii 7. Child Study will enable the teacher to know what con- stitutes an average normal child. If she find a child below this, she can use means to bring him up to the required per- fection, but if she [find a child above this, and symmetrical, she may do more, if she knows chiW nature, to stimulate a healthy, vigorous growth. And, if the child has the capacity, she may lead him on to develop genius. Because no two children are alike is no reason why the teacher should not know the ideal, and work toward it. 8. Child Study will enable the teacher to stimulate and guide self-effort. It will enable teachers to control, to some extent, the child's ideas, and so control his emotions and his acts. For ideas make emotions, emotions make actions, actions make character, character makes destiny. School government is character building. Child Study will enable the teacher to understand herself, — her thoughts, her emotions, her actions — and only when a teacher understands herself, is she able to understand others. One mind is typical of the race. Each one is a type of the race and stands for humanity. The scientist sees the oak tree in the acorn, so the teacher should see the future man or woman in the boy or girl. Above all, the outlines enable a teacher to leave to her successor a statement of the child's physical, intellectual, and moral condition — his characteristics, his tendencies, and his attainments, thereby enabling her successor to become a safe and sure guide up the path of intellectual and moral development. 9. Child Study will do for the teacher what any science will do for her — Develop power to think, and give mental cul- ture because it requires, first, close observation; second, care- ful reflection; third, fine and critical distinctions; fourth, pre- cision and exactness in the use of terms and in making state- ments, and as Whittier says: "Invite the eye to see and heart to feel The beauty and joy within their reach. Home, and home loves and the beatitudes Of nature free to all." 12 Practical Child Study. HOW TO USE THE RECORD. 1. NATIONALITY : If not an American, allowance should be made for his thinking in a foreign language. 2. TEMPERAMENT : This word meansthe blendmg of the mental characteristics with the physical characteristics. We recognize four temperaments; first, the Nervous or Mental; second, the Sanguine; third, the Bilious; and fourth, the Lym- phatic. Nervous: Physical characteristics: Form slender, neck long, nose narrow, motions quick, skin thin and clear, eyes bright and usually gray, hair light and flaxen but turns dark as the child grows older. Mental characteristics : Impulsive, quickly and easily reconciled, irresolute, lover of study, especially of poetry and nature. Sanguine: Physical characteristics: form plump, neck short, nose outspread, motions medium, skin florid or reddish, eyes blue, hair reddish. Mental characteristics : Impulsive, resolute, muscular pursuits preferred, lover of music and fine arts, especially eloquence. Equally happy in the pursuit of little as of much. Bilious: Physical characteristics : Form thick set, motions slow, neck short, nose outspread, skin dry and dark or pale olive, eyes black or brown, hair black and abundant. Mental characteristics : Passionate, not impulsive, busi- ness and gainful pursuits preferred, aims high, happy in the attainment of wealth, power, and family advancement. Lymphatic : Physical characteristics : Form thick set, neck short, nose outspread, motions slow, skin dense and colorless, eyes hazel or brownish-gray, hair brown. Practical Child Study. 13 Mental characteristics : Slow, heavy, often stupid, never excitable, forgives but never forgets, plodding in busi- ness but persistent in work, happy irom personal or sensa- tional comforts or pleasure. 3. LEADING FEELINGS THROUGH WHICH TO GOVERN : The temperament will be suggestive, and the government at home will also be suggestive. Is it love, fear, public opinion, future reward, sense of duty? 4. SUBJECT OF DEEPEST INTEREST: Tempera- ment will again be suggestive. Is it learning, business, war, his- tory, literature, music, poetry, art? Endeavor to find out whether he has ideal heroes, heroines, or associates whom he is trying to imitate. If so, what is the character of this ideal ? This is important. It may be his ideal is a boy who "bothered his teacher," "broke up the school," became a "cowboy," or, her ideal heroine became a "Trilby." If so, and you can't change this ideal, your teaching, so far as that boy is concerned, is time worse than wasted, for the longer he continues the more he becomes like the character. 5. HEALTH : Good or bad? If ill, what is the cause? Suppose you find that a pupil has poor health, what can you do ? You can, at least, not blame the child for his inability, as you may be doing now. You will not require long-continued stillness, long-continued stress of attention, long-continued or precise use of the hand, eye, or vocal organs, especially if the child is nervous. 6. SIGHT : Tested by letters, heavy half inch letters, such as are on the chalk box, should be seen twenty feet.* If sight is poor, give the child a well lighted seat. If the teacher wishes to test for color blindness, she may send the child to a box #A card especially for this purpose maybe had of the Publishers for 25 cents. 14 Practicai Child Study. containing different colored sticks, shoe-pegs, pieces of yarn or paper ; and tell the child to select the blue, the red, the violet, etc. Professor Krohn says : "Defective vision will eventually cause nervous disorders in any child." 7. HEARING : Tested by the watch tick. An ordinary watch should be heard six feet or more. If the child is par- tially deaf, especially as most often occurs in one ear, seat the child where he can best hear, i. e. with good ear toward the class and the teacher. 8. OBSERVATION : By this word we mean the ability to see all that there is about us. The child's observation may be tested by questions like the following: How many wings has a fly? How many legs has it? How many feet has a snake? When a cow eats grass does she walk forward or backward? How does a robin build her nest? What color is your house painted? What did you see on the road to school? How does a hen swim? A cat cross a river? A dog walk? Any questions that will enable you to tell whether he has seen or is guessing. 9. ATTENTION, or the power to give undivided thought and action to the subject in hand. Attention is the power that the mind has to bring all its force to bear on one thing. New- ness of surroundings; a cold in the head, or ill health of any kind will weaken attention for a time, so we should watch the child for a few days before we conclude that his power of attention is poor. Then, if he gazes around while trying to study, or takes first one thing and then another, his attention may be called poor. 10. MEMORY, or the power to receive, retain, and again recall past ideas or objects as they are or were; (a) Thought Memory is the faculty that enables us to receive, retain, and Practical Child Study 15 recall the thought or idea of that which we learn. It is tested by ability to learn easily and quickly the idea of rules, quota- tions, or recitations, (b) Mechanical Meynory or the faculty that enables us to reproduce the exact words of quotations, recitations, poems, etc. 12. IMAGINATION or the faculty by which we see ideal objects. It is seeing with the mind's eye. It is our power to in- tentionally represent our acquisitions in new forms. Imagin- ation may be tested by story pictures, by ability to see in the mind the people, places, and such objects about which the child reads. 12. REASON, judgment, or power to think. This is the faculty by which we see cause and effect, right and wrong, or what will be of benefit from what will be of injury. It may be tested with questions like these: Do boot-blacks like to have it rain? What is the use of doors? Why do men sow seeds? Why doesn't the cat walk on two legs? Where do the fish go when it rains? Are snow and rain alike? 13. SELF CONTROL: Are the child's movements accurate? Does he sit and stand still? Can he place his pen- cil just where he wants to — between two dots ? Does he get nervous when he writes ? Can he thread a needle ? 14. SENSE OF RIGHT : Does he obey the golden rule? Give others their right? What would he do with a thousand dollars? Does he share his toys, food, pleasures, etc., with others? 15. GREATEST MENTAL DEFICIENCY: Is it at- tention, imagination, memory, or some other deficiency? 16. GREATEST PHYSICAL DEFICIENCY: Is it hollow chest, stoop shoulders, lack of blood, or some other defect? i6 Practical Child Study. 17, 18, 19. In the words of the Bible, "It is the letter that killeth, but the spirit that maketh alive." Teachers want knowledge, but they want inspiration also. 17, 18, 19 are left blank below for the teacher to fill with Perception, Language, Reaction-time, Association-time, Weight, Height, or any topic the teacher may choose. Reaction-time and Association-time are explained in the last chapter of this book. Keep a record of each pupil, leave a record for your suc- cessor, and if you think it for the child's good, send a copy of your record to the child's parents. Extra outlines may be bought of the publishers of this book. Cards prepared especially for testing sight of school children may be had of the publishers of this work for 25 cts. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of : Date 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age. 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. 9th. month month 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Subject of deepest interest Health Sight Hearing Observation Attention ^Acquires (a) Logical or thought ■{ Retains, memory ( I Recalls . rAcquires (d) Mechanical or word -( Retains. memory Recalls . Imagination. Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control Sense of right Greatest mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency j;ii E-e.xcellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be tilled m the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of -Date 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- o. Leading feelings through which to govern Age 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. 9th. month month 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10. Subject of deepest interest Health Sight Hearing Observation Attention rAcquires (a) Logical or I thought < Retains. memory I Recalls . rAcquires (d) Mechanical j or word ■{ Retains, memory Recalls Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control 11. Imagination 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Sense of right Greatest mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency 17. 18. 19. E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be filled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of— —Date . 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern- Age 1st. month 3rd. month 5th. month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5. Health 6. Sight 7. Hearing 8. Observation 9. Attention 'Acquires 10. (a) Logical or • thought < Retains. memory L Recalls . ("Acquires 10. {3) Mechanical or word -{Retains. memory | I Recalls . IL Imagination 12, Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14. Sense of right 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 19 ""1 E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be filled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions, Record of Date 1, Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern- Age 1st. month 3rd. month 5th. month 7th. month 9th. month 4i Subject of deepest interest 5 Health 6 Sight rAcquires 10. (a) Logical or thought ) Mechanical or word ■{ Retains. memory .Recalls . IL Imagination 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14. Sense of right 15, Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 19 E-excellen't, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be iilled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions, Record of -Date 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5. Health 6. Sight. 9. 10. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Hearing Observation. Attention. . . ^Acquires (a) Logical or I thought ■{ Retains, memory | I Recalls . rAcquires (d) Mechanical or word { Retains, memory | I Recalls . Imagination , Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control Sense of right Greatest mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2. 5, 6 and 7 should be: tilled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. JRecord of- —Date — 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern- Age 1st. month 3rd. month 5th. month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5 Health ^ Sight rAcquires 10. {a) Logical or thought ■{ Retains, memory j I Recalls . rAcauires 1 10. (d) Mechanical or word -^ Retains. L Recalls . memory 11. Imagination 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14 Sense of right 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 19 E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5. 6 and 7 should be £lled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of Date • 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament. 3. Leading feelings through which to govern- Age tst. month 3rd. month 5th. month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5. Health 6. Sight 7. Hearing 8 Observation 'Acquires 10. (a) Logical or thought < Retains. memory .Recalls. [-Acquires 10. {i) Mechanical or word ■{ Retains. memory .Recalls. 11. Imagination 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control..., 14. Sense of right 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 : 19 E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be tilled in the tirst week. The others as soon as the tacts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of —Date 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age 1st. 3rd. 5th. 7th. 9th. month month month month month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5. Health 6. Sight. Hearing „ Observation. Attention. . . 10. 10, r Acquires (a) Logical or thought ■{ Retains, memory I Recalls . r Acquires {3) Mechanical or word ■{ Retains, memory Recalls . Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control 11. Imagination 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Sense of right Greatest mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency 17. 18. 19. E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5. 6 and 7 should be filled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of Date. 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. month 9th. month 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10, Subject of deepest interest Health Sight Hearing Observation Attention ^Acquires (a) Logical or thought < Retains, memory | I Recalls . ("Acquires {!>) Mechanical or word ■{ Retains, memory .Recalls Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control n. Imagination 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Sense of right Greatest mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency 17. 18. 19. E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, VV-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5 6 and 7 should be lilled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of Date 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feeling-s through which to govern Age 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. month 9th. month 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Subject of deepest interest Health Sight Hearing Observation Attention rAcquires {a) Logical or thought memory Retains. Recalls . rAcquires (d) Mechanical ! or word ^Retains. memory I Recalls Imagination. Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control Sense of right Greatest mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be tilled m the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read ; The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of ■ Date . 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Ase 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. 9th. month month 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10, Subject of deepest interest Health Sight Hearing Observation Attention rAcquires Retains. I Recalls . [-Acquires (d) Mechanical I or word ■{ Retains. (a) Logical or I 'it ■{ ■ memory thought memory .Recalls Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control 11. Imagination 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Sense of right Greatest mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency 17. 18. 19. E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be filled in the tirst week. The others as soon as the tacts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Kecord of ^Date 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- S. Leading feelings through which to govern- Age 1st. month 3rd. month 5th. month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5. Health 6. Sight 7. Hearing 8. Observation 9. Attention 'Acquires 10. (a) Logical or thought < Retains. memory -Recalls . rAcquires 10. (d) Mechanical ! or word ■{ Retains. memory .Recalls . IL Imagination 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14. Sense of right 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 19 E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be- hlled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of Date r. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. month 9th. month 4. 5. e. T. 8. 9. 10. 10, Subject of deepest interest Health Sight Hearing Observation Attention ' ■ ■ ■ ■ r Acquires (a) Logical or thought i Retains. memory | I Recalls . r Acquires (d) Mechanical j or word ■{ Retains. memory | > I Recalls . Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control IL Imagination 13. 14. 15. 16. Sense of right Create St mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency 17. 18. 19. E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be filled in the tirst week. The others as soon as the tacts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of —Date 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern- Age 1st. month 3rd. month 5th. month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5. Health 6. Sight 7. Hearing 8. Observation 9. Attention rAcquires 10. (a) Logical or thought ■{ Retains. memory | I Recalls . r Acquires 10. (6) Mechanical or word •{ Retains. memory 1 1 Recalls. IL Imagination 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14. Sense of right 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 19 " i E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be hlled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions, Record of Date — 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern- Age 1st. month 3rd. month 5th. month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5 Health 6 Sight 7. Hearing 9 Attention r Acquires 10. {a) Logical or thought ) Mechanical 1 or word ■{ Retains. memory .Recalls. 11. Imagination 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14. Sense of right 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17. 18 19 . E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be. tilled in the tirst week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How lo Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of Date . 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament - 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. 9th. month month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5. Health 6. Sight 7. Hearing 8. Observation 9. Attention rAcquires 10. (a) Logical or thought ■{ Retains. memory | I Recalls . -Acquires 10. (d) Mechanical or word < Retains. memory -Recalls . 11. Imagination 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14. Sense of right 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 19 E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be tiled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of -Date 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age ist. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 6. Health 6. Sight 7. Hearing 8. Observation 9. Attention /"Acquires 10. (a) Logical or thought ■{ Retains, memory j I Recalls . 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. i Acquires Retains. I Recalls . Imagination (d) Mechanical or word memory Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control Sense of right Greatest mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be tilled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of ^Date . 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5. Health 6. Sight 7. Hearing ■8. Observation 9. Attention 'Acquires 10. (a) Logical or thought -l Retains. memory L Recalls . -Acquires 10. {i) Mechanical or word -l Retains, memory f I Recalls. IL Imagination 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14. Sense of right 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 19 1 E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be ±lled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions.. Record of Date— ■ 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament - 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest ■i Health .... (\ SiP-ht .... 'Acquires 10. {a) Logical or thought ■{ Retains, memory .Recalls . 'Acquires 10. {l>) Mechanical or word ■{ Retains, memory .Recalls . 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13 Self control 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 is 1Q tilled in the hrst'week. The others as soon as the facts can- be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of— Date — 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern- Age . 1st. month 3rd. month 5th. month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5 Health 6 Sight 7 Hearing r Acquires 10. (a) Logical or thought < Retains. memory I Recalls . r Acquires 10. {3) Mechanical or word •{ Retains . memory I Recalls. 11. Imagination 1 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14. Sense of right 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 19 E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be filled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. •Record of- Date • 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age ■_ 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. month 9th. month 4. 5. 6. 7. 8, 9. 10. Subject of deepest interest Health Sight Hearing Observation Attention r Acquires (a) Logical or thought ■< Retains, memory j I Recalls . 10. IL 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. {d) Mechanical I or word ^ memory r Acquires Retains. Recalls . Imagination. Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control Sense of right Greatest mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be filled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read ; The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of Date 1. Nationality- 2. Temperam^fu- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern- Age- 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest 5 Health * 6. Sight 7. Hearing 8. Observation 9 Attention 'Acquires 10. (a) Logical or thought < Retains. memory .Recalls . r Acquires 10. (d) Mechanical or word ^Retains. memory 1 I Recalls. 11. Imagination 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14. Sense of risrht 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 19 _, E-excellent, M-mediuni, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be filled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of Date — 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern Age 1st. month 3rd. 5th. month month 7th. 9th. month month 4. 5, 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10, Subject of deepest interest Health Sight Hearing Observation Attention rAcquires [a) Logical or I thought \ Retains, memory | I Recalls . {Acquires Retains. Recalls . Reasoning or judgment (thought) Self control 11. Imagination 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Sense of right Greatest mental deficiency Greatest physical defic- iency 17. 18. 19. E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 should be filled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. Read : The Benefits, How to Use the Record, the Importance, and Practical Directions. Record of Date . 1. Nationality- 2. Temperament- 3. Leading feelings through which to govern- Age- _ 1st. month 3rd. month 5th. month 7th.' month 9th. month 4. Subject of deepest interest ' 5. Health 6. Sight 7. Hearing -8. Observation 9. Attention. .. /"Acquires 10. (a) Logical or 1 thought -; Retains. memory ( L Recalls. rAcquires 10. (i>) Mechanical j or word ■{ Retains. memory -Recalls . 11. Imagination 12. Reasoning or judgment (thought) 13. Self control 14. Sense of right 15. Greatest mental deficiency 16. Greatest physical defic- iency 17 18 19 ■ E-excellent, M-medium, P-poor, W-weak. Use the letters. 1, 2, 5. 6 and 7 should be hlled in the first week. The others as soon as the facts can be ascertained. 58 Practical Child Study. TEMPERAMENTS. IMPORTANCE : Any one who has to do with the manage- ment of human beings would do well to remember that dif- ferent temperaments require different treatment. — Hewett} Supt. Greenwood of Kansas City, says: "The teacher who first prepares himself by a thorough working knowledge of the temperamental conditions of childhood, is better equipped for discernment of character and the various modes of treatment applicable to it, than one ignorant of these truths. Tempera- ment determines the prevailing bias of disposition, whether natural or acquired, and upon it depends the sum total of our inclinations and prevailing tendencies,"^^ Prof. Ladd of Yale, says: "The psychological peculiari- ties which distinguish the two sexes are scarcely less a matter of debate than are those which serve to difference the four temperaments: Strong reasons exist for admitting that there is much truth in the popular impression of a charac- teristic difference (temperament) in the way in which the memory and the imagination of men and women 'work' as we are wont to say.' Few impressions are more firmly fixed than this, that different individuals (at least among the more highly civilized peoples) are possessed of different nat- ural 'dispositions.' The term 'natural' expresses the current conviction that the foundation of their differences is innate and inherited, rather than the result of training and environ- ment. Experience shows that a so-called 'disposition' (tem- perament) generally maintains itself under greater alterations in circumstances, and against effort, to the close of the indi- Practical Child Study. 59 vidual's life. Where it appears to be greatly modified, such modification is usually made at the expense of greater energy than is required even to break firmly acquired habits. Upon such patent facts the theory of temperaments is based. "^ PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS: i. Never put two pupils of the same temperament together. 2. Ask more questions of the lymphatic than of the nervous. Do not call attention to the errors of the nervous child publicly, but suggest quietly when with him only. Firm emphasis may be used when speaking to the lymphatic, but speak quietly and softly to the nervous. 3. To the nervous child it does no good to say "Be still." "Don't twist and jump around so much." A motion of the hand or a soft word will do more. 4. Remember that to the san- guine, scolding is poison. 5. "If the bilious temperament is mixed with a little lymphatic and a little nervous, there will often be difficulty of a serious nature. Outbursts of passion will not pass pleasantly away, but there will be sulkiness, moroseness, backbiting, and a disposition to stir up mischief. The best way to treat such a case as this is, ( i ) ask the doing of a tavor; (2) show confidence by assigning some special work; (3) talk alone, and in a natural but decided tone of voice awaken conscience; (4) be unyielding in action, but use great care how you threaten or promise, or seem anxious to obtain personal favor; (5) If you have been wrong, say so in a manly manner, but not in a craven spirit; (6) keep the rems as in driving a horse, in your own hands."* Read : *Allen's Mind Studies, Allen's Temperament in Education, and Mantegazza's Physiognomy and Expression. 6o Practical Child Study. HEALTH. By this we mean the condition of body and mind. "The body is a garden in which God plants a human soul." "The soul of a human being is not pure spirit but em- bodied mind." The fullest activity of the mind requires a healthy body. Professor Krohn in that most excellent book for teachers, "Practical Lessons in Psychology," says : "Only when the laws of growth are accurately known, is it possible to decide with certainty how much the growth of an individual exceeds or falls below the normal average ; and without this knowledge, the regulation of mental labor, from a physical standpoint, is a venturesome gropmg in the mist rather than a scientific de- duction. Fatigue, we know, arises from over-exertion, either mental or physical. It varies with the condition of the mind and body. Thus the child tires sooner when the work is dis- tasteful, or when the organs are unhealthy, or when the body is poorly nourished ; and the body is also wearied quicker when the mind is tired, and the mind quickly when the body is tired. The child tires more readily at some seasons than at others. The condition of the atmosphere, the weather, the time of day, all these affect the normal power of endurance. Also rapid growth diminishes one's power of endurance. The child that has grown up quickly tires easily. The great curse of this age is the demand for rapid education. Health is sacrificed for promotion, and the joyous, buoyant child is burdened with unnatural demands until such a thing as natural spontaneity is unknown."^ Read: Newsholme's School Hygiene, Horn's Practical Health Notes, Young's School Hygiene. Blaisdell's Our Bodies, Practical Child Study. 6i SIGHT. IMPORTANCE : Sight is/without doubt, the most valua- ble of the senses except the general sense of touch. Yet partial or complete blindness is not rare. One boy in twenty is color blind, and that defect, which is never found out by the individ- ual himself, may be determined by the teacher in one minute. Color blindness unfits one for occupations as far apart as rail- way signal man, painter, dressmaker, and artist. Shortsighted- ness is prevalent to an alarming degree. In New York, from 3.5 per cent among children to 26.8 per cent among adults^ In Philadelphia the general average is 13.7 per cent. In Chi- cago from 4 to 27 per cent. In our colleges 35 per cent in the Freshman to 47 per cent in the Senior year, are shortsighted. PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS : Defective vision is caused by (i) Prolonged exertion of the eyes, especially in seeing near objects ; (2) inadequate amount of light ; (3) badly printed books ; (4) needlework ; (5) general ill health. To cure any disease or defect first remove the cause. To aid the pupils in taking care of their eyes (i) be sure that they have sufficient light, about 30 square inches of glass for each square foot of floor ; (2) be sure that the direct rays of light do not enter the eye ; (3) avoid the angle of reflection ; (4) do not allow a stooping or a forward inclination of the head ; (5) do not allow pupils to read with the book in their laps ; (6) have the pupils hold the book from 13 to 18 inches from the eye ; (7) have pupils sit, especially when writing, so that the light falls over the shoulder ; (8) avoid poorly printed books. Pica is small enough type for a child ; (9) have the 62 Practical Child Study. eyes cleansed with pure soft water morning and evening. The use of the eye is actually beneficial to it, provided it be in a normal condition. Every faculty man possesses can be strengthened by judicious cultivation. But it is not the hygienic side alone of which we wish to speak. A great field is open to the teacher for the uplifting of humanity, in leading pupils to seethe beauties of the colors of nature and art. What is more common than an individual who is totally blind, i. e., without power to see the beauty and harmony of the colors about him ? Why is it that one woman or man sees the garment in which she or he will appear best, while another never sees a garment becoming to them ? Of course it is the difference in the training of their faculties of observation and imagination, but what is that but training the eye to see things as they are ? Is it not of practical impor- tance that the eye shall be taught to measure distance ? "Every free-hand artist, decorator, sign painter, tinsmith, and bricklayer," says Dr. Scripture, "depends for success on his accu- racy of eye. A surgeon with a large average error will be liable to cut an artery that ought not to be touched, a seam- stress will make uneven stitches. More than half the value of manual training lies in the education of the eye in this respect," Read : Newsholme's School Hygiene, Child Study Monthly, June 1895, and Cohn's Hygiene of the Eye, and Thinking, Feel- ing, Doing. Practical Child Study. 63 HEARING. DEFINITIONS : Through the sense of hearing we gain percepts of sound, of pitch, loudness, and musical tone. We can also, through the ear, judge of distance and direction. — Roark}^ The sense of hearing perceive? sounds as that of sight per- ceives colors and modifications of light and shade. As the mind infers solid shapes from light and shade, so does it infer from the various sounds we hear, their external origin, and the causes that produce them. — Welch}^ Thus we see that hearing means not only power to perceive sound, but power to dis- tinguish and tell the direction of sounds. IMPORTANCE : It has been said that hearing is the most internal sense. No other sense affects the emotions so quickly or so deeply as hearing. This is seen in the effects of music and of tones of the voice. — Hewett^ The utility of the sense of hearing is evident. Sound not only reveals external objects, but, in certain cases, warns us of danger, and as employed in language is expressive of thought, feeling, or volition. To this sense we are largely indebted for the pleasure of social inter- course, and for enjoyment derived from the arts of music and oratory. — Schuyler}'' Many people can not hear the sound of a cricket. Others cannot hear the squeak of a mouse, and they believe that we who do hear it just imagine it. An American journalist, Mr. Cowles, did not know till he was twenty-five, that he had defective hearing. He had never heard a bird sing. He said, "Up to this time I have treated all that I have read about the =ongs of birds as mere poetical fiction." He could not hear a high pitch but a low pitch was as easily dis- Small figures refer to list of books on page 2. 64 Practical Child Study. tinguished by him as by any of us. Though they do not know it, and many think it humiliating to own it, yet old people can- not hear high tones. When the tone is high they simply hear nothing and think that no sound is being made. PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS : Children should be taught music, if for no other purpose, to train the ear. They should have lessons on the ring of different metals, just to train the hearing. Care of the Ear. — From BlaisdeWs'' Our Bodiesy — "The ear is a very delicate organ. It is often carelessly and igno- rantly tampered with, when it should be left alone. It is often neglected when skilled treatment is urgently needed. "The ear caftal should never be rudely or hastily washed out, either with a syringe or a wash-rag. The utmost gentle- ness in washing out the ear is all that is necessary for cleanli- ness. Children's e?rs should never be pulled or boxed. Even a slight blow has resulted in serious trouble. "Never use ear-picks, ear-spoons, the ends of pencils, or penholders, pins, hair-pins, tooth-picks, towel-corners, etc., to pick, scratch or swab out the ear canal. It is a foolish, need- less, and dangerous practice. There is always risk that the elbow may be jogged in many ways, and the pointed instru- ment pushed through the drumhead. "Let the ear wax take care of itself. The skin of the ear grows outward, and the extra wax and dust will be naturally carried out if let alone. Never drop sweet-oil, glycerine, and other fluids into the ear, with the idea that the ear is cleaner for them. They do no good and often irritate the ear. Never advise or allow any of the many nonsensical things so com- monly used, to be put into the ears to cure deafness. Cotton wads may be gently put into the ears to shield them from the Practical Child Study. 65 cold, or may be worn in swimming or diving, to keep the water out. Diving into deep water, or bathing in the breakers, often injures the ears. "One should never shout in a person's ear. The ear is not prepared for the shock, and deafness has occasionally resulted. If the eustachian tube is closed for the time, a sudden explo- sion, noise of a gun or cannon may burst the drumhead. Soldiers during heavy cannonading open the mouth to allow of an equal tension of air. "Flies, bugs, ants, and the like, sometimes crawl into the ear. This may cause some pain and fright, and perhaps lead to vomiting, and even convulsions with children. A lighted lamp put at the entrance of the ear will often coax insects to crawl out towards the light. The ear may be syringed out with a little warm water. Drop in a few drops of molasses or warm sweet-oil. "When the ears run for any cause, it is not best to plug them with cotton wads. It only keeps in what should come out. Very cold water should never be used in the e^rs or nostrils if it can be helped. Use only tepid water. Do not go to sleep with the head on the window-sill, or in any position that may expose the ears to a draught of cold or damp air."^^ [Since the above was written Dr. Percy's excellent article in Child Study Monthly for October, 1895, has appeared. In which he says, keep the mouth, throat, and nose in children in a state nearly normal, and acquired deafness will be known only from the memory of history. The transformation that can be made in the physical and mental life of child- hood by care and attention along these lines cannot be expressed in words] 66 Practical Child Study. OBSERVATION. DEFINITIONS : By observation we mean the degree to which we posess power to see all that there is about us. Observa- tion may be defined as a mental process induced by the continued action of objects or units of attributes upon consciousness. — Parker}^ Observation is a series of connected acts of attention. It consists in repeated and systematic efforts of attention di- rected to the discovery of some property or law of material objects. — Wcldi}^ The habit of observation is the habit of clear and decisive gazing; not by a first casual glance, but by a steady, deliberate aim of the eye, are the rare and characteris- tic things discovered. — Burroughs. By observation we care- fully note phenomena. I observe that two bodies fall to the ground with different velocities. I observe that a coin is heavier than a feather. — D. J. Hill}^ IMPORTANCE: The study of objects is the foundation of intellectual development. — Rooper. Particular importance should be attached to accurate observation, inasmuch as this is the indispensable foundation of all real education. — Smyth. Suppose it were perfectly certain that the life and fortune of every one of us would, one day or other, depend upon his win- ing or losing a game of chess. Don't you think that we should all consider it to be a primary duty to learn at least the names and moves of the pieces? Do you not think that we should look with a disapprobation amounting to scorn, upon the father who allowed his son, or the state which allowed its Small figures refer to list of books on page 2. Practical Child Study. 67 members, to grow up without knowing a pawn from a knight? Yet it is a very plain and elementary truth that the life, the fortune, and the happiness of every one of us depend upon our knowing something of the rules of a game infinitely more d.f- iicult and complicated than chess. It is a game which has been played for untold ages, every man or woman being "one of the two players in a game of his or her own. The chess- board is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the uni- verse, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of nature. To the man who plays well, the highest stakes are paid. — Huxley. PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS: To strengthen the powers of observation, we must induce children to think about what they see. The value of work along this line depends upon the extent to which all of the observing faculties are called into activity. The child should not be told about the object, he must see touch, taste, hear, smell, etc., for himself. The intelligent teacher proceeds somewhat in this manner with her observa- tion lessons: She never uses pictures when the real object may be brought before the pupil, she teaches the idea, then the names of the simpler attributes, hardness, softness, color, taste, size, shape, etc., pro ceeding gradually to the more complex. Jn his language lesson she has him tell what he has seen, make lists of the objects possessing the attribute that was the sub- ject of the last lesson, and, if he can find any thing new, tell that also. She takes keen delight in his bringing things liav- ing these attributes, and showing them to her. As she looks at it she tries to lead him to see something more, connected with it. If he neglects to mention all the properties before learn- ed, she asks him if he does not know something else about it. Perhaps she laughs at him because he forgot, at least she lets 68 Practical Child Study. him study a few minutes and then suggests just enough to put him on track of the idea. The next time his pride is at stake and he studies it more closely; he thinks over all that he has seen and heard about it. Then it comes to his mind, then the glee at his success; how anxious he is for more victories! away he goes in quest of new fields to conquer. As his powers increase she guides him to see deeper, from color to luster or polish, from the simple to the compound and the complex, thus bringing his faculties to act more and more vigorously; and in so doing, what is she doing but following that process which was going on from birth; carrying on that process by which the child learned more in six years before he entered school, than the average child learns during his school years. Read : Light's Outline of Mental Faculties, Parker's Talks on Peda- gogics, Arnold's Waymarks for Teachers, Jackman's Nature Study, Ricks' Object Lessons, Wood's How to Study Plants, and Cromwell's How to Teach Reading. Practical Child Study. 69 ATTENTION. DEFINITIONS : Attention is the power the mind has to bring all its force to bear on one thing. — Hewett} Attention is the concentration of mind upon a particular object or thought. Patrick!" Attention is the voluntary effort which anv intellect- 'ual faculty puts forth to gain a knowledge of its appropriate object. — Welchy^ By attention we mean purposeful volition, suffused with peculiar feelings of effort, or strain, and accom- panied by a changed condition of the field of discriminative conscience, as respects intensity, content and clearness. — Ladd? Attention is self-activity. It is will acting on the in- tellect. Attention selects one special field and refuses to be diverted from it. It neglects all else, and returns again and again to the object of special attention. Attention isolates one object from others, and concentrates effort upon it to the ex- clusion of all Other objects. Isaac Newton ascribed his supe- riority to other men in intellectual power, simply to his greater power of attention. — Dr. IV. T. Hattis. IMPORTANCE : The most significant word in a teacher's vocabulary is "Attention." — Patrick! In order that a teacher may be of any service to his pupils, he must have the power to secure their attention. — Hewett} All intellectual guidance of the young manifestly implies the power of holding their at- tention. — Sidly! The chief difference between the man of great reasoning powers and the ordinary man is that the for- xner notices resemblances that escape the attention of the lat- ter. — Gordy! If children are really to be the better for what Small figures refer to list of books on p. 2. 70 Practical Child Study. we teach, if the truths we love so well are really to go deep into their conscience, and become the guiding principle of their lives, it is no half-hearted, languid attention which will serve our purpose. — Fitch}^ You readily see that the great difference between the educated and the uneducated man is found in the fact that the former has greater capacity for close, steady, sus- tained, concentrated attention. — Krohn? Attention is an im- portant faculty in morality. Get the mind away from the wrong act to the result, and if you can hold it on the result to the exclusion of the act, you have conquered. But consent to an immoral idea's undivided presence, and you will commit the deed. If the drunkard can keep before his mind, "One drink more and I am a drunkard,^' he will not drink ; but he Iceeps any other idea, rather than that — "Only this one and I will quit," or "This is a holiday." A few such thoughts and he is lost. PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS : "You will not get attention by demanding it, by claiming a right to it, by asking it as a favor, by telling the child the importance of the subject, or by speak- ing to him about its being his duty. To get his attention he must be interested. In the words of Comenius, a teacher may hold attention (i) by bringing before his pupils something pleasing and profitable ; (2) by introducing the subject in such a way as to commend it to them, or by stirring their intelligences in- to activity by inciting questions regarding it ; (3) by standing in a place elevated above the class, and requiring all eyes to be fixed on him ; (4) by aiding attention through the represen- tations of everything to the senses, as far as possible, with drawings, maps, charts, etc. ; (5) by interrupting his instruc- tion by frequent and pertinent questions— for example, "What Small figures refer to list of books on page 2 Practical Child Study. 7I- have. I just said?" (6) by asking a question before calling the name of the one who is to answer, and if that one misses, skip to the second, fourth, tenth, or some irregular dis- tance from the first one called, and ask for an answer without repeating the question ; (7) by giving any one an opportunity- to ask questions at the close of the lesson. When listening to a speaker, Professor James has found that it helps us to give attention to repeat the speaker's words as he says them. Professor Hewett has given us seven excellent rules for gaining attention. They are (i) Look the pupils squarely in the eye. (2) Say nothing until you have the attention of your class; stop, if you lose it. (3) Talk slowly and clearly. (4)^ Say a thing but once. (5) Hold the pupils strictly responsible for what you have said. (6) Do not put questions to your class in a fixed order; propound the question then name a pupil to answer it. Do this habitually, (7) When the class need such discipline, stop the one who is reading or reciting, in the middle of a sentence, and require another to begin exact- ly where he left off. Read: - ■ Hughes' Securing and Retaining Attention, Krohn's Practical Lessons in Psychology, Chapter XVHI, Parker's Talks on Pedagogics, Chapter VI, James' Psychology (Brief Course),, Chapter XHI, and Gordy's Psychology, Chapter VHL 72 Practical Child Study. MEMORY. DEFINITIONS : The power which the mind has to repro- duce its own former states is called memory. — Roark}^ Memory is that representative power which brings before the mind con- cepts of absent objects as they are or were, and recognizes them. — Hewctt} Memory is the knowledge of a former mental state after it has already dropped out of consciousness. — Krohn? Memory maybe defined as the power of the soul to represent and know objects previously known or experienced. — Whiter' Memory is the knowledge of an event, or fact, of which mean- time we have not been thinking, with the additional conscious- ness that we have thought or experienced it h&ioxQ..—]ames}^ Memory as a faculty is both the capacity to retain and the power to recall, represent, and recognize our previous condi- tions, — ScJmylery IMPORTANCE : To be educated means, for one thing, to have the capacity to summon all one's knowledge of any fact, and to summon it quickly. Soundness of judgment without a fair developed memory is impossible. To have a fine logical memory and a poor mind is an impossibility. — Gordy? A moment's reflection will con- vince us that no power of mind is of more value than memory. — Hewett} The value of a retentive memory is mcalculable. It is simply absurd to claim that the power to recall weakens the power to create. Many of the greatest intellects have been men of extraordinary memories. — Patrick!' The value of memory in relation to the understanding of facts and the prac- tical application of knowledge should never be lost sight of. — Sully! Small figures refer to list of books on pa^e 2. Practical Child Study. 73 PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS: There is no royal road to a good memory. All the new "schemes" have failed, so we must go back and cultivate the memory just as wise men did of old. This always has and always will be true, — good observation, good attention ; good attention, good memory. A healthy mind in a healthy body ; a vivid first impression ; clear, ac- curate reviews ; clear, logical associations, — if these conditions exist you simply can't forget. To train the memory, the value of reviews and associations cannot be ov'=^r-estimated. Other things equal, of two persons, the one who thinks over his ideas most, and weaves them into systematic relations with one another, will be the man with the best memory. The greater the number of other ideas an idea is connected with in the mind, the better it will be re- membered. If we wish a child to remember an idea, we should present it to him through as many avenues as possible — sight, hearing, touch, etc. Let him read about it, see a picture of it, hear some one tell about it, and if possible feel of it. A child remembers what he does many times better than what he sees, hears, or reads. It has now been fairly well estab- lished that in teaching another language, more than three times as rapid progress can be made by learning from pictures as from merely placing the words of one's own language and the words of the foreign language side "by side. How much quicker will a child learn the word vest (or any other word) if the word and picture are placed side by side? Read : Gordy's Psychology, chapter XX.; Krohn's Practical Lessons in Psychology, chapter XX. ; Roark's Psychology in Edu- cation, chapter VII., and Scripture's Thinking, Feeling, Doing, chapter XVIII. 74 Practical Child Study. IMAGINATION. DEFINITIONS : Memory reproduces imagination, modi- lies, combines, creates. — Roark.^^ Imagination is the power to modify and recombine the products of memory. — Whiter' Im- agination is the power of self purposely to put his experiences- into new forms. — Baldiuhu^^ Imagination is the representation of an ideal object. — Patrick!" The power of the mind to form ideas of things not present is called imagination. — Gordy.'' When the mental pictures are of data freely combined, and re- produce no past combination exactly, we have acts of the imag- ination properly so called. — James-^^ Imagination is the power to recombine and construct anew materials furnished by ex- perience. — Porter. Imagination is the power to work our ex- periences into new forms. — Sidly.^ IMPORTANCE : Every extension of our knowledge be- yond the domain of personal experience and observation, in- volves some degree of imaginative activity. Have you ever seriously thought of the actual fact that what is known as understanding a teacher's description depends upon the success of the pupil's imaginative effort? — Krolm.^ If it were not for imagination, improvements in the arts and sciences, and there- fore in the general condition of peoples, would be due wholly to- zccident.—Roark.^^ Culture of imagination immeasurably in- creases human achievement and human happiness. — Baldwrn-^^ A man of philosophic intellect must have a vigorous imagina- tion. . . . By imagination we are enabled, as it were, to place ourselves in the situation of others, and to sympathize with them in their distress, or to participate in their sorrow, — Tate. The imagination is a most powerful auxiliary in the development of the mind and will. — Adler. Practical Child Study. 75 PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS : Imagination has been divided into various phases and kinds. We will consider the constructive or creative phase, or that phase which takes the parts of a number of objects, puts them together, and makes a new object from them. For example, a hat trimmer sees the pretty parts of a number of different hats. She puts all these parts together, sees in her imagination how they will look, knows from her ideal hat if the parts harmonize, and if it will pay to cut up goods to make a real hat like her imagined one. This same illustration may be used for the carpenter, the artist, the cabinet maker, the tinner, the designer, or- the arti- san of any kind. Is imagination of any practical value? Among others, there are four quite distinct kinds or types of imagination — (i) Visual or sight, (2) tactile or touch, (3) auditory or hearing, and (4) motor or movement. If a child sees how a word would look if the letters were changed he has visual imagination. If he can imagine how the paper would feel if harder, softer, or damper, he has tactile imagination. If he can imagine how the word would sound with the sylla- bles changed, he has auditory imagination. If he can imagine how it would feel to write the word, he may be said to have motor imagination. To the painter, the dressmaker, or the ordinary artisan, visual imagination is of great value ; and to the musician, auditory imagination is indispensible. In training the imagination, it should be born in mind that observation and memory supply the material upon which it must build its ideals. Observation and memory are built of material furnished by surroundings, associates, and reading. If these are good the ideals will be good ; but if these are low and impure, his ideals must be low and impure. 76 Practical Child Study. Reading forms the principal means by which the teacher can cultivate the imagination, and teachers are beginning to realize that it is of as much importance to teach what to read as to teach how to read. We find nine out of ten of our pupils follow the course of reading that we suggest to them. The value of Fairy Tales should not be underestimated. As Max Adlersays, "As they follow the progress of the story, the young listeners are constantly called upon to place them- selves in situations in which they have never been, to imagine trials, dangers, difficulties, such as they have never ex- perienced, to reproduce in themselves, for instance, such feel- ings as that of being alone in the wide world, of being sepa. rated from father's and mother's love, of being hungry and without bread, exposed to enemies, without protection, etc." But above Fairy Tales stand History and Biography. "They bring under our notice characters which transcend in grandeur the greatest of the works of nature— its mountains and its vales, its streams, its cataracts, and its precipices. Those who would train the mind to its highest capacity must furnish to the young the records of deeds of heroism, of benevolence, of self- sacrifice, of courage to resist the evil and maintain the good." In History and Biography, we may live with kings, queens, philosophers, and the good, and wise of all ages. In short, to train the imagination, so that it will be a great, resistless power for good we must have (i) pure, wholesome surroundings, (2) true, good, intelligent companions, (3) read- ing matter from the best, purest, life-giving authors, (4) clear, accurate perception and observation, (5) strong, accurate memory, (6) encouragement to form ideals of the beautiful, the good, and the true, (7) stimulating, if sluggish, but restraining, if over active. Read Chapters VI. and VII. of Adler's "Moral Training of Children." Chapter XXI. of Krohn's "Practical Lessons in Psychology." Pages 106-108 Welch's "How to Study." Chapter XVI, Roark's "Psychology in Education." Practical Child Study. 77 REASONING, DEFINITIONS : Judgment is the power to discern agree- ment or disagreement of ideas. — Baldtvin}'^ Reasoning is the power to unite two judgments in a new judgment. — Wundt. A judgment is a decision that a certain relation exists between two objects of thought. — Schuyler.'^'' Reasoning is the power to discern agreement or disagreement of judgments. ^ — Porter. Judgment is the ability to predicate one idea of another. — Sully.* To judge, if the word be correctly understood in the -general sense which is given it in pedagogy, is to separate the true from the false in all things. It is to possess that accuracy of mind which regulates the opinions and governs the actions of good and enlightened men. — Compayre.'^^ Reason is the power to derive conclusions from premises. — Stilly-^ Reason- ing is the elimination of the middle term in a syllogism. — Boole. In reasoning although our results may be thought of as concrete things they are not suggested by other concrete things, as in trains of simply associated thought. They are linked to con- crete which precedes them by intermediate steps, and these steps are formed by abstract general characters articulately denoted and expressly analyzed out. — Janies-^^ IMPORTANCE : Judgment is the essential act of the in- telhgence, and the culture of the judgment is the crowning point of intellectual education. — Compayre.^^ Since the operations of judgment and reasoning are the highest forms of thinking, it is the purpose of a systematic education to give these faculties their highest culture. — Welch.^^ Since our business, our poli- Small figures refer to list of books on page 2. 7? Practical Child Study. tics, our religion, our daily conduct in all lines of activity ia which we may be engaged, are based on our conclusions, it is evident that the habit of reasoning rapidly and accurately should be formed early and thoroughly. — Roark^*" Avery good working definition of education is the development of the attitude of the soul towards truth. That attitude can be cultivated only by the self activity of the mind with unprejudiced judgment, intent oa the direct discovery of truth. — Parker. ^"^ PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS : We use the word reason in its popular sense, that is to mean judgment, thought, or "common sense." We have not the space to say anything about implicit and explicit reasoning. Professor Krolm, in "Practical Lessons in Psychology," has told it in finer style than we could if we tried ever so long. But inductive and de- ductive reasoning should be distinguished. To put it in as few words as possible, inductive reasoning is that kind used when, after finding that some fact is common (that is belongs) to a sufficient number of individual objects, we conclude that it be- longs to every one of that entire class of objects. Deductive reasoning is that kind used when we take it for granted that a quality or attribute belongs to the class, and hence conclude that it belongs to one of the class. Inductive reasoning is that- kind used in the natural sciences, while deductive is that kind used in geometry. Quick, accurate reasoning depends upon, (i) close, accurate observation, (/;) accumulation of a sufficient number of facts, (3) the power to see quickly and accurately just where and how these facts have a bearing on the subject. Thus we see that the power to reason well is a natural and sure growth from ob- servation, memory, and imagination, provided these be well trained. Practical Child Study. . 79 It is commonly thought that arithmetic is the all important study to train the reasoning faculties, but, as now generally taught, it does little or nothing in this direction. Professor Krohn thinks Physical Geography is the best study to train the reasoning powers, and it certainly is a good one. That idea does not contradict Professor Ricks who says : "Properly pre- sented no lessons are so interesting and attractive to children as those which deal with living plants and animals ; and none are more effective in the cultivation of habits of exact observa- tion, accurate comparison, and sound reasoning." Let a child form the habit of justifying whatever he says. Even allow him to expose himself to error, that he may be shown wherein he has failed in observing, collecting a sufficient number of facts, or judging. This will be one of his most valuable lessons. His loose, careless statements should be re- proved, not only as poor English, but as laying the foundation for poor reasoning and even lying. Traijiing to reason means more than answering questions, the child must be questioned as to the reason or cause for things. Such questions if properly asked set children to thinking, raise new problems in their minds, and may lead them to see that everything has its cause, and so stimulate their minds to the highest action of which they are capable. Enough has now been said to show that while we have treated the mental faculties separately, yet they are so inter- linked that to cultivate one is to cultivate all. The mental fac- ulties are not only dependent upon each other, but they are so dependent upon health, hearing, and sight that for any of these to be in a perfect condition, the others must be in a sound healthy state. 8o Practical Child Study. SELF CONTROL. Self control (in psychology, called "voluntary motor abil- ity"), is the power to make the body act just as the mind wills it shall act. It is the power to control one's actions, to ener- gize one's powers, and to put down one's evil desires and ten- dencies. It is, "Thought entering the hands and feet and con- trolling the movements of the body." Accuracy is honesty's twin brother. "If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mouse- trap than his neighbor," says Emerson, "though he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door. Give a boy address and accomplishments, and you give him the mastery of palaces and fortunes." There is no calling that does not require the muscles to obey the mind. One girl breaks four times as many dishes as another. Why ? Because her hands did not hold on, or did not set it where she should have ordered it set. One person makes a botch of everything. He knows how, but can't do it,, because his muscles just won't do what he should be able to tell them to do. To the stenographer, the typesetter,, the violin and the piano player, the penman, and the dressmaker, accuracy and rapidity are absolutely necessary to proficiency. How much would an inaccurate blacksmith, mechanic, carpen- ter, draughtsman, or chemist get to do? "Each act is the stone and mortar of your character, and the energy expended shapes the edifice. Right expenditure of energy will give beauty of action. Every voluntary movement of the body is au index of the thought that gives it birth."* . ♦Welch's How to Study. Practical Child Sthdy. 8i Educators owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Scripture of Yale, for many experiments of great value to education. The follow- ing is one of them. It is quoted from his article on "The Edu- cation of Muscular Control and Power "* : MUSCULA-R CONTROL. 'Tn undertaking the experiments on muscular control, two questions were proposed : i. Can steadiness of movement be increased by practice? 2. If so, is such increase confined to the muscles immediately trained, or, as in the case of discrimin- ating sensitiveness of the skin, are the corresponding muscles in the opposite half of the body affected?" The first, test of steadiness, consisted of putting a needle into a hole o. 1285 in. in diameter. "The vertical metal plate containing the hole was placed directly in front of the observer ; the right fore-arm was rested on the edge of the table, the stick was grasped like a pencil and by a steady movement of the hand and wrist the [stick's] metal point was inserted in the hole. Any contact of the point against the side of the hole was counted as an error. "The first set consisted of 20 experiments with the left hand ; the result was 50 per cent, of successful trials. Imme- diately thereafter 20 experiments were made with the right hand, with a result of 60 per cent, of successful trials. On the follow- ing day and on each successive day two hundred experiments [same person] were taken with the right hand, the same condi- tions in regard to time, bodily condition and position in making the experiments being maintained as far as possible. The per centage of successful trials ran as follows : 61, 64, 65, 75, 74, 75, 82, 79, 78, 88. ♦Studies Irom Yale Psychological Laboratory, vol. ii. 82 Practical Child Study, ''On the loth day the left hand was tested \Yith 20 experi- ments as before, with 76 per cent, of successful trials, thus show- ing an increase of 26 per cent, without practice in the time duing which the right hand gained, as shown by the figures above, 28 per cent. "That the increase of steadiness was not due to mere train- ing of the muscles is shown by the increase of steadiness in the unpracticed left hand. That it was due to a training of atten- tion seems to be indicated by the following facts : i. After a week's practice it was possible by special effort of attention to insert the needle into the hole successfully [without touching the sides] for any given ten times. 2. Any distraction of at- tention due to noises or other disturbances invariably lowered the per cent, of steadiness. 3. Either bodily or mental fatigue lowered the result. "As to the effect of different directions of attention: con- centration upon the muscular movement to be performed was unfavorable, fixation of attention upon the objective point to be reached by the needle was productive of the best results. Fatigue of the muscles of the eye was a more noticeable result than fatigue of the muscles directly practiced. To obviate this it was necessary to close the eyes for a few seconds between each series of ten experiments. "From the results of these two thousand experiments the following conclusions seem justified : "I. Steadiness of movement can be increased by practice. "2. This increase of steadiness is not limited to the con- trol of the muscles immediately trained, but affects the control of the corresponding muscles on the opposite side of the body. Practical Child Study. - 85 "3. This training seems to be a psychical [mental] rather than a physical [muscular] order, and to lie principally in steadi- ness of attention. " MUSCULAR POWER. In this experiment an appar-atus for measuring and register- ing automatically, muscular power, was used.* On March 7th, the left hand averaged 29.6 units, and the right hand 28.8 units. The left hand was tried no more until the 20th day of March, but the right hand was exercised on the apparatus each day with the following results: 28.8, 33.7, 35,6, 36.6, 40.9,44.7,47.0, 48.8, 48.6, and the left hand on the 20th, 42.3. That is, while the right hand by being used every day gained 19.8 units in strength, the left hand without being used at all gained 12.7. These experiments seem to justify conclusions similar to those for "Muscular Control," quoted above, especially i and 2. "Gracefulness in voluntary action is the proper adjustment of rapidity and extent of movement ; it is almost entirely a psychotogical [mental] affair. Gracefulness is the condition sine ^z^(^ ?z(?« [indispensable] for the artist, the decorator, the orator, the actor, the dancer, and every society man and woman. By education we usually mean the word cram and mind-defor- mation that characterize many of our public schools, whereas we ought to include every lesson, exercise, game, play, sport, or occupation that develops and improves our mental and bodily powers. There is as much education in playing (not watching) a game of football as in constructing a book of Virgil. Who will say that training in rhythmic action and gracefulness shall not have place in school beside percentage and syntax? The close connection that has arisen between the psychological laboratory and the gymnasium is an event whose importance For full description, see studies from Yale Psychological Laboratory. 84 Practical Child Study. cannot be fully forseen. The education of men, instead of book-^ worms and mummies, will perhaps find, as it found in Greece, one of its chief exponents in the nieyital and physical training of the gymnasium."* We think the primary object of education is to so train the head that it will guide the hand to make those movements and only those, which will be the most beneficial. Teach a child self control and you teach him something that will last, some- thing that will count for good in future life, something that will help him to become a thoughtful, helpful, law abiding citizen. Discipline should be individual, each controlling himself, and every school exercise should be, in part, a means to this end. Unless we control ourselves others will control us. Every act should be a definite act. The whole life should be under direct control of the will. The time to sleep, the time to get up, the time to begin, the time to quit, our efforts, our appetites, our passions, our desires, all should be controlled by the will. Self control gives beauty to the body and its movements. And we must contend that beauty is wealth to the owner. Intellect is not the only ornament of man. Did God make man after his own image to see that image neglected, or marred and marked by our greed for gold or social position ? It is a great mistake to ignore personal beauty. Others have not done so. The Greeks deified and then worshipped it. It has conquered rulers of great nations. It has been painted on canvass and cut in stone. If properly used, it makes one a happier individual, a dearer companion, of more use to humanity, and nearer like the image of his Maker. *Dr. Scripture. Practical Child Study. 85, SENSE OF RIGHT. We use this term to mean the condition of the child's moral nature. Some one has said, "Man has three skylights through which he is looking heavenward — the physical, the intellectual, and the moral." We have now come to consider the last of these. Here the home plays a part that cannot be overestimated. The few hours that the child spends in the school may do much, but they cannot entirely counteract home influence. The good home is an ally, the bad home an enemy to the school's work in moral training. That moral education is the most important of all educa- tion is readily admitted, yet in trying to avoid sectarian instruc- tion, we have come or nearly come to where we have no moral instruction. It cannot be we forget that by attending to the moral education of the children and youth who gather in our public schools for instruction, it is possible for the teachers to do the state and the future a service surpassing everything ever gained by legislation or war. The great lesson of history, the downfall of all the great states, began in the decay of moral character and the destruction of the domestic ties. But this is a practical age. "If a thing is not practical it is not worth striving after." Is moral education practical ? Moral educa- tion increases man's productive ability in two ways ; it enables him to do better work, and it gives him a longer time in which to work. 86 Practical Child Study. We here much of what arithmetic will do for the reason- ing faculties, georgaphy for imagination, eta Let us have the opinion of no less an authority than Pres. Stanley Hall, the father of American Child Study : "In learning to read, there are a limited number of com- binations of the twenty-six letters. In learning to read the dye would tint a very small area of the brain, a limited num- ber of cells and fibres. It would not be a serious loss, so far as the awakening of brain areas is concerned, if a child never learned to read. Charlemagne could not read, and he had quite an influence upon the world's history and was a fairly brainy man. Learning the deaf mute finger language would color about as large an area as learning to read. So would learning to play the piano. ''Writing is not of great educational value. Its tinting of the brain area would be slight. The learning of shorthand would awaken about five times as much of this area, and be proportionately effective in bram development. Typewriting and telegraphy are also more useful in this regard than writing, and even a system of gesture is as valuable. "In arithmetic, the multiplication table has about 842 com- binations. Experiments have been tried in having purely senseless combinations memorized, and a child will learn three times as many of these meaningless combinations, and remem- ber them as well, as he will the multiplication table. To memorize two pages of ordinary print is as valuable in brain development as to memorize this table. An entire course of elementary or grammar school arithmetic, in the mechanics thereof, requires but ^bout three times as much mental devel- opment as the learning of the multiplicaiion table. Practical Child Study. Sj' "In _^6'c?^/'il ; next, perhaps, he borrows a knife ; and so on, a continuously inter- rupted round of activities. Such a child is being robbed of the most essential element of personality, namely, self-control or self-direction. In the strict sense such a child is not 2i person, he is merely a log drifting down the stream of time, a rudder- less bark moving hither and thither by the wind of other men's breath. Now this dissipation of interest, which, next to mental laziness, is the greatest obstacle in the work of instruction, is very characteristic of both boy and girl during the years that usher in young manhood or womanhood. ''Principle III. Counterfeit attention must not be per- mitted, and yet, often during this critical period, do boys and girls manifest the outward form and attitude of attention while the mind is utterly out of connection with the subject pre- sented by the teacher. They are of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not. Or, my boy and girl friend may go so far as to give sufficient attention to grasp clearly the conception of the lesson as a whole. Such a pupil may comprehend the separate steps in the demonstration of a prob- lem, yet fail to grasp either the problem itself or its demon- 94 Practical Child Study. stration as an entirety, because he can not bring to bear upon either the problem or the demonstration the higher power of attention that guarantees a mastery of the situation. "There is one further point, fellow teachers and friends,, which I would like to submit for your consideration. Learn- ing by heart is specially characteristic of this period of pu- bescence in both the boy and girl. You know that the pro- cess of memorizing is seriously faulty for various reasons : 1. Learning by heart leaves the mind passive, for what is learned is impressed upon the mind, and not produced by the mind's self-activity. 2. The mind, by not manifesting this self-activity, but passive and only receivmg impressions, is burdened by what it remembers. 3. The senses, rather than the whole mind as an energiz- ing power, being employed, the habit of mind-wandering is- induced. We should remember in our endeavor to develop the child rationally that memory is to be /or/«^^ rather than filled. The idea that learning by heart improves memory is a great illusion. Experiment certainly shows that things me- chanically disappear from memory. Simply learning by heart should be most mercilessly condemned. "To sum up the whole problem, let me say that in all learning two equally essential features are involved : Proper presentation of the material by the teacher, and proper attitude of mind on the part of the pupil. Seldom, if ever, can the second feature be supplied by the boy or girl in the midst of the mental and physical evolutions and revolutions of pubescence. Need we proceed further into our subject in order to show Practical Child Study. 95 that the development of the mental faculties during the years that usher in young manhood or womanhood are of the most universal and intense interest? "Now what remedial agencies may be employed to over- come some of the more serious disadvantages of the pubescent stage — disadvantages that are peculiarly great in the case of the boy at this critical period. Three remedies have been suggested : "I. As proposed by Dr, Bayard Holmes and others, there should be separation of boys and girls in the public schools during the period of prepubertal acceleration, with male teach- ers for the boys, and female teachers for the girls. Earle Barnes, of Leland Stanford Junior University, has suggested that the difficulty which so many boys have with their teachers in the sixth and subsequent grades of the public school, is due to their unrecognized oncOiTiing sexuality. The utter ignor- ance of the fact of the natural superiority of girls aged twelve to sixteen, both mentally and physically, over boys of the same age— ignorance manifested alike by parent and teacher — is almost criminal. "11. The boys and girls may remain side by side during their public school life, but should have their latent mental energies appealed to quite differently. The peculiar aptitudes and defects of both boys and girls should be respectively recog- nized. For example, at the age of oncoming pubescence the average boy is not given to detail. He cannot tell the day of battles, the number of men engaged, the number killed and wounded, while the girl of the same age (about fourteen) in the same history class will have a mania for such detail. These sexual peculiarities should be considered by the teacher in as- signing tasks for study and in questioning during recitation. 96 Practical Child Study. "III. Physical Exercise and Manual Training. Nothing is of so much avail in dealing with both boy and girl during this most critical period of school life as judicious physical exercise — physical culture in its true sense. The manual train- ing departments of our best schools are the safety valve of many boys at this stage of school life, and cause them to be tided over the critical period without perceptible harm. The vigorous games of football, baseball, and also track athletics have saved many a boy to the schools until his course is cred- itably completed. The girl is less fortunate, for as soon as she begins to be»a girl she must begin to be "proper." Physical trailing is as necessary to the girl at this period as it is to the boy, but how seldom she receives it. For the sake of the best development of girls we should encourage them as they essay tennis, rowing, golf, hand-ball, or even the bicycle. We should not regard these as mere human innovations, but as necessary items in the general scheme of Providence for the betterment of the race. The school of the future will give every encour- agement to physical training under competent instructors. Both pupils and teachers need systematic physical exercise as they need food ; every artery should be filled witn fresh blood, every muscle should be invigorated by means of the proper movements, every nerve and brain cell should also be rejuve- nated by means of healthful physical activity."* The means for giving moral culture are unlimited, and there is no doubt but the public school, in many respects, is far superior to the private tutor. The following moral aids, regularity, punctuality, silence^ and industry, are indispensable to any well regulated schooL ♦Child Study Monthly, June 1595 Practical Child Study. 97 In addition to these, example, punishment, play, and reading are some of the means by which the teacher may give moral culture. For a treatment of example the reader is referred to Page's "Theory and Practice," White's "School Management," Pat- rick's "Practical Pedagogics," or Compayre's Lectures. The efficiency of corporal punishment is questioned. It seems, nevertheless, to be nature's way of teaching children, but before resorting to it the teacher should answer questions like these : Will this punishment be an atonement for the offence committed ? Will it build up the child, within ? Will the child by, this punishment, be led to feel that the incon- venience, discomfort, pain, or disgrace is the natural conse- quence of the wrong deed ? Will it make him a better child ? Will it lead him to see that no sin or wrong-doing can be com- mitted that does not bring its own punishment ? Will it enable him to always associate some form of punishment with every evil act ? For a "natural consequence" punishment, take this as an example : A boy, neglectful of instruction, left his ink bottle on the desk ; it was knocked off, and the ink spilled on the floor. "I am sorry," said the teacher, "it will take you some time to clean it up. Here is a cloth and some sand-paper ; wipe it as well as you can, then, after it is dry, rub off the stain with the sand-paper." Of course it was a humiliating job, but at length it was finished. "I hope Eddie will not be so care- less again," remarked the teacher. "I never will," he replied, and his ink found a place in the desk after that. Another ex- ample : A teacher made the rule that each one seen whis- pering should stay in the next intermission, five minutes for 98 Practicay Child Study.- each offence. Willie just could not control himself enough to keep from whispering. The teacher's first impulse was to let him off, because she knew he tried hard. Then the thought came, "If he conquers, it will give him self control." She told him she was sorry (and she was) that he must stay in all re- cess and ten minutes at noon, but it would be unfair to have the others stay in and let him go. He saw it and acknowl- edged it just. Play is essential to moral training. It is the only place where we may get a just estimate of the child's "Sense of Right," as it is the only complete means of self expression a child possesses. Dr. Hughes says : "The benefits of play are incidental. This is a most im- portant advantage. Incidental results are most lasting in all educational work. The man who takes exercise for the bene- fit of his health never improves so much as the man who takes the same exercise for some other purpose. * * All healthy children love to play, and play is the best agency for making children healthy. Play helps to restore harmony to those child natures in which the physical, the intellectual, and the moral powers are not properly balanced. It increases the power of vital life producing organs more than any formal ex- ercises. "The intellectual and moral advantages of play are fully as great as the physical benefits. The intense interest developed in playing, the unequaled concentration of attention on all the details and exigencies of the game, the quickness of judgment essential to success, and the determined and persistent efforts to execute the child's own decisions are the most perfect pro- cesses for the accomplishing of the most important of all in- intellectual results. ♦ ♦ * Practical Child Study. 99 "Play has many moral advantages. Weakening self-con- "sciousness is overcome by social intercourse with other children tinder stimulating conditions. Self-control, both positive and negative, is acquired through the duties and exigencies of the game, which lequire both the direction and the restraint of power. Respectful submission to authority and recognition of law become second nature to the child who voluntarily obeys the laws of a game, knowing that ready obedience to these laws is an essential element in achieving success. "Self-reliance is defined and increased because each player must do his own part in winning the game. The consciousness of individual worth and responsibility is developed by the con- stant presentation of the fact that one poor player weakens his entire side." The subject of reading as an aid to moral culture will be left to the next chapter. Read : Adler's Moral Instruction of Children. Harrison's A Study of Child Nature. White's School Management. Welch's How to Study. Cromwell's How to Teach Reading. 100 Practical Child Study. LANGUAGE. No where will Child Study do more for the teacher than irt the reading and language work. It will enable her to get the child's elements of thought, and to use his vocabulary as he uses it, /. e., to attach the same meaning to words that the child does. As we study the process of learning to read, we find that tve sometimes recognize the words and never get the thought that was intended to be expressed. For example, one of my pupils (a teacher) says when she reads or hears the word Ohio she thinks of a little 2x2^ in. map, when the word Mississippi is seen or heard, the first idea that comes to her mind is "a crooked, lightning-like, white or black line;" the term United States calls up a 4x6 in. "checkered, various-colored" map ; England means "a little, irregular affair on a blue back- ground." How much of their geography study was of any practical value ? But while teachers know better when they "stop and think," children actually think such ideas. A little girl knew a mountain was a very high hill, had trees on it,, some mountains had smoke issuing from the top, so she said, but when asked to show how high a mountain was she pointed to part of her finger nail. She received her idea from a defini- tion and a map. The stories of "Rocking on the pillows," "the consecrated cross-eyed bear," and "Dianah Moore," as the boy understood the hymns, are familiar. It is not what definition the dictionary gives, or what def- inition the child would give, if asked to define a word, that is of importance to him in his reading, it is what idea the word calls Practical Child Study. lor up, i. e., makes him think of then and there. Doctor Sher- man says, "I vividly recall an example in connection with the theological term grace. The object assigned to this at first hearing was a shovelful of gray wood-ashes such as I had seen my mother remove from the grate. The word did not cease to call up this image insistently until long past boyhood." Since poetry is to be felt rather than understood, it is of especial importance that in poetry the correct ideas be associ- ated with the words. When reading Milton's L'AUegro, I am sure to feel a chill creep over me when I come to the line, "And the mower whets his sithe." My thumb was cut by a scythe. One of my pupils tells me he shudders to hear, "The ploughman homeward plods his weary way." That pupil's last ploughing was done on a cold, wet, dreary day. Some years ago I heard a young man tell in a revival meeting, how he and his chums had broken their bottles of liquor. Tenny- son's beautiful little poem, "Break ! Break ! Break !" always called up that idea, until Professor Hamill explained how it was written about a girl whose lover had sailed away from the foot of the crags, and with her it was, "But O for a touch of a vanished hand ! And the sound of a voice that is still." What is "InMemoriam" to us, with the story of Arthur Hallam unknown, or, "Ay, tear her tattered ensign down !" if we know nothing about "Old Ironsides ?" If this be true with us who are older, how much more must it be true with the child ? Therefore the teacher should be careful to have every word associated with the idea for which it stands. If a word stands for an emotion, whenever practical let the child ex- perience the emotion. One of the greatest mistakes of this age is that we begin by educating the child's intellect rather than his emotion. The emotion that may be aroused by, "And- 302 Practical Child Study. I hope the boys and girls are few that love not that flag— red, white and blue — that floats from the mast, that holds the sail, that moves the ship that Jack built,"* is worth half a dozen ordinary reading lessons. Children whose emotions of patriot- ism have vibrated to such sentiments all along the way up the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth readers, do not become our anarchists, strikers, criminals, or law-breakers. While preparing her lessons, whether it be the reading or any other lesson, the teacher should keep constantly in mind the answers to these questions : Why do I teach this branch ? What precisely do I wish to accomplish with this lesson ? What have I at my command that I may use to this end ? Of course this includes the child's experiences, knowledge, etc. Now in reading, the first object is to get the thought from the printed page. This requires words. So a vocabulary is an essential of every reading lesson, yes, every lesson. M. Com^ payre says, "Without words, only vague impressions possess the spirit, a mental state relatively passive. The use of words thoroughly comprehended implies, on the contrary, work, effort, and shows a high degree of self-activity." In the primers and the first readers, the sentences must necessarily be short, and limited to a few words. It is, there- fore, only by having the children deeply interested in the sub- ject matter that there may be sufficient association of ideas with the limited text to arouse interest in what the words say. It is here that color and form may be used to such an advan- tage to create interest. For we know that a child may be made to get his lessons, can be given any quantity of informa- tion, can be crowded through the examination, and not be re- ceiving an education. Unless interest in the subject is *Barnes' Second Reader, Lesson IX. Practical Child Study. 103 awakened, the inevitable end will be failure. But once get a child thoroughly interested and he can educate himself along that line, at least. In the primary, is the place to teach color. Suppose it does take tim-e, how much would have been added to your life and to the lives of all of us, if we had had a systematic course in color? The study of form, though deep enough for Ruskin, yet may be presented simple enough for the child of three. What an opportunity the country teachers have to teach form and color ! Think of the dull, dreary lives that would be quickened, would have a new world opened to them if taught form and color. Pictures in the primer and first reader may furnish a basis for imagination, but they should be omitted from the second reader up, unless they are pictures of animals or objects that cannot be shown the pupil. For if pictures are needed in stories to increase the interest, explain the story, etc., some- thing is wrong with the constructive faculty. The imagina- tion should be able to build a picture that will serve the child better than any printed picture. And while the imagination should have free play, pictures limit it. Pictures appeal to the senses, while mind and heart should be the interpreters. All of the ordinary High School course in botany and zoology, except classification, should be taught in connection with reading. Upon examination, it is found that our readers furnish all that is necessary for the pupils along this line, since pupils are benefited by what they see for themselves and not by what they read about plants and animals. These object lessons may all be taught before pupils reach the fourth reader. In Barnes' Second Reader we find lessons about the bee, bird, monkey, cow, kite, pigs, moose, snail, kittens, sheep. 104 Practical Child Study. squirrel, tea, wrens, apple core, park, deer hunt, rabbits, bridge, hens, parrot, rat, bear, harvest mouse, white bear, spider and fly, etc. — 50 cf the 56 lessons on natural history objects. In Barnes' Third Reader, 28 of the 59. In Swinton's First Reader, 19 of the 37, Swinton's Second, 34 of the 65, Swin- ton's Third, 26 of the 68 lessons are on natural history objects. In Harper's readers a still larger proportion. In Stickney's First we find about 40 lessons, in the Second about 45, in the Third the same number, and so on up, afford- ing ample material for the teacher who knows the subject to carry on an extensive course in observation lessons. But the most valuable work in observation has a direct bearing on the reading. Suppose a child has a funny expres- sion to read, can he express the idea if he has paid no attention to the way people express such ideas ? Let the teacher tell him to watch his schoolmates ; to notice how they, when playing, express such ideas. Tell him to imitate them. Then read the passage in the same manner. If they have a question to read, ask if they have noticed how their companions ask questions of one another. Imitate them, then read the question. Emphasis should be taught the same way. How did their companion speak when he made such a state- ment, or told such a story ? How did the person feel ? How do we talk when we feel that way ? When a pupil emphasizes a word let him be held to account for it. Some lively discus- sions may be had by a pupil and the class. Let the pupil de- fend himself or acknowledge his error. What more valuable observation lessons can be given ? Words have different meanings for different persons. Some interesting time may be spent selecting words that have pleasing associations, harmonious words or words that sound Practical Child Study. 105 like the ideas which they are intended to express, melodious words or words that have a pleasing sound, and poetic words and phrases.* The reading class offers a golden opportunity for moral culture. In no other branch can we so well train pupils to think of pain, degradation, loss of friends, etc., in connection with every evil action, and to think of pleasure, happiness, esteem of playmates, etc., in connection with every good action. This is accomplished largely by means of what we call Charac- ter Study, "Effects, or Hints."* Supt. Skinner gives this example, "A little boy with a bloody nose and torn head of Jiair was running towards home. When asked what was the matter, he said : 'I hit Billy Smith's dog with a stone.' "I. What was it that he did not tell in plain words ? 2. Did he need to tell that ? 3. Did he hint enough for you to account for his condition of nose and hair ? 4. What kind of a boy was he ? 5. What kind of a boy was Billy Smith ? 6. Count the number of hints given in the boy's reply."* At the close of the. following, we /t'^/ that Frank is a good boy. Why ? "Frank, I am going to drive my new pair of horses. Do you wish to go with me ?" "O yes. May Jane go, too ?" "Yes. We will go out to see Fred, ana look at his bees."t Take this from McGuffey's Second Reader, as another il- lustration : Under a great tree in the woods, two boys saw a fine large nut, and both ran to get it. James got to it first, and picked it up. *For full treatment see "Studies in Reading and Literature," an excellent little work on reading in the lower grades, published by J. H. Miller, Lincoln, Neb. See also. ■"Analytics of Literature," Ginn & Co., and "How to Teach Reading," by A. D. Cromwell. fLesson I., Barnes' Second Reader. io6 Practical Child Study. "It is mine," said John, "for I was the first to see it." "No, it is mine," said James, "for I was the first to pick it up." What kind of boys do you think these boys were ? Why ?' One day while reading the Vision of Mirza, when we came to the sentence, "As I looked upon him [The Genius] like one astonished, he beckoned to me, and by the waving of his hand directed me to approach the place where he sat," I asked the class if they thought Addison obeyed. "Yes," said a little girl. When I asked what made her think so she answered, "Addison was a good man." She had just read how his last words were, "See in what peace a Christian can die." Supt. Skinner says, "As pupils study the effects reported, and discuss them, they have this question forced upon their consciousness, 'What effects are my words and actions daily proclaiming to the people about me ?' One teacher told me that he had seen his class so affected by this thought that the recitation hour became a period of most intense and yet in- teresting solemnity, and that, too, without any apparent per- sonal application of effects." In this work, pupils should read the lesson, clear up all questions of pronunciation and meaning of the words, and make plain to the teacher that they get the thought of the lesson. Then, if it is a stofy lesson (it may not necessarily be about boys and girls) the teacher should ask, what kind of a boy, girl, horse, or whatever it may be, do you think it is ? Then let the class go back and select the "hints" that made them feel so. Let us illustrate with Lesson IV. Barnes' Second Reader : One time when Frank was going to school, he found a poor little bird in the grass. It had got out of its nest, and could not fly back. Frank took the bird up in his hand. Practical Child Study. 107 He could not put it back as the nest was too high up in a tree. He did not know what to do with it. At last he said, "You poor little bird ! I will take you home, and ask sister to put you into a cage. "When you are large and strong, you will fly back to the tree." So Frank took it home to his sister. She gave it food and water, and put it into a cage. Pretty soon the bird began to sing a little every day. Frank liked it very much, but one day he let it fly out of its cage to go back to its old home in the tree. After reading the lesson, clearing up questions on diction, pronunciation, etc., ask pupils how they like Frank. What kind of a boy do you think he is ? Then go over the lesson again to see what made them feel that way toward Frank As we go back we might notice that sympathy is touched by poor in the first sentence ; also by the author's placing the bird out of the nest. Would we care so much for a bird that was not a poor little bird ? That was not out of its nest and could 7iot fly back ? But these are points that we notice incidentally. We are hunting for what led us to like Frank. First, we notice our sympathy was aroused ; second, he took the bird up ; third, he thought at once of putting it back ; fourth, he re- solved to take it home and let his sister help him care for it. Do we like boys who trust their sisters ? fifth, he concluded to let it go as soon as it was able, and he told it so ; sixth, he fed and cared for it ; seventh, though it began to sing, and he must have desired to keep it, yet he let it go. My reader, would you or I have done that, or would we have thought up some excuse for keeping it ? "It must be happy because it sings, the cat might get it, or something might happen to it." Do you suppose after such a lesson a boy will like his sisters less or be cruel to a poor little bird ? Of course we want each io8 Practical Child Study. pupil to yi'^r/ the personal application, but we should not tell him so, or lead him to think that we are giving it as a sermon for him. If the teacher has more time she can spend it very prof- itably by questioning the pupils about birds — what kind of a bird do you think this was ? in what kind of a tree did it build its nest ? What birds are here now ? What birds stay here all year ? how do birds fly ? do birds hear ? how do you know ? how do they get their food? etc. Read: Welch's How to Study, Cromwell's How to Teach Reading, Skinner's Studies in Reading and Literature, Sherman's Analytics of Literature. Practical Child Study. 109 EXPERIMENTAL CHILD STUDY. Ruskin says: "The more I think of it the more I find this conclusion impressed upon me, that the greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something and tell what it saw, in a plain way." The purpose of this chapter is to tell "in a pl'ain way" a few of the things which investigators are now seeing with regard to the development of a child. "The embryo of the future man begins life, like the savage, in a one-roomed hut, a single, simple cell. This cell is round and almost microscopic in size. When fully formed it meas- ures only one-tenth of a line (oJo in.) in diameter, and with the naked eye can be barely discerned as a very fine point. An outer covering, transparent as glass, surrounds this little sphere, and in the interior, imbedded in protoplasm, lies a bright glob- ular spot. In form, in size, in composition there is no apparent difference between this human cell and that of any other mammal. The dog, the elephant, the lion, the ape, and a thousand others begin their widely different lives in a house the same as man's. At an earlier stage indeed, before it has taken on its pellucid covering, this cell has affinities still more astonishing. For at that remote period the earlier forms of all living things, both plant and animal, are one. It is one of the most astounding facts of modern science that the first embryonic abodes of moss and fern and pine, of shark and crab and coral polyp, of lizard, leopard, monkey, and man are so exactly similar that the highest powers of mind and microscope fail to trace the smallest distinction between them. But let us watch the development of this one-celled human embryo."* ♦"Ascent of man," Drummond. no Practical Child Study. "For some time bodily growth (in size and complexity) seems to be the only growth. And here, as regards man and animals, the animals seem to have the advantage. At birth the animal is better able to care for itself. It grows quicker and is often the child's superior in intelligence. "Concerning the mental life before birth we, of course, know nothing directly. Careful consideration of the conditions nevertheless leaves little room for difference of opinion on this point. There would be a kind of sensation arising from the processes of growth, determined largely by the variations in the condition of the blood of the mother. The activity of the child's heart would probably influence this embryonic mind. The very great activity of its other large muscles cer- tainly reacts powerfully on such mind as may be existent. Next to this source, the sense of pressure furnishes the greatest stimulus. A vague sort of consciousness is doubtless present; as this is caused by diffused stimuli, or arises from the less differentiated senses, it can be nothing more than an indefinite feeling, whose differences are most marked along the line of pleasure and pain. Yet this is the begiiming of mind. "At birth the body of the normal child seems to be about perfect. Careful examination of the tissues shows that this is true only in a general sense. The organs that have never acted are, many of them, ready to begin acting, but seldom is one of them able to act to very good purpose. The lungs, perhaps, most suddenly begin their proper work. It is indeed fortunate for us that the lungs can, in a way, begin work with- out delay and without much previous training. * * * The digestive system is quite imperfect, and only slowly comes to perform its proper functions."* *Dr. H. K. Wolf, North- Western Journal of Education," October, 1895. Practical Child Study.. hi Touch is believed to be present before birth. It is undoubtedly the first of the senses to be awakened. The sensibility of different parts of the body to touch is very great from the first. The lips and tongue, from the first, have an extreme delicacy. Next come the parts of the eye, the palm of the hand, etc. Tests made on older persons show that in- dividuals differ widely in sensibility to touch, and the parts of the body also differ. For instance a test with the compasses to see how far apart the points must be to be felt as two or one shows that on the tip of the tongue they may be felt as two points, if they are .04 in. apart, but on the sternum they must be nearly 1.76 inches, on the palm of the hand .08 in., on back of the hand 1.23 inches, while on the back of the neck they must be 2. 1 1 inches apart to be felt as two points. . The value of an educated touch is easily seen, if we think of the person buying cloth, the dry-goods clerk, or the banker who must rely largely on touch to distinguish good from bad money. Taste. "Numerous careful experiments show that the child is capable of bo7ia fide sensations of taste in the earliest moments of life ; and that, though he is for some time more obtuse and more uncertain in this respect than the adult, yet when a sapid object is introduced into his mouth, the resulting sensation really takes place by way of the gustatory bulbs and nerves, and is not merely a species of touch sensation, as some have held."* Some interesting experiments may be tried here, because few of us really know whether we taste or smell. We can hardly distinguish between water and a solution of essence of clove in water, unless we have the nostrils open. Many dis- *Tracy, Psychology of Childhood. 112 Practical Child Study. criminations that are easilv possible with the nostrils open are difficult or impossible with the nostrils closed. It may not be out of place here to speak of the cultivation of the appetite. It is of the greatest importance to the child. The sense of taste was given to us that we might relish and discriminate — to relish that we might have a pleasing sensation in the mouth or stomach ; the power to discriminate that we might tell whole- some from unwholesome food. Discrimination being the proper office of taste. An education to subordinate appetite to will is the greatest blessing we can bestow on a child. Children should be taught from the first to eat food, not for its pleasant taste, but for its after effects. Attention should be directed to the after effects of good wholesome food as compared with the after effects of unwholesome food. As Froebel says: "In the early years the child's food is a matter of very great importance ; not only may the child by this means be made indolent or active, sluggish or mobile, dull or bright, inert or vigorous, but, indeed, y^r /z2.9 entire life. Im- pressions, inclinations, appetites, which the child may have derived from his food, the turn it may have given to his senses and even to his life as a whole, can only with difficulty be set aside, even when the age of self-dependence has been reached r. they are one with his whole physical life, and therefore inti- mately connected with his spiritual life. Parents and nurses should ever remember the following general principles : sim- plicity and frugality in food and in other physical needs during the years of childhood, enhance man's power of attaining hap- piness and vigor — true creativeness in every respect." Smell and taste are so hard to distinguish that they^ misfht almost be considered together. As we saw, the taste of Practical Child Study 113 spices and other substances is largely dependent upon smell. It has been established beyond a doubt that new-born babes are susceptible to strong odors. Tests were made on both sleeping and waking babes and strong odors disturbed a child in both conditions. Yet, in regard to smell., man stands below many of the lower anirrials. Though this sense is entirely neglected, yet it might, if educated, be of great service to man. In to-night's paper I read, "Over one hundred people poisoned at a wedding supper." -It is a curious fact that we have no names for odors. We must say odor of camphor, of cloves, of onions, and so on. We have names for taste, sight, touch, and hearing — sour and sweet, blue and gray, hard and soft, loud and musical, etc. but for odors we have none. The sense of smell may be easily fatigued. Hold camphor gum to the nose, and breathe of it continuously for five or ten minutes. But, strange to say, fatiguing smell to one odor does not necessarily fatigue it to others. Fatigue it to essence of cloves and then try it with camphor, or any other odor. An instrument, the olfactometer, has been constructed for measuring sensitiveness to odors. It consists of a small glass tube telescoped in a larger tube which contains a sheet of blot- ting paper scented with an odor. The smaller tube has a rub- ber tube running to the nostril, and so arranged that all air entering the nose must come from the farther end of the small glass tube. The larger tube is fastened to a board register, and as the smaller one is slid back towards the blotting paper the distance that the smaller one must be slid back before the person breathing through it can tell the odor, is used as a unit, by which other odors may be measured in the same olfactom- 114 Practical Child Study. eter, or other persons may compare their sensitiveness with the individual who first distinguished the odor. Temperature. — By this we do not mean sensitiveness to touch, but sensitiveness to heat and cold. Physics tells us things are cold because there is an absence of heat, but un- educated people say, "things are hot because they are Jiot, or cold because they are cold, just as lead is lead, and gold is gold." Now, strange as it may seem, they are right so far as we are concerned. A thing is hot because it affects our hot spots, and another is cold because it affects our cold spots. If we take a blunt-pointed instrument, cool it, then move it over the skin we may find certain spots do not feel it cold at all, but just feel it as a blunt point in contact, while other spots will feel it as decidedly cold. Try the same, by having it really warm, and discover the hot spots. .. As.'. A Cold-spot Map. From "Thinking-, Feeling, Doing," A child is sensitive to cold at birth, and some believe a child is sensitive to cold even before. Preyer found the warm bath, from the first, was enjoyed, but the cold was disliked. He also thinks the mouth especially sensitive to heat and cold. Yet but few satisfactory observations as to temperature sensi- tiveness, have been recorded. Hearing. — Since we are treating of the senses in the order of their development, we take just enough space here to Practical Child Study. 115 say ; that it is highly improbable that a child is sensitive to sound before birth, though many believe it is imme- diately sensitive to sound during the first day after birth, but it is some time before it distinguishes sounds. Dr. Kime's child could not tell the direction of sound, the third month. It is generally believed that a child will not turn his head in the direction of sound till about the fourteenth week. Some be- lieve hearing is the last sense awakened. Sight. — While sensitiveness to light seems to be one of the first, or the first feeling, yet it is some time before a child can see things, as we generally use the term. Though a child may have his eyes open towards an object, yet if he points the pupil of his eye away from the object, we should not conclude that he sees it. Some think a child is from four to six months old before he can tell the: smile of his mother or nurse from the smile of a stranger. It is probable that a child is a number of months old before he ever distinguishes colojs. Preyer, by his color tests — (i) naming a color and having the child select the object; (2) selecting the object and having the child tell the color — gained no results when he tested children twenty months old, but in the first part of the child's third year eleven correct answers and six incorrect answers were given. SENSITIVENESS GOLOR DIFFERENCES. From "Yale Psychological Laboratory Studies," vol. II. Figures at bottom of cut indicate age. ii6 Practical Child Study Muscular Feelings seem to be present from birth. But till about the third month they are very vaguely apprehended About the third month begins the discernment of weight. The child seems to take delight in lifting, squeezing, pulling (your hair), etc., due probably to the constitutional need of exercising the muscles. Dr. J. A. Gilbert made some very careful tests of school- children's power to distinguish weight by muscular feelings, or "hefting." Each child was given a box containing a number of cartridge-shaped blocks, and asked to select all those which seemed to him to be of the same weight. The child was pro- tected from fatigue, noises, and anything that disturbed his attention. Fig. 2. HUSCLE SENSE. n — r- -a n 7f B Tk From "Yale Psychological Laboratory Studies," vol. II. Figure 2 gives the results. The figures at the bottom in- dicate age, those at the left weight. "The results show a gradual increase in ability to dis- criminate, from the ages of 6 to 13. At 6, the worst year of any for discrimination, the least perceptible difference was 14. 8^ with 38 per cent, of non-discriminations ; at 13 years Practical Child Study. 117 only 5.4^, with 2 per cent, of non-discriminations. After 13 there was a gradual falling off of 6.8^, none failing to discrim- inate, and then another gain till at 17 it was 5.8^, with i per cent, of non-discriminations. Boys and girls, considered to- gether, gradually increase in ability, but when they are con- sidered separately, marked differences of sex appear. At 7 they have the same ability. From this on, they gain with equal pace to the year 13, with the exception of the abrupt falling off for boys at 11. From 13 to 17 the difference in ability again becomes manifest in favor of boys. In general it may be said that superiority of boys in sensitiveness to dif- ference in weight increases with age, irregularities being noticeable, however, from 6 to 7 and from 12 to 14."* Measuring Thought and Movement. To measure the time that it takes a person to think, we find it neccessary first to find the time that it takes him to move. This time, between the instant that a signal is given and the instant that the person moves, is called his reaction time. Reaction time then means the time between the signal and the movement. Let a number of per- sons take hold of hands and form a ring. One squeezes the hand of the person on his left, that one, as soon as he recog- nizes it, squeezes the hand of the one on his left, etc., on around ; the time that it takes the signal to go around, divided by the number of persons, gives the average reaction time. Or let a number of persons form a ring, each one places his right hand on the head (or shoulder) of the person in front. * Dr. Gilbert, "Studies from the Yale Psychological Laboratory." Vol, II. ii8 Practical Child Study. I 4^ \J> Chain-reaction. From "Thinking, Feeling; Doings" .The signal-man holds a watch, a stop-watch is best. The others close their eyes. They are told the instant they feel a pressure from the hand on their head to press immediately on the head of the person in front. The person with the watch starts the pressing, watches till the signal goes arDund, notes the seconds, divides the number of seconds by th^ number of persons, and has the average reaction time." Suppose there are 15 persons and it takes 10 seconds for the signal to go around, 10 divided by 15 gives J^ second as the average reaction time. By letting one of the first number of persons drop out and another person take his place, we may find whether all of the party react in same time. This is a crude way of getting reaction-time. For getting more accurate results, an electrical apparatus that records the instant the signal is given and the instant the muscles move, has been invented. The person with his finger y??mymy Ready for a Record. From " Thinking, Feeling, Doing." on a telegraph key, watches for the signal, then as soon as he sees it, he presses on the key. The time between the signal Practical Child Study. 119 and the pressing is his reaction time. Now if we wish to get his thouglit time, we tell him we have a number of signals, but we will give a certain one, and he must wait till he knows whether i-t is that one (a red for example), then as soon as he sees it is the one chosen, he is to act. If we have his reaction time, then get the time that it takes him to press the key after finding out whether it is the right signal, substract the reaction time from this, we have his thought time or discrimination time. Then tell him to wait till the given signal makes him think of something, that is till he associates something with it, subtract his discrimination time from this and you have his associa- tion time. The apparatus used for securing accurate records of children's Voluntary motor ability. Reaction time, and Reaction with discrimination and choice, consists of a tuning-fork A Fig. 3 which vibrates 100 times per second. When the tuning- fork vibrates it starts a current at b by means of an adjustable wire, which cannot be seen in thecut. Everytime thiscurrent is started it starts the needle onH. The tuning-fork iskept in constant motion by means of two Grove batteries connected to Fig. 3. From "Yale Psychological Laboratory Studies," vol. 11. 120 Practical Child Study. la, lb and Ila, lib. The child with his finger on the telegraph key at e, is told, when he sees the card (check between c and h) on the end of lever d move, to press on the key e. The person taking the record moves the switch at b to c, which starts the tuning-fork a and the needle at h, and at the same instant the lever d moves. Then the child by pressing on the key E stops the needle. Now the number of hundredths of a second over which the needle passed is the time between the signal and the action of the child, or the child's Reaction time. The bar d is arranged so that it may be slid toward or pulled from the end c, thereby exposing a red or blue card, as the operator chooses. This of course is used for discrimination. The part f is so arranged that it records taps made with the key on the bar ?/.* Dr. Gilbert found: "The time of simple reaction decreases with age. Boys and girls at 6, when averaged together, react in 29.5 hundredths of a second. This decreases to the age 12 where the time is 18.7 hundreths of a second. From 12 to 13 no increase is made, remaining at 18.7 for 13 also. From 13 on there is a gradual increase until 16, when the time is 15.5 hundreths of a second. At 17 no gain is made. "The results, when considered for girls and boys separately, show marked difference in sex. Girls are slower at 7 than at 6. At 6 the time required was 29.5 while at 7 they required 31.5. At 8 there was a gain to 26.0. From this on there was a gradual gain in ability and a decrease in time till 12, where the time was 19.8. At 13, however, 20.5 hundreths of a second were again required, leaving the girls only one thousandth of a second better at 13 than they were at 11. After this there was an increase again till 17, where the reaction time for girls was 16.3." * For complete explanation of how to make, to operate, etc., see Yale Psychological Studies, Vol. II. Practical Child Study, 121 "The curve for boys shows no change from the general law of increase from 6 to 7. From 12 to 14 there is a marked difference in the rapidity of increase. At 12 the time required was 17.8, at 13 it was the same; at 14 there is a loss in ability, the time being 18. 0. Thus the boys were worse at 14 than at 12, and but very little better than they were at ii. After 14 they again increased with almost the same rapidity as they did be- fore II until 16 and 17, where 14.7 hundredths of a second were required. Both boys and girls seemed to increase less rapidly from eight to nine than at the other ages. Boys were quicker than girls throughout."* Fig. 4. % ' f I F 5 S » From "Yale Psychological Laboratory Studies," vol. II. As Dr. Scripture says: "The importance of rapid and accurate reaction and discrimination is evident. Astronomers have difficulty in recording the moment at which a star passes a line in the telescope. The sportsman must pull the trigger at just the proper moment. The foot-ball player, the fencer and the boxer are trained in rapidity of discrimination and reaction. It is evident that a player or a pugilist who takes a long time for discrimination, choice and volition, will give a decided ad- vantage to a quick opponent." * Studies from Yale Psychological Laboratory, Vol. II. 122 Practical Child Study. To Dr. Gilbert's tests on "Reaction with Discrimination and Choice," I am again indebted for the following results: But to make these results interesting to the reader, he must have clearly in mind what we mean by "Reaction with Dis- Fig, 5. REACTION WITH DISCRIMINATION im CHOICE. -ZF 71 7f Time of Thought at Various Ages in School Children. From " Thinking, Feeling, Doing." crimination and Choice." By that we mean that the child with his finger on the telegraph key, watched for the signal, know- ing that there might be any one of a number of signals given, but he was to tell (discriminate) which one, and then, if it was the chosen one, to press on the key. That is he was to dis- crimate the signals and then choose between movement and no movement of the key. It is to be remembered that in all of Dr. Gilbert's tests, about loo children of each year from to 6 to 7 inclusive were tested. It must also be remembered that the children were tested by a trained scientist, who had no pet theories to try, but who wanted to see just what public-school children can do. Practical Child Study. 123 Speaking of the results of "Reaction with Discrimination and Choice," Dr. Gilbert* says: "Here, as in the other mental tests, ability increased and the length of time [reaction tirne] required, decreased with advance in age. This test implies ~i J Measuring Mental and Muscui ar Time in Fencing. From "'Ihinkin^, Feeling, Doing.'''' Dr. Scripture's experiments sliow that a trained scientist thinks and moves as quickly as a trained fencer. f more complicated mental activity and, as would be expected, the influences, which affect mental life, show themselves more plainly in the results. For some cause or other development between 6 and 7 is arrested for girls here, as well as in the tests on reaction time. Boys seem to suffer no such back-set, but, starting at 53.5 hundredths of a second, continually increase from 6 till 13. From 13 to 14 they suffer a slight loss, after which they gain till 17, losing slightly, however, from 15 to 16, At 17 the time required for boys was 30.5 hundredths of a second. Boys may be said to undergo only one loss, that * Now at University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. t "Yale Psychological Laboratory Studies," vol. II. 124 Practical Child Study. being also of small moment. Girls suffer two marked losses, the first from 6 to 7, increasing the time required from 51 hundredths to 52.8 hundredths of a second. After 7 girls in- crease in ability very rapidly till the age 12, where the length of time was 37 hundredths. From 12 to 13, however, girls lose just as much as they gained during the two years preceding 12, thus requiring 41.5 hundredths of second at 13, which is the same length of time required as at age 10. After 13 comes another very rapid gain till 17, with the exception of a small loss from 15 to 16, similar to the loss experienced by boys at that age. At 17 the time required for girls was 31.5 hundredths of a second. Boys are better in this test than girls. The average of all the boys of all ages [6 to 17 inclusive] is 39.8 while that of the girls is 41. Not quite so much difference is seen here, however, as in the simple reaction time, where the average for boys was 20.2, while that of the girls was 22.3." Measuring how Rapidly a Pugilist Thinks and Acts. From '^ Thinking, Feeling, Doing " * "Studies from Yale Psychological Labaratory," whicn see for full description of apparatus, results, etc. Practical Child Study. - 125 If we have a person's "reaction time with discrimination and choice," we may get his actual thought time (association time) by telling him to wait till the given signal makes him think of something. For example, suppose we tell him that the signal will be a word, the word horse, for instance, and he is to wait till he thinks of some horse before he presses the key. Suppose it takes him 52 thousandths of a second for his reaction time with discrimination, that is to tell whether the word which he sees is the correct word or not. Now, when he waits till he thinks of something, suppose it takes him 90 thousandths of a second, .090-.052.038 of a second, the time it took him to think of an object after seeing its sign. The importance of a quick association time is evident. Ordinary judgment is mere association. Most of the work in Arithmetic, History, in fact the "common branches," is mere association. It has been a wonder to me that College Presi- dents and others, when trying to convince a boy that he should go to school, have never called attention to the fact that an education makes one think quicker. I am now trying a series of experiments to see how much quicker a country boy, who has never been to school much, can think after one year's schooling. So far I am led to believe that some boys, who enter the commercial course, increase their thought time one half in one year, students in the other courses do not gain so much And I have my doubts whether a course can be followed that will do as much in the same time for any other pupil as a com- mercial course will do for a very gree?i country boy, and that is the* boy I refer to above. In a good commercial course slow ?iess of thought, in "rapid calculation," in "journalizing," in pen- manship, in fact throughout the course, and especially in shorthand, is failure. In this day and age when life is reckoned 126 Practical Child Study. by thoughts, does it not seem as though more attention should be given to thinking quickly? The business man who thmks twice as quick as another, stands twice as good chance of making a good bargain, or else a chance of making twice as many bargains. Fig 6. From " Yale Psychological Laboratory Studies," vol. II. Private school boys. Private school girls. Public school boys. Public school girls. Figure 6 gives the comparative lung capacity of School Children. Numbers at bottom indicate age, at the left cubic inches. Practical Child Study 127 While not all courses may be equal to a commercial course, yet teachers may do much to increase children's speed in thought. Every problem, conjugation, declension, etc., should be given quickly. Answers should be given quickly. It should be noticed here that nervous, fidgety persons often have slower thought than quieter, more sedate persons. Read : "Yale Psychological Laboratory Studies," Vol. II.; "Thinking, Feeling, Doing," "Psychology of Childhood," by Tracy. 128 Practical Child Study. HABIT. This work would be incomplete without a word or so on habit. If I had no apparatus with which to get reaction time, or association time, and perhaps if I had, I would use i8 and ' 19 of the outlines for Language and Habit, Teachers may increase a child's usefulness or productive- ness by increasing his rate of thinking, but above this teachers may increase a child's usefulness both as to amount and kind of productiveness by inculcating habits of the right kinds. Dr. Maudsley says : *Tf an act become no easier after be- ing done several times, if the careful direction of consciousness were necessary to its accomplishment on each occasion, it is evident that the whok activity of a lifetime might be confined to one or two deeds — that no progress could take place in development. A man might be occupied all day in dressing and undressing himself ; the attitude of his body would absorb all his attention and energy ; the washing of his hands or the Fig. 7. VOLUNTARY MOTOR ABItmt .B0Y5 Mlll.Cnili BOVl CIRIi < • f Form "Yale Psychological Laboratory Studies," vol. II. Figure 7 gives the voluntary motor ability of School Children. Practical Child Study. 129 fastening of a button would be as difficult to him on each oc- casion as to the child on its first trial ; and he would, further- more, be completely exhausted by his exertions. Think of the pains necessary to teach a child to stand, of the many efforts which it must make, and of the ease with which it at last stands, unconscious of any effort. For while secondarily-auto- matic acts are accomplished with comparatively little weari- ness — in this regard approaching the organic movements, or the original reflex movements — the conscious effort of the will soon produces exhaustion. A spinal cord without memory would simply be an idiotic cord. It is impossible for an individual to realize how much he owes to its automatic agency until disease has impaired its function." Habit simplifies our movements, makes them accurate, diminishes fatigue, and diminishes the conscious attention with which our acts are performed. "Every one knows," says M. Leon Dumont, "how a gar- ment, after having been worn a certain time, clings to the shape of the body better than when it was new; there has been a change in the tissue, and this change is a new habit of cohesion. A lock works better after being used some time ; at the outset more force was required to overcome certain roughness in the mechanism. The overcoming of their resistance is a phenom- enon of habituation. It costs less trouble to fold a paper when it has been folded already ; and just so in the nervous system the impressions of outer objects fashions for them- selves more and more appropriate paths, and these vital phe- nomena recur under similar excitements from without, when they have been interrupted a certain time." And Dr. James adds, "Habit is thus the enormous fly- wheel of society, its most precious conservative agent. It 130 Practical Child Study. alone is what keeps us all within the bounds of ordinance, and saves the children of fortune from the envious uprisings of the poor. It alone prevents the hardest and most repulsive walks of life from being deserted by those brought up to tread there- in. It keeps the fisherman and the deck-hand at sea through the winter ; it holds the miner in his darkness, and nails the countryman to his log-cabin and his lonely farm through all the months of snow ; it protects us from invasion by the natives of the desert and the frozen zone. It dooms us all to fight out the battle of life upon the lines of our nurture or our early choice, and to make the best of a pursuit that disagrees, because there is no other for which we are fitted, and it is too late to begin again. It keeps different social strata from mix- ing. Already, at the age of twenty-five, you see the profes- sional mannerism settling down on the young commercial traveller, on the young doctor, on the young minister, on the young counsellor-at-law. You see the little lines of cleavage running through the character, the tricks of thought, the prej- udices, the ways of the 'shop,' in a word, from which the man can by-and-by no more escape than his coat sleeve can sud- denly fall into a new set of folds. On the whole, it is best he should not escape. It is well tor the world that in most of us, by the age of thirty, the character has set like plaster, and will never soften again. "If the period between twenty and thirty is the critical one in the formation of intellectual and professional habits, the period below twenty is more important still for the fixing oi persona/ habits, properly so called, such as vocalization and pronunciation, gesture, motion, and address. Hardly ever is a language, learned after twenty, spoken without a foreign accent ; hardly ever can a youth transferred to the society of Practical Child Study. 131 liis betters unlearn the nasality and other vices of speech bred in him by the associations of his growing years. Hardly ever, indeed, no matter how much money there be in his pocket, can he even learn to dress like a gentleman-born. The mer- chants offer their wares as eagerly to him as to the veriest 'swell' but he simply cannot buy the right things. An invisible law, as strong as gravitation, keeps him within his orbit, arrayed this year as he was last ; and how his better-clad acquaintances contrive to get the things they wear will be for him a mystery till his dying day."^® And now we find this work drawing to a close. Let me urge upon you that you read Dr. James's chapter on "Will" and the one on "Self," and if you intend to "teach more than this term," some of the work outlined along back. And with all this, how does Child Study benefit the child? It has opened the eyes of the world to the astonishing varieties and -variations of childish tendencies and inclinations, to the rise of these various and natural inclinations at an age much earlier than most of us thought, in fact, it has proved that many of these are present at birth. It has shown how strong these natural tendencies or likings for certain subjects manifest themselves from the first before the leveling tendencies of our public schools have time to take effect. It has shown how boldly children will manifest tendencies, unless turned out of their natural course by artificial means. How many of the failures, the pains, and the sorrows of this world are directly chargeable to the system of bringing all childish minds under one form, to work all for the same end, however far that end may be from the child's natural bent? How much character has been dwarfed, how much intellect impoverished, how many hopes and ambitions destroyed by this system in which 132 Practical Child Study. the will and wish of the individual must be perfectly subserv- ient to a set form ? But the time will come, and that soon, when sound edu- cators, whether parents or teachers, will adopt as their guide the principles and methods laid down by the results of the Child-Study movement that is so rapidly gaining our best men and women to its cause, for by its principles and methods alone can educators assign to the various actions and appearances of the child their right places in the vast structureof human development. Ignorant of his past, ignorant of his real needs, ignorant of himself, man has blundered up the thorny path of progress for centuries. By following blind guides, pursuing wrong paths, mistaking their destination, millions havebeen hurled to their destruction in the perilous ascent. And how may we without knowing something of a child's characteristics, his tendencies, and his attainments, become safe and sure guides up this path of intellectual and moral development? Child- Study, the new science of education, steps in, offering the rec- ords of what the child has been and is, and the wise teacher reading the future by the unwavering light of the past, may confidently offer himself as the youth's guide and instructor, ready to conduct him by sure steps, upward and onward to the highest summit which his nature is capable of attaining. And who dares set a limit to that? Practical Child Study. 135. REFERENCES. Children Below School Age. Psychology or Childhood, Tracy, D. C. Heath & Co 90 First Three Years of Childhood, Perez, E. L. Kellogg & Co 1.50 Infant Mind, Preyer, D. Appleton & Co 1.50 Development of Intellect, Preyer, D. Appleton & Co 1.50 Senses and Will, Preyer, D. Appleton & Co 1.50 M.ental Development, Baldwin, Macmillan & Co., N. Y A Study of Child Nature, Harrison, Chicago Kindergarten College... Notes on the Development of a Child, University of California Series. Children of School Age. Moral Instruction of Children, Adler, D. Appleton & Co 1.50 Symbolic Education, Blow, " " 1.50 Education of Man, Froebel, " " 150 Intellectual and Moral Development of the Child. D. Appleton & Co. 1.50 Child Study, M. V. O'Shea (in preparation), D. E. Heath & Co Series of Articles on Child Study, by M. V. O'Shea. now (Sept. 1895) run- ning in "Intelligence" (Chicago) Series of Articles on Child Study, by H. K. Wolf, now (Sept. 1895) run- ning in "North-Western Journal" of Education (Lincoln, Nebr.). Thinking, Feeling, and Doing, E. W. Scripture, Flood & Vincent, Meadville, Penn 1.50 Studies from Yale Psychological Laboratory, E. W. Scripture, New Haven, Conn 1.00 Hand Book of Child Study, 111. Society, Nos. 1, 2, each 50 Child Study Monthly (Chicago) per year 1.00 Pedagogical Seminary, Worcester, Mass., per year 4.00 Vol. I, No. 2; vol. II, Nos. 1, 2, 3; vol. Ill, No. 1. All companies in Chicago unless stated otherwise. Any book in this list may be ordered of W. M. Welch & Co. New Opening Exercises. BY rilOF. C. H. GUIINEY. (Clotli bound, . f 1.00.) How to open school each clay is a practical question for wide-awake teachers. Whether the Bible l)e used or not may be left to the judgment of eacli teacher, but In any case there ouglitto be some form of opening exercises. Says W. N. Hailman : "Undoubtedly one of the most powerful special helps iu ethical instruction is the opening exercise. Here the child may learn to study systematically, and to love it. Here its whole being may be attuned ethically for the day's work." A progressive teacher rose in an association recently and stated that she had completely broken up tardiness by the interest created in opening exercises. Prof. Gurney has prepared a book of "Openinu; Exercises" that will be welcomed by teachers and pupils. It contains a fresh, interesting, profitable and beautiful opening exercise for every aay in the year. There is leally a program of exercises for each morning , which may be varied or modified by each teacher as occasion requires. We quote as follows from the Author's preface: "Every Opening Exercise should be (i) brief, (2) interesting and attractive, (3) appropriate and preparatory to tlie work of the pupil, (4) educative and elevat- ing — teaching a good lesson. "Beginnings are regarded with much interest. The beginning of each school day should be a matter of constant interest to every teacher. A day well and pleasantly begun is likely to be a pleasant and successful day, and to have a pleas- ant and successful close. The wide-awake teacher says: 'What shall I have for my next opening exercise?' Theroutine teacher thinks nothing of the matter. "Opening exercises carefully and judiciously prepared, and wisely conducted, form an important part of a .school day. As a part of moral education a good opportunity is presented : "To create favorable impression. "To incite to noble and generous action. "To lead to admiration of pure character, and a desire to attain the same. "■Making character stadi/ and the virtues the basis of work, no lack of materia', need ix- felt by any •■ncriictic and ingenious teacher." t'lotli Ixiuiid, pric-f $1.(1-1. Special rate-< to teachers desiring a quantity for tlie use of pupils. Teachers' Memory Gems. (Beautifuhy bound in imitation Alligator, iJOc.) It aims : To familiarize pupils and teachers with the principal English and Americao authors. To set forth the masterpieces of each author with gems from eai b. To supply beautiful thought gems tor pupils to commit to memory. To provide blank pages for gems selected by the teacher or jiupils. To show teacliers the plan of conducting this work to tlie best advantage. PUPILS' MEMORY GEMS arranged for carrying out the Mwkabove indicated. PUPILS' EXAMINATION PAPER TABLETS, VOLUMES, Etc., contain appropriate headings with suggestions for neatness, system, etc. COMMON SCHOOL DIPLOMAS for Country Schools. MONTHLY REPORT CARDS to parents, of scholarship and deportment; assorted colors, $1 per 100. DIPLOMA CARDS— size, 5'/2x3— certificates for punctuality, good conduct, etc., etc., $2 per 100. SAMPLES AND CATALOGUES SENT ON APPLICATION. PROMPT ATTENTION 10 MAIL ORDERS FROM TEACHERS. W. M. ^^^ELCH, Publisher. Garden City Block, CHICAGO, HOW TO STUDY. A Book for Self Improvement in School and Home. (Cloth Bound, Price, f l.oo.) This book aims to give pupils suggestions and direction as to the manner and method of stud3^ In the first 40 pages it gives general suggestions on developing an active, healthful, vigorous mind, and points out the evil effects of bad habits of study and of thought. Next it takes up the common branches separately, giving suggestions on the method of studying each. The last part is devoted to Character Building, or the Development of the Man as a work apart from the acquisition of knowledge. From the author's preface we quote as follows : " Many people acquire knowledge; few get wisdom. The manner and method of acquisition is of great importance. The faculty of acquiring and committing is not one of the highest order; in fact it is often found in inverse ratio to the power tc originate, apply and utilize, and the wrong habit of acquiring knowledge may do more harm to the student than the knowledge itself benefits. " 'Habits of thought and of life are inore than knowledge, and the habits formed in early life may render knowledge useless and even harmful.' Many faithful, hard-working students often form plodding hal)its of tiiought that render their work, on the whole, more harmful than helpful. The advice so often given to pupils by speech-makers in schools to 'sit down doggedly to the work, and keep at it and you'll surely succeed in time,' would be all well enough if the end and aim were to commit the Koran, Talmud or sacred Vedas. But pro- gressive educators believe more in unfolding the student's powers under proper conditions than in branding them with/acis. "Acquisition should be more a means than an end. " The ultimate end of study is not to make but to cause to grow, — clear, active, healthful, vigorous, powerful minds, not to acquire facts alone, but also " the fire that dissolves all facts.' " This book should be in the hands of Third, Fourth and Fifth tieader pupils, a lesson assigned them (as one class) each day, and a general recitation given for its thorough discussion. Special rates to teachers and county superintendents desiring large quantities to supply pupils. ^W. M. W^ELCH. Publisher. C.arden City Block, CHICAOO. sum 019 820 195 9 -t>i m