When children are standing in class, let them stand strictly in line, at exactly equal intervals. If they occupy three sides of a square (as when arranged round a group of parallel desks), crowding and overlapping at the corners should be carefully checked. When they are seated in rows, each should be compelled to keep his correct distance throughout the lesson.

Lounging, putting hands in pockets, fidgetting or looking about during lessons, should on no account be allowed. Books, slates, pencils, &c., should be passed to and fro in strict silence at the beginning and end of each lesson, as methodically as buckets at a fire. In the seating or unseating of a class, every movement should be done by each child in exact time at the word of command, and they should march to and from their places with arms folded behind, keeping equal intervals, and strict time. No teacher should ever push or pull children who lose their places either during this manœuvre or on any other occasion. Some teachers have a bad habit of walking to and fro, like caged lions, in front of a class, while they are teaching. A restless teacher makes a restless class. It is better to stand erect and steadily on one spot, never lounging, putting hands in pockets, or resting one leg on a form. Affected gait and postures should be avoided, as they tend to distract children's attention from the teaching, and to provoke ridicule. Listlessness of manner on the teacher's part will speedily spread through his class. In lessons requiring animation however, easy and natural gestures of arms and hands to aid the eye and voice are decidedly worthy of encouragement. Success in class management depends on strict attention to such details as these.

Children should never be allowed to rise from their seats in eagerness to answer questions, or to correct mistakes. They should be instructed always to raise the right hand to show readiness to answer if called upon or pointed at, but never to answer until so called upon.

The same child should not be called upon too often to answer questions. A young teacher is often misled as to the results of his teaching by a few sharp children answering his questions smartly. He should never be satisfied until he gets answers from the inattentive and dull. Questions should never be put

requiring only "yes" or "no" for answers, nor should recourse be had to that pet resort of feeble teachers of interlarding their lessons with "don't we?" "isn't it?" "shouldn't you?" &c. Nor should any leading questions be put which, by suggesting the answer, save children the trouble of thinking. The form of the questions may if necessary be varied; indeed, every device should be tried to make children think and express their thoughts in their own words. Advantage should be taken of wrong answers to correct mistakes into which, if left uncorrected, other children may fall; but care should be taken not to unduly discourage the shy. The teacher should check answers learnt by rote from text books, and insist on the substance being expressed in a child's own language. Simultaneous or collective answering should be very rarely allowed as e.g., at the summing up of a lesson. Its real use is to impress on the memory of a class a correct answer given by one child. Its abuse or too frequent use is fatal to progress.

An eye trained to quick yet steady watchfulness is the teacher's best weapon for maintaining discipline. The eye should be aided by the hand used to warn, beckon, point, or direct, but rarely, and indeed only in the last resource, by the voice.

The voice is too valuable an instrument to be needlessly or recklessly employed. A word should never be used where a look or a sign would suffice. Care should be taken habitually to avoid harshness or undue loudness of tone. Every teacher should acquire the habit, which all singers have, of taking in breath always by the nostrils, never by the mouth. This is of great importance to health, and will enable a speaker to modulate his voice so that its very tone will give some intimation of his meaning. A teacher should speak as a rule on as low notes as he finds by practice he can use with ease and comfort, and without any appearance of affectation. Every word should be uttered slowly, yet without drawling, distinctly and deliberately, yet naturally, and proper pauses should be made between the phrases of each sentence. A quiet, calm utterance is with all children most effective in arresting and rivetting attention, and is yet more impressive with children previously accustomed to disregard the habitual scolding of a high-pitched voice. A noisy teacher makes

a noisy school. Gentle speech tends to produce gentle movements, and gentle manners. The voice of the weakest, properly managed, will carry the speaker's words without shouting to every ear in any well-constructed and well-organised school. It is a good

ance.

thing to practise reading and reciting aloud on different notes, in and out of school, in the open air, and in all sorts of rooms, always with head erect and shoulders thrown back, till a speaker finds that part of his voice which carries his words furthest and with least effort. Children should from the first be trained to turn their eyes promptly to their teacher's at his least utterHis health and comfort, as well as the order of his class, are most seriously affected by the proper use of the voice. Of course he should also habitually take pains to avoid using any vulgar slang, or ungrammatical expressions in speaking to children, in or out of school. The young teacher especially should keep strict watch over his tongue to avoid this fault, which is as objectionable as it is unhappily common.

It is of supreme importance that a teacher should be always in earnest over his work, as then his earnestness cannot fail to impart itself to his scholars. If he treat a subject as unimportant, they will become listless or frivolous.

He should never tire of going over the same ground again and again, till his dullest scholars have completely mastered all that he has been trying to teach. He should make it his practice during every lesson to watch the dull and careless, and never rest satisfied till he feels that he has aroused their interest and is keeping their attention. Let him spare no pains to find out children's difficulties, and to explain everything in the simplest words, however plain it may seem to himself. If, as must often happen, he find it hard to make them understand, instead of showing impatience, let him repeatedly try to make everything perfectly clear. A good teacher will never blame children for dulness which they cannot help, but will rather blame his own inability to discover and smooth away their difficulties. He will take nothing for granted, but will test his work frequently and thoroughly, knowing that otherwise, when an outsider tests it impartially, its imperfection and unsoundness will be detected.

It is of the utmost importance that every child's attention should be kept unflagging during school hours. Habits of inattention, fostered by a teacher's oversight, often prove nearly as fatal to success in examinations as imperfect knowledge. For instance, a child habitually careless and inattentive, especially if naturally sharp, will not take the trouble to look over his sums, or to listen carefully to dictation and questions. The same habits, becoming ingrained as the child grows up, will seriously mar his usefulness in after life. An observant attentive dullard is far more likely to turn out a good workman than a sharp but careless boy.

PART II.

INFANT SCHOOLS.

1. General Rules.-2. Reading.-3. Writing.-4. Counting. -5. Form and Colour.-6. Common Objects.-7. Natural History.-8. Learning by Heart.-9. Marching and Singing. -10. Needlework.

1. General Rules,

INFANTS are taught chiefly through the eye.

The main faults

in their instruction arise from teachers overlooking this. Little children, being "unconscious mimics," delight to imitate what they see and hear both by voice, gesture, and drawing. Good use should be made of these natural instincts. Their lessons should be made not merely as little irksome, but as attractive as possible. The Germans have recognized these points in their admirable Kindergarten system, which is at length finding its way into our schools. To carry it out thoroughly, however, requires a larger teaching staff than most managers have as yet seen their way to employ in Elementary Infant Schools.

An even temper, a gentle, sympathetic voice, a kindly and cheerful mien, are essential for success in the teaching and management of infants. Very useful too are a good memory for stories, and that lively fancy which enables the teacher by voice, eye, and gesture to give such vivid strokes and delicate touches to the scenes and things described as to make the