cally used in the school room, is of recent occurrence; but no teacher or parent ever enticed a little child to his lap by showing it his watch or knife, or answered its childish questions about the cat or dog, but gave it an object lesson. I asked the members of a large Teachers' Institute, in the past autumn, "How many of you have ever given object lessons?" But three or four hands were raised. "How many of you, when at home or at your boarding houses, have coaxed the little children to you, and drawn them into a little conversation about your penknife or watch, or a flower held in your hand?" All hands went up. "" 'Then," replied I, "you have all given object lessons. Nature taught you how to teach little children by the fireside. Why not follow nature also in the school room?"

I might multiply testimony from the ablest educators and leading school officers of our own and other States, on both sides of the Atlantic, to prove the usefulness and sound philosophy of this mode of teaching; but I trust that the arguments already given will, if carefully weighed, remove from the minds of school officers and parents the natural distrust they may feel of its novelty, and gain from them a cordial assent to its trial by their teachers.

The successful use of object lessons requires that these three chief aims of their use shall be kept steadily in view. Without this guide, they are liable to degenerate into mere amusements.

1st. To exercise and cultivate the powers of observation; to accustom the pupil to notice carefully whatever sensible properties, parts and uses the object presents; and to find and discriminate similar properties in other objects.

2d. To increase the knowledge of language and the power of using it, in naming and describing the facts observed.

3d. To prepare the pupils for the study of branches afterwards to be pursued, by furnishing them the elementary facts and terms which will occur in those branches. These facts must be known before the sciences built upon them can be understood.

Series of object lessons may be easily arranged which will

give to young pupils, the elementary notions and the simple terms of geography, physiology, natural philosophy, arithmetic, geometry, &c., long before they come to the study of the formal propositions and elaborated proofs of the text books. Take for example, geography: the notion of a sphere, its hemispheres, diameter, circumference, axis, poles, equatorial line, belts or zones, and revolutions may, with the aid of a ball or round apple, be familiarly known and named before mathematical geography is ever mentioned. They are all facts of sense. So also land and water, hills, valleys, basins, plains, rivers, lakes, coast lines, capes, gulfs, bays, islands, &c, &c.; and also relative location, as shown on plans or maps of school yard, &c., points of compass, atmospherical phenomena of winds, clouds and rains, and animal and vegetable productions, may be fa miliar facts long ere the pupil comes to study them in the scientific discussions of physical geography. In arithmetic, the various weights, measures, motions, &c., to which numbers are applied; in physiology, the several parts of the body, organs of sense, nerves, bones, muscles, skin, joints, &c.; in natural philosophy, the qualities, kinds and accidents of matter, as gravity, hardness, density, elasticity; opacity, transparency, color, maleability, ductility, &c., solids and fluids, rest, motion, force, resistance, the mechanical powers, &c., furnish at once fit objects of childish observation and a most valuable preparation for the practical and intelligent study of these sciences. Every thoughtful teacher must have noticed how much time is occupied, in the introduction of each new study, in learning definitions; and how much the pupil's progress is hindered by the unfamiliar and vaguely understood phraseology of the science. Object lessons would render the simple terms and the primary facts of the sciences as familiar as household words; and when it is reflected that these form also a part of the common things and the common words of our every day life, even a wider and richer utility will be seen in these lessons.

The usefulness of the lessons will be greatly increased by a wise selection of the objects. It too often happens that the

objects are picked up by chance, and without due regaid to lessons they will present, or to the preparation of the pupils, by previous lessons, to understand them. The main rules for a proper selection of objects, are the following: 1st, Select those which present facts connected with some subject the pupils are already studying, or are hereafter to study; and 2d, Select the objects in some logical order, so that each object shall carry forward the lessons of the preceding.

As each notion and term needs to be made quite familiar, it will be found often desirable to select new objects to repeat old lessons from.

As several studies are generally carried on together by pu. pils studying text books, so, for similar reasons, the teacher may have several series of object lessons progressing at the same time. For example a series of lessons on form and color, another series on size, weight, &c., preparatory to arithmetic, and a series on natural scenery, &c., preparatory to geography, may be given to the same class.

The teacher's system will lie concealed in his own breast. To the pupils, his choice of objects should seem mostly spontaneous, as should be their own observation and study of them.

Experience alone can give skill in the use of object teaching. Several useful hints, however, may be given to young teachers, which, if carefully regarded, will aid them in the introduction, and enable them to avoid gross errors. Every lesson should be well and carefully prepared by the teacher before venturing before the class. Let the object be carefully observed as to its color, form, size, weight, parts, properties, uses, &c.; and next let its relations to the preceding lessons, its illustrations of ideas already gained by the pupils, and its uses in carrying forward those ideas, be closely noted, and the new words that may be needed, fitly chosen. With such thorough preparation, and with a little attention to the following rules, the teacher will venture fearlessly upon his work,

1st. Secure the attention and awaken the interest of the pupils. This is to be done mainly by presenting clearly to their

$

senses the object to be used in the lesson. If practicable, perobject, turning it in their hands and This will add the interest of touch to

mit them to handle the viewing it on all sides. the interest of sight. A few questions such as "Did you ever see anything like this? When? Where? What is it ?" &c., will usually arouse every pupil and fix every eye. Let no other step be taken till this point is gained.

2d. Leave the pupils mainly to their own spontaneous, self. activities. The teacher may awaken and give direction to their curiosity by an occasional adroit question; but he should chiefly rely upon the action of his pupils' own powers for the discovery of new facts. As a general rule, nothing should be told to pupils which they can discover for themselves. The zealous and impatient teacher will often fail here, and the fail. ure is a serious and fatal one. It is so much easier to tell a child what we wish him to know, rather than wait for him to discover it for himself, that the inexperienced and careless can rarely resist the temptation. But the babbling teacher will assuredly learn, in the long run, the truth of the maxim "the more haste the worse speed."

3d. Let each new fact be closely observed and clearly under stood before it is named. If the pupils' attention be earnestly fixed upon any new phenomena or property, they will almost invariably ask for the name. The aim should be to make the idea so distinct, and to link the word so indissolubly with it, that the one shall never fail to call up the other.

4th, Whenever a new fact, as a new color, form, or other property, as elasticity, transparency, &c., has beon learned, let the pupil be asked to find other objects exhibiting the same, Thus the habit of general observation will be formed, and the mind will be familiarized with its newly acquired ideas.

5th. Let the new words learned be introduced frequently and familiarly into use till the pupils use them readily and correctly.

6th. Require the pupils frequently to tell, in their own lan guage, and without question from the teacher, whatever they

know or have learned of any object. This will test the completeness of their knowledge, and greatly increase their power of language.

7th. Make the lessons [short and spirited. Rarely should more than one new idea be introduced in any lesson, and with young pupils five minutes will be sufficient time for the lesson. A profitable object lesson may consist of a single question and reply, as the following:

Teacher. Children, what is the color of Jane's dress?

Pupils, (looking earnestly and comparing.) It is crimson, Teacher. Yes, it is crimson.

Ordinarily it will be better to continue the lesson longer, but even this short lesson will have served a good purpose.

It is evident that as in other studies, so also in object teaching, the instruction must be adapted to the capacity of the pu pils. The same lessons will not be equally adapted to the child just entering school, and to one who has already been a year or two under instruction. Great care should be taken to ask nothing of pupils which their age and attainments do not qualify them to give. We may distinguish the following four natural stages or grades of object teaching:

1st Grade. Lessons embracing simple facts of sense. The little pupil in this primary stage is asked simply to use his senses and to notice only those properties, &c., of the object which his eye can see, or his hand can feel, &c. It is his age of predominant sensation, and his senses are to be trained to a quick and correct cognition of whatever presents itself before them. He is busy storing up those simplest elementary facts which fit the mind for fuller observations, and furnish the materials for future thought.

2d Grade. Lessons embracing the comparison and classification of objects. This grade follows close upon the first. The little pupil having observed a considerable number of objects, begins to notice their resemblances, and contrasts, and to classify objects under general names. It is the first step in the work of generalization, and the beginning of science. Obvi.