OF THE INTELLIGENCE OF YOUNG CHILDREN 27 



essential that no opinion be expressed; that we wait, and wait 

 in silence. 



CHILDREN OF SIX YEARS. 



I. Distinguishes between morning and evening. — The 

 perception of time is a slow development with a child; for 

 a long time yesterday and tomorrow are confused. 

 The distinction of our test is brought out by the following 

 question: "Is it morning or afternoon now?" Some chil- 

 dren give a chance answer, others simply say "yes"; not until 

 the age of six is a child absolutely sure whether it is morning 

 or afternoon. Before reaching this age they can often tell, 

 however, whether they have or have not eaten their mid-day 

 meal. 



Apropos of this finding, our readers will doubtless make 

 a remark which they will often repeat in reading the tests 

 which follow; it is that children are much less advanced, 

 much less intelligent than they are thought to be. We answer 

 that an examination such as ours, a rapid one which takes the 

 child by surprise and obliges him to tell and tell immediately, 

 what he knows, tends toward a low grading of the child. But 

 even taking this into account the preceding observation still 

 holds. One expects, we ourselves expected, more brilliant 

 results. We would have judged that children could distin- 

 guish between morning and afternoon long before the age of 

 six. It is a distinction which appears so easy! Think of 

 the fact that six-year-old children are the oldest in the "ma- 

 ternelles" schools. Recall that the programs of these schools 

 provide for the teaching of history and of geography; "the 

 principal irregularities of the earth's surface, brief biographies 

 from national history," read the rules of the schools "mater- 

 nelles" of the department of the Seine. Is it not rather ridicu- 

 lous to talk about national history to children who cannot 

 yet distinguish between morning and afternoon ? 



II. Defines in terms of use.— Thus far the verbal re- 

 sponses required from the little ones have all been short; a 



