The Infant System Part 22

Their lessons, their plan of using them, and their discipline altogether, are of that monotonous nature, that the children always seem to me to be dosing over them. I know it will be pleaded that the number to be taught at once, renders this defect unavoidable; that it is impossible to teach a large body of children, in such a way as to secure the attention and activity of the whole. And it is so far true, as to its being impossible to detect and reform every idle pupil, who finds an opportunity of indulging his idleness in the divided attention of his teacher; but I do think, if it be impossible to cure the evil, it may be in a great degree prevented. Make your system interesting, lively, and inspiriting, and your scholars will neither be able nor willing to slumber over it. Every one knows what an effect is produced on the physical faculties by a succession of the same sound; for instance, by the long continued chiming of a single bell; it induces a drowsiness which we find it impossible to resist, except by turning our attention to another thing; but let a number of bells strike out into a merry peal, how quickly we are aroused, how lively we become, whilst their various changes secure the attention and interest which their pleasing and spirited tones first excited. And just so it is with the mind in the matters of education; you must give a variety of tones, a newness of aspect to your lessons, or you will never be able to keep up a lively attention in your scholars. For this purpose I would particularly recommend to the attention of all concerned, the chapters in this volume on geometry, conversation, pictures, and likewise that on the elliptical method. By adopting the plan recommended in these chapters, the children will have something to do, and to do that something they must be active. The first object of the teacher is to excite a thirst for knowledge; not to pour unwelcome information into the mind.

It will probably be said, that however well adapted the plan recommended may be for the infantine scholars for whom it was designed, yet, it does not follow that it may be equally advantageous for those of a more advanced age; and if by this it is meant, that the very same lessons, &c., are not equally applicable in both cases, I perfectly agree with the truth of the objection; but it is the principle of education that I recommend, and would affirm to be as applicable to children of the most advanced age, as to those of the youngest. And I may further add that unless this is done, these schools will not be in a proper state to receive our children, so as to carry on the cultivation of all the faculties, instead of the memory only. It is not sufficient to store the memory, we must give employment to the understanding. It is not sufficient to talk to the children of piety and of goodness; we must present them with a living example of both, and secure, as far as possible, an imitation of such example.

As applicable to Sunday Schools, I would particularly recommend the use of picture lessons on scripture subjects, for the use of the junior cla.s.ses, to be used as a sort of text for conversation, suited to the state of their mental faculties. I am convinced that the knowledge acquired by this method is likely to make a deeper and more lasting impression, than that imparted in a less interesting mode. Nor should the lessons on natural history be neglected, in my humble opinion, in the system of Sunday School instruction; inasmuch as the more the children know of the wonders of creation, the greater must be their reverence of the Almighty Creator; in addition to which it will enable the teachers to supply variety, a thing so agreeable, and, indeed, indispensable, in the instruction of children. For these reasons, I think it could not justly be considered as either a misemployment or profanation of the Sabbath-day. For the elder children, moreover, it would be advisable to have occasional cla.s.s lectures, simplified for the purpose, on astronomy, natural history, &c.; and although it might be unadvisable to occupy the hours of the Sabbath-day with the delivery of them, they might be given, on some week-day evening, and should be made the medium of reward to good behaviour; such children as had misbehaved themselves being proscribed from attending. When thus seen in the light of a privilege, they would not fail to be interesting to the little auditors, as well as conducive to good behaviour.

Sunday Schools should not be too large, nor should children remain in them too long. I have observed some instances, when this has been neglected, of choices being made, and connections formed, which must be often very prejudicial.

It is with some degree of reluctance and apprehension, I touch upon another topic-that of religious doctrine. As schools for gratuitous instruction have been established by most of the religious sects extant, it is obvious that some dissimilarity of sentiment on religions subjects must exist, as imparted in such schools. Let it not be supposed, that I would cast a censure on any religious body, for establishing a school devoted to such a blessed purpose. On the contrary, I rejoice to see, that however various their theories may be, their opinion of Christian practice, as evinced in such actions, is the same. But one thing I would say, to each and to all, let a prominence be given to those fundamental truths of love and goodness which Christianity inculcates. Let the first sounds of religion which salute the ears of infancy, be that heavenly proclamation which astonished and enraptured the ears of the wakeful shepherds, "Peace on earth and good-will towards men." It was the herald-cry by which salvation was ushered into the world, and surely no other can be so proper for introducing it into the minds of children. I must candidly own, that I have occasionally witnessed a greater desire to teach particular doctrines, than the simple and beautiful truths which form the spirit of religion; and it is against this practice I have presumed to raise a dissentient voice.

The conductors of schools, in connexion with the British and Foreign School Society, have generally spoken more highly of the Infant System than others, and this is certainly to be attributed to more congeniality, since in them the mental powers are more fully exercised, and there is a greater variety in the instruction given. The only objection I can discover to them, is one that lies equally against the National Schools-I mean the opportunities afforded for monitorial oppression; but this may be obviated in both cases by the judgment and vigilance of the teachers. It should be added, that schools of both kinds demand occasional inspection from those intimately acquainted with the systems avowedly adopted, as they appear very different in different places. I will only mention further on this topic, that many schools are too large. No Infant School, I conceive, should exceed 200, nor should a National or British and Foreign School exceed 400, when under the care of one master.

One half of these numbers would be much better than the whole, and tend greatly to the success of the schools; but funds are so difficult to raise, from the apathy shown by persons in general to the instruction of the poor, and therefore the schools are so few in number, that it is absolutely requisite to place as great a number of children as possible under one master, that expense may be saved. When will this sad state of things be changed, and the country at large see that the n.o.blest object it can ever attempt is, to rear up its whole population to intelligence, virtue, and piety?

In conclusion, I would observe, that as the foregoing remarks have been kindly made, in such a manner, it is my hope, they will all be received.

It is most gratifying to me to be able to add, that since the above remarks were written, great improvements have been made in National Schools, a large portion of the public attention has been lately drawn to the subject, and it is almost universally admitted that the present system is capable of considerable improvement. This must be gratifying to those persons who have borne the heat and burthen of the day. The National Society are taking measures to improve their systems, and also by forming Diocesan Societies to establish Normal schools for the instruction of teachers on improved principles throughout the country. I would to G.o.d the Church of England had done this long ago; she would have had fewer enemies, and could now have put on a bolder front.

I trust in G.o.d that even now it is not too late, and that circ.u.mstances may transpire to render her efforts in this sacred cause doubly effective. She has lately made a n.o.ble stand in defence of principle; this will have its proper effect; but she must not stop there, for the enemy is in the field; and though he is quiet for a time, the many-headed dragon is not crushed. The utmost vigilance will be necessary to counteract the wiliness of the serpent; real improvements in education must be adopted; the books used in her schools must be revised and improved; a larger amount of knowledge must be given to the poorer portion of her sons, and then a beneficial reaction will not be far distant. She has done much, but she has much more to do. If she does not pre-occupy the ground, there are others that will. Dependence upon the Divine Will, sound discretion, and Christian principle, must be her guide; goodness must be her fortress, and truth her finger post, and then I for one perceive that she will not fail, for the bulk of her people are still favourable to her, and will rise up in her defence, when their a.s.sistance is required; and if I mistake not the signs of the times, there will be work for the thinking portion of the laity soon cut out, work which I fear the clergy cannot, or will not do, but which, nevertheless, must be done. G.o.d grant that it may be done well, whoever may be the instruments.

CHAPTER XXII.

HINTS ON NURSERY EDUCATION.

Introduction to botany-First lessons in natural history-First truths of astronomy-Geographical instruction-Conclusion.

"'Tis on his mother's bosom the babe learns his first lessons; from her smile he catches the glow of affection; and by her frown, or her gentle sighs he persuaded to give up what his ignorance or selfishness prompt him with pertinacity to retain. Happy where this sweet, this powerful influence is well directed,-where the mother's judgment guides her affectionate feelings."-Taylor

Many persons, eminent by their charitable acts, and who express themselves generally desirous of aiding in any plan which may contribute to the improvement and happiness of the poorer cla.s.ses, have, nevertheless, been unwilling to a.s.sist in the establishment of Infant Schools, fearful that the superior method pursued in these schools should render the children educated therein, much better informed than the children of the richer cla.s.ses, who might thus be supplanted in numerous lucrative and honourable situations in after-life.

From this circ.u.mstance one of the two following conclusions must be drawn; either that the system of education pursued in the higher schools is very faulty and imperfect, or that the fears of those persons are entire groundless.

If the first be true, then it cannot be denied that the consequences feared by the richer cla.s.ses must necessarily take place, if, either from prejudice or apathy, they continue the same faulty and imperfect method of education, which, by the expression of these fears, they positively declare is usually pursued in the higher schools; but the remedy is easy. Let the same good principles of tuition be introduced into nurseries, and into those schools to which the children of the rich are sent, and the latter will not fail to maintain their patrimonial ranks in society. They need then have no fear least the poorer cla.s.ses should become too intellectual, but, on the contrary, they will soon find that their own welfare, security, and happiness will not only be insured, but will increase in proportion as the poorer cla.s.ses gain knowledge; for by the method of instruction pursued in the Infant Schools, the knowledge there acquired is necessarily accompanied by the practice of industry, sobriety, honesty, benevolence, and mutual kindness; in fine, by all the moral and religious virtues.

That the system of instruction recommended in the foregoing pages is equally applicable to the children of the rich as to those of the poor, there can be no doubt; and it might be adopted either in schools established on its principles or in the nursery. It is, indeed, obvious that it might be carried to a much greater extent, where the means of so doing would not be wanting. Many things might be taught, which it is neither advisable nor practicable to teach in the schools established for the instruction of poor children.

Whilst the elements of number, form, and language, may be taught by the means and after the manner recommended in the preceding chapters on the respective subjects, there are other branches of knowledge which might enter into the scope of nursery instruction with great advantage to the children.

As an introduction to botany, I would make the children acquainted with the progress of vegetation, not from words, but from observation. I would have three or four garden-pots filled with mould, introduced into the nursery at a proper season of the year; the children should be asked, what is in the pots.-"Dirt," or "mould," will of course be the reply. They should then be shewn the seeds which are to be deposited in the mould, and a.s.suming in the eyes of the children a prophetic character, the mother or governess should inform them of the process of vegetation, and that about a certain time a pretty flower will make its appearance in the pots: the seeds should then be deposited in the mould, and the pots placed in a proper situation. It would not be improper to let the children themselves sow the seed; thus convincing them of their power of being useful, and becoming the instrument of so great a wonder, as the transformation of a seed into a flower. During the time the seed is lying unperceived beneath the mould, the children should frequently be sent to look "if the pretty flower has come up," or questioned as to what they were told concerning it. At length the green shoot will make its appearance, just peeping above the mould, to the no small surprise and gratification of the little observers. They will mark with attentive eagerness the progress of its growth, the appearance of the bud, and the gradual development of "the pretty flower," till they are fully convinced of the wisdom of the parent or teacher who foretold all which has happened, and made acquainted with the process of vegetation, not from words, but from observation. Certain it is, that such a lesson could not be wholly useless. In the first place it might be made the means of impressing them with ideas of the Almighty power, highly conducive to piety; secondly, it would beget a habit of observation; thirdly, it would be likely to produce a love of flowers and the vegetable world, favourable to their future pursuits in the science of botany; and, lastly, it would inspire their little b.r.e.a.s.t.s with a love and respect for the parents or teachers who were wise and kind enough to teach them so many true and wonderful things.

As an efficient and amusing introduction to natural history, I would have every nursery provided with a microscope, by means of which the minds of the children might be excited to wonder and admiration at the amazing beauty and perfection of the insect world, and the astonishing construction of various substances, as seen through this instrument. So far would this be from begetting habits of cruelty, that it would be very likely to check them. Many children who would be loath to torture a large animal, such as a cat, a dog, or a bird, feel no compunction at ill-using a fly, because it appears to them so insignificant an animal; but had they once witnessed, by means of a microscope, the wonderful and perfect conformation of the insect, I am persuaded they would be less inclined to make the distinction.

Various devices might be made use of to teach the first truths of astronomy. So simple a device as an apple, with a wire run through its centre, turned round before a candle, might serve to explain the phenomena of day and night; whilst the orrery, with the accompaniment of a simple and familiar lecture-(it should be much more so, indeed, than any I have heard or read)-would make them acquainted with those stupendous facts which strike us with as astonishment and awe. It has been well observed by Dr. Young, with respect to the wonders of astronomy-

"In little things we search out G.o.d-in great He seizes us."

One thing I would here notice-that it should be a constant practice to remind the children, that in the apple and the orrery, they see only a resemblance to the earth and the heavenly bodies, that they are vast in size and distance, beyond their comprehension; at the same time leading them to an actual observation of the heavens by means of a telescope. This would be a high treat to the children, and productive of correct notions, which are but too apt to be lost where we are under the necessity of teaching by signs so infinitely unlike, in size and nature, as the candle and the apple, and the bra.s.s b.a.l.l.s and wires of the orrery, to the earth and the heavenly orbs.

For giving the children their first lessons in geography, I would have a floor-cloth in every nursery, painted like a map, but of course not filled up so perfectly as maps for adults necessarily are. It should contain a correct delineation of the position of a certain s.p.a.ce of the globe, we will say, for instance, of England; let the children then be told to proceed from a certain spot, to go through certain counties, towns, &c., and to fetch a piece of cloth from Yorkshire, or a knife from Sheffield, cheese from Cheshire, b.u.t.ter from Dorset, or lace from Huntingdonshire, &c., &c. The lessons thus given would be at once amusing and instructive both to the governess and children. If preferred, these maps might be painted of a less size, to cover a table. No difficulty would be found to get a set of such table-covers or floor-cloths painted, if the public would once encourage the plan.

There are now large skeleton maps published, which have merely the princ.i.p.al cities, towns, and rivers, &c., marked down, so as not to present too many objects to confuse the young eye. There are also picture maps in which the chief productions of a country, both vegetable and animal, are delineated in their proper places. These would form a great aid in nursery instruction, and also for an infant school. Let the great truth be ever borne in mind, that what is seen by the eye is more quickly understood and more certainly remembered, than what is merely described or made known in words.

I would also have an oblong tray made to hold water, large enough to cover a table. In this I would fasten pieces of cork, cut out in the shape of land, according to the best maps, while other small bits of cork should represent the mountains and hills on the surface of the respective islands. By application to the toy-makers, a sufficient number of animals might be got to stock the respective islands, &c., with their appropriate inhabitants; whilst the manufactures, and many of the natural products of the different places, might be readily supplied by the ingenuity of the parent or governess. A little boat should then be provided, and a voyage to a given part undertaken; various islands might be touched at, and various commodities taken on board or exchanged, according to the mercantile instructions the children should receive; whilst brief accounts might at first be read or given of the climate, productions, and inhabitants of the respective places, till the little scholar should be able to conduct the voyage, purchase or exchange commodities, and give an account of the various countries and their inhabitants, &c., by himself. Certain I am that more might be acquired, by this toothed, of geographical knowledge, in one week, than by the old method in a twelvemonth: and what the children did learn they would always remember. I might extend these suggestions to the size of a small volume, had I s.p.a.ce to do so; but the limits of the present one forbid; at a future period, should my active employments permit, I may resume the subject of nursery hints in an extended and separate form.

There are, indeed, many excellent works already published on the subject; but as by the suggestions and contributions of many, every plan is likely to be perfected, no one is justified in withholding any thing likely to promote the desired object.

A due improvement of these advantages will make the progress of the higher cla.s.ses more than commensurate with that of the lower. It is obvious, that the former have resources which cannot be obtained by the latter. They have the means, too, of availing themselves of all improvements in education, of engaging the most intelligent and efficient instructors, and of frequently changing the scene for their children, and consequently the objects which come under their observation. Which, I ask, is the more honourable course,-to object, as some do, to the education of the infant poor, lest they should learn too much, or to improve, then, the opportunities they have, by which they and their children they surpa.s.s all others?

A few words ought to be added on discipline at home. It is not uncommon to hear parents, in all cla.s.ses of society say, "That child is too much for me. I cannot manage him at all." We should think him a most unpatriotic Englishman who should say the French are too strong for us, we cannot beat them; but very far more absurd and truly unparental it is to confess that a mere child is master of its parents. A grown person and an infant, what a contrast! True it is, that many a child has become very unmanageable, but this may always be traced to early neglect. If from the earliest infancy the young mind is trained to little acts of obedience, they will soon become habitual and pleasant to perform; but if improper indulgence and foolish kindness be practised towards children, they must, of course, grow up peevish, fretful, and ill-tempered, obstinate, saucy, and unmanageable. "Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap." Let this truth be ever engraved upon the minds of all parents. A constant exercise of parental love in allowing all that is fit and proper, and a firm and judicious use of parental authority, in strictly refusing and forbidding all that is unsuitable or wrong, should harmoniously unite their power in training up the young. Punishments, as a last resource, ought to be used; but never in a spirit of anger, wrath, or revenge. If administered calmly and mildly they will have a double power. Every wilful offence of a child seems to say, "Correct me, but with judgment." It may be painful to a parent to put on the "graver countenance of love," but true parental love will always do it. Oh that all parents in every rank of life saw and acted upon the great truth, that the n.o.blest object that they can present to themselves, and the greatest obligation that is laid upon them, is to rear up their children to intelligence, virtue, and piety; to make them good rather than great, for if they are the former, they will a.s.suredly be the latter in its highest and truest sense.[A]

[Footnote A: Should the reader be pleased with this volume, I may refer to another work of mine just published, ent.i.tled "A System for the Education of the Young."]

Having now finished all that I have to say on Infant Schools, I would, in conclusion, breathe forth a sincere pet.i.tion to the throne of Divine Truth and Goodness, for the prosperity and spread of the System; in which I am sure I shall be joined by all who have been convinced of its beneficial effects in promoting the present and everlasting welfare of human beings.

Mysterious are thy ways, O G.o.d; yet who was ever disappointed that asked of thee in a right spirit? Prosper, then, thy work which is begun in the world, we beseech thee, O Lord; may thy gracious providence so encircle and protect the rising generation, that there may be no more complaining in our streets. Protect them, O Lord, from the many dangers that surround them, as soon as they draw their breath in this vale of tears, and put into the hearts of those who have the means to consider the state of the infant poor, to give them the a.s.sistance they need. Grant that thy blessed example may be followed by many, for thou didst desire that children should come unto thee, and not be forbidden, and thou didst take them up in thine arms and bless them, declaring, that of such is the kingdom of heaven. May thy creatures, therefore, not be ashamed to notice little children, but co-operate, hand and heart with each other, and endeavour to teach them all good. May difference of sentiment and opinion be laid aside and forgotten; and may all join hand and heart in endeavouring to rescue the infant race from danger; and so these tender plants may be nurtured with the dew of thy divine blessing, and be thus made fit subjects for thy heavenly kingdom, where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest. May thy divine influence descend abundantly upon all those who have hitherto turned their attention to infant children; may they feel great pleasure in doing good; may they receive thy grace and protection abundantly; and when their days of probation are ended, may they find a place in thy heavenly mansions, and there glorify thee throughout the boundless ages of eternity. Amen.[A]

[Footnote A: This prayer written more than thirty years ago. The reader will see a great portion of the prayer has been answered; the subject has been mooted in Parliament; the Government have mooted the question of Education; and even the sovereign has recommended attention to it in a speech from the throne. This feeling only wants a right direction given to it, and all will be well.]