| PART I |
| SOME PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS |
| PAGE |
| Children are public trusts—Mothers owe ‘a thinking love’to their children—The training of children ‘dreadfullydefective’—How parents usually proceed | [1] |
| I. A METHOD OF EDUCATION |
| Traditional methods of education—Method a way to an end—Asystem easier than a method | [6] |
| II. THE CHILD’S ESTATE |
| The child in the midst—Code of education in the Gospels | [11] |
| III. OFFENDING THE CHILDREN |
| Children are born law-abiding—They must perceive that theirgovernors are law-compelled—Parents may offend theirchildren by disregarding the laws of health—And of theintellectual life—And of the moral life | [13] |
| IV. DESPISING THE CHILDREN |
| Children should have the best of their mothers—Nurse—Children’sfaults are serious | [17] |
| V. HINDERING THE CHILDREN |
| A child’s relationship with Almighty God—Nursery theology | [19] |
| VI. CONDITIONS OF HEALTHY BRAIN-ACTIVITY |
| All mind-labour means wear of brain—Exercise—Rest—Restafter meals—Change of occupation—Nourishment—Certaincauses affect the quality of the blood—Concerning meals—Talkat meals—Variety in meals—Air as important asfood—‘The children walk every day’—Oxygen has itslimitations—Unchanged air—‘I feed Alice on beef tea’—Wordsworth’sLucy—Indoor airings—Ventilation—Nightair wholesome—Sunshine—Free perspiration—Insensibleperspiration—Daily bath and porous garments | [20] |
| VII. ‘THE REIGN OF LAW’ IN EDUCATION |
| Common sense and good intentions—Law-abiding lives oftenmore blameless than pious lives—‘Mind’ and ‘matter’equally governed by law—Antagonism to law shown bysome religious persons—Parents must acquaint themselveswith the principles of physiology and moral science | [37] |
| PART II |
| OUT-OF-DOOR LIFE FOR THE CHILDREN |
| I. GROWING TIME |
| Meals out of doors—For dwellers in towns and suburbs—Possibilitiesof a day in the open—No story-books | [42] |
| II. ‘SIGHT-SEEING’ |
| How to see—Educational uses of ‘sight-seeing’—Discriminatingobservation | [45] |
| III. ‘PICTURE-PAINTING’ |
| Method of—Strain on the attention—Seeing fully and in detail—Ameans of after solace and refreshment | [48] |
| IV. FLOWERS AND TREES |
| Children should know field crops—Field flowers and the life-historyof common plants—The study of trees—The seasonsshould be followed—Leigh Hunt on flowers—Calendars—Naturediaries | [51] |
| V. ‘LIVING CREATURES’ |
| A field of interest and delight—Children should be encouragedto watch—The force of public opinion in the home—Whattown children can do—Nature knowledge the most importantknowledge for young children—Mental training ofa child naturalist—Nature work especially valuable for girls | [56] |
| VI. FIELD-LORE AND NATURALISTS’ BOOKS |
| Reverence for life—Rough classification at first hand—Uses of‘Naturalists’ books—Mothers and teachers should knowabout Nature | [62] |
| VII. THE CHILD GETS KNOWLEDGE BY MEANS OF HIS SENSES |
| Nature’s teaching—Over-pressure—Object-lessons—A child learnsfrom things—The sense of beauty comes from early contactwith Nature—Most grown men lose the habit of observation | [65] |
| VIII. THE CHILD SHOULD BE MADE FAMILIAR WITH NATURAL OBJECTS |
| An ‘observant child’ should be put in the way of things worthobserving—Every natural object a member of a series—Powerwill pass more and more into the hands of scientificmen—Intimacy with Nature makes for personal well-being | [69] |
| IX. OUT-OF-DOOR GEOGRAPHY |
| Small things may teach great—Pictorial geography—Theposition of the sun—Clouds, rain, snow, and hail—Distance—Direction—Eastand west—Practice in finding direction—Compassdrill—Boundaries—Plans—Local geography | [72] |
| X. THE CHILD AND MOTHER NATURE |
| The mother must refrain from too much talk—Making a newacquaintance—Two things permissible to the mother | [78] |
| XI. OUT-OF-DOOR GAMES |
| The French lesson—Noisy games—Rondes—Skipping-rope andshuttlecock—Climbing—Clothing | [80] |
| XII. WALKS IN BAD WEATHER |
| Winter walks as necessary as summer walks—Pleasures connectedwith frost and snow—Winter observations—Habitof attention—Wet weather tramps—Outer garments for—Precautions | [85] |
| XIII. ‘RED INDIAN’ LIFE |
| Scouting—‘Bird-stalking’ | [88] |
| XIV. THE CHILDREN REQUIRE COUNTRY AIR |
| The essential proportion of oxygen—Excess of carbonic acid gas—Unvitiated,unimpoverished air—Solar light—A physicalideal for a child | [92] |
| PART III |
| ‘HABIT IS TEN NATURES’ |
| I. EDUCATION BASED UPON NATURAL LAW |
| A healthy brain—Out-of-door life—Habit, the instrument bywhich parents work | [96] |
| II. CHILDREN HAVE NO SELF-COMPELLING POWER |
| An educational cul-de-sac—Love, law, and religion as educationalforces—Why children are incapable of steady effort—Youngchildren should be saved the labour of decision | [98] |
| III. WHAT IS ‘NATURE’? |
| All persons born with the same primary desires—And affections—Contentof the most elemental notion of human nature—Natureplus heredity—plus physical conditions—Humannature the sum of certain attributes—The child must not beleft to his human nature—Problem before the educator—Divinegrace works on the lines of human effort—The trustof parents must not be supine | [100] |
| IV. HABIT MAY SUPPLANT ‘NATURE’ |
| Habit runs on the lines of Nature—But habit may be a lever—Amother forms her children’s habits involuntarily—Habitforces Nature into new channels—Parents and teachersmust lay down lines of habit | [105] |
| V. THE LAYING DOWN OF LINES OF HABIT |
| ‘Begin it, and the thing will be completed’—Direction of linesof habit—We think as we are accustomed to think—Habitand free-will—Habit rules ninety-nine in a hundred of ourthoughts and acts—Habit powerful even where the willdecides | [107] |
| VI. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF HABIT |
| Growing tissues form themselves to modes of action—Thereforechildren should learn dancing, swimming, etc., at an earlyage—Moral and mental habits make their mark uponphysical tissues—Persistent trains of thought—Incessantregeneration of brain tissue—Artificial reflex actions maybe acquired—Intellectual and moral education—Characteraffected by modification of brain tissue—Outside influence | [111] |
| VII. THE FORMING OF A HABIT—‘SHUT THE DOOR AFTER YOU’ |
| ‘Do ye next thinge’—Habit a delight in itself—Tact, watchfulness,and persistence—Stages in the formation of a habit—Thedangerous stage | [119] |
| VIII. INFANT ‘HABITS’ |
| Some branches of infant education—A sensitive nose—The baby isubiquitous—Personal cleanliness as an early habit—Modestyand purity—The habit of obedience and the sense of honour—Orderessential—The child of two should put away hisplaythings—Neatness akin to order—Regularity—Habitsof time and place | [124] |
| IX. PHYSICAL EXERCISES |
| Importance of daily—Drill in good manners—Training of theear and voice—The habit of music—Let children alone | [132] |
| PART IV |
| SOME HABITS OF MIND—SOME MORAL HABITS |
| A science of education—Education in habit favours an easy life—Trainingin habits becomes a habit—Habits inspired bythe home atmosphere | [135] |
| I. THE HABIT OF ATTENTION |
| A mind at the mercy of associations—Wandering attention—Thehabit of attention to be cultivated in the infant—Attentionto things, words a weariness—Lessons attractive—Time-table,definite work in a given time—A natural reward—Emulation—Affectionas a motive—Attractiveness ofknowledge—What is attention?—Self-compelled attention—Thesecret of over-pressure—The schoolboy’s home-work—Wholesomehome treatment for ‘mooning’—Rewards andpunishments should be relative consequences of conduct—Naturaland educative consequences | [137] |
| II. THE HABITS OF APPLICATION, ETC. |
| Rapid mental effort—Zeal must be stimulated | [149] |
| III. THE HABIT OF THINKING |
| ‘A lion’—Operations included in thinking | [150] |
| IV. THE HABIT OF IMAGINING |
| The sense of the incongruous—Commonplace tales; tales ofimagination—Imagination and great conceptions—Imaginationgrows—Thinking comes by practice | [151] |
| V. THE HABIT OF REMEMBERING |
| Remembering and recollecting—A ‘spurious’ memory—Memory,a record in the brain substance—Made underwhat conditions—Recollection and the law of association—Everylesson must recall the last—No limit to the recordingpower of the brain—But links of association a conditionof recollection | [154] |
| VI. THE HABIT OF PERFECT EXECUTION |
| The habit of turning out imperfect work—A child shouldexecute perfectly | [159] |
| VII. SOME MORAL HABITS |
| Obedience—The whole duty of a child—Obedience no accidentalduty—Children must have the desire to obey—Expectobedience—Law ensures liberty | [160] |
| VIII. TRUTHFULNESS, ETC. |
| Three causes of lying—All vicious—Only one kind visited onchildren—Accuracy of statement—Exaggeration and ludicrousembellishments—Reverence—Temper born in a child—Nottemper but tendency—Parents must correct tendencyby new habit of temper—Change the child’s thoughts | [164] |
| PART V |
| LESSONS AS INSTRUMENTS OF EDUCATION |
| I. THE MATTER AND METHOD OF LESSONS |
| Parents must reflect on the subject-matter of instruction—Homethe best growing ground for young children—Threequestions for the mother—Children learn, to grow—Doctoringof the material of knowledge—Children learn,to get ideas—Ideas grow and produce after their kind—Scottand Stephenson worked with ideas—Value ofdominant ideas—Lessons must furnish ideas—Childrenlearn, to get knowledge—Diluted knowledge—Dr Arnold’sknowledge as a child—Literature proper for children—Fourtests which should be applied to children’s lessons—Résuméof six points just considered | [169] |
| II. THE KINDERGARTEN AS A PLACE OF EDUCATION |
| The mother the best Kindergärtnerin—The nursery need nottherefore be a kindergarten—Field of knowledge toocircumscribed—Training of a just eye and faithful hand—‘Sweetnessand light’ in the kindergarten | [178] |
| III. FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF THE KINDERGARTEN |
| The childhood of Tolstoi—The Story of a Child—What we oweto Froebel—Requirements of a person—Nature as an educator—Dangerof undervaluing children’s intelligence—We alllike to be humoured—Teachers mediate too much—Dangerof personal magnetism—‘Kindergarten’ a false analogy—‘Mother-games’too strenuous for a child—The society of hisequals too stimulating for a child—Danger of supplantingNature—Importance of personal initiative—Parents andteachers must sow opportunities—‘Only’ children—Thechild should be allowed some ordering of his life—HelenKeller—Miss Sullivan on systems of education—The kindergartenin the United States—Mr Thistleton Mark on thekindergarten—Dr Stanley Hall on the kindergarten | [182] |
| IV. READING |
| Time of teaching to read—Mrs Wesley’s plan—The alphabet—Word-making—Word-makingwith long vowels, etc.—Earlyspelling—Reading at sight—The reading of prose—Carefulpronunciation—A year’s work—Ordinary method | [199] |
| V. THE FIRST READING LESSON |
| (Two mothers confer) | [207] |
| VI. READING BY SIGHT AND BY SOUND |
| Learning to read is hard work—Knowledge of arbitrarysymbols—These symbols should be interesting—Tommy’sfirst lesson—Steps—Reading sentences—Tommy’s secondlesson—Unknown words—Like combinations have differentsounds—Moral training in reading lessons | [214] |
| VII. RECITATION |
| ‘The children’s art’—Memorising | [222] |
| VIII. READING FOR OLDER CHILDREN |
| The habit of reading—Reading aloud—Limitation—Readingto children—Questions on the subject-matter—Lesson-books—Slipshodhabits; Inattention—Careless enunciation | [226] |
| IX. THE ART OF NARRATING |
| Children narrate by nature—This power should be used intheir education—Method of lesson | [231] |
| X. WRITING |
| Perfect accomplishment—Printing—Steps in teaching—Text-hand—ANew Handwriting—How to use | [233] |
| XI. TRANSCRIPTION |
| Value of transcription—Children should transcribe favouritepassages—Small text-hand—Double-ruled lines—Positionin writing—Desks—Children’s table | [238] |
| XII. SPELLING AND DICTATION |
| A fertile cause of bad spelling—The rationale of spelling—Stepsof a dictation lesson | [240] |
| XIII. COMPOSITION |
| George Osborne’s essay—An educational futility—Lessons incomposition—Teaching that is a public danger—‘Composition’comes by nature | [243] |
| XIV. BIBLE LESSONS |
| Children enjoy the Bible—Should know the Bible text—Essentialand accidental truth—Method of Bible lessons—Pictureillustrations—Bible recitations | [247] |
| XV. ARITHMETIC |
| Educative value of—Problems within the child’s grasp—Demonstrate—Problems—Notation—Weighingand measuring—Arithmeticas a means of training—The A B CArithmetic—Preparation for mathematics | [253] |
| XVI. NATURAL PHILOSOPHY |
| A basis of facts—Eyes and no eyes—Principles—To be comprehendedby children—As taught in a village school | [264] |
| XVII. GEOGRAPHY |
| Educational value of—As commonly taught—Geography shouldbe interesting—How to begin—What next—Maps—Whatgeneral knowledge a child of nine should have—Particularknowledge—Definitions—Fundamental ideas—Meaning ofa map | [271] |
| XVIII. HISTORY |
| A storehouse of ideas—‘Outlines’ mischievous—So are mosthistory books written for children—Early history of a nationbest fitted for children—Some old Chronicles—Age of myths—Plutarch’sLives—History books—Dates—Illustrations bythe children—‘Playing at’ history | [279] |
| XIX. GRAMMAR |
| Grammar a difficult study—Latin grammar—English grammar alogical study—Two grammar lessons | [295] |
| XX. FRENCH. |
| M. Gouin’s method—The ‘Series’—How does the child learn? | [300] |
| XXI. PICTORIAL ART, ETC. |
| Study of pictures—Should be regular—A picture talk—Drawinglessons—Children have ‘Art’ in them—Clay modelling—Thepiano and singing—Handicrafts and drills | [307] |
| PART VI |
| THE WILL—THE CONSCIENCE—THE DIVINE LIFE IN THE CHILD |
| I. THE WILL |
| Government of Mansoul—Executive power vested in the will—Whatis the will?—Persons may go through life without adeliberate act of will—Character the result of conduct regulatedby will—Three functions of the will—A limitation ofthe will disregarded by some novelists—Parents fall intothis metaphysical blunder—Wilfulness indicates want of will-power—Whatis wilfulness?—The will has superior andinferior functions—The will not a moral faculty—A disciplinedwill necessary to heroic Christian character—The solepractical faculty of man—How the will operates—The wayof the will; Incentives—Diversion—Change of thought—Theway of the will should be taught to children—Power ofwill implies power of attention—Habit may frustrate the will—Reasonableuse of so effective an instrument—How tostrengthen the will—Habit of self-management—Educationof the will more important than of the intellect | [317] |
| II. THE CONSCIENCE |
| Conscience is judge and law-giver—I am, I ought, I can, I will—Inertnessof parents not supplemented by Divine grace—Consciencenot an infallible guide—But a real power—Thatspiritual sense whereby we know good and evil—A child’sconscience an undeveloped capability rather than a supremeauthority—The uninstructed conscience—The processes impliedin a ‘conscientious’ decision—The instructed consciencenearly always right—The good conscience of a child—Childrenplay with moral questions—The Bible the chiefsource of moral ideas—Tales fix attention upon conduct—Ignoranceof a child’s conscience—Instructing the conscience—Kindness—Theconscience made effective by discipline | [329] |
| III. THE DIVINE LIFE IN THE CHILD |
| The ‘very pulse of the machine’—Parents have some power toenthrone the King—The functions and life of the soul—Whatis the life of the soul?—The parent must present the idea ofGod to the soul of the child—Must not make blunderingefforts—God presented to the children as an exactor andpunisher—Parents must select inspiring ideas—We mustteach only what we know—Fitting and vital ideas—Theknowledge of God distinct from morality—The times andthe manner of religious instruction—The reading of theBible—Father and Giver—The essence of Christianity isloyalty to a Person | [341] |
| APPENDICES |
| A. | List of Books | [353] |
| B. | Questions for the Use of Students | [357] |
| C. | The Examination of a Child of Seven upon a Term’s Work on the Lines indicated in this Volume | [387] |
| D. | The Examination of a Child of Nine upon a Term’s Work | [398] |
| INDEX | [420] |