THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 89 



By no means do away with home work, but on the contrary let 

 the domestic feature be encouraged for several reasons : First of all, 

 the teacher with a large class numbered by the scores cannot individ- 

 ualize and give that particular attention to a scholar which could be 

 given at home of an evening, and so assist in maintaining the degree of 

 progress attained by a brighter companion. Secondly, even as the 

 owner of the garden referred to in my simile, who works it himself, 

 will not only enjoy the recreation of gardening for the sake of the 

 flowers that will grow all the better for the time he devotes to them, 

 but will also feel stronger and brighter in every way, so the parent 

 who looks after his or her child's lessons of an evening will not only 

 feel rewarded by seeing his child's mental growth but he will find 

 that his own mental powers are refreshed by the return to subjects 

 once well known but now long forgotten. Thirdly, the parent can 

 also act the counterpart of the reference books and text books used 

 by the college student, and give information often that will serve to 

 impress more fully the lessons taught in the schools than ordinary 

 school teaching will do, for undoubtedly the lessons taught by a 

 parent have far more lasting impression than those taught by an out- 

 sider, who has not the influence that instinctively goes with the in- 

 struction imparted by a loving parent who has gained the confidence 

 that the most skilful teacher may take years to win from the scholar. 



Another reason that I would advance is that there is too much 

 tendency in these days to desert the home circle of an evening, when 

 there are so many outside attractions and such a tendency to seek 

 amusement from home, on the part of not only the fathers, but even 

 the mothers and children themselves. If, therefore, the parents 

 made more of a practice of looking after their children's lessons of 

 an evening than I am afraid is often the case, while at the same time 

 the teachers arranged their share of the work so that the lessons 

 would not be too extensive, we would find the home circles would 

 have time for profitable recreations as well. Many a parent who 

 now finds his time so all-absorbing would find that as a result of the 

 time so given up of an evening he would be able to turn his attention 

 with far brighter faculties to his business the next day. A series of 

 children's books was much in vogue thirty years ago, some of them 

 if not all by Maria Edgworth. the principal characters being a boy 

 and girl named Harry and Lucy, that in fact being the title of some 



