portant periods in the life of the child and in its education. Wordsworth refers to this period of life when he

says:

"There was a time when meadow, grove and stream,

The earth, and every common sight,

To me did seem

Apparelled in celestial light,

The glory and the freshness of a dream."

Teachers are learning that the first task of education is "to keep alive the sacred spark of wonder, and fan the flame that already glows;" that is, to direct and organize observation. But they are realizing that if this first task of education is delayed till the child enters school, alas, the iron is often no longer hot; the ebb of interest has already often begun. The child, were he not pathetically unconscious of his lost inheritance, might say with Wordsworth: "It is not now as it hath been of yore;

Turn wheresoe'er I may

By night or day,

The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

But yet I know, where'er I go,

That there hath past away a glory from the earth."

Too often the best the school can do is to take the marred life that comes to it and give its energy to the all but vain task of trying to restore the lost inheritance. With the flame of wonder smothered, with the initiative stifled, with the individuality crusht before it enters school, how can the child be expected to grow into such strength, independence and self-control as to share in the powers and responsibilities of democracy?

This is one of the reasons for cooperation between the school and the home. Only recently have serious efforts been made in this direction, and it is today one of the most promising fields. Mothers' clubs; parents' associations; the use of the school as a social center; associations dealing with home education; schools similar to the kindergarten, locally adapted; home visitors in certain types of communities; methods for taking care of homeless children and child victims of the slums and of industry-in all such ways

various communities are seeking greater effectiveness in the earliest, most vital education of the child. Questions of public policy are also involved. The control of child labor, the elimination of the mother from the wage-earning sphere as by mothers' pensions, and the improvement of home life, especially in the slums and tenement districts— such matters as these are more or less beyond the jurisdiction of the school; but they are fundamental in the relation of the school and the home, and merit the attention of school authorities and of all who are interested in education.

(2) The government has recently issued a bulletin entitled Provision for exceptional students in public schools. In this bulletin it is estimated that four per cent of public school children are talented, four per cent are in some degree feeble-minded, and ninety-two per cent are among those classed as slow, normal, and bright. This classification is on the basis of mentality. It is in many cases even more important that provision be made for physical and moral differences and for environmental conditions. Temperament, bodily defects, moral incapacity and perversity, home life (or lack of it)—all these matters, as well as mental dullness and brilliance, must be taken into account. In the bulletin mentioned above, there is a tabulation of reports from 898 cities in all parts of the country, showing some sort of special provision for exceptional children in the public schools.

At the basis of the provisions being made for these differences among pupils is knowledge of the child and sympathy with him. Among these provisions are encouragement and guidance in observation, a limited elective course, and special adaptation to the needs of laggards and brilliants.

A sympathetic understanding of children is of course fundamental. By this means, instruction may be adapted in some degree to the best method of approach, as thru the eye, the ear, the touch, or action. Punishment may be adapted to the temperament and the home environ

ment of the child. The approach to the interest and confidence of one child may be made thru his interest in drawing; of another, thru his interest in animal life; of another, thru his interest in a patch of corn or a plot of flowers he has tended at home. Insubordination may often be overcome in similar ways, or by giving the student a responsibility suited to his age and individuality. Such knowledge and sympathy, tactfully used, will go far toward adjustment to individual differences, even where special arrangements and provisions are impossible.

Largely dependent upon knowledge of the pupils is the encouraging of observation by the pupils. The right use of textbooks is itself based in part on intelligent observation. This simply means the guiding and organizing of curiosity, the fanning of the flame of wonder, already referred to. Having eyes, they see not, and ears, yet they hear not, could be said of us who live today as well as of those who once lived by the Sea of Galilee. It is easier to walk in the trodden paths, to take things for granted, to hear thru others' ears, to see thru others' eyes. But in this, as in other matters, the easy way leads to the priceless sacrifice of individuality and of self-reliance.

Another way in which individuality is being provided for is in a limited use of the elective system. This must of course be under the careful watch and supervision of those in charge of the school. Perhaps a better term would be a flexible course, one which the teacher may within certain bounds adapt to individual and class needs. Certainly the selection of his work should not rest primarily with the child, even in the higher grades, for this would be unjust to his immature mind and would tend to demoralize the school. But within certain limits a flexible, adaptable course is necessary in order that the school may avoid the rut of dull uniformity and do justice to individual needs and differences.

It is a common observation in colleges that many students with brilliant high school records seem incapable in college of anything but mediocre work. The same is sometimes

true of pupils with good records from the grades to the high schools. Oftentimes this is due not to any serious fault of the student, but rather to the system. The brilliant pupil finds that he can do all the work required of him with comparatively little effort. The seeds of idleness take root. Perhaps by means of his brilliancy, and encouraged by the beginnings of laziness, he invents short-cuts and "bluffs." By the time he enters high school or college, as the case may be, indolence has usurped the place of industry, simply because he has been allowed to drift with his class without enough work to keep him busy. The new environment of the high school or college requires a greater effort; but, alas, industry has been choked out by laziness and self-esteem, and the erstwhile brilliant student becomes a reproach to himself and his family and friends, and his native ability is lost to the world.

On the other hand, there are large numbers of children who for various reasons have fallen behind their normal rank. Some lose out because of sickness, some because of laziness, some because of parental indifference, some because of having to work, and others still because the school fails to meet their needs and abilities. The approximate four per cent of students ranked as dullards in the previous classification represents only a minority of those who are behind their normal class rank. Perhaps another class should be included-a considerable number who, because of their extraordinary physical growth, are embarrassed by their classification, even tho according to age their rank may be normal. Thus various causes swell the number of those who are from a year to several years behind their proper classification. These laggards usually grow discouraged or become embarrassed and drop out. When they remain they retard the progress of the students of normal rank, and tend to give to the entire school a dull, dragging spirit. Unless some special provision is made for their needs, they either become a dead weight to the school or else lose the benefit of the school entirely and in many cases become a dead weight to society.

The question of making provision for differences among students is, then, a serious problem. Too often it is ignored; but many schools are making honest efforts to solve the problem. In cities where funds are sufficient and the number of students justifies it, separate schools may be provided. Courses of study are sometimes so adjusted that some may finish a given course in, say, six years, some in seven, and some in eight. Supplementary work is sometimes given to those students who are capable of doing it. In the case of the over-aged and of those who respond slowly to the requirements of book learning, a part of the time spent in manual activity results in a mental quickening, not only in the activity itself, but also in the book studies. Thus in the semi-industrial courses of the seventh and eighth grades of the Indianapolis schools, Superintendent Mirick reported that in those classes which devote nearly as much time to industrial "practise" courses as to the conventional "theory" studies, "classes and individuals are taking a higher rank in the book studies, as indicated by marks, and are showing a better understanding of the studies, than they had formerly done."

Various adjustments are being made. The problem is to adapt the system to the special requirements of a limited number, and at the same time conserve the interests of the main body of students. In many cases, especially in the smaller schools, the remedy is to be found not so much in an adaptation of the system as in the tact, resourcefulness and sympathy of the teacher; and for the highest success, such qualities are of course necessary in all cases.

The school must make provision for individual needs and differences, not only mental, but moral, physical, and environmental, to the limit of conserving the efficiency of the system and the interests of the majority of the pupils. A sane, independent individuality is at the basis of a genuine democracy.

(3) Another way in which the school is trying to develop a balanced, self-reliant individuality is by providing a proper balance between what pedagogy calls impression