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slowly and step by step from what they already know to what is new to them. The teaching should be reiterated with endless variety of illustration till they have thoroughly digested the mental food set before them. The most patient skill should be used to draw out their powers of observation and to train them to compare like and unlike. The teacher should always think over her subject well, and draw up notes for every such lesson before she comes to school. She should not try to save herself trouble by taking such notes from a text-book, but should think them out for herself. There should be a distinct aim in every lesson, and the subject matter should be so arranged as to work up to it. Free use should be made of things and pictures, and the chief headings should be written on the Black Board, so that at the end of every lesson all may be summed up, and then the result tested by questioning. Neither the summing up nor the questioning should ever be omitted. Both are essential. It is not wise to be always tacking on a moral to every lesson. An earnest tone and devout manner are far more likely than the repetition of set phrases to awaken feelings of reverence and loving awe in a child's mind; to foster in it a sense of the beautiful, and of the reign of law; and to awaken in its heart a love for all that is good, kindly, and generous.

7. Natural History.

The interest which infants naturally take in animals should be made use of to cultivate their powers of observation, and to deter them from thoughtless acts of cruelty, by arousing feelings of interest and love for the brute creation. Even in towns there are horses, cows, dogs, cats, rats, mice, poultry, sparrows, swallows, toads, beetles, spiders, flies, and the fishmonger's slab. Good use should be made of these to serve for illustration and comparison in giving lessons from pictures of well-known foreign. animals. Such lessons should be given not by haphazard, but in groups. Thus the cat will enable the mistress to lead up to the lion, tiger, and other large cats; the dog will introduce the wolf, fox, hyena. The horse and the cow will furnish introductory lessons to the elephant, hippopotamus, camel and deer. Unless

a teacher's memory be unusually ready and retentive, she will find it well to set down in a note-book any simple stories of animals she may hear or read. Nothing better serves to arouse the interest and fix the attention of infants than a well-told story. Technical terms, such as ruminant, rodent, &c., should be carefully shunned. In lessons on animals a teacher should not venture beyond her depth in dwelling upon the parts of an animal and their uses. A more accurate knowledge of anatomy than most teachers possess is needed to justify much detail. Nor is the growth of religious feeling fostered by continually attributing to the direct goodness of God the adaptation of animal structure to animal

wants.

In a country school a teacher will freely avail herself of the sights and sounds familiar to the children in their daily walks : farm-work, birds, beehives, ant-hills, storms, snow, brooks, fruit and forest trees, hedgerow plants, &c. She will be careful however in this superabundance of interesting objects not to let her lessons become desultory, and her tongue wander aimlessly from one thing to another. Good results are attainable only by good methods, and by lessons given with definite aim. In object lessons, whether on common things, or on animals, whenever a fitting opportunity presents itself, children should be encouraged to draw things (as simple leaves, &c.) on their slates, or on the Black Board. Of course they will not at first draw very correctly, but drawing their best will afford good practice for eye and hand.

8. Learning by Heart.

One of the most important of all subjects for infant classes is seldom well handled, and too often wholly neglected, namely, learning by heart, and reciting with expression, good easy poetry, such as Wordsworth's "We are Seven," "Pet Lamb," "Lucy Gray," "Alice Fell," Southey's "Battle of Blenheim," Lord Houghton's "Good Night," many of Mrs. Hemans' shorter pieces, and other simple poems such as may be found in the Children's Treasury of English Song, The Children's Garland, and other like collections. Great pains must be taken to ensure thoroughly good recitation. Remembering children's aptness for

imitation, the teacher should spare no pains at the very outset, as well as at every subsequent reading or recitation of the poem to be learnt, to give correct expression and intonation to every word in every line, neither exaggerating stress, nor slurring over pauses. The benefit of committing to memory in childhood a goodly store of choice thoughts expressed in choice words, of beautiful pictures exquisitely drawn and coloured, and the effect in delighting, cheering, and refining the mind during the busy intervals of after life, can hardly be overrated.

9. Marching and Singing.

Good drill and marching are very important matters in infant training. Smartness and graceful action would be much better imparted were teachers to learn calisthenic exercises from a good drill sergeant. Marching is often attempted in too cramped a space, where the children being so crowded together as to tread on each other's heels, acquire a slow stamping step, as though they were on a treadmill. No more infants should ever be allowed to march at once than can step out naturally, and in time, without treading on one another's heels. No playing or talking should ever be allowed during marching, but lively airs in or time should occasionally be sung. Songs in triple time of any kind are obviously unfit for marchingsongs. Attempting to march to such measures, children must inevitably give a wrong accent to the music, and lose all feeling for rhythm or measured beat. For variety, recitation or chanting of tables may be occasionally introduced during this exercise. It is a good practice to train children to march two abreast, with hands folded behind, not before, as this tends to open the chest.

They should be trained to march in couples to the middle of the gallery, there part, the girls filing to one side, the boys to the other, and to seat themselves on the benches in order.

Songs to be sung by infants seated should generally be accompanied by imitative gestures, and care should be taken to make these gestures natural and appropriate. Infants singing a soldier's song may sometimes be seen ungracefully doubling

their fists to show fight, when they ought to be placing their left arms close to their sides as if holding shields, and to be raising their right arms, as though uplifting swords to strike. Again, in drawing an imaginary bow, instead of drawing the right arm back, children are often taught to thrust it forward as if the hand were the arrow. Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. Trifles such as these make the difference between excellent and ordinary, between finished and rough workmanship.

It is much to be desired that music should be taught by note to infants, as it is now a well-established, if not well-known, fact that a skilful instructor can teach infants to read music before they can read books. It has been well done with such rude machinery as the five fingers of the left hand, used for the lines and spaces of the treble stave, and pointed to by the teacher's right fore-finger.

10. Needlework.

An Infant School should be divided into four classes for Needlework.

In the fourth class, composed of children from three to four years of age, all are taught simultaneously to thread needles, and then to form a stitch, according to the six steps suggested in Griffith and Farran's Manuals on Needlework.

The third class consists of children from four to five years of age. In this class they are taught to fix a hem (first on paper) so as to make a garment, which can be completed by hemming alone.

The second class comprises children between five and six. In this class they are taught to sew and fell, special attention being given to the proper way of holding both work and needle;-the fixing as in the third class being done first on paper.

The first class is composed of children from six to seven years of age. On entering this class the children are taught to pleat (first on paper) and to sew on strings. When each child has without assistance completed a garment in which hemming, sewing, felling, pleating, and sewing on strings are comprised, the

class may be allowed to take up herring-boning, darning, and marking.

The chequered board must be largely used in teaching the darning and marking stitches; but herring-boning requires much individual attention, and is perhaps best deferred to a later stage.

A teacher scared by the above outline of what is actually done in the best Infant Schools, may content herself with the following less ambitious scheme.

1. Threading needles by method.

2. Position-drill for learning to hem.

3. Teaching to turn hems (first on paper).

4. Hemming strips with black cotton, rising to red and blue, teacher at same time showing how to fasten on and turn

corners.

5. Counter-hemming strips-sewing and felling.

6. Making simple garments, combining the above.

Knitting.

1. The children should be shown two knitting needles and cotton, and taught their uses.

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2. The teacher should stand before a class knitting, calling as she proceeds the four terms, "needle through," "cotton round,” catch," off; the children should be provided with needles and cotton, and required to imitate her. They should learn to knit strips for garters, braces, dish-cloths, bath-towels, &c.

3 The children are then taught to purl with two needles, afterwards with four, learning to knit muffetees, socks, &c.

NOTE.-Infant Teachers will do well to read Mrs. Fielden's Address to Teachers, 1d., sold by The Midland Educational Company, Birmingham and Leicester, and to use Mrs. Fielden's Arithmetic for Infant Schools, 6d., Gill and Son. Sundry hints will be found in the Author's Address to Managers and Teachers, 2d., sold by Robertshaw, Sheffield.

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