Part 4 (1/2)
The great defect in the human character is selfishness, and to rereat desideratum of moral culture How happy werefor himself, they lived really for one another! The perfection of moral excellence cannot be better described than as the attainhbour as ourselves” The prevalence of self-love will be very obvious to the observant master or mistress, in the conduct of the children under their care, and it is this feeling that theyto check or eradicate Nor need they despair of ht to feel, that to i kind to their little schoolfellows, they not only secure a return of kindness, but actually receive a personal gratification fro an injury than in resenting it So but selfishness or self-love It is an old matter of dispute, and I leave those to quarrel over it who please Every one knows and feels the difference between that which we call selfishness, and that which is comprehensively terhbour” If it must be called self-love, I can only say that it is the proper direction of the feeling which is to be sought
In the work of moral culture, it will be necessary not only to observe the child's conduct under the restraint of school observation and discipline; but at those tis unnoticed The evil propensities of our nature have all the wiliness of the serpent, and lurk in their secret places, watching for a favourable opportunity of exercise and display For the purpose of observation, the play-ground will afford every facility, and is on this account, as well as because it affords exercise and ae to an Infant School Here the child will show its character in its true light Here may be seen what effects the education of children has produced; for if they are fond of fighting and quarrelling, here it will be apparent; if they are artful, here they will seek to practice their cunning; and this will give thethe proper remedy; whereas, if they are kept in school (which they round), these evil inclinations will not o into the street, and consequently, the antidote will not be applied I have seen many children behave very orderly in the school, but the round they ree, that they would wish all the rest of the children to be subservient to the to let thein to use force, in order to coht to be checked,-and what ties of infancy?
To take another case, a quarrel like this ooseberries; another boy comes and asks for one; by a little solicitation he obtains it:-he wishes another;-but the boy who has them says he cannot spare any more; he has only five, and cannot part with another The second boy, however, duns him He even acts the hypocrite, and puts into play many of the worst artifices of huains his end But he is not yet satisfied; he wishes another The first boy, however, will on no account give hi he cannot by art or entreaty gain another, he has recourse to violence He snatches one out of his companion's hand and runs off with it The first boy is irritated at such conduct, he pursues the fugitive, overtakes hireat a coward as he is a thief He comes up and makes his complaint to the master The ainst the other according to the old custoot the facts, he subht in the one boy to take with violence What was not his own, and shews them which is the more to blaests that it should be the utht pat on the hand; while a tender-hearted girl says, ”Please, sir, give it him very softly;” but the issue is, a ;-appropriate expressions of pleasure and disapprobation:-and on the spot, ”a kissing and being friends” I am, indeed, so firmly convinced, froround, from the above reasons, and others, elsewhere mentioned, that I scruple not to say, an infant school is of little, if any, service without one
Where the play-ground is ornamented with flowers, fruit-trees, &c (and I would recommend this plan to be invariably adopted,) it not only affords the teacher an opportunity of co every thing up to the Great First Cause, but it beco principles of honesty They should not on any account be allowed to pluck the fruit or flowers; every thing should be considered as sacred; and being thus early accustomed to honesty, temptations in after-life will be deprived of their power It is distressing to all lovers of children, to see what havoc is rown persons are not entirely free from this fault, for, not content with a proper foot-path, they must walk on a man's plantations, pull up that which can be of no use, and thereby injure the property of their neighbour These things ought not to be, nor do I think they would be so common, if they were noticed a little more in the education of children It has been too much the practice with many, to consider that the business of a school consistschildren their letters; but I am of opinion, that the forreatest ie How can we account for the strict honesty of the Laplanders, who can leave their property in the woods, and in their huts, without the least fear of its being stolen or injured, while ith ten ties, cannot consider our property safe, with the aid of locks and bolts, brick walls, and even watchmen and police-officers besides? There must be some cause for all this, and perhaps the principal one is defective education, and the total neglect of the morals of the infant poor, at a time when their first impressions should be taken especial care of; for conscience, if not lulled to sleep, but called into vigorous action, will prove stronger than brick walls, bolts, or locks; and I am satisfied, that I could have taken the whole of the children under entle the least injury whatever; and this I could now do in any similar circumstances I willin the play-ground, I saw at one end of it about twenty children, apparently arguing a subject, pro and con; froed it was about so that appeared to them of considerable importance I wished to know the subject of debate, but was satisfied that if I approached the children it ether So very attentively at the principal actor, and, as I suppose, suggested to the party the propriety of retiring to some other spot, for immediately afterwards they all went behind a partition, which affordedall that passed, without being observed by the It see to the school, which so decided that it was an i for the child to have in his possession, one of therieved party had complained to so for one child to take any thing from another child, without his consent The boy, nettled at being called a thief, defended hiht to take away fro that was calculated to do them harm; and was, it seems, backed in this opinion by many others On the other hand, it was contended that no such right existed; and it was doubtful to th of the argument lay At last one of the children observed to the following effect:-”You should have taken it to master, because he would know if it was bad better than you” This was a convincing arguht, the boy replied-”Howcost?” The reply was, ”A half-penny” ”Here, then, take it,” says the child, ”I had one given me to-day; so now res to school I will tell eneral satisfaction to the whole party, who ile like this, between the principles of duty and honesty, a to all who love thee of early instruction
Another thing to be noticed is, a regard for truth Nothing is so delightful as this There is no conversation so agreeable as that of the n to betray, and speaks without any intention to deceive; and this admitted, we should strive to the utmost to induce children to rereat measure, will depend on the htened into falsehood by the injudicious methods of those who have the care of theiveness if it would speak the truth, and, after having obtained confession, she has broken her engagement A child, once treated in this ainst a similar deception I have known others ould pretend not to punish the child for confession, but for first denying it, and afterwards confessing I think that children should not be punished, on any account, after having been proreat importance to be thus trifled with; and we cannot wonder if it is lightly esteemed by children, after the exa had several thousand children underthe bias of the infant mind, and I must say, that I have not found theined
When otten, that by it is meant the pure and perfect morality of the sacred Scriptures Froreat truths and precepts can be derived, for regulating the conscience and i the heart The infant system, however, would aiical opinions entertained by Christians of different deno to do, and institutions for their express benefit should receive the support of all What kind of religious doctrine and faith infants ought to be taught, I will not here determine, but leave it for consideration in a future chapter devoted more expressly to that subject It must be the wish of all true Christians that they should be taught the funda Gospel But it is much to be laospel is so frequently a debatable point With such controversial topics infants have nothing to do, and to teach suchseeds for future scepticision In all things, but hest importance, the purest, siht The Bible contains ample and abundant stores of such simple truth, most admirably suited to infant capacity in texts, precepts, parables, and histories The pious and judicious mother or teacher can be at no loss for a proper selection Many beautiful and siland Prayer-Book, which I think cannot be mended, and which I have found quite suitable to the infant e and rich fulness of divine truth, cannot be surpassed Simple hymns for instruction and devotion are also requisite, and I have endeavoured to provide such as these in a Manual, recently published in connexion with a friend, and which h the publisher of this work
CHAPTER VI
REQUISITES FOR AN INFANT SCHOOL
The master and ements-A school and its furniture-Lesson-posts and lessons-The younger children should not be separated froees
”Wisdom seeks the most desirable ends in the use of the most appropriate means”
I shall now lay before s necessary for the establish them with the detail of the plan to be pursued in it
In the first place, it is necessary to provide an airy and spacious apartround attached to it The plot of ground, I conceive, should not be less than 50 feet wide, and 100 feet long; but if the ground were 150, or 200 feet long, it would be so much the better, as this would allow 100 or 150 feet for a play-ground; which is of such importance, that I consider the system would be very defective without it, for reasons which will be spoken of hereafter
There should likewise be a roo the children in classes, which e room: this is absolutely necessary As the master and mistress should live on the pre three or four roo on the pre their dinners with them, as this will keep theo home to dinner, many will return in a very short time; and if there be no person on the premises to take care of thee boys will coreat deal of mischief, if no one be there to prevent it
The portion of sitting-room that I have allowed for each child is twelve inches The scholars should sit all round the school rooainst the wall; double seats should be round the sides of the school, like the two first seats in the gallery A school according to the engraved plan, will be found large enough for all the purposes of an infant school; but if it is wished to be th as the plan, and instead of twenty-two feet, may be ht to be collected together in one place, and as many as any er, it will be difficult for all the children to hear theis the cheapest, on account of the roof Econo added that is unnecessary This, of course, is a matter of opinion, and may be acted upon or not, just as it suits those who may choose to build The master's house in the plan, it will be seen, projects a little into the play-ground, to afford hi the children at play while he is at dinner, that he may notice any improper conduct on the part of the children, and mention it when the accounts of the day are er, even when at school, it becoilance, in order to prevent the possibility of accident; for where two hundred children are assee, it is et into For this reason, all the doors on the pre theet their fingers pinched, or greater accidents may occur The forms also should be so placed that the children , in short, should be put out of the way, that will be likely to occasion any danger The seats should not be h; and for the smaller children six inches; and should be eleven or twelve inches wide; and fixed all round to the walls
The master's desk should be placed at the end of the school, where the class-room is By this means he will be able to see the faces of all the children, and they can see hioverned by a motion of his hand
The furniture necessary for the school consists of a desk for the master; seats for the children; lesson-stands; stools for the monitors; slates and pencils; pictures and lessons on scriptural subjects; pictures and lessons on natural history; alphabets and spelling lessons; brass letters and figures, with boards for theures, &c; and the transposition-frame, or arithmeticon, as it has been called To these may added little books, &c The particular use of these articles will be shewn in the succeeding pages
The following is a representation of a lesson-post
The lessons, pasted on wood, to render therooves of the lesson-post; and can then be placed in any position which is ht, as the master may see proper
[Illustration: a b, is a slip of ith a groove in it, fixed to the post by means of the screws c and d, on which slip are two blocks e and f; the bottoroove in the upper side, for the lower edge of the board g h to rest in; the upper block, e, has a groove in the lower side, for the upper edge of the board g h to rest in, and rises and falls according to the width of the board on the slip a b-Instead of being enerally, and perhaps better, fixed into the floor of the school-rooht]
The following lesson-post has been found to answer better than the preceding one; and is fixed in a socket, which prevents the necessity of the cross-bar feet at bottoe, that itup by the side of the wall, so as to allow the area of the room to be quite clear of any incumbrance, and to be used for any other purpose No 2, is the socket which should be let into the floor and screwed fast to the side of a joist, so as to keep it perfectly steady; the socket is to be open at bottoh: and No 1, is a plate, to fit over the socket, to come flush with the floor, to be put over it when the lesson-post is taken out, to prevent toointo the socket The little nich represented in plate one, is too sers into, so as to pull up the plate, but wide enough to allow the teacher to put a very narrow key in, when he desires to pull up the plate to put the lesson-post in the socket No 3, is a front view of the lesson-post, containing the slides nipping the lessons between theure represents a side view of the lesson post, and the sroove of the two sliders to receive the lesson, and the back part of it the dovetails to clip, which come down behind the post; these are placed parallel in double ron the school, at equal distances, exactly opposite each other; and flattened brass or iron is to be let into the floor, opposite to the front of the the area of the school, and the children at their object lessons I have found by experience that this invention possesses a decided advantage over the other, as they always remain perpendicular and parallel to each other, take up less room, and are more easily put out of the way, and the children cannot knock them down; they should be nuure, so that the teacher may always put the proper post in its own place
[Illustration]