ging it, or creating confusion in their feeble minds.

In some moment of apparent vacuity, the Mother may thus address them: Children, attend to what I am going to say; and I am curious to see who will be able to repeat it in the same order: In farm-yards may be seen, horses, oxen, cows, sheep, hogs, geese, ducks, and hens.

In beginning to exercise the attention, the memory and the speech, of little children, it will be requisite to break the sentences into parts; the Mother letting the little ones repeat each part after her, thus: In farm-yards; in farm-yards may be seen; in farm-yards may be seen horses, and so on, letting the sentence gradually increase by a fresh object at each repetition; and even after the children have arrived by frequent practice, during a long course of time, at a certain degree of strength of memory, and of facility of speech, let them, upon no account, be allowed to hurry over, without THOUGHT, any sentence, however apparently trifling. The so doing, instead of aiding the further advance, would have a directly contrary effect, and totally destroy the spirit and the value of exercises of this

nature.

If Mothers will train the elder children to exercise their younger brothers and sisters, the advantage will be mutual and great in every point of view.

When the children have repeated a sentence, they may be led to put various questions to each other.

Now listen to me attentively; I am going to say something new:

High in the air, above us, fly swallows, larks, pigeons, sparrows, rooks, and crows."

How many birds have I named? which did I name first, and which last? Have I named any birds before these.

In the water, swim pike, eels, carp, trout, herrings, and many other fishes.

Who can repeat this?

On the tree I see boughs, branches, leaves, blossoms, and fruit. Is this all that is to be seen on a tree? Who can mention something else appertaining to a tree? By way of variety the children may point out in prints the different objects as they name them.

Now repeat after me the following proper names: Charles, Augustus, William, Henry, Francis, Frederic, and George." I shall say

them again; and then you will perhaps be able to mention the third, and the sixth.

I now shall name to you different sorts of fruit. What am I going to name? What have you to do? The Mother names them in succession, and then asks, Have you retained them? Consider now well, and then mention which things I made you repeat first, and which last?

At another time, while the children are standing round her, the Mother may say: Now you shall tell me, and distinctly pronounce, whatever you see me do.

The Mother lays her hand upon the table, lifts it up; opens it, closes it; lays hold of something, touches something, &c. She draws several lines, of different length; some above; others below; in the centre; at the right and left side; and asks: What do you see? where do you perceive a long, and where a short line? Where are three, and where four lines, near each other?

Where is a crooked, and where a straight line? Have you any recollection of the things you saw yesterday in the picture? What sort of fishes did I name to you to-day?

what birds? what fruits? and what other objects ?

Now, repeat after me, such things as I shall mention to you: The square table; the round table; the oblong table; the pointed needle; the blunt needle; the round hat; the long bench, the short bench. The hooked knife, the sharp knife, the blunt knife; the clear water, the turbid muddy water, the salt water.

The heavy stone, the smooth stone, the precious stone, &c. Which thing did I call heavy? which sharp which round? which blunt?

which turbid? which long?

In this manner may be treated the following objects: the ripe pear; the sweet fig: the bitter almond; the juicy grape; the acid lemon.

Now, tell me first, the names of the fruits I have mentioned. What did I say of the pear? and what of the fig, &c.?

The sloping roof; the broad gate; the vaulted cellar; the spacious room; the ripe fruit; the polished steel. What did I call spacious? what vaulted, &c.

The crowing cock; the cackling goose; the swimming fish; the bleating lamb; the twit

B

tering swallow; the barking dog; the lowing ox. To ascertain whether they have paid attention to the appropriate epithets, they may be asked, how did I represent the lamb? and how the dog? the fish, &c.?

Here is a knife; look at it attentively, and tell me, what do you see about the upper part? what about the lower part? what in the middle? Do you know any other thing which has a point? She may vary the lesson thus:

Look at this book, in what position do you see it? how is it now? (open.) And how now? (closed:) and now? (it stands upright,) but now? (falling.) What have the scissors, and the pin? Whither have I thrown the pin? and whither now? Is this pin straight or crooked? Is this pin sharp-pointed or

blunt?

When the mother is at work; mark now attentively, what I am doing with the scissors: (to cut, to cut off, to shape, to divide.) And what with the knife? and what with the handkerchief? (to fold up, to unfold, to drop, to take up, to put by.) And what with this piece of paper?

I am going to say something; notice the