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not only in the common elements of learning, but also in the far more important knowledge of their religious and moral duties? If, therefore, misery and vice are the result of a neglected childhood, even in a Christian country, how important is it that, independently of direct religious instruction, the influence of Christianity should pervade the whole of education, even from its commencement; and that those entrusted with the work should be actuated by the highest motives? It is more particularly for the first formation of moral character that Infant Schools are valuable; for, by commencing at so early an age, and before bad habits are formed, we have not only little to undo, but we have the immense advantage of making first impressions on the opening mind. The teacher who will devote himself to the moral training of the little flock committed to his care, who will be to them in the place of a kind and judicious parent; not considering them as mere machines for performing certain exercises in reading, writing, and arithmetic, but looking on them as the future citizens of a Christian country; endeavouring to calm and repress their evil passions, and to strengthen and bring forward their good impulses; to be their friend in trouble, and guide in difficulty; will find that, in so doing, he will have obtained an influence over his pupils which will render his duties as a teacher easy, and his success certain; for by winning their love and respect, he will have opened both heart and mind to receive his instructions.

Every event in the life of a child must be made subservient to this end, nor can any of its acts be considered unimportant, since they all leave their traces on its future character. The watchful eye of the teacher must ever follow the child. It is the playground which first introduces it into social life; there the free play of the limbs is accompanied by an equally free development of the passions; each individual disposition stands

out in bold relief, and all the hidden springs of action are revealed, thereby enabling the teacher to apply to each that mode of treatment which is best suited to its nature. No interference, which is not positively necessary, should take place with the freedom of the child: but each incident requiring comment, ought to be observed and stored up for future instruction in the quiet of the school-room. The most efficient and interesting species of moral education is that which arises immediately out of the incidents of the hour. When a fault has been committed, both the delinquent and those who may have witnessed the act, can be made more clearly to comprehend its nature and tendency, than if we take an instance occurring to others, and at a distance. So also the little society of children forming a school, will understand more quickly an act of virtue exhibited by one of themselves, and of which some of them are the objects, than they would the most noble conduct in others far removed from their sympathies.

The selfish principle is the great obstacle to moral training. All goes on smoothly so long as there is no bone of contention; for even in the merest infant we may trace almost every outbreak of the evil passions to a desire for the possession of some real or fancied advantage. To moderate this strong instinct, to teach self-denial and self-control, must be the first care of the teacher. We give the following extract on this subject from "Simpson's Philosophy of Education":

"Moral education embraces both the animal and moral impulses; it regulates the former, and strengthens the latter. Whenever gluttony, indelicacy, violence, cruelty, greediness, cowardice, pride, insolence, vanity, or any other mode of selfishness, shows itself in the individual under training, one and all must be repressed with the most watchful solicitude, and the most skilful treatment. Repression may at first fail to be accomplished unless by severity; but the instructor, suffi

ciently enlightened in the faculties, will, in the first practicable moment, drop the coercive system, and awaken and appeal powerfully to the higher faculties of conscience and benevolence, and to the power of reflection. This done with kindness, in other words, with a marked manifestation of benevolence itself, will operate with a power, the extent of which, in education, is yet to a very limited extent estimated. In the very exercise of the superior faculties the inferior are indirectly acquiring a habit of restraint and regulation; for it is morally impossible to cultivate the superior faculties without a simultaneous, though indirect, regulation of the inferior."

But in order to carry on this training without impairing the happiness of the child, every reasonable pleasure must be allowed, and above all, those simple enjoyments promoted, which, by exercising the bodily powers, encourage cheerfulness and predispose to good humour.

Everything that can please, attract, or interest, and thereby draw away the mind from low desires, should be sought. Perfect cleanliness and order must pervade the school and play-ground. Flowers, shrubs, and simple ornaments, as shells, models, natural objects, and pictures, all afford great delight to the young, and create pleasant associations in the mind with the idea of school. The aim of making school agreeable should pervade every arrangement. Unless the children love the teacher, the school, their lessons, and their companions, they will not be happy; and love, like every feeling, must have a cause.

The teacher must be actively benevolent and amiable, else the children will not love him in return. The school should be made attractive, or they will not become attached to it. The lessons must be interesting, or they will not enjoy them; and unless care is taken to render their intercourse with each other pleasant, by

kind and parental superintendence, it is evident there can be no mutual affection.

If we consider how much of the happiness of our own lives is made up of trifling acts of kindness and forbearance of those with whom we associate-how easy it is to cause pain by a word unkindly spoken, or even by a difference of manner and tone of voice, we shall not underrate the importance of early training. The love of children is soon won; a smile, a kind word, or some trifling favor, will call forth the feeling; but once obtained, it should not be slighted, we have no right to disregard or wound their feelings by carelessness, caprice, or ill-temper. Rather let the teacher exhibit an example of self-government and self-denial, which will not be lost on his pupils.

Justice should always be most carefully administered in every case of dispute, and as much as possible, the decision of each question left to the reason and consciences of the children themselves. For this purpose it is sometimes necessary to resort to a kind of trial, in which the pupils act as jury, and the teacher as judge and advocate. This may excite a smile in those who are not familiar with the infant mind, but I can assure such that I have rarely found their decisions unjust, and the influence of such trials upon the conduct of the children is very important. I give the following (out of many instances which have occurred in the Infant Model School) as a specimen.

The children were in the playground variously occupied, and one group was engaged building a tower of wooden bricks, when suddenly the bell rang for them to form in classes, to go into the school-room. At this signal, the finishing stroke was put to the tower by pushing it down with joyous shouts ! One of the little builders had a penny in his hand, which, in the excitement attending the destruction of the wooden Babel, dropped and rolled away. At this instant another child, A. B. was running past, and seeing the penny rolling

on without an owner, caught it up, and secreted it in his dress. When the children were all seated in the gallery, the owner of the penny being in tears, was asked by the teacher, what was the matter. He stated his loss, and immediately a little companion started up and said "If you please, sir, A. B. has it, we saw him pick it up!" Now A. B.'s natural character was very proud and very timid, with a great tendency to concealment, so that when applied to, he denied having the penny. No doubt when he took it up as it rolled past him, he had no distinct intention of stealing, but he had been badly reared at home, and had not very clear ideas of his duty in the case; so, having once denied the charge, his pride was an invincible obstacle to an acknowledgment of the fault. The teacher, anxious to save the poor child's feelings, spent a long time in trying to convince him of his error, and to induce him to own the possession of the penny: all was in vain; and, as a last resource, a trial was decided on. The whole school being therefore seated in the large gallery, twelve of the children (an equal number of boys and girls-to mingle justice with mercy) were chosen by lot as a jury. The case was clearly stated, and the evidence of the witnesses thoroughly sifted, (many children asking them questions) the jury then retired, and after a very rational discussion, returned to the room, and pronounced a verdict of guilty! The poor little fellow who had been insensible to the persuasions and admonitions of the teacher, could not resist the censure of his schoolfellows, but, bursting into tears, produced the penny, and falling into the teacher's arms, confessed the whole. The children sympathising with him, were also much affected; and I may add, that six months after, when the circumstance was accidentally mentioned before him, he was moved to tears.

In this case no direct punishment was necessary, as indeed it seldom is; the most powerful check upon the conduct being the dread of public censure; and the

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