a sensibility, or heart, with commensurate susceptibilities of pain and capacities of enjoyment. This will, which has been defined power to change, is never dormant except by reason of disease; and solicits guidance by its first aimless manifestations of tearing up and knocking down; but which easily can be led, in its very first play, to construct symmetrically and produce effects, delightful if not beneficial to itself and others. In doing so, the mind grows, and resolves the chaos around it into order and beauty, for "knowledge," by such employment of the active powers" entereth," as well at least as by "suffering," and I think a great deal better.

It is absolutely a new method of what is called Education to begin with organizing play; that is, with employing the forces of the child from the first, in successful production of effect. The idea has hitherto been, that it is necessary to paralyze play in order to produce an attentive mind. But the child is always attending to what it is play ing with; and Froebel's plan is to go to the child where he is, and help this play so that it shall be successful in its aim, and thus lead to a profitable examination of the playthings; which will be so selected and manipulated by the child as to produce combinations which in their turn shall so please the fancy that the mind may be attracted to analyze them, and realize the laws of their organization.

What they make, must therefore be pleasing in itself to the childish mind, as expressing some form either of life or of beauty which is within its own compass of fancy; and it is a great means of development, to produce a regular series of beautiful forms, for which all Froebel's occupations provide. In order that the child may act from within outwards as a habit, he entirely forbids patterns and copying; and the educator suggests, step by step, what the child should do; who, therefore, has to act from his own thought, though it be a suggested thought; soon he will act from original thought. But if the educator is careful to let him proceed strictly according to the law of combining opposites, and misses no connections; using as elemental forms the simplest; first, the ball; then, the cube; then the cylinder, which combines these two; then the cube divided into smaller cubes, and sometimes into oblongs; then their embodied surfaces; and these divided into triangles, right-angled, isosceles, scalene, obtuse-angled; then the lines of the edges, em

bodied in sticks, then the points also embodied; then circles, and parts of circles, embodied in rings and arcs, leading the child with all these various materials, also with paper folded and cut, to make many series of relative forms, it is wonderful and beautiful to see how entirely the mind is interested, and how clearly developed; what exquisite manipulation is produced; what love of order and beauty; what neatness; what appreciation of material; what self-respect without self-conceit; what industry; how invention is stimulated; and what solid foundation is given for knowledge, by the habit of comparing, measuring; and last, not least, numbering; occasionally analyzing the work done, which children like to do, and which often leads them to spontaneous repetitions, that perfect their manipulation. Between the years of three and seven (the kindergarten age, according to the judgment of Froebel), children may become veritable little artists; and while the brain is never strained to any abstract thought, they become, as it were, concrete scientists too, geometricians and arithmeticians; and have thoroughly learnt the virtue of conditions and laws, and thus are put into first-rate order to learn the arbitrary signs of things, without being made the fools of words; and to analyze material objects in so profound a way, as to see God beyond the phenomena of nature.

For, in cutting, for instance, single squares of paper into a thousand different forms, which are found to be all perfectly symmetrical, and of wondrous beauty, if, and only if, the child has complied, in every instance, with certain conditions of folding the paper, he learns that the immaterial is of vastly more importance than the material factor of the "thing of beauty," that he has himself made; and hence when he shall see "a thing of beauty" in nature, he will easily recognize, on the bare suggestion of the educator, the immaterial factor, of whose creative thoughts it is the exponent, and so nature, instead of being an opaque veil, shutting out the creative intelligence, becomes simply God's expression of himself to this apprehending child. Is not this the true method of educating this image of God into a reverent consciousness of himself as such?

READING.

VOCAL reading is the art by which one utters words which exist upon the written or printed page before him. This is all that a beginner does, all which many who commenced long ago yet do. But good reading means much more than this.

To be a good reader, one's voice must be clear and flexible, his articulation distinct, his understanding quick, his imagination vivid.

To say that a person can read, may mean much or little. In all our schools we have reading; but how much more meaning is in the word when applied to the act as performed by some one who excels in it, than when applied to such exercises as we daily hear to

our sorrow.

When we consider what a source of improvement, happiness and entertainment it is, we wonder that there are so few proficients in the art. Young ladies are willing to spend years learning music as an accomplishment, whether they have a natural taste for it or not, that matters little. They must have some means of making themselves agreeable when they have exhausted conversation upon their narrow range of subjects. But not one in a score can read a page so that a listener can appreciate it, if she herself does.

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While we would not depreciate the value of music, we would elevate that of reading. This may be made a means of much good in a family. By the effort of one member of it, all can gain information of the current news, can be instructed in science, literature, and art; can soar on the wings of poesy, or revel in fun.

Certainly reading is a fine art, though it be not reckoned among the fine arts.

If, then, its importance is so great, much attention should be given it in our schools.

But to attain the desired end is no easy matter. There are disagreeable voices to contend with, there are numberless ones so low as to convey no syllable a reasonable distance, there are firmly closed teeth to open, there is rapidity to check, and slowness to hasten.

"In vain for them the pleasing measure flows
Whose recitation runs it all to prose;
Repeating what the poet sets not down,
The verb disjoining from its friendly noun,

While pause and break and repetition join
To make a discord in each tuneful line."

The list of faults need not be prolonged; each can lengthen it at pleasure. These may by perseverance be in a measure overcome, and usually may in time be wholly cured. Much more depends upon the will of the pupil than the power of the teacher.

Scholars frequently seem to have the idea that anybody can read. They think that lessons need no preparation. When such is their opinion, it is of no use to compel them to read over the lesson a designated number of times. We have many times seen pupils obeying such commands by rushing through a piece just as fast as one word could follow another. When those were requested

to raise their hands who had fulfilled the order, theirs were most prominent.

Some things pupils may be forced to learn, but they cannot be compelled to become good readers. Here the heart must be. They must see with their mind's eye what they are describing, they must feel the sentiments they are expressing, they must enjoy the humor of a comic piece.

Hence the necessity of a thorough understanding of what is read. We are often surprised to find what curious ideas of the meaning of words pupils have. We cannot too carefully correct errors and impart truth. Scholars should be encouraged in the frequent use of the dictionary, and such books of reference as they have access to.

In connection with a reading lesson, a vast amount of information upon all subjects can be gained by scholars. As our books are now arranged, some account is given of nearly every author. If a pupil is required to learn the main facts of the life of each one as he proceeds, he will gain a knowledge of the principal writers of our own and foreign lands, which he might never else have. And after hearing authors and their works talked about, he will perhaps feel a desire to know more, and so be led to pursue a course of reading which may influence his whole after life.

Perhaps not more than one in fifty may be materially influenced; but that one is worth working for, and we cannot be sure which of those before us is he.

Michael Angelo could see the finished statue in the shapeless block; but those who dug it had not the power.

We are workers in the quarry, and cannot tell what is in the mind of the Great Master. It is our duty to do well the part assigned us, and hereafter some form of beauty may arise where now we least expect it.

Besides acquainting themselves with authors, scholars may learn much from the allusions found in the lessons. These are of all varieties, scriptural, classical and miscellaneous, and as far as possible should be explained. It does not do to take much for granted, and though it may seem certain that there is no need of explaining some common allusion, very likely some scholar is entertaining most ridiculous ideas concerning it. There is no limit to the range of subjects which can be investigated in connection with this lesson. It will be exceedingly interesting and profitable, if teachers are well informed, and pupils eager to learn new things.

Some may think it a waste of time to spend much of it in this way, and may consider it better to devote it to actual reading. But will not scholars feel more interest in what they understand, and will they not give it more expression? Seeing that so much may be made of a reading exercise, will it not gain importance in their estimation, and will they not be likely to try to do their part well?

Shakespeare's Dogberry says that "To read comes by nature "; and as far as the articulate expression is concerned, he is not far wrong. Still, culture makes great compensations for natural deficiencies in this direction as in all.

Since Demosthenes overcame so many and so formidable impediments of speech and voice, and became the greatest orator of his nation, no one need despair.

Of course there is much unfruitful soil where nothing will grow, let the seed be perfect and the care most attentive. We cannot expect to make excellent readers of all our pupils; but let us use all the means possible to do so, trusting that good results will sooner or later follow. M. K.