craft of the majority may not lay him under too great a disadvantage; and lastly, as each human being is but like one single brick in the edifice of society, that he may recognize and discharge his responsibility wherever he may be placed, so that the whole structure may receive no weakness from him.

If it be true, as I have stated, that the natural condition of the child is one of inquiry, and that it feels happiness in finding out what to it appear as new facts, how comes it that school is not perfect happiness to all children?

Without attempting to explain or express my solitary opinion as to the cause of this, it may be that some one will feel as I do-that the brain-work of children in public schools is always, from the first to the last, a little ahead of the brain-power, and that the mere dread of being imperfect, or behind its fellows, keeps the child in a condition of mental irritation; which, when continued, results in distaste to school and lessons.

That is especially hard upon the good-natured, stupid children, who do not develop.early, and who are sometimes thus made to lose confidence in themselves; whilst it would appear to me the worst possible thing that could happen to smart children with large brains, who would be better held back than pushed forward, until their physical power can carry their brain-power.

The remedy would seem to be to dilute our highpressure brain-work in the schools with a fair average amount of, say, low-pressure sensual work, so that

now and then there might be a fallow of an hour or so in the studies, during which the child shall be taught nothing but what requires the use of its eyes, hands, ears, and voice only, without employing its reason, memory, or intellect. A song would do this; and so would the reading of anecdotes of animals for little children, of historical scenes for the older ones, episodes in the lives of remarkable persons, or descriptions of natural curiosities; the teacher not being above the use of a little histrionic power in relating or reading to the class.

In the same way, drawing of objects might be used as a fallow,-not as an amusement, but as an exercise which will employ the eyes and the fingers without distressing the mental powers. This may, perhaps, seem a low motive for which to introduce the study of art, even in its lowest stages, into our public schools. But I look to music, drawing, natural history lessons, elementary science, and objectlessons, to protect our children from over-education, and to make them love their childish work; and, were there no. other reason for the introduction of such subjects into our common schools than that, it seems to me that would be reason sufficient.

The new cry for industrial schools is but a phase of the belief, that, before a child leaves school for work, it is possible to teach him something that will be of use in his working-life; and, in a country where apprenticeships can hardly be said to exist at all, the industrial school, either as a separate institution or by the introduction of industrial classes into com

mon schools, becomes a practical necessity. We want the schools extended in two directions,-downwards into the Kindergarten, and upwards into the Polytechnic; and the influence of these two additions will eventually be felt through the whole scheme of public education, until their names as representing any distinct methods will be no longer applicable.

Meanwhile, without waiting for any complete changes in or additions to our school-system, the elements of industrial art and science are being introduced into our schools, and among them the subject upon which I am to address you; viz., drawing.

It is, perhaps, not without its advantages, that in this subject America has not been a pioneer. Experiments have been tried, and methods of art-education tested by other nations as though it had been mainly to economize and save our time; crotchets have been indulged in, and delusions exploded, apparently to guard us from making mistakes.

Now that drawing is being taken up in earnest in this country, it is a matter of some consequence that we should begin right, and, rejecting those methods of teaching it which have failed elsewhere, adopt some rational system that is simple enough to be easily understood by all teachers, and by which all children may learn without difficulty.

It seems to me fair to proceed on the hypothesis, that, whatever children may be expected to learn, teachers may be expected to learn and to teach. By practical experiments on large classes throughout entire schools and cities, it has been demonstrated

that physical or mental incapacity is the only obstacle which prevents children from learning to draw; and the capacity of teachers both to learn drawing and to teach it is thus proved beyond all question, being both physically and mentally capable.

To succeed in drawing requires the cultivation, in a particular direction, of the understanding and the taste, and development of manual skill.

In this process the adult has immense advantages over the child in that half of the faculty which is based on the understanding; and is at a disadvantage, comparatively, in all that depends upon manual dexterity, with the child. They are, therefore, about equally capable of learning, so far as capacity goes ; and with both it is a question of willingness and diligence whether they shall draw well or badly.

The matter of executive or manual skill need not trouble us much, unless we have arrived at such extreme old age that our senses are failing us, and our tendons are becoming bony. Our hands will no more refuse to express what the eye sees and the mind understands, than they will refuse to handle a knife and fork at dinner-time,—a catastrophe which does not frequently occur.

That is a mere question of training; and the hand will always train faster than the mind. I sometimes hear this sort of statement from adults whom I am teaching: "I know and see exactly how it ought to be; but I can not do it." Now, we may take it for granted that any part of a drawing which depends on manual power will be equal to the knowledge

displayed; and therefore a remark such as I have quoted is usually an unconscious misrepresentation of the facts.

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For, to pursue the conversation, I shall say, "Your lines are good enough for all practical purposes; but why reverse their positions? The broadest part of this vase is near the top, and you have made it broadest at the bottom." The answer will probably be, Why, so it is! now I had not noticed that before." Which means that the poor hand had had nothing to do with the mistake. The eye had been accustomed to look, but not trained to see; and the understanding, which should have been leading the van, was far in the rear; the general complaining that the battle was lost "because of the inefficiency of that confounded little drummer-boy."

The first thing to do in the teaching of drawing is so to arrange its exercises that they shall all be comparatively easy, and each be a preparation for the next. That brings us to the question of grading; what the children in each grade of school are able to do, and how it can be made a consistent part of a general plan, having definite objects to obtain, requiring nothing to be unlearned as the student progresses, and leaving nothing unlearned that may be necessary for his advancement.

I take it that the object of teaching drawing primarily is, that every person shall have accurate ideas on all matters involving a knowledge of form or color, and be able to express them by drawing the shapes of objects, or their tints, as readily as he can give