388 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



study for young children has been known and proclaimed for more 

 than a century, it is still in practice the study of later years, while 

 young children study letters. 



In the second place, from the development of the retentive 

 powers of the child we infer that he is qualified to gain acquaintance 

 not only with the real world around him, but with the real world of 

 the past. We may call this history. History is now studied later by 

 means of text-books. It may be studied with far greater economy 

 during earlier years by means of direct narration by parent or teacher. 

 It is wonderful how eagerly a child will listen to historical narration, 

 and how easily he will retain it. This method of teaching history 

 forms a striking contrast to the perfunctory manner in which it is 

 often studied in the upper school grades, with the text-book " lesson," 

 " recitation," and the " final examination." Upon the minds of 

 many young people the study of history has a deadening effect when 

 the history epoch is passed and the mathematical epoch has arrived. 

 It has already been proposed, at a conference of educators lately held 

 in Chicago, to extend the study of history downward into the lower 

 grades, a proposition fully sanctioned by psychological pedagogy. In 

 what I have here said about history for young people I refer not to 

 the philosophy of history, which comes much later in the life of the 

 student, but to history as a mere record of facts and events, the kind 

 of history which is now studied in the grammar and high schools, the 

 kind which many educators who would make all children philosophers 

 are now saying should not be studied at all. 



In the third place, what studies correspond to the development of 

 the will in the child from five to ten ? It is the habit-forming epoch. 

 It is the time when a large and useful store of motor memory images 

 may be acquired, and when permanent reflex tracts may be formed 

 in the spinal cord and lower brain centers. This is the time to teach 

 the child to do easily and habitually a large number of useful things. 

 If we use the term in its broadest sense, we may call this branch of 

 instruction morals, but it will also include, besides habits of conduct, 

 various bodily activities, certain manual dexterities, and correct 

 habits of speech, expression, and singing. But here some restrictions 

 must be observed. The habit-forming period begins at birth and con- 

 tinues far beyond the age of ten, and the period from five to ten is 

 not the time for the formation of all habits. The order of muscular 

 development must be observed, and all dexterities involving finely 

 co-ordinated movements of the fingers, or strain of the eyes, should 

 be deferred beyond this period, or at most begun only in the latter 

 part of it; such, for instance, as writing, drawing, modeling, sewing, 

 knitting, playing upon musical instruments, and minute mechanical 

 work, as well, of course, as the plaiting, pricking, stitching, weaving, 



