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ledge in the first instance. The reading exercises must refer to some subject or other; but the proper plan is to take very familiar and easy subjects. Indeed, the subject matter should excite as little attention as possible, and the visible words as much as possible. If the mind is to be in anywise occupied with the meaning, amusement should be the aim, by way of relieving the strain. Some of the emotions may be occasionally touched-affection, power, admiration, indignation; and it is so far well that these should have a good moral tendency; but even moral teaching, if fatiguing, is to be foreborne. The little lessons about cats, and dogs, children at play, and kindness to those in distress, are intended to give scope to the emotions of children—more particularly the agreeable patronizing emotion-by suitable stories and situations; and this is the reward for the fatigues of commencing to read. In themselves, these themes go

for next to nothing. Even the pretty little poems are of so childish a character, that it is better they should not be remembered at all, unless as part of the stores of the future parent.

During the first year or more of learning to read, the extension of knowledge should still depend partly upon personal experience and partly upon oral communication. There comes a time, however, when the book read is regarded not merely as an instrument of instruction. in reading, but as a vehicle for information. This is a critical moment, a new start, although usually disguised by the stealthy way that it is brought in. The situation is one that needs to be carefully considered, and the conditions of success fully understood.

Already, in discussing Sequence, I have alluded to the nature of the progressive lessons in general knowledge and to the difficulties attending it. We may here narrow the issue, by considering what things to avoid, as unsuitable, or else unnecessary.

Assuming as granted, that we should not enter upon matters either beyond the comprehension of the pupils, or beyond their interest at the time, the teacher should avoid interfering with their own spontaneous course of self-instruction. A parent can guide and direct this to a good result, but the means at the command of the teacher are much more limited.

The following is given by Mr. Morrison, as an example of a lesson on the simplest conceivable subject, used in the first instance for practice in reading:

'The rat sat on a mat, the fat cat ran to the mat, the rat ran in-to the box. Can the cat go in-to the box? no, the fat cat can-not go in-to the box.'

Now this lesson is contrived purely with a view to words and spelling, and although the words are put together to make a meaning, the choice is guided solely by the aim of exemplifying certain vowel sounds. The early introduction of the 'cat' and the 'rat' to the notice of children is due to their being convenient examples of monosyllables in short a. The 'mouse,' the more usual object of the cat's activity, is kept back because it is a more difficult spelling. Now, it must be allowed that the relations of the cat to the rat do possess a natural interest of a kind to affect the juvenile mind. Predatory pursuit excites us from the earliest years; and any incidents embodying it will waken up the feelings and exercise the imagination in a bloodthirsty chase; thus

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enlivening the dull and dreary exercise of learning to read and spell. It does not follow, however, that the subject should be drawn out as a lesson in useful knowledge, by turning it round and round, by making new suppositions as to the relations of cat and rat, and asking the pupils to say what would happen under these altered relations. There will come a time, and a place, for this sort of exercise, but the choice of subject should then be governed by its drift or meaning, and not by the words that happen to clothe that meaning. The following is the line of examination suggested by Mr. Morrison :

What two animals does your lesson speak about? Have you ever seen a rat? A cat? Which is larger? Which is stronger? Where was the rat sitting? What was it doing on the mat? What was sitting on the mat? What is a mat? Where do you see it? What is its use? If a little boy get his shoes dirtied, what should he do before going into the house? The mat is used for-wiping the shoes. The rat sat on—a mat. Was that its own place? Where should it have been? As it was sitting on the mat who saw it? What kind of cat was it? And what did the fat cat do? The fat cat ran-to the rat. (Describe the running-show how the cat would sit and watch, and then bound forward. This will amuse and interest the children, and keep them fresh for the remainder of the examination.) Do you think the rat would wait on the mat? What would it do? It would-run away, run away to-its hole. Where did it run? What is a box? What made of? How would it get into the box? What must have been in the box? You see then the rat ran into the box, through—a hole. Did the cat go into the box? Why not? The hole would not let in the cat, but it let in-the rat. Would the cat go away from the box? What would it do? It would-watch, beside thebox, to see if the rat-would come out, &c.

Some of the criticisms suggested by this line of

questioning belong to a later discussion on the Object Lesson. At present we remark that if the intention is to base the examination on the child's experience, the cat and the mouse would be more suitable, as more likely to be witnessed. The child has little opportunity of closely inspecting a rat; and even the play with a mouse is one of the rarest treats of the child's experience. The cat with her kittens would give a firmer basis of the actual; and might comprise the higher situation of her jealousy of the dog's attentions.

But the main point to be insisted on at this stage is, that, while it is right to compose little scenes, situations and actions, to relieve the dryness of reading exercises, these are not necessarily suited for cross-examination, with a view to extend the knowledge, or to sharpen the faculties of pupils. Any meaning that may attach to the compositions used for learning to read, serves its purpose if it slightly amuses and interests the child; if it deposits a moral or a fact, so much the better, but this should not be insisted on, nor should the teacher consider it his duty at this stage to impress the meaning. When he comes to that part of his work, he must have compositions expressly suited for the purpose, and not shaped for another purpose in addition. No man can serve two masters; scarcely any composition lends itself equally to teaching language and teaching knowledge.

I do not maintain that the attempt to improve the knowledge and intelligence of children should be postponed till they are good readers; but I hold that the exercises should be disjoined, and grounded on different texts. The same text may be used for both purposes, but it is too much to expect that what is best suited for

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language, should be also best suited for meaning. Nor should the lessons be intermingled; times should be set for each. There may be many examples of 'good thoughts well expressed,' but it is not likely that the expression and the thought shall both fall in at the same stage of the pupil's progress.

The discussion of Method, if taken in the usual course, would lead us next to Arithmetic, Grammar, Geography, History, among elementary studies; for the higher studies, Languages (foreign) and Sciences. It is desirable, however, to consider, with some degree of closeness, the Object Lesson, which is the precursor to the more systematic handling of the various branches of natural knowledge, and, from its undefined character, is more apt to run in unprofitable channels. The Object Lesson is exemplified in the Standard Reading Books, and the teacher may strictly follow what is there provided for him; but he is also directed to give such lessons from his own invention.

THE OBJECT LESSON.

The Object Lesson is made to range over all the utilities of life, and all the processes of nature. It begins upon things familiar to the pupils, and enlarges the conceptions of these, by filling in unnoticed qualities. It proceeds to things that have to be learnt even in their primary aspect by description or diagram; and ends with the more abstruse operations of natural forces.

The dangers attending it are:-(1), Superfluous communication, or the occupying of time with what the children quite well know, or will soon know of their own