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are to be taught under this head. And in order that we 

 may examine with good chance of success, we will appeal to 

 a physicist, and consider the definition which has been given 

 by him in an elementary text-book recently published. The 

 little work in question is one of a series of primers sanctioned 

 by an authority well known for expressing exactly what he 

 thinks, — an authority who has condemned scientific text- 

 books generally, and who has of course taken care that the 

 series which he edits shall be wanting in the many short- 

 comings for which children's books are so sadly celebrated. 

 These new text-books probably approach perfection more 

 nearly than any preceding work. 



I will now give you an example of the sort of knowledge 

 that is to be forced into the heads of the rising generation. 

 The little boys and girls attending the schools of the future 

 are to be enlightened concerning the meaning of physics in 

 this wise : — " You have been told about the kinds of things we 

 have in the world, but you have not yet learned much about 

 the moods or affections of things." The child may feel a 

 little puzzled about the affections and snoods of things around 

 him, and will ask himself perhaps what can be meant by the 

 affections, say of the tables, chairs, fire-irons, and the moods 

 of the pots and pans, but his physical teacher soon makes all 

 clear to his physical comprehension, " you are, yourself, little 

 child," says the teacher, " subject to change of moods ; some- 

 times you appear with a smile on your face, and sometimes 

 perhaps with a face full of frowns or tears ; sometimes, 

 again, you feel vigorous and active ; sometimes dull and 

 listless." The child has been already taught about oxygen 

 and hydrogen, and water and iron, and has been shown that 

 some things are compound, and can be split up into other 

 things, and that some things are simple and cannot be so 

 split up ; but now the teacher begins to explain all about the 

 moods and affections of t/tinr/s, and commences his ex- 



