20 THE NEW METHOD 



laws in the human body or mind, and who can 

 calculate the inevitable result, as it widens down the 

 ages ? Ignorance of the laws of life confers no 

 exemption from the failure and suffering conse- 

 quent upon their violation. Nature's inexorable and 

 unpitying penalties are meant to coerce us to the 

 study of her works, when their exceeding beauty 

 fails to allure our attention. 



That system which requires the thorough study of 

 the science of education, and seeks to determine what 

 each step in the educational process ought to be, by 

 a knowledge of the laws of human nature, is called 

 the normal system. Founded upon biological and 

 psychological science, educational philosophy is, and 

 must be, progressive in its development. Normal 

 schools which have thus far been established, differ 

 so widely in their general plan that they may be 

 best considered under three grades. First, normal 

 schools with no model classes. Second, normal 

 schools with transient model classes for the purpose 

 of illustrating the true mode of teaching. Third, 

 normal schools with permanent model classes, trained, 

 or to be trained normally, through their whole scho- 

 lastic course. 



The first and second grades include the state nor- 

 mal schools. The true function of these schools is 

 to make the establishment of still better normal 



