16 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



at school the teacher may find him so restless that the question 

 of keeping him in order so that he shall not disturb others is a 

 matter of serious difficulty. So long as he can be kept in action 

 things go well enough, but to keep this activity within conven- 

 tional bounds is the problem. 



"Very often repressive measures that quite paralyze his nature 

 are resorted to in order to adapt his organism to the environment 

 instead of the reverse being attempted. It is forgotten too often 

 that if this young creature were not active, even restless, im- 

 pulsive, inattentive — i. e., ever ready to secure some new impres- 

 sion — he could not develop after Nature's plan. We are at the 

 outset in possession of some principles by which to test our 

 methods. So far as the soundest physiology and the most recent 

 psychology go, there seems to be but one way to develop this 

 boy's intellect, and that way is along the path that is clearly 

 indicated — the development of the brain and at this period the 

 senses to the fullest extent. Now, as this implies not only seeing, 

 hearing, smelling, and tasting, but feeling in the widest signifi- 

 cation of the term — i. e., the muscular as well as the cutaneous 

 sense — we must not only permit of movements but develop them. 

 Smelling and tasting are in human beings of subordinate im- 

 portance. But vision, to a less degree hearing, and the com- 

 pound musculo-cutaneous sense, are of vital moment in all sound 

 development. 



It is by the development of these senses, together with smell, 

 that the lower animals attain that perfection which in all respects 

 is not equaled by man. But in delicacy and co-ordination of 

 muscular movements, in perfection of visual and auditory dis- 

 crimination, man is far ahead of the rest of the animal creation. 

 Color-vision and nice discrimination of tones and form are pe- 

 culiar to man. The painter and the musician have a perfection 

 in the one case of vision and in the other of hearing unknown to 

 any other animal ; indeed, only in a feeble measure realized by 

 their fellow-men. 



We recognize in the brain of man a motor area — i. e., a portion 

 of the surface (cortex) indispensable for voluntary movements of 

 the arm, leg, trunk, indeed for voluntary movements generally. 



It is, however, found that if, owing to disease, the path of sen- 

 sory impressions is interrupted or imperfect, accurate voluntary 

 movements are impossible. A person affected in this way is not 

 only incompetent to do the work of an artisan, but he can not 

 co-ordinate or harmonize his muscular movements to any useful 

 end ; so that it is now clear that practically all movements are 

 dependent on sensation ; while, again, sensation is much curtailed 

 in essential directions (musculo-cutaneous) if movements be not 

 free, extensive, and accurate. 



