38 A METHOD OF MEASURING THE DEVELOPMENT 



ternelle" a language lesson is given each day at the opening 

 of school, in which the day and date are taught. The children 

 are told the day, date and year, and then made to repeat it. 

 However, not one child in the school was able to give us the 

 complete information, nor one the name of the year alone ; 

 for the month many answers were given, January, even 

 when it was in reality February 8th. Referring to our Scale, 

 it will be seen that the complete idea is not attained until the 

 age of eight. The great majority of children do not possess 

 it until they reach this age. These findings lead us unexpect- 

 edly to an interesting conclusion on precocious teaching. The 

 aim of instruction should be to aid the natural course of de- 

 velopment of the child by hastening it a little; but it is a vain 

 effort that gives it information three or four years beyond 

 its level. In the present case this is demonstrated by the 

 ignorance of these children of five or six years in regard to 

 the facts taught them, facts that boys of eight are juct able 

 to retain. 



An error of three or four days is allowed in the day of 

 the month. A very intelligent person might think it the 17th 

 of February when it is in fact the 14th., but he would scarcely 

 make a mistake in the day, still less in the month, and never, 

 unless he be suddenly amnesic, in the year. It is a curious 

 fact that children fail most often to give the year. They give 

 no year, they remain silent, for they do not know it. Perhaps 

 a year is for them so great a lapse of time that they can form 

 no idea of it. Then a glance at a calendar is sufficient to 

 learn the day of the week and month, but not the year, which 

 everyone is supposed to know. School calendars should make 

 very conspicuous the number of the year. 



V. Repeats five digits. — The method is described above. 

 Three digits are used at four years; it is necessary to post- 

 pone increasing the number to five until we reach seven-year- 

 old children, and still but three-quarters pass the test. 



CHILDREN OF NINE YEARS. 



1. Gives change from 20 sous. — This is a test which 



