tation-the sight of your movement brings into activity the same combination of nerve-centres as you use. This is one means by which you determine action in the child's brain.

In trying to observe, look for:-the signs of impres- Conditions sionability, retentiveness, inhibition, spontaneity, double to look for. action and delayed expression', and thus judge whether there be a progressive increase of capacity for brain action. The signs of these conditions have been given in earlier lectures.

children.

Looking at groups of children associated for purposes of education, other considerations must engage your thoughts and direct your observations. Note specially any chil- Groups of dren above or below the average size and age, looking specially to see how such arrangement has come about either from natural or artificial causes, and whether it is working to the advantage of these particular children, and that of the class as a whole.

Study the children individually, and look for any Look for signs of fatigue before and after lessons, look at them fatigue. while teaching, when they are preparing lessons, and when

they are at play.

Study the surroundings of the class, and as far as School possible, the surroundings of each member in his or her conditions. individual life. Much has been said and written about Condition the construction, ventilation and adornment of schools, of each as well as about the arrangements of desks and seats.

All matters of domestic and school hygiene are of great importance, but do not come within the scope of my present purpose.

1 Descriptions are given in the text, references may be found in the index.

child.

Teacher's duty to train.

The child at school.

CHAPTER VI.

METHOD.-MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE.

THE duty of the teacher seems to consist of two parts --the training, preparing and continuously improving himself and his methods of practice; and secondly, teaching and training the pupils. The teacher who does. his full duty, will study the children, training himself to know what to observe, and how to think about his observations; and will acquire such general knowledge as may enable him to decide what to do under the circumstances.

I suppose nobody can make an intelligent effort to teach others, without at the same time learning something himself; it will then not be necessary that I should separate what has to be said about learning for ourselves, and teaching and training others.

I do not speak as being myself engaged in teaching boys and girls, but for many years I have closely studied them, and have also been engaged in College teaching, and University examinations, etc.

Let us commence with the child on arriving in the schoolroom. The teacher looks at each member of the class, thinking more about them than of the lesson, and continues to observe them closely during lesson time. I have dwelt upon the importance of observing and describing actual facts occurring in children, as far as they are observable.

Say you are thinking about a child who gives trouble A fidgety from being fidgety; you observe the movements which child. indicate the fidgetiness, the parts that move principally, whether hands or feet, whether one or both sides, thus looking to head, face, eyes, limbs, etc. As to the results of these movements, they are such that the class cannot be allowed to be so disturbed. Thinking about the child, you recall other conditions of excess of movement. You look to the antecedents of this fidgetiness, and under what circumstances it increases or diminishes; thus you will gain knowledge for future use in management. Fidgetiness may occur in healthy Causes. children when exhausted, when long confined in close rooms, or when wanting food. Commencing chorea may be mistaken for mere fidgetiness, it is very often one-sided.

The boy is peevish, apt to mutter and complain, silly A peevish and childish-carefully observe him; all reflex-actions boy. are wrong, call him and his head turns away, when you speak to him, no reply comes, when you say nothing, out come his complaints. His phrases are simple, disconnected, and like those used by a younger child. The boy is for the time reduced, or turned back to the brain condition of a baby. There are some spontaneous movements, these are but little controlled by his surroundings. Let him be quiet, while he sees others happy and at Managework, imitation may make him seek to join them. In ment. such brain condition, an important sign of return to baby-like condition is the limitation of vocabulary and repetition of words. Food in such cases is useful, especially beef-tea, which is stimulating.

Irritability of temper may result from exhaustion, Irritabiand it may produce exhaustion; in such conditions look lity from carefully for antecedent conditions producing them.

exhausDo tion.

Irritabi

lity may produce exhaustion.

Lying.

not let children look ill-tempered, the facial expression tends to raise the feeling.

I do not wish to appear to say that all child-faults are due to weakness, and even those that are must be corrected and overcome. Lying in children, especially the petty untruths of word and action in young children, appear often to coincide with two forms of brain condition that can be dealt with; over-mental activity not as yet trained to precision in action, and the condition Signs of of brain which leads to the manifestation of fear, timidity timidity and mental and confusion when suddenly spoken to. The latter confusion. brain state is indicated by many reflexes being out of

Inattention.

good working order; the door slamming makes him start, he likes to be quiet; when someone enters the room suddenly, he drops his book and then says he didn't. Do not call that lying, give him time, be very quiet, and do not produce any strong impression on him by what you say as- "is he not a nervous child?" If well managed, all will come right. In such children the sense of an injustice is often keen. Such cases differ greatly from deliberate lying to gain an object in a child who has no signs of physical defect.

The cerebral condition producing inattention may be due either to change in the brain tissue itself, or to conditions in its blood supply. Where there has been prolonged absence of food, the blood is proportionately poor; when heavy food has been taken, the blood is drawn away from the brain to the digestive organs. On the other hand, the brain may be fatigued as the result of much force given out from it. Inattention is, I suspect, much more often due to the brain being impressed by other things than those which should at the time attract the attention and impress it. The brain is not free and disengaged, as it was shown in Chapter II., it

must be in order that it may be duly impressionable to stimulation from without. It may be under the impression of the sight of some object, or the impression of a previous game, or an arrangement made for one to follow school walk.

tion.

In speaking of hysteria, I shall not give a medical Hysteria. description of the condition so termed, but the following signs may lead us to anticipate a tendency to hysteria. Such children are over-mobile, fidgety with their fingers, and fidgety with their dress; the eyes may be restless, and other signs of nervousness may be seen. The eyes Signs of may be restless, the postures of the head, hand and spine predisposi asymmetrical; there is laughing in undue amount, and other expressions of emotion upon any impression, the tendency to laughter being contagious among such girls. Expression of feelings and admiration, both in word and gesture, may be too highly wrought, and the head may be often extended. Too much attention is excited by their own personal appearance, and that of other people; there is a want of control over words and actions, and too few signs of mental action. The tendency to hysteria may be inherited, its signs may be imitated, there is predisposition in weak and nervous Its imitagirls. This brain condition appears to consist essentially in too great a governance of mental states by impressions from other parts of the body, rather than by sights and sounds from without. Early detection of this tendency is important, that you may check its growth. Avoid Manageexhaustion, as from late hours; physical exercise and ment. early rising are to be recommended; check any asymmetry or bad postures. If possible, secure many interests, many sources of outward impressions for the child, teaching her to think much of others, and but little about herself.

tion.