392 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



windows. In this way the boy was soon able to grasp, by his organs 

 of sight, many details of objects that had previously escaped him. 



The eyes are our most valuable organs. They afford food for 

 thought, and give us one half of our information at least directly. 

 If they are anatomically perfect, they can be used to perceive objects 

 at a distance of more than twenty feet as perfectly as within that 

 radius. Near-sighted persons can not do this, because objects of mod- 

 erate size have to be brought closer to the eyes than twenty feet be- 

 fore their details are apparent. In many of our modern school-rooms 

 the blackboard is more than that distance from the farthest row of 

 seats ; hence a near-sighted child can not see blackboard explanations 

 well, and a far-sighted child is subjected often to an excessive and un- 

 natural strain of the eyes in its attempts to follow them. Such exer- 

 cises form a prominent feature in our present methods of teaching. It 

 is an easy matter to teach children to dexterously use their eyes, as 

 well as their ears and fingers, and to remember the details of all they 

 see, hear, and handle, if the parents or instructors will use a little 

 tact in that direction. 



11. Encourage athletics in children, even at the expense of some 

 mental progress, until the body is well developed. Healthy bodies 

 tend to keep the mind vigorous and to prevent nervous derangements. 

 Habits of exercise acquired during childhood tend to promote a love 

 for athletics in the adult, which often helps to counteract the bad 

 effects of anxiety and mental fatigue. Horseback-riding, hunting, 

 fishing, base-ball, tennis, and other out-of-door sports, are important 

 aids to longevity. 



12. Respecting the education of children, I believe that object- 

 teaching should be first employed, and continued until the child 

 exhibits all the evidences of physical and mental vigor. It is time 

 enough to begin systematic instruction when the brain is well stocked 

 with memories of all kinds, and when the perceptive faculties have 

 been made acute by careful discipline. Many a child has taught itself 

 to read by playing with blocks upon which animals and other objects 

 are printed above the letters that spell their names. 



When the study of books is deemed advisable, let it be done in a 

 well-lighted and thoroughly aired school-room, and not at home in the 

 evening by artificial light. When the body is fatigued by play and 

 the routine of the school during the day, it is contrary to common 

 sense to weary the brain still more by urging a child to mental effort 

 when the light is poor and the body needs rest. If a child must study 

 at home, let it be done in the early morning hours, after a light repast 

 on rising from the bed. 



To my mind, the natural talents of each child should be allowed 

 free scope for development. It is absolute folly to dwarf the brighter 

 parts of a young intellect by a fruitless endeavor on the part of the 

 parents or teacher to bring out some talent for which the child has 



