THE STORY OF A SCHOOL. 



501 



Drawing came in everywhere, being a mode of expression as 

 natural as language, and indispensable to the acquirement of 

 clear ideas ; pupils soon made constant use of it, though, from 

 lack of early training, their efforts had no pretensions to artistic 

 merit. 



Our lessons took various forms, depending upon the object we 

 had in view. In the development exercises, by a series of ques- 

 tions quite in the Socratic spirit, we brought together the wander- 

 ing, disconnected ideas which the class possessed upon any sub- 

 ject, and directed attention to the more obvious relations. The 

 pupils were then left to work over the lesson, and arrange and 

 present it in due order. This process became a guide, and 

 pointed out the way for the next step in investigation. Lessons 

 of instruction were usually given in the form of lectures. We, 

 however, varied this exercise by substituting for the formal lect- 

 ure a more or less familiar conversation, in which, after a little, 

 all pupils took part. 



Topical recitations included all knowledge obtained from books 

 or reported from investigation. Day by day pupils were called 

 upon to tell what they knew of given subjects in clear and con- 

 nected discourse. The words of the text-book were not ac- 

 cepted; so every lesson became a language-lesson of the most 

 practical kind. As a matter of fact, we found that, whenever a 

 new thought was clearly understood, the mind sought expression 

 in some form, either through constructive work, drawing, or lan- 

 guage, and was not content until it had clearly imparted its mean- 

 ing to another mind. The mental circuit was then complete. 



In this reaching out after words and forms individual charac- 

 ter asserted itself, the imagination was awakened, the invention 

 quickened, and the dead monotony of the old-school recitation 

 disappeared completely. This training finally resulted in an un- 

 usual mastery of spoken language. 



"Written work held a large place in our school. Our plan made 

 provision for at least one written exercise a day for each pupil. 

 As these exercises were in connection with the studies pursued at 

 the time, the pupils entered upon them without any consciousness 

 that they had begun the dreaded composition. Lessons from text- 

 books, and aided by books of reference, were treated topically, and 

 were frequently written out. Investigations in science were re- 

 ported in writing, and in due time the pupils came to think easily 

 and naturally, pen in hand. 



In another regard we made a serious innovation upon custom. 

 The teachers were not required to correct the wearisome mass of 

 papers prepared daily. For this we had good reasons. The free 

 use of criticism is a dangerous practice. It paralyzes the imagi- 

 nation of the pupil, and so depresses and discourages him that 



