greater heresies than this modern falsity, "Boys do not know when they are treated well." Is not the respect shown by some teachers to their pupils, the secret of their power over them? Thomas Arnold always regarded his boys as truth-tellers. He did not suspect them first, he believed them first. Even with the lower forms he never seemed to be on the watch for boys; and in the higher forms any attempt at further proof of an assertion was immediately checked: "If you say so, that is quite enough -of course I believe your word;" and there grew up in consequence a general feeling that "it was a shame to tell Arnold a lie-he always believes one." His biographer, who was once a pupil of Arnold's, always says his practice was to treat the boys as gentlemen and reasonable beings, and make them respect themselves by the mere respect he showed them.

Thus one acquires influence over pupils. The sway over the heart of a man is the sway over the whole man. A boy is a man-a little man. The germs of manliness are there-manly traits, too, very often. This respect and influence will not end with the discipline of the school-room. There are certain ones who are looked to for advice; whose example and manner are quoted and imitated. We never ask advice of men for whom we feel no respect. Men generally act as society and their fellows expect them to act. We naturally respond to the sentiment that is presented. We are apt to do as we are done by. He who respects children and youth will get honor by it, and they who do not respect them will get dishonor. How can anyone respect himself who does not respect the young and the weak? To be tyrannical, impudent, unjust, to lord it over those who are too weak to make resistance, is to show some of the most unlovely elements of human character. Such characters ought never to be invited to preside among young people any

where.

Also by showing due respect to children one is likely to obtain success. The world is full of people who need help. Children need it; not for getting lessons altogether, or in great part, but they need help to enable them to cherish kind feelings, to preserve the delicacy of their sensibilities, retain confidence in the general good intention of society and of those who dwell about them. Every teacher, every man or woman who is true, is a tower of strength to all younger and weaker spirits; and every one who shows to young people genuine and deserved

respect, will gain a power over them that will make the most difficult things in government and study possible. One of the fundamental principles of good society is to secure to every one his rights. Children have rights. Their misapprehensions should be, of course, corrected; but what we and they know belongs to them, should be freely granted. The influence upon children determines their character when grown. All who have anything to do with them, and who deal with them truly, will be amply rewarded in the characters and disposition of the next generation. Sow well and you shall reap abundantly.

[From the Atlantic Monthly.]

EDUCATION IN GERMANY.

A small pamphlet in 'German, now before us, affords fresh and authentic information of the most interesting and valuable description about Prussian common school education as it exists at the present time. It comprises the revised and improved programme of studies prescribed by the government, together with the detailed requirements for the normal training and the examination of teachers. What makes this little brochure extremely noteworthy, is the fact that it is the last word on the subject from the most competent pedagogists or schoolmen in the world. It is evidently a complete whole, a harmonious system, where each perfect detail is blended in the general excellence. It contains a clear and precise statement of the aims and requirements in respect to each subject of instruction. The time to be devoted to each branch is also prescribed. The following studies are obligatory for all children: Religion, the mothertongue, including writing and grammar, arithmetic, practical elementary geometry, realien (comprising geography, history, the elements of Natural History, and the rudiments of physics), drawing, singing, gymnastics; and for girls, needlework. To each of the last four branches the pupils of the upper classes are required to give two hours weekly. In giving the gymnastic exercises, the teachers must follow the course laid down in the official manual prepared for the purpose.

To the average American teacher the above schedule of studies will probably appear rather formidable; and most likely

it will not be apparent to him how time is to be found to teach them all to any purpose, in the period allotted for the course of instruction in the common school. But the Prussian teachers, it is said, do find time for this without subjecting their pupils to the "cramming" process, or to what we call "high pressure.” Nor is it very difficult to discover how the Prussian teachers are enabled to do what seems to most American teachers impracticable. This programme throws much light on the subject. In the first place, it distinctly indicates what is to be accomplished, and puts just and reasonable limitations upon the requirements. And so the Prussian teacher does not fritter away the time of his pupils in attempting to teach them a great mass of useless details which bookmakers have seen fit to print in text books. But this is just what most American teachers are doing to an immense extent, greatly to the profit of bookmakers and book publishers, and at the same time to the great detriment of their pupils. And how can they be expected to do otherwise? No such teacher's guide as this before us has been furnished by any American State. In the Massachusetts School Law the subjects to be taught are named, and nothing more. It is so in all the States, or in nearly all. The consequence is, the teachers are very generally left by the local authorities to teach what there is in the prescribed text books. There are exceptions to this state of things, we are aware, in many of the city schools, where there is an efficient superintendence exercised by the school boards and their experienced officers. In New York, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and some other cities, programmes have been adopted, which are intended to secure a rational and economical handling of the subjects to be taught. But nowhere is this intention satisfactorily realized. And speaking generally, it is substantially correct to say that the American teacher has for his guide, instead of a carefully prepared rational programme, a list of prescribed text books, too numerous and too voluminous by half, the contents of which he is expected to teach his pupils as best he can. He knows very well, from experience, that whatever else his pupils may be expected to know, they must not fail to answer any questions on the text of the prescribed books, so far as they have been studied. Hence, of necessity, his brief business must consist in giving out lessons and in hear

ing recitations. In fact, the characteristic of American teaching, in all its grades, is that it consists mainly of the hearing of recitations from text books. The Prussian method is entirely different. The Prussian teacher teaches his pupils and works with them. The text book is used only for reference, and as an aid to the pupils in preparing reviews. In this way the Prussian teacher makes very short work of geography, on which our American teachers feel compelled to waste a great amount of time, and so must crowd out drawing or singing.

But this pamphlet not only indicates the right way of handling the subjects of instruction; it shows also how the teachers are prepared for this sort of work. A perfect programme is a most useful instrument in skilled hands, but it is only so much waste paper in unskilled hands. The Prussian ministry of instruction is by no means content simply to put forth a well-contrived course of study, and then tell the local authorities to carry it out. It prescribes, at the same time, the course of culture and technical training for the teachers, to enable them to handle the programme according to its letter and spirit. And what is more to the point, it provides in abundance the institutions in which this culture is imparted. Prussia was the first country in the world to set the example of establishing normal schools, the earliest of these institutions dating back as far as 1701. In 1819 it was decreed that ten should be established, one in each province. Now there are eighty-eight. In the whole German Empire there are one hundred and fortythree. And the course of training in these professional schools varies from three to six years.

If this pamphlet, which we have taken as our topic, could be translated and printed, and distributed largely throughout America, it could not fail to render an important service to the cause of popular education.

SYSTEMATIC THINKING.-A great deal is said nowadays about the power of modern thought; but it would be well to remember that all the thinking which bears fruit is systematic thinking. Many a young man imagines himself to be thinking when he is merely day-dreaming. Thinking implies an active state of mind. Calling up images, holding them fast, and arranging

them in order; not a passive condition in which troops of ideas flit across the mental vision like figures in a kaleidoscope. Thinking, worthy the name, is work-systematic, calm and connected; and the man who has not got his mind so disciplined that he can thus command it, is not yet a thinker. That systematic thinkers are so few is attributable to early and bad training. Not one teacher in fifty in our primary schools deems it of importance to teach children how to study, and a less proportion are competent to do this if they would. The most of them think their duties are comprised in keeping an orderly school, hearing recitations, assisting pupils to do hard sums and allotting tasks. Especially in the latter do they excel. Memorizing is with most of them a name for mummery—a thing to be done by holding the head in one hand, swinging first one foot and then the other, and forcing the lips to repeat a formula until they will run of themselves long enough to get through recitation by very force of momentum. And this laborious, meaningless task, they think, is study. In other words, it is to them the teaching of the lips to move from force of habit, while the mind may be wandering anywhere and everywhere. Thus a vacant, wandering habit of mind is secured with the spelling lesson, and ground in with the rules of grammar; and unless by rare good chance the unfortunate, overtasked and mentally disgusted young intellect meets in its onward progress some one who can show it the mistake, or has native genius to discover it without help, it grows into habitual slovenly-mindedness. After all, teachers are no more to blame than parents who demand that progress shall be measured by pages of a book rather than by power to think.-Scientific American.

JOHNNY BECOMES ACQUAINTED WITH SOMETHING HE CAN'T SEE.

BY ADAM STWIN.

[The following, which we find in the Young Folks' Department of the Christian Union, is such an admirable specimen of an object lesson, that we insert it as a model for those who wish to do something with lessons in objects in their schools.]

Johnny is a seeker; and like every other little boy who keeps his wits about him and watches things, he is continually making discoveries-the best of all ways for getting knowledge.